Utah App Blogs 2011

8/3/2019 Utah App Blogs 2011

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Utah App Design and DevelopmentReviews from 2011

EyeDecide, Utah App Design and Development at Its Best..2

Customize Your Event, Create and App....4

The Ultimate Event App for Utahs Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo..6

Haunted Event Apps, Including One by a Utah App Developer..8De ning Success in Government Apps, Including Utah Government Apps...10

The Good, The Branded, The Local (to Utah)Shopping Apps for Black Friday/CyberMonday...12

Ski Apps, Developing the Quintessential Sporting App..15

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MONDAY, AUGUST 22ND, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

EyeDecide, Utah App Design and Development at Its Best

When in the planning stages for this app, Orca MD (an mHealth solutions company) wanteto deliver something that would fully leverage the touchscreen capabilities of the iPhone aniPad. Orca has released several other medical apps that allow the user to examinealmost experiencethe bodys anatomy, but nothing quite like this. Not only can the user study thanatomy of the eye from all angles, but they can also experiment with visual examples of how an individuals vision can change depending on the eye condition they areexperiencing.

EyeDecide also takes advantage of the capabilities of the iPhone/iPad platform byincorporating 3D rendering into its user interface design. The experience offered through 3rendering on an app is one of heightened quality and greater interactivity than any online website can offer. For the medical industry, apps like these can be invaluable tools forteaching and learning about medical conditions in a hands-on, visual manner unlike any of the other educational methods currently available.

About the design process for the app, StephAnn K., one of the graphic designers, said:

We neededan effective display to show all of the anatomy for a small, but detailed part of the bodyThe more we worked with the conditions, we came to realize that we HAD to integrate augmented reality for some of the visionproblems so that users could gain a better understanding of how the conditionwould affect their vision.

The designers also worked very closely with the eye doctor to ensure that the content selectfor inclusion in the app was accurate and thorough, addressing any questions a user might have about eye anatomy or conditions.

The design process also included work with the 3D design team, who created the motionsimulation and animations for the piece. The challenges of 3D rendering are complex. The

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typical animation designed through 3D involves a pipeline process beginning with designresearch, development and planning, and then proceeding to modeling, shading, rigging,animation and postproduction. About this process for EyeDecide, artist Nick Wolensky said

When you think about it, the eye is pretty complex. Even though it just rotates

around in a circle, I had to rig the muscles that attached to the eye and they had to move every time that the eye moved.

The graphic designers and 3D artists must also work closely with the iOS programmers toensure that any bugs are worked out of the app, allowing the user interface to worksmoothly for the user and the real-time animation to be easily operated from in the app.

And the nished product? Here is what StephAnn and Nick had to say about it:

This app is amazing. The visual appeal, the way it functio ns and especially the interactivity make it so much more than a look and learn app. I think that users

will be pleasantly surprised with everything it has to offer them in terms of informa tion and exploration. It is seriously on the cutting edge of mobile learning technology. StephAnn

I like the anatomy section where you can move the eye around in any direction you want [and] I love the conditions page. A lot of them are very interactive and allow the user to view images seen through the iPads camera as if they had certain

eye conditions. Nick

The iTunes reviews in the Apple app store are also very positive. Try the app and let us kno what you think!

EyeDecide MD for iPhoneEyeDecide for iPad

Considering an app for your company? Read our comparison of mobile websites vs. appsand learn the advantages of producing an app to represent your brand.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

Customize Your Event: Create an App

What are the top few reasons you attend an event? Most recently, for The Project Intern, weaccompanied our competitors to the Ogden Pioneers Days Rodeo. The competitors had beeassigned the challenge of conducting research on the effectiveness of the rodeos event-marketing campaign. Here are the top ve reasons our competitors found that attendeescame to the rodeo:

1. Attended because its tradition2. Read about it in the paper3. Heard about it online4. Were participating5. Had friends involved

Getting that survey information took quite a bit of time through a variety of methods (onebeing a text-messaging database). Most if not all of this information, however, could becollected with considerable ef ciency through an app. If there was ever a reason to createan app for your event, measurement and analytics is a good oneand not even the only one.

Event apps offer a truly interactive way of involving an events participants onsite meanwhsimultaneously engaging others offsite virtually. Throw in the fact that apps are immenselypopular and that millennials are especially tuned in to the land o the native app, and youare looking at a very intriguing tool to not only promote your event and gather analytics bualso to engage event participants to a greater degree than previously possible.

Apps can be made for any event (so many events, so little time!):

Festivals Fairs Rodeos Sporting events Trade shows, Dog shows, Food shows, Vegetable Shows (vegetable shows might be

better classed under fairsstate fairs perhaps?)

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Conferences Retreats

But beyond the basic features of schedules and maps, what can an app offer to enrich theevent experience that a print program or webpage cant? A surprising amount it turns out:

Personal/customizable scheduling An attendee can pick out a particular demonstration or speaker they want to hear (at a tradeshow or conference), and set an alarm. They cannd their location on a map and determine

what bands are playing closest to them (at a music festival) or what speakers are close by (aa business conference). They can mark specic destinations, such as booths at a trade show.Essentially, the customized schedule is one of the most usable functions of the app.

Lead/note capture A user can record notes, scan business cards,nd information about sales or networkingleads, even locate prole information on the business/musicians/bull rider they are

interested in remembering.Real-time updates

Any changes to the events schedule can be immediately fed to the app: updated locations,announcements, parking information.

Transportation hubsHow about offering an area for attendees to organize carpools? Ride shares? Find out localtransportation schedules?

Social-media platform links

Rather obvious, but links to social media platforms are an essential means of involving thofriends and family not at the event in the event. Talk about a great brand awareness tool!

Social aggregation portalThis sort of portal allows attendees to post pics, comments and videos to a feed, such as theevents live-streaming photo feed, once again offering real-time, virtual access to the event

Sponsor showcase An app with a sponsors logo and graphic placement in it offers great impact and reach forthe sponsor. Guaranteed you will remember the sponsor when you see their logo every time

you open the app on your smartphone.

GamesInvolve your attendees with badges they can earn by visiting certain booths, scavengerhunts, prizes. Apps that include these kinds of interactive activities structured like games teto be popular.

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E-commerceOffer links and portals to sponsor products, merchandise for the event or deals for localbusinesses close by.

As you can see, the event app niche is just really beginning to take off and certainly hasnt

reached its apex. If you are thinking about creating an app for your event, check it out!Offer your attendees even more reasons to participate through a cool, customized app.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

The Ultimate Event App for Utahs Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo

After our brush with the rodeo world whilelming The Project Intern at the Ogden PioneerDays Rodeo, I found my interest peaked by event apps. What makes a good event app?

And what would be good for a rodeo event app? I explored event app features in a previouspost, Customize Your Event: Create An App; however, you might have noticed there was nmention of a rodeo event app in that post. Since, out of curiosity, I downloaded all thecurrent rodeo event apps and had a look, I am now going to remedy that. Here, then, aremy ideas of what would make the perfect event app for the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo.

Branding

The rst, and arguably most important, aspect of the app is branding. Fortunately, OgdenPioneer Days has a good looking website and an absolutely fantastic logo, the whoopie girlSeventy- ve years old this year, the whoopie girl is distinctive and well-loved by Ogdenitesand other rodeo attendees. Though she may not t inside the square icon that differentiatesthe app from any others on your iPhone, she surely would be fantastic on an introductionscreen upon launching the Ogden rodeo app.

User Interface Design

Next we have to decide how to design the user interface (UI). The standard navigation foriPhone apps (as Im sure youve seen) is a nav bar across the bottom of the apps screen

with icons and text identifying the apps features. These UI designs can also include list

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menus or icons on the app screens themselves. Since the standard nav bar across the bottomis such a familiar convention for users, that would probably be the best option for this app.Each separate nav bar icon would then have a list menu with more information about that particular feature.

FeaturesNow that weve decide on a basic UI layout, I would recommend adding some of thefollowing features:

Personal, customized scheduling Real-time updates Transportation hub Social media platform links Social aggregation portal Sponsor showcase Games

E-commerceHowever, because the perfect app can be pretty expensive, Im going to focus on thefeatures that would best benet the Ogden rodeo rather than go over the top (we always

wish for the ideal, but additional features could be added in future updates). Since one of the Ogden rodeos main marketing channels is theStandard Examiner (Ogdens agshipnewspaper in print and online) I would include a social aggregation feature that couldupload rodeo attendee photos to a webpage on the Examiners site (during previous rodeosthe Examiner has invited rodeo participants to send pics to them; how much easier would itbe for the fans to upload the photos themselves?). The feature would also allow users toaccess the Twitter feed about the rodeo and share statuses and pics on Facebook.

Customized scheduling would be another feature I would recommend. The rodeo itself is jupart of the Ogden Pioneer Days, and to give the app greater appeal and usability, I wouldinclude the entire schedule of the Pioneer Days within the overall schedule feature. The usecould then select the events they were particularly interested in from the entire festival andaccess them via a built-in personalized schedule feature.

A transportation hub would be my next choice of features. The hub would have a map of th venue and local surroundings. It could also include schedules for local, public transportatiolike buses and trains along with a car ride-share page. Mapping and a link to geolocationfeatures are always benecial when it comes to events.

Sponsor Showcase

Finally, I would include a section for a sponsor showcase. Though many of the rodeo eventapps I looked at simply contained descriptions of activities, groups and sponsors within thelarger event or festival, the sponsor showcase would have more than that: links to thesponsors websites (which, in an ideal world, would be mobile webpages) and a call toaction of some sort. This might be a giveaway entry promoting the sponsor, coupon offers

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for services from the sponsor or at other local businesses, and maybe even a gaming featureoffering a reward for so many sponsor signs and insignias spotted during the event.

Analytics

As you can see, an event app can be useful both for the rodeo attendee and the rodeoorganizers. Especially as the rodeo organizers can collect specic analytics regarding rodeoattendance, most popular scheduled events and other statistics through the app. What features would you suggest for a rodeo event app?

Check out LIMEs app design for the Utah rodeo on our tumblr blog.

Rodeo iPhone event apps examined for this post: Alpha Psi Rodeo 2011, Of cial Calgary Stampede,Cheyenne Frontier Days & Nights 2011, NFR Las Vegas 2010-2011, Rodeo Austin 2010-2011, andHouston Livestock Show and Rodeo 2011

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

Haunted Event Apps, Including One by a Utah App Developer

In our exploration of event apps, I discovered another, seasonal style of event app: thehaunted house. As you will recall from a previous post, Customize Your Event: Create An

App, appscan provide a great opportunity to engage event attendees even more in theevent experience. Since I found a haunted house app for a house here in Utah, I decided tocompare its feature to those offered by others in the iTunes store.

General Features

There were a few more than a handful of apps, nine that I counted. Each followed a verysimilar format, which can be explained by the fact that two or three were made by the samecompanies. Obviously the most important features they included are very basic:

Geolocation and directions

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Ticket info List of attractions (especially if for larger park) Social links Photo and/or video links Push notications that the user could opt-in to receive

The majority of the apps are for larger haunted houses, almost theme-park like in size, and had a great deal of dif culty accessing many of them (namely they crashed several times;this could, of course, be due to the recent iOS update). All had spooky welcome screens thacommunicated the houses branding, and the majority tried to include anything they thoughmight interest visitors, such as the news feature (that mainly appeared just to advertise anyspecial deals the house is offering).

Also all of the apps also included links to social portals like YouTube, Facebook and Twittethough, most werent mobile webpages (and therefore a lot harder to navigate on a mobile)Those apps that did include these interfaces in the app provided a far more user-friendly

experience. But after you get over the novelty of having an app for your haunted house, whats left to see and do?

Extra Spooky Features and Recommendations

Here are a few clever ideas I found: A backstage look feature A how-to section for Halloween related-DIY projects A special VIP pass offer (included in the Nightmare on 13th app)

I would actually recommend that designers and developers also consider a gamication

element for their apps in the future. The HHN Orlando app included a scavenger hunt that allowed users to win a prize if they checked in to each attraction that they visited in the parThis sort of gaming strategy optimizes the users experience and offers more engagement than merely features that might be less expensive for a company to simply include in amobile webpage.

Utah Haunted House App, Nightmare on 13th

Across the selection of haunted house apps there is one exception to the standard UI designpresented and that was the app created by Utah developer Courtney Parsons. In aninterview with Parsons he said that he presented the idea of an app to the owners of thehaunted house and was able to create the UI design and features himself with input from thhaunted house owners. His app, Nightmare on 13th, has a nice consistency in branding,

which is incorporated into the background screens throughout the app. However, besidesaccessing all the basic info about the house and online web links to ticketing and socialpages, there were no other engaging features except possibly the screen allowing you toaccess photos from the haunted house by entering your assigned number. Parsons did saythat at the time he created the app he did not see any others for haunted houses in the appstore and will be updating the app with requested features in the upcoming season.

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Here are my suggestions for some features that Nightmare on 13th might include in theirupdate: the video testimonials featured on Nightmares webpage, a photo gallery, and eveninformation about the houses Resources, which appear to be other haunted event venues

While the majority of the features that I discuss in this post are used across all event apps,those that seasonal apps can take particular advantage of are seasonally specic how-tosand videos as well as some sort of gamication feature. What features do you think wouldmake a spoooooky haunted app?

Apps consulted for this review: Nightmare on 13th by Courtney Parsons, Fearshire Farms, Fear Fair, Frightmare Manor, Kevin McCurdys Haunted Mansion, Netherworld Haunted House, HHN Orlando, The Nest, and Thrillvania.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

De ning Success in Government Apps, Including UtahGovernment Apps

The State of Government Apps

Since the launch of the app zeitgeist, the government, both federal and state, have takeninterest in the possibilities of communication via apps. By August of this year federalagencies had launched more than 80 mobile apps. The reasoning for this government forayinto the app market includes the recognition that lower income people who cant affordcomputers are buying smartphones through which they gain internet access as well.

Commentary on the governments mobile app releases has ranged from enthusiastic toserious questioning as to how many downloads the apps are getting.Nextgov.com, ajournalistic website covering government IT, had three different experts evaluate a set of thgovernments current apps and offer ratings, advice and opinions (these experts are allmembers of companies selling and marketing mobile apps, such as Shazam). Below are thebest and the worst of the federal government apps, according to them.

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Federal Apps

The top two government apps, as voted by theNextgov.comexperts, are PTSD Coach andBaby Name Playroom. Each of them has a specic use and demographic appeal.

PTSD Coach : Devised for veterans, this app helps lead them through the calming practicesthey have learned in therapy to deal with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) attacks. Thcomments by the experts noted that the app is easy and convenient to use and worksquickly.

Baby Name Playroom : Based on social security records, this app compiles more than130 years of names for expecting parents to explore. It also reminds parents to register theichildren for their social security number and links to webpages with advice on child-raisingExpert comments note that this app is a great use of data in a fun and easy way.

The least successful government apps include the IRS app for checking up on the status of

your tax refund and one called Fuel Economy.gov that measures an individuals carbonfootprint. Comments about these apps note their limited use and features that dont bringanything new to the market.

Apps like these by the federal government can provide important services and appeal to abroad demographic as shown by the more successful apps. As Joseph Marks writes: Manyof the biggest innovations in the government apps sphere, though, are happening at thestate level.

Utah Government Apps

Utahs government has apps ranging from a drivers license practice test to parks and state

eld guides and crime reporting. The capital city, Salt Lake, just released an app called SaltLake City 311 to deal with city administration issues. With the app users can report issues,such as illegal signs, construction violations and abandoned/inoperable vehicles with moreoptions to come.

This particular app differs from others launched by nearby cities Draper and Herrimanbecause it communicates directly with the city work order system. The report by the user,submitted with an image, is geo-tagged and automatically routed to the person or teamresponsible for that area. The app developers in this case are the citys land-usemanagement software providers, Accela, and Salt Lake Citys chief information of cer, BillHaight, says that the feedback to date has been overwhelmingly positive.

The other city apps iDraper and iHerriman differ in that they attempt to tap into localbusiness and city news by offering news feeds and navigational maps around thesurrounding locale. The possibilities of a tourist-style apps for local promotion are excellenbut they must be done with care. As with the federal government apps, these should not belimited in usefulness and specically target an audience if they are to be successful.

Recommendations for the App Maker, Government or Otherwise

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So what are those government app review experts recommending for app makers,government or otherwise for a successful app?

It needs to hook the user (a successful app has about 30 seconds to sell the user as to

why they should make room for it). It should respond to a need. It must have a no-nonsense interface (both more and less than a mobile website). It must have compelling content.

Keeping these guidelines in mind, its clear that government apps at the federal and statelevel can be immensely useful. The potential for making data available, collectinginformation from citizens via apps and organizing day-to-day work orders are some of theobvious advantages to continuing app development. What apps would you like to see thegovernment release?

http://www.nextgov.com/top-mobile-apps/ http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110819_2942.php http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20111003_5868.php

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2011 WRITTEN BY JENJ

The Good, The Branded, The Local (to Utah)Shopping Apps forBlack Friday/Cyber Monday

60 million consumers will shop via mobile over Thanksgiving weekend. InMobi viaMobile Commerce Daily

Retailers have been preparing, as usual, for the Black/Friday through Cyber Monday frenzy with more attention in 2011 to all things mobile: price and product comparison, coupons,geo-location, barcode/QR code scanning, social sharing and apps. Though thesefeatureshave been available in the past, the exploding number of smartphones and tablets continues

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to alter the retail experience. So, what features do consumers need/use when shopping withtheir devices? InMobi predicts (from a study they conducted) that they will use their devicethese ways:

31% will receive updates on sales and promotions 27% will search local store hours and directions 26% will take product photos 18% will view of cial retailer apps 17% will access customer support

With this list of requirements (receiving sales and promotions, search and product identi cation from photos, app viewing and customer support access), its not surprising thathere is no completely perfect app to do the ultimate holiday shopping job. Here, however, an idea of what the ideal shopping app should contain and a few apps that may come closeto the mark.

The Good

Including such features as a search bar, categorized navigation, barcode scanners and, insome, voice input and mapping/geolocation, these apps were continuously recommendedfor the serious shopper:

Target PriceCheck by Amazon Google Shopper PriceGrabber RedLaser ShopSavvy

Of course, for the perfect shopping experience, the Amazon app, when set to the 1-clickpurchasing option, has an extremely simple navigation completely via buttonsno typing.

With a mobile screen this is obviously an ideal feature. Other ideal features in a shoppingapp might include one that saves any input information, follows standard user interfacedesigns (so that the user is not confused when navigating the app) and maybe even has anaugmented reality feature. The ultimate shopping app would, of course, combine thesefeatures in a branded experience.

The Branded

For the holiday season 50 percent of all retailers invested in mobile-optimized websites andone in ve created a tablet or other shopping app. A brief list of these includes:

Walmart Macys

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Toys R Us Best Buy JCPenny Disney Zappos

As you can see, retailers are getting serious about providing a mobile experience and tryingto entice shoppers to their own apps for a completely in-brand experience. A few local-to-Utah apps by Utah app makers are also taking this approach.

The Local

The three large Utah-based companies that have launched their own shopping apps areO.co, SkullCandy and BackCountry. Each is known particularly in the ecommerce world,and in the case of SkullCandy, that experience is incorporated into a larger app inclusive ofa music, skating andboarding culture. Of these SkullCandy is hugely popular as indicatedby their over 10 million iTunes store ratings. Perhaps this is in part due to the all-inclusivelifestyle experience t heir brand embraces.

Insum, the best shopping apps range between those that are easily navigable and wellorganized and an app like SkullCandy, which immerses the user in a life-styled brand. Whaare your favorite shopping apps? And which ones will you be counting on to get youthrough the holidays?

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/2011/11/17/60-million-consumers-plan-to-use-shop-via-mobile-over-thanksgiving-weekend-inmobi

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/11/09/20111109retailers-offer-new-apps-holiday-shopping.html

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

Ski Apps, Developing The Quintessential Sporting App

Utah ski fanatics brought out their gear early this season when the snow started falling in

October. And, as the cliche phrase goes, theres an app for that. Besides maps, directionsand weather reports, however, what else could skiers possibly want in an app? Lots of thingit turns out. The perfect app for a ski fanatic can record stats about their ski routes, lift statuses and even geotag their position on the mountain so they can later watch a satellitereplay of their run.

But who, besides the skiing obsessed, care about this enough to make an app? It turns out that ski apps are made by six different industries or kinds of people:

1. Ski resorts or outdoor retailers2. State tourist departments3. Map makers4. News stations or reporters5. Performance ends gathering statistics6. Brands showcasing a lifestyle

Each different app-maker develops their app with a focus on how they think their audience will use the app. For example, Skullcandy, an ecommerce company specializing inheadphones, has built an app around the lifestyle and culture it embraces in its branding:the laid-back hipster who loves any sort of boarding, skiing or otherwise. The Skullcandyapp has a feature focusing on weather reports and maps for skiers and snowboarders

alongside music, TV channels, surng, skating and shopping features.Ski apps by ski resorts or news/weather stations, on the other hand, tend to focus on aparticular location and delivering up-to-the minute news, such as new snow fall, snow deptnumber of lifts open, views through close-by webcams and local deals. The most interestinapps by far, though, are those that also include statistical features to record the distance theskier/boarder travels, how fast they go, the angle of the slope, the number of runs along

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with averages, highs and lows and any other relevant stats. Some of these apps can even beused off season while hiking or mountaineering.

To nd apps that local ski hounds like, we asked around and also checked out those with thebest reviews. Here is our list of some of the best offering several different features:

Geo-Lives allows you to record your own ski trail, see the average speed and distance youtraveled in real time and then add points of interest like pictures and notes along the route.Then you can share it online for friends and family to see.

iTrailMap 3D lets you see the trail you skied on Google earth in 3D along with guides to various resorts.

Mammut Safety is all about avalanche detection. It assesses local avalanche risk using aclinometer to estimate slope angle and a compass to determine slope exposition.

Ski Tips is a ski-instruction app with video, text and audio. The app-makers wanted a skierto be able to listen to an audio loop while skiing after watching the instructional video tomake it easier for the learner to remember the instructions.

Ski Tracks GPS records various stats and can geotag your runs allowing 3D playbacklater on Google earth.

These, of course, are just a few of the many available. We would love to hear about any of your favorite apps as well. What do you think is the most important feature for a ski app?

And if you have time, check out Snow Alert, a ski and snow report app we worked on. Withit you can set alarms for your favorite snow conditions and never miss a good day on theslopes. Also, learn more about different apps genres and features in some of our previousposts including other Utah designed and developed apps.

For more information about developing an app for your company, contact LIME Marketing,Utahs Premiere App Design and Development company.

LIME MARKETING

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Documents

Utah App Blogs 2011