The value of mobile apps for businesses is apparent to many people. In the 8 years since IPhone first came out (7 since HTC released the first Android phone) businesses and consumers alike embraced the technology and design capabilities of the mobile app market. With Google Glasses and Apple Watch coming out, the mobile revolution is quickly becoming the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution. The IoT is the idea that all technological devices and many non-technological devices will be all plugged into the internet, creating connected diverse devices responsive to each individual's needs and wants.
Adobe: There Goes the Neighborhood
During the Adobe Digital Marketing Summit in Salt Lake City, Adobe announced that they are becoming more and more mobile, focusing on preparing for the IoT:
With updates to Adobe Analytics and Mobile Core Services, marketers will now also be able to measure and analyze customer engagements ... across Internet of Things devices. Adoption of these devices is growing quickly, and marketers must take the leap into the IoT realm regardless of the risk, Adobe executives insisted.
Adobe has long been an industry leader in delivering online and creative content for multiple industries including marketing. As with their Creative Cloud services, followed by Microsoft's Office 365, Adobe's jump to wearable and other non-traditional technologies is just the cusp of a wave of change.
Wearable, Flexible, Universal
As reported by Entrepreneur, the next big thing discussed at SXSW were smart fabrics. From gimmick related devices currently on the market most easily described as high-tech lingerie, businesses have more and more options to integrate their apps with everyday products.
Wearable fabric type technologies will create a universal use for mobile apps in multiple industries and markets, but for now, they are still future. What is current is the trend of diverse screen sizes and information management installed in compatible devices.
While clothes which read your body's temperature, blood pressure, and other medical necessities are future tech, watches, smartphones and glasses which do some or all of that are the technology of today. For businesses, responsive design is a necessary part of integrating your mobile apps, websites and browser-based software with the plethora of devices currently on the market.
Responsive Design
Responsive design is done in such a way that optimal interaction and interfaces are beneficial across a multitude of devices. Many individuals see the value of responsive design for websites, but do not consider how essential it is to mobile apps.
Access to your app can be done from many different screen sizes, including tablets, phones and watches. This ranges in size from full-screen immersion to small phone and watch use.
The diversity of screens creates an opportunity for your business to interact with customers, build relationships, and manage information no matter your industry or target market.
Stick to the Basics
With so many new trends in technologies, what can your business commit to technology-wise? The good news for businesses is that technology may change, but people are still people. Your technology needs to be effective for creating relationships, managing community and suited to your industry and target markets.
Information management is the essential, basic function of mobile apps. As discovered in the decade and a half since the dot-com bubble burst, information and relationships have to go hand-in-hand. Thus the information economy is also the social economy. Whether you are interested in avant-garde wearable technologies or just using the incredible economic power of smartphones and tablets, your basic question is still: what am I offering, and to whom?
For many businesses, your community just needs simple interfaces to order, track, and receive marketing information about products and services. For this, your essential basics may be a browser-based responsive app: any device can access it, and it is up to your customers whether they want to try and use a smart-watch or glasses with your app.
For other businesses, your industry is cutting edge, and your target market wants access to you immediately via watches, glasses and more advanced tech. For you, the basics are focusing responsive design for specific devices used by your target market.
No matter your needs, mobile technology is becoming an increasingly integrated part of the global marketplace, and you need to plan to reach your customers where they are found: on mobile. To discover more about mobile apps and responsive web design, please contact us.
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