mobile applications

If your idea needs to be in pockets, we make it a reality.

Introduction

Some time ago, smartphones arrived and were here to stay. Today any person spends more time with their phone than with any computer or laptop. We only need to think about how we always have our phones on our person, and even on the bedside table. That is, our mobile accompanies us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
According to the "5th report on apps in Spain" by The App Date, Spain is the leading country in terms of penetration of these devices in Europe, with a rate of 66%. Each year this rate increases considerably, and apps have gone from being merely an accessory to being something essential.
Given this striking reality, the best digital strategy considers mobiles as an essential element, and therefore the creation of apps has become a key factor which no business can overlook.

Si tu idea necesita estar en el bolsillo de la gente, lo hacemos realidad

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Advantages of being in
the pockets of your clients

Being in the smartphone of our users provides us with a multitude of possibilities that until now have been impossible, or at least were not useful, due to not being as accessible.

In this way, mobile devices provide us the following direct benefits:

  • Mobile network to stay in touch everywhere/anytime.
  • Push notifications to stay informed of news.
  • GPS to know where the user is, or to direct them to a place right away.
  • Accelerometers if we wish to monitor the movements of the device, etc.
  • NFC for contact actions such as payments, information exchange, etc.
  • Cameras for reading QR codes, taking photos, etc.

At Intelligenia Mobile when we develop mobile applications we take these characteristics into account and use them, prioritizing user experience, providing value, without giving up usability and battery use

We do things well

This is our maxim whenever we undertake a project for our clients (whether website or app development, etc.)

If we want to be in the pockets of our users, we cannot be changed for anything. Not every app is selected to be in the small memory space that many users have, and once installed it must be demonstrated that our app deserves to remain there; our app must be useful day to day. We think that there are millions of apps on the market, but how many do you have on your mobile? The challenge, therefore, is not to make an app, but to make an app which is one of those selected by users.

Due to the above, we pay close attention to the following characteristics:

Fluidity of information
The application must be fluid and intuitive, so as not to create hard to understand mechanisms. If mobile applications are characterized by something, it is their ease of use and speed in navigation.
Usability and design
It must not be forgotten that apps already have a long history in which users have become accustomed to certain patterns. They must retain a clean, attractive aesthetic which make them comfortable to clients.
Structuring and selection of information
Screen restrictions necessitate a simplified representation of information, allowing the user to quickly disregard information that does not interest them. We remove any irrelevant information which has a negative effect on the experience of the user. In this type of environment the information presented must be carefully selected, and it must be constantly asked "will they use this from a mobile?"
Avoid being intrusive
Being constantly available to our users must not be a reason to continuously attract their attention. Notifications and alerts must be reasonable; if not we will lead our clients to mark us as SPAM and have to uninstall.
Provide value
Users download and keep the application installed if it responds to a need or interest in their daily life. However, if it begins to be useless, it will be quickly uninstalled. Therefore, tools of interest to the user must be provided, and this value must be provided every few days or weeks.

Our main objective is for the user to consider their app easy, useful and attractive.
Therefore, we take care of every aspect and detail.


Therefore we create new applications or applications integrated within the information systems that you use, and obtain their maximum performance.

How we do it

What can apps
do for your company?

But what benefits can your company obtain from implementing an app? Thanks to mobile technology, our company can:

Improve your branding (brand image) both internally and externally.
In terms of internal branding, an example may be the development of a gamification app managed by the HR department to achieve objectives in motivation, etc.
Also internally, the development of a gamification app may be oriented towards achieving economic and productivity objectives.
An app may make your business stand out, and help you to build relationships with clients, expand your databases, etc.

Improve your sales through mobile marketing strategies An app may also help you to promote your products and services to boost sales.
Some examples that match this strategy are apps for offers, collection of points to redeem for products or gifts, etc. In this way, we incentivize the sale and presence of our brand in the day to day life of the user.
Furthermore, with suitable frequency, your users may be alerted through push notifications of news in the game or new offers (obviously notifications must not be abused or you will likely be uninstalled)

Improve the performance of your employees:
Apps are accessible anywhere at any time. They allow your catalogue to be accessed on the street, orders to be made by sales representatives, work to be carried out by operators, personnel to be kept informed of any urgent matter, and your sales process to be managed.

Create new tools for your tools or adapt existing tools so that they have a moblie presence:
A multitude of products and services require the use of tools by the client. In this way, developing photographs requires their selection, and a taxi ride requires the pick-up point to be indicated.
In this way, apps can bring added value to the process or even significantly improve it.
For example, a photography store may create an app for the creation and purchase of photo albums using the photos stored in the edl mobile gallery, or a bicycle parts brand may indicate the closest store to the user where their products are sold, and how to get there. In any case, adapting the tools to mobile does not mean adapting your current informative website to mobiles; in such a case, it only involves web development.

Apps may bring added value to the processes of your business and significantly improve them optimizing them, and bringing great benefits in savings of expenses, time, management, etc.

If you think that any of these options suits your business, and you want to improve the experience of your clients, employees and/or increase your revenues, invest in mobile apps

Do not hesitate to contact us, we have extensive experience in online business and will be pleased to guide you in this new world.

Are you going to miss this opportunity?

We will help you be a success. Come and tell us about your project.

Native and hybrid applications

What are they? What are their differences? What are their benefits?

One of the first technological decisions when facing the development of an app is to choose between a native app or make a hybrid. Nevertheless, here are some recommendations:

Native applications

A native application is one that we develop specifically for an operating system; that is we will need to develop one app for Android, another for iPhone, etc., and although they appear to be the same app, in reality they are different apps, as each platform has its own technology, and its own language.

For example:

  • Apps for iOS are developed with Objective-C and Swift language
  • Apps for Android are developed with Java + XML language
  • Apps on Windows Phone are developed with .Net or C# and Visual Basic

Each one of the platforms, Android, iOS and Windows Phone, have a different system, therefore if you want your app to be available on all platforms, an app must be created with the language of the operating system selected. This allows us to access all the characteristics of the device, and obtain the maximum performance.

This type of development of mobile applications has

great advantages

  • Full flexibility in implementation

    It is possible to interact with barely any restrictions with the different elements of the hardware of the mobile device, as well as in the processes offered by the operating system. In this way, the app may behave one way for iOS and in another way for Android, obtaining the maximum potential from each platform.

  • Freer design

    Design is one of the most important aspects of applications, as, ultimately, it is what the user will see when they use them. Each platform has its own design guides, for example Material Design on Android. With native applications we can follow the design guidelines that each platform offers us, and can adapt them to the design.

  • Possibility of accessing all characteristics of the hardware of the mobile

    Calendar, camera, GPS, storage devices and much more. This makes the user experience much more positive than with other types of app.

  • They are efficient

    Generally changes between screens, conversations and other visible options are managed by the operating system, guaranteeing us the maximum speed and fluidity.

  • They do not require internet connection to operate.
However, there is a

disadvantage

Higher price

Each operating system requires customized implementation, therefore a different app must be created for each platform. Generally nothing from one operating system can be reused in another except for the Know How generated and the design, therefore the price rises for each platform.

Hybrid applications

Hybrid apps are developed with the languages of the WebAPPs, broadly standardized and known, which emulate the behavior of a native app. That is, we develop them using web technology such as HTML, Javascript (not to be confused with Java) and CSS, thereby allowing their use on different platforms, but also offering the possibility of accessing many of the characteristics of the hardware of the device.

Thanks to native apps, we can develop a single app which may then be used both on iOS and on Android. However, it is not perfect, as to allow this, the app will not optimize the use of the device, and there will be many things that it cannot do.

PhoneGap is one of the frameworks used most by programmers for the multiplatform development of hybrid applications. Another example of a tool for developing hybrid apps is Cordova.

The mechanism is simple, the app shows a full onscreen browser where the website that emulates an application is shown.

The advantages

more meanings of hybrid applications are
  • The price is lower

    It is not necessary to undertake an implementation for each operating system where the app must be present. Now a single implementation is enough.

  • Possibility of grouping codes

    and distributing it in the app store although the app has been developed with HTML, Java or CSS

and its

disadvantages

  • Fluidity may be compromised

    Although thanks to gradual improvements to internet browsers of mobile devices, hybrid applications have nothing to envy of native apps in this regard, we must not forget that to do the same as native apps, hybrid apps must emulate them, and therefore, speed may be compromised.

  • Not everything is possible on hybrid apps

    Access to internal components of the mobile such as the camera or GPS is carried out on hybrid apps through generic libraries, thus detaching the application from the operating system when this is carried out. This means that we can only use the most generic characteristics, and not the more specific characteristics.

  • More restricted designs

    As we have indicated for native applications, the issue of design is a very important issue that our clients comment on. Hybrid applications only adapt to the design guidelines of a platform, with which we usually have certain limitations that directly affect the design. However, thanks to our experience, we focus on creating a good structure in the application, so as not to detract from design, instead adding to it.

Which solution to choose?

It depends on several factors such as the price, the processes carried out by the app, the fluidity required, the type of access to components, etc. If the budget is not a problem, a native application will always improve the experience of the user; nevertheless, in the majority of cases the price is high and in many cases the hybrid solution is more than sufficient. However, we must not forget that not everything is possible in a hybrid app.
For example, if we intend to create a game, we will surely have to rule out the hybrid solution and choose a native app that makes the most of all resources of the system. If we intend to create a mobile version for an online store, the hybrid solution would be a good option.

At intelligenia Mobile we are specialists in the development of both native and hybrid mobile applications.

We have a team of engineers with expertise in the different programming languages and a great design team that will make your app idea possible

There are many factors to take into account when developing an application, which we will specify when we meet personally with our clients. Some of the basic issues that we usually discuss to determine a specific method for developing mobile applications are:

  • Do you want to take advantage of the functionality of the device (GPS, camera, etc.) or is this unnecessary?
  • Do you need a complex, highly customized design?
  • Do you need your app to obtain the maximum performance, or will it be a simple application?
  • Do you want to include notifications on your app?
  • Do you need to access special characteristics of hardware such as GPS, NFC, sensors and other elements?
  • Do you plan to expand your application later (modify actions or incorporate functions) or create or your business model around it?

There are many more issues to take into account. Therefore, to know what is really the most appropriate and beneficial option for you, it would be best for you to tell us your idea, and see in a personalized way which is the best option for you to achieve success.

Do not hesitate to contact us

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Analysis and development
of the business model

Before beginning to create an app, the following 5 factors must be taken into account:



Planning times in markets

Depending on the operating system, the publishing times in different markets vary. Thus, for example, Android takes just a few hours to publish, while Apple takes around 2 weeks. Furthermore, Apple is much more restrictive, and can reject the app if they consider it unsafe, useless, or in violation of any of its conditions. In such a case, the process takes even longer.

Business models
based on purchase of apps

Both Apple with iOS and Google with Android allow two types of charging for apps. The most common is charging for download, although there is also another which is In-App purchase. We find the latter when we pay within a game or for an extra functionality in an app. In both cases, when making calculations we must take into account that both Android and Apple retain 30%. Nevertheless, not all in-app payments are subject to this rate from the large companies, as is logical if the payment corresponds to physical products or services, they will not receive anything.

Public access

An app, regardless of whether it is published on iOS or Android, can be rated and commented on. Therefore, although not many developers take it into account, it is necessary to have good communication and attend to all problems that arise.

Investment in circulation

As with the internet, users do not visit for no reason. As with any online business, it is necessary to invest in circulation, present the app, invest in SEO, SEM, SMO, take care of the markets, etc.

Perhaps a web app is sufficient

As we have said before, apps must provide value. If an application only shows information, perhaps making users carry out installation is not profitable. In such a case, an acceptable solution would be to create a web app that offers all information in a simple, usable way adapted to mobiles through a browser.

There are a multitude of points to take into account which if well planned and set out in each phase will be no more than steps to follow along the way.

We take them into account,
planning and advising you about them

Ubiquitous technologies

In terms of technology, the world of mobile apps is expanding with something new and new possibilities appearing each day. Do you want to innovate? We will give you some examples of what we could do with some of the technologies provided to us by smartphones, and maybe you will have a light bulb moment :)

NFC NFC (Near Field Communication) technology allows communication between devices through contact. It is increasingly widespread and mainly known for allowing mobile payments, this in fact being its main use. Nevertheless, it can be used to allow access to rooms, recording presence, and replacing a physical card (transport, discounts, etc.) and a multitude of options.

QR Today everyone knows QR codes. These codes are very useful for scanning information with the camera of any mobile device. For example, we can use QRs for tickets, discount vouchers, etc.

Markless This technique is nothing more than the definition of a recognition pattern on real objects. It does not use any artificial pattern such as QR. This type of technology is used for augmented reality. For example, we could use it for expanded information on product labels, superimposing images or videos on magazines, 3D objects on canvases, etc.

Geolocation The benefits of geolocation are well known, for example, the management of work where operators observe the closest points to serve on a map.

Smartwatch Relatively recent, smartwatches are another step closer to the user. Today we have solutions for iOS (Apple Watch) and Android (LG G Watch, Moto 360, etc.) which open up a new world of possibilities.

At intelligenia mobile we will be pleased to tell you that the restrictions and advantages offered by each one of these technologies and which are the best for your idea or business

Making online business ideas a reality is our passion. Challenges do not slow us down, but drive us, because original ideas based on cutting-edge technology motivate us and stimulate creativity.
We can help you