What Makes the Best App Platform?
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The Must-Have Features of an App Platform
If you’re like most people, investing time and money into choosing an app platform isn’t an everyday occurrence. This app platform has a social feed, but this other one tells me I don’t need one… What now?
Relax! We’re here to help.
Let’s lay out the 10 absolute must-haves that any app platform should include so that you can make the most of your mobile communication.
1. Branding & Customization
What is it?
The ability to brand an app with your organization’s colors and logo is non-negotiable.
You should also have the ability to publish this branded content to both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Why does it matter?
Your company has likely spent a lot of resources on developing its brand and will want to protect its value. It’s therefore important that the brand is carried through all the channels you’re using to communicate, especially the increasingly important mobile channel.
2. Self Service
What is it?
The ability for anyone to update their own apps means that you’re freeing them from dependence on a technical development resource.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the “try-before-you-buy” philosophy, too.
Why does it matter?
App platforms are meant to provide independence. A focus on self service will ensure that everyone in the organization can take advantage of the tool to build their own apps, for their own purposes, and on their own timeline.
3. Push Notifications
What is it?
Push notifications are the alerts that show up on your phone even when you’re not actively using an app.
Why does it matter?
The push notification is unique in its prominence – it sits right on the user’s lock screen, and actively disseminates information to users.
Make sure that your app platform has the ability to segment its push notifications, and to send them from a mobile device. And don’t be tethered to a desktop computer or browser when what you really need is mobile.
4. Social & Networking Features
What is it?
Social apps are more likely to draw repeat visits, they make content dynamic, and are just all-around more fun to interact with.
Common social engagement features include interactive social activity feeds, social media integration, private messaging between users, and contact sharing.
Why is it important?
When app users get to talking – and you establish your own communication cadence within an app – you’ll find that it becomes a go-to place for conversation.
Something as simple as enabling a social feed for app users to carry out a conversation about the content can suddenly make it dynamic and engaging. The more value your users are finding within the apps you create, the more likely they are to return.
5. Schedule Assignments
What is it?
Schedules are at the heart of many of the apps you will create. Ensure that your app platform allows you to define and assign personalized schedules to your users.
Why does it matter?
Schedule assignments give apps a more personal experience, and also facilitate your need to tell people where to go when. Having the ability to assign schedules to users also allows you to segment your audience into groups and prevent overcrowding, ambiguous instructions, or mass confusion on the day of an event.
