Importance of Platform Specific UI Design for Mobile Applications
I have often heard people saying “Let’s keep the UI same for all the mobile platforms.”, “Is this app already designed for Android? Ok, let’s replicate it on iOS as well.”, “Client is okay compromising on the beautification of the app. It should just be functional.”. In this series of blogs, I will explain as to why – as a customer, a marketing evangelist, and a developer; it is important to follow platform specific guidelines while designing mobile apps and why we need to keep our mobile application designs differentiated for respective platforms. There will be only 8-10% scenarios where we can keep the UI similar (not same still!). I recently downloaded an application on my iPhone which was designed to run on both iOS and Android. Yes, the application is functional. It lets the user navigate, perform kinds of actions on different screens etc. But being an iOS user for the past 5 years, it was neither easy nor pleasing for me to understand the controls in the app. Few screens looked web-like, others looked Android-like. It took me a while to understand the overall flow of the application. The color scheme didn’t match to what my eyes are used to seeing in all other apps built for iPhone. I am assuming that the product team failed to explain to the clients about how important it is to follow UI design paradigms of the specific platform for any mobile app. I am sure they would have loved the approach if they were informed about the importance of design. The overall look and feel, branding could have been kept same following platform-specific guidelines for navigation, animation, actions, colors, shadows, hues etc. Result – I uninstalled the app. In my experience, creating similar looking UI design confuses and isolates the users. It is good to stick to native experience as the application would be predictable and easy to use. End users always expect an experience which is aligned with their platform. Uninstallation & Bad Reviews – In a recent survey it is shown that 60-70% of the people uninstall the app within the first day of installation. This is the last thing a company would want for its product. If the users don’t find an app easy to use in the first go, there is no second thought before they uninstall the app and write a bad review. In such scenarios, users tend to switch to the desktop. This is also valid for an enterprise user. I have seen enterprise users taking the desktop route when they fail to relate to the application. And this voids the very purpose of an enterprise having invested in the app. Here is a survey which shows that around 42% of the uninstallations happen due to bad UI/UX. Having said that, I would like to add that the decision to go with a common design approach for multiple platforms completely depends on the complexity of the app and its requirement. Around 8-10% of the apps are mostly form filling apps or single page apps with ‘read only’ data. In such scenarios, going with a common design approach is considered to be a better solution in terms of ease of development and maintenance. Below is a simple example which showcases this scenario – The app below is a simple form which captures users’ response and communicates them to the server. (A simple form filling application sharing the same design on Android and iOS) But when we talk about other apps which has more user interactions involved with a bigger set of data to deal with, it is better to stick with the platform specific design convention. Whenever we begin to design our apps for any platform, it is very important to know and understand the design principles of that platform. I will explain the differences between iOS and Android screen layout and how minor changes in the design effect user experience and adaptability in my next blog. References – https://www.prlog.org/12254771-top-7-reasons-why-mobile-users-uninstall-apps.html http://iosdesign.ivomynttinen.com/ http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/a-tale-of-two-platforms-designing-for-both-android-and-ios–cms-23616
Innovative Digital Advertising for Higher Revenue through Media Planning
With smart, tech-savvy millennials preferring minimal encroachment by ads, drawing attention becomes a challenge for marketers, but technology is bringing new ways to stay connected. Marketers need to unlearn and re-learn technology, consumer preferences, competitor actions and a host of other variables. Only then can they stay relevant in the dynamic marketplace. It is vital for brands to look out for innovative advertising solutions that entice next-gen consumers. Marketers need to rethink their advertising strategies, decipher the right mix of channels, and implement the optimum amount of investment to survive, sustain, and grow. Innovation is the key 1. Personalized advertising: Programmatic technologies allow marketers to effectively decipher customer profiles and shoot across personalized, targeted messages to prospects. At a time when it is crucial for brands to be succinct and informative at the same time, targeted advertising works wonders in attracting potential revenue generators. 2. Transactional ads: They allow users to purchase just by clicking on digital ads, without even visiting the advertiser’s website. Transactional ads are in vogue and disruptive technology allows the use of a single touchpoint for interaction and purchase. By upselling and cross-selling via these ads, companies can achieve higher ROI from their advertising spend while reducing the time to purchase. 3. In-app advertising: With smartphones emerging as the major chunk of the advertising pie, in-app advertising is gaining its share of eyeballs. In-app advertising works great for sending highly targeted messages to a segmented audience. An ad network pays the ad developer to include its code into the application so that when the app is running, the ad network serves targeted advertisements through the software. In-app advertising is reckoned to be the next big thing. 4. Native ads: As a response to users being somewhat blind to traditional banners, native advertising has been a solution to rely on. Advertisements are cohesively delivered and integrated into the page design. This way, the user feels that the ad is actually a part of the content, at least at first glimpse. And native advertising is proving to be a great way to create brand awareness. The future is here Innovative technologies do bring challenges and marketers need to think creatively to overcome technological and operational barriers. The future of digital advertising is all about programmatic technology because it is designed for targeting the right people with what they might need. Identifying that correctly is impossible by manual methods, and that is why programmatic can set brands apart and help them sustain profits.
Creating Opportunities: Mortgage Loan Originators Morph into Sales Personnel
The loan origination phase is a confluence of many opportunities. But bank personnel are found limiting themselves to application checks for compliance. The high number of regulations swamps too many people with paperwork and processing, and leaves few free for marketing operations, which are essential to productive loan origination. Prospecting and referrals entail marketing campaigns, attending industry events, running a social profile, and making sales calls. Post-sales services are also necessary to maintain bank reputation. Personnel who specialized in marketing have to concentrate on processing applications and checking for compliance in the face of new regulations. Although software can automate loan origination, some banks have virtually no workforce left to deal with marketing. They are feeling the need for specialized marketing teams, especially with the advent of social media. The focus has shifted to centralized digital marketing. Referral-partner phone calls, follow-up meetings, coordination with underwriters, and settlements with real-estate agents also require a special expertise. Digital specialists and data analysts have been able to mine through huge databases and send targeted messages to customers. It works better than generic email blasts and frees mortgage loan originators to do the necessary mortgage activities. Compliance with the new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures Act (TRID) is a major necessity. Every message from the lender should be consistent and controlled across multiple channels. Centralized marketing campaigns help to deliver targeted messages to customers, at different stages of buying, while complying with current credit policies of US. Digital marketing campaigns are of high value for originators, as many are undertaken on behalf of the MLO (mortgage loan originator). The module uses the mortgage loan originators’ sales distribution lists and segments the business completely. Social media helps utilize the expertise of a marketing team and compliant messages with consistent brand information can be posted at regular intervals to reach out to customers. Modern technology has customers finding social interactive pages more trustworthy compared to a website. Banks cannot depend just on originators to run coordinated digital marketing campaigns. The institutions need to support them with point-of-sale and retail marketing by integrating them with loan origination systems. It gives mortgage lenders better tools to multiply sales.
Tavant Names Hassan Rashid Chief Revenue Officer
Santa Clara, Calif., July 12, 2016 Tavant, a leading Silicon Valley-based software company, today announced that Hassan Rashid, company’s Executive Vice President – Global Sales & Marketing since 2006, has been appointed as the Chief Revenue Officer. Rashid played an integral role in driving Tavant’s 2×2 strategy that focused on doubling revenue in two years. As the EVP of Global Sales & Marketing, Hassan has focussed on customer success and aligning offerings based on changing market needs. In his new role as the Chief Revenue Officer, Rashid will steer the strategy for more profitable revenue and continued accelerated growth of the company to scale to $250 million in three years. He will drive the revenue generation process, supported by a well-conceived go-to-market strategy and a fully aligned business development engine. “I am excited to have Hassan Rashid drive scaling of Tavant’s revenue, offerings and, sales and marketing organization globally. He has achieved tremendous momentum with the recent growth and his track record in scaling winning businesses makes him an ideal fit for this role,” said Sarvesh Mahesh, CEO, Tavant Technologies. “I wish him all the very best in his expanded role.” Find Tavant Technologies on LinkedIn and Twitter. Media Contact: Vibhor Mishra Tavant Technologies Inc. +1 (408) 519-5400 [email protected] tavant.com