It seems like every business out there is hot to develop mobile applications related to their offering. It’s a bandwagon trend. And with the numbers predicting an increase in mobile use and mobile only households, it’s easy to see why there’s growing hype.
Kodak
For the sake of making a point, I’m going to pick on Kodak. In their defense, I’ve become a HUGE fan of their new Zi8 pocket HD video recorder. This slick machine is the only product on the market (in the price range) that allows me to patch in an external mic, which is a critical tool for a blogger who likes to do interviews at crowded events. Through product innovation, Kodak has solved a real problem: help people get high-quality audio for their videos when background noise is considerable. Win!
But, for some reason, Kodak has not followed the same thinking in developing their iPhone apps. Here are the three apps that I’m aware of today and some opinionated critiques:
- Gallery App for iPhone
Okay. Here’s the thing: Why would I want to use the Kodak gallery in the first place? My photos already live on the applications I use daily – namely Flickr and Facebook. So, as a user, what incentive do I have to change my tools? There are literally dozens of different photo sharing sites available for use today. Creating and marketing a new platform via an iPhone app, with a major barrier to adoption already present, seems like wasted effort. Why try to reinvent the wheel? - Smile Maker for iPhone
This app allows me to create a graphic, cheesy smile and superimpose it on any picture I want. Wow. It’s cute and maybe fun the first few times, but let’s be real. How is Kodak adding value to my life with this app? How much fun is it to add smiles to photos of your friends’ faces over and over again? Your guess is as good as mine. What’s interesting is that when I first learned of this app on Kodak’s Facebook page, the comments from users echoed my sentiments. I can no longer find those comments. Hmmm. Bummer. - Pic Flip App for iPhone
This one gets a bit closer to the whole idea of adding value. From your iPhone, Pic Flip allows you to upload photos directly to a printer or digital picture frame. But, there’s a catch. You can only upload to a KODAK ESP 5250 printer or the EasyShare w820 w1020. That makes good business sense (for Kodak), in terms of selling more products. However, is the ease of uploading my family pictures going to steer me to a store to buy these specific products? Unless I’m a Kodak fanatic, probably not. And further, is uploading via USB really all that time consuming? Last time I checked, no.
OCLC is Doing It Right
On the other side of the coin, you have OCLC’s new WorldCat iPhone app. This slick, little application allows me to scan bar codes on books and then easily locate them at my local library. If you’re an avid reader who, like most of us, gets a ton of book recommendations from friends, this application adds value by solving a problem.
NBC4i does a nice job of making the case:
If you can’t view the video, you can watch it on nbc4i.
5 Things to Consider When Developing an iPhone App for Your Business
- What problem does the application solve? Is that problem a big enough problem? Really?
- If you’re app is developed for entertainment, will entertain users again and again?
- Does your app add value related to your organizational goals? (OCLC smacked this one out of the park!)
- Do you have the right communication vehicles in place to tell people about your app? (Kodak had this down pat, thanks to their Facebook presence and websites.)
- Does your app apply to a wide range of users? (Like people who read books…)
What’s your take?
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