ILMA Compoundings – January 2019 - 10

INDUSTRY RUNDOWN

Do You Need an App forThat?
Apps are all the rage, and not just for consumers. Industrial manufacturers are finding benefits in providing
custom apps for outside salespeople or even production
employees who are always on the move and not tethered
to a desktop computer.
Ruben Reyes, lead technologist, partner and founder of
Lyquix digital marketing agency, warns that a custom app
is a significant investment and shouldn't be undertaken just
because your competition is doing it or because you want
your company to appear more cutting-edge. Even if your
organization has a legitimate need for a custom app, Reyes
wants you to answer the following questions before you
begin development.

CAN YOUR OBJECTIVES BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH A
MOBILE SITE?
An app needs to deliver an experience you can't get on the
web. For example, while Uber customers can request a ride
via a traditional website, doing so is a very cumbersome
process. The Uber app makes ordering a car simple and
requires just a few taps.

JANUARY 2019

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

Reyes finds himself steering potential clients away from
an app and to a mobile-optimized site because it's often
the better investment. Apps are far more expensive than a
website because they require development in order to run on
multiple platforms. A website is created in such a way that it
will run on any device.
DO YOU HAVE THE BUDGET?
Many people experience sticker shock once they see how
much an app is going to cost. Why are they so expensive?
Reyes said that because the app must be developed for specific platforms, instead of building one app you essentially
must develop multiple apps. Hundreds of hours of work go
into producing even the simplest of apps, and then there is
the ongoing maintenance to perform.
As device manufacturers make changes to their operating
systems, so, too, must you update your app to keep pace
with those changes. The last thing you want to do is invest a
large portion of your budget into the development and promotion of an app only to see usage plummet as people begin
to experience bugs. While prices range widely depending
on what you are looking for, Reyes says to budget at least
$25,000 for the initial development and $5,000 a year for
ongoing maintenance.
WHAT WILL YOU DO IF NOBODY USES IT?
Reyes says that before you embark on an app development
project, you need to consider the risk. Even after doing your
due diligence, an app can fall flat once it's put out into the
world. The company then has to decide between cutting its
losses or investing more resources into engaging users and
getting them to choose the app over other options available
to them.
Reyes suggests that one way to mitigate that risk is to start
with a basic app limited to "must-have" functions. Another
way is to be honest with yourself and consider what's
prompting you to create the app. Did you really do your
due diligence by surveying potential users or running focus
groups, or are you relying on anecdotal evidence?
Reyes' final advice? "You have to diagnose before
prescribing - meaning you need to understand the problem
before you provide a solution, and often people think of an
app as the solution," he said, adding, "Sometimes it's easier
to solve that problem other ways than building an app."

http://www.ILMA.ORG

ILMA Compoundings – January 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings – January 2019