Anatomy of a Mobile App
8 Steps to Building Great Mobile Apps Introduction Table of Contents The smartphone has moved rapidly from novelty to ubiquity. they open an app on their smartphone. Delivering on these 03 User Experience Over half of all adults worldwide already own a smartphone — expectations is the challenge facing organizations of every and that’s projected to grow to 80% by 2020.* size, in every industry. 04 Data Integration The rise of the smartphone has produced a parallel rise in Creating rich, engaging apps that consistently deliver a 05 Offline Access customer expectations. The first mobile apps were text-heavy great user experience — and meet the need of IT for security miniatures of web pages. Today’s apps are designed specifically governance, and management — requires solid strategy, 06 Business Logic for mobile devices and take advantage of the smartphone’s design, and execution every step of the way. built-in features like the camera and GPS. The next generation 07 Messaging of apps will connect across multiple data sources like never This guide walks through eight key steps for building a mobile before — seamlessly accessing users’ contextual data, business app. In each section, we discuss what makes a successful 08 Security data, and even data from external app ecosystems — to predict app and suggest questions that teams should ask before they and deliver the most relevant information to the mobile user, begin building. We’ll also discuss how apps are evolving and 09 Governance instantly. how to ensure that your apps can be continuously upgraded for success in the future. 10 Upgrades and Scalability Today, nearly half of consumers have already made what Forrester calls “the mobile mind shift” — they now expect * Forrester, The Future of Mobile: to immediately get everything they want or need when From App Silos to Open Ecosystems
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User Experience User Experience 2 A great user experience is essential relevant to consumers.* for a successful app. Your design Keep in mind that you don’t Questions to ask: should make it easier for a user have to create the entire UI from Data to accomplish the intended goal, scratch. Instead, think about how What activities (prioritized) Integration 1 not complicate things or add you might want to use prebuilt ˚˚ will users want to complete complexity. The question to keep UI components and frameworks. from their mobile device? in mind when designing a user If you’re building a native app, interface (UI) for mobile audiences take advantage of some of the 3 What devices (watch, tablet, is: How can I connect users with more sophisticated mobile UI ˚˚ phone) and platforms (iOS, their goal with as little friction as components provided by your Offline Android) are they using? Access possible? To achieve a great UI, mobile operating system (iOS, app designers must ruthlessly edit Android, Windows). If you want the information displayed in the to build your app using HTML or ˚˚ How will I differentiate app, and which functions the app if cross-platform capabilities are the user experience on 4 should perform. Only information important, you can utilize any of different devices? and tasks that are absolutely critical the popular HTML5 frameworks. Business should be included, and they What signals can you Logic should be presented in a way that * Forrester, The Future of Mobile: ˚˚ automatically access From App Silos to Open Ecosystems is seamless and intuitive for the about your user’s context user. and intent? 5 Utilizing user context in your app How can you remove friction — such as identity, order history, or ˚˚ from the users’ experience? Messaging location — is one way to streamline the user experience by eliminating time-consuming manual steps. Surprisingly, few businesses are 6 utilizing user context well in their apps. According to Forrester, only 34% of surveyed enterprises use Security location to make services more
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User Experience Data Integration 2 The best mobile apps integrate Your app building platform should all the relevant customer data enable easy access to data housed Questions to ask: available — updated in real time in the platform, integration with Data — to create an experience that third-party, on-premises data (such What data will your app need Integration 2 feels personal, complete, and as SAP or Oracle), integration with ˚˚ to access? highly differentiated. Customers cloud databases via APIs, and respond to well-executed apps integration with Active Directory. Where is that data housed? 3 because they keep pace with the Ideally, you’ll also want to be ˚˚ customer’s needs in the moment. able to send streaming data to There is no lag time, or dead ends, your apps — for example, for Are you going to be pulling Offline ˚˚ from multiple databases? Access or forms to re-enter info. The app apps that include real-time status is always on and ready. updates or real-time inventory levels. Increasingly, enterprises are Are you accessing cloud data The complete set of customer and using apps to provide updates on ˚˚ or on-premises data? 4 business data is rarely contained in machines or connected devices. any one system. So organizations This capability requires integration How often will data in your Business need to integrate their disparate with IoT event-processing ˚˚ app need to be refreshed? Logic data sources to work seamlessly frameworks for streaming data within their mobile apps. These from connected devices and How will you capture and integration efforts will often have sensors in real time. ˚˚ use user data produced 5 benefits that extend beyond by your app? the mobile app to the entire *Forrester, The Future of Mobile: From App Silos to Open Ecosystems organization, and will become How will your data needs more important as future apps Messaging ˚˚ change as your app become even more connected to ecosystem grows? larger app and data ecosystems. 6
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User Experience Offline Access 2 Users have high expectations for Another best practice is to cache the responsiveness of mobile items for offline use. Modern Questions to ask: apps. This is made even more mobile devices have file storage Data complicated by the sporadic available to the app. Use this How can you make your Integration 3 connectivity of mobile devices. storage to cache items the user ˚˚ app respond immediately is working with. This will enable to a user’s touch? But there are strategies for creating the app to respond immediately, mobile experiences that feel even when there is no connectivity. 3 How reliable will connectivity incredibly responsive even during Furthermore, enable the user ˚˚ be for your user? Offline sporadic connectivity. One best to work with the data. Cache Access practice is to render immediately, whatever changes they made and regardless of whether the required synchronize your changes when ˚˚ What data could be data is retrieved. The app should they reconnect. Engineer for cached on the device to always feel responsive to a user’s potential offline versioning conflicts make the app work reliably 4 touch. If the data isn’t yet in hand, and create a solution that does when offline? respond with a partially filled page not incorrectly overwrite new data Business or loading animations. Users get when a mobile device reconnects. How can you enable data Logic impatient when it appears nothing ˚˚ to be created or edited is happening. Use that to your while offline? advantage by making something 5 happen immediately and then How will you handle filling in the gaps as the data ˚˚ versioning conflicts, if streams into the app. they occur? Messaging
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User Experience Business Logic 2 Every time a user interacts with Organizations that have successful your mobile app, a series of steps mobile apps have made these Questions to ask: need to happen in the background apps a primary channel for their Data to achieve the desired result. For customer interactions, and Are you able to respond to Integration 4 example, if a customer makes a have configured their business ˚˚ mobile users' needs as fast purchase via your app, you may logic to integrate users from the as you do callers? need to: 1) verify a promo code mobile channel into standard is valid, 2) provide the proper business operations. Doing this 3 Are your business rules discount, 3) verify the shipping not only requires awareness from ˚˚ enforced consistently across address and payment information, employees, but also well-defined Offline all your channels? Access 4) terminate the sale if there is no business rules. inventory, or 5) send a message that the delivery will be delayed. These ˚˚ Do orders or questions from sets of processes and workflows are your mobile apps ever get 4 the app’s business logic. lost or ignored?
Business Business logic is critical to fulfilling Are there more problems with Logic the goals set out by your app, ˚˚ mobile orders or interactions and can be compared to offline than with other channels? business processes and workflow. 5 A mistake many businesses make Can you easily create and is to prioritize customers who ˚˚ update your business rules? utilize more “traditional” channels like phone or in-person visits over Messaging mobile app users.
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User Experience Messaging 2 Mobile apps force us to force the user to step outside entirely rethink how we the app to call or email since Questions to ask: communicate with customers. that disrupts their experience Data Thanks to their access to user and takes too much of their time. How does your app Integration 5 context like past orders, and ˚˚ identify and store your mobile-specific information like In the future, messaging and users’ preferences? geolocation, mobile apps have collaboration will be even more 3 the unique ability to anticipate important as apps become Does your incorporate a question and proactively more interactive with each ˚˚ user context to make Offline answer it. Information that’s other and offer information notifications more relevant? Access relevant to the user, such as from multiple data sources. delivery status or location of the nearest store, can be offered ˚˚ How do you prompt a automatically via the app or mobile user about important 4 through notifications before new information? he or she even needs to ask. Business Do your employees have the Logic If you do need to actively ˚˚ tools to engage customers communicate with or message using any medium? your mobile app user, you should 5 be able to do so through push How do you expect notifications, in-app chat, or text ˚˚ communication through your messaging managed through the app to change in the future? Messaging app itself. The best apps don’t
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User Experience Security 2 Mobile apps and devices are For apps that access sensitive portable and accessible by data, two-factor authentication Questions to ask: design, but this creates unique provides an added layer of Data challenges when it comes to security. Sensitive user or What unique security Integration 6 mobile security. How do you business data should also be ˚˚ concerns will your app have? maintain the security of your encrypted, and data permissions app when some mobile devices need to be enforced. How will users log in to 3 will inevitably be left in cafés or ˚˚ your app? taxis? Users expect a fast and Businesses deploying apps frictionless app experience, for employees also need Offline How would you identify a Access making successful mobile to develop a mobile device ˚˚ security even more difficult. management (MDM) strategy. “suspicious” login? MDM enables businesses to User login and authentication manage configurations and Have you encrypted sensitive 4 is the security step that is access to mobile apps at the ˚˚ data in your system? usually most noticeable — and device level for additional Business often most cumbersome — for security. Your mobile app What is your MDM strategy? Logic users. Consider allowing user platform should include MDM ˚˚ login with social credentials, or have prebuilt integrations an employee single sign-on, or with major MDM solutions. 5 with a fingerprint to make this part of the process smoother. For a more in-depth look Where possible, design your at security best practices, Messaging app with security features that download the Salesforce are invisible to the typical user. Security Guide. For example, you should be able to identify suspicious login 6 patterns and have built-in app policies that disable access, or require additional authentication. Security
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User Experience Governance 2 IT governance refers to the or partner. This knowledge can processes that ensure efficient lead to apps that closely meet the Questions to ask: and effective use of IT within an needs of the users, and can have Data organization. One of the major a quick turnaround. However, What are your IT resources? Integration 7 considerations in a governance decentralized structures mean ˚˚ What resources do the strategy is determining which that app development may be business units have? part of the organization is going on in several different 3 responsible for the development, places across the business How important is it for all of management, and maintenance without much coordination, ˚˚ your apps to live on the same Offline of the technology. leading to inconsistent and/or platform/infrastructure? Access incompatible apps. Centralized governance (IT responsible) New mobile app development ˚˚ How will you ensure that In a centralized governance platforms make it possible to your apps are consistent from 4 structure, the IT team can create roll out a hybrid governance a branding perspective? a well-planned technology approach. This allows IT teams Business architecture across all parts of to set guidelines and have Who will be responsible Logic the business. This means that ultimate control over mobile ˚˚ for maintaining, managing, apps can pull from a single data apps, while also letting business and extending apps once source — maintaining a single units control more of the design, they are live? 5 source of truth — and resources development, and editing of the for technology projects can be apps. This way, business units allocated according to priority and can have more direct input into Messaging ROI for the business. However, their own apps and IT teams can this structure can lead to an decrease their backlog. However, overloaded IT team, and long the platforms ensure that all users lead times for new apps. are safely operating within the 6 security and data management Decentralized governance framework set up by IT. (Business units responsible) Security Business units, such as sales, marketing, finance, HR, and others, are often more familiar 7 with the end users of the app — usually a customer, employee,
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User Experience Upgrades and Scalability 2 Mobile technology is evolving to easily scale up as needed — quickly, so mobile apps need whether you need to scale the Questions to ask: to be regularly upgraded and amount of data streaming to your Data iterated to be successful. And, app, or scale the number of users How many apps do you have Integration 8 as your business evolves, its who can use it. You don’t want to ˚˚ now? How many do you demands for mobile apps will build a wildly successful app that expect to have in the future? also change. This means that the crashes due to scalability issues. 3 apps you’re creating now aren’t How quickly and easily can the same apps you’ll need in the Finally, keep in mind that the ˚˚ you scale your apps for more Offline future — and the future may be number of apps that you build data or users? Access only weeks away. and maintain will most likely continue to grow. Think about The apps of just a few years how your growing ecosystem of ˚˚ Are your apps built on a ago were little more than apps will work together — from a single infrastructure with a 4 miniature web pages, making data sharing, workflow, security, shared datasource? for a poor user experience. and governance perspective. Find Business Today’s apps take advantage a mobile app platform that can Which external ecosystems Logic of micro-moments and utilize support a connected ecosystem ˚˚ may you want to connect to user data and context to provide of apps so that you don’t end in the future? a faster, more seamless user up with many siloed apps that 5 experience. The apps of the quickly become obsolete. future will better predict user needs and will be connected Messaging to a larger ecosystem of apps, devices, and data sources.
While no app can be future- 6 proofed, there are steps you can take to make evolving your app(s) easier. First, look for cloud-based Security app development platforms that provide automatic updates on a consistent basis. Next, choose 7 a platform that allows your app
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Anatomy of a Mobile App 10 The Salesforce Platform offers the The Salesforce Platform flexibility developers need to build fully custom, scalable apps for customers has everything businesses with code, and provides drag-and-drop technology so that business users can need to build, run, and easily create model-driven apps. See why the Salesforce Platform is the leading manage mobile apps. mobile app development platform.
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