Dell, HP, IBM have all tried to transform themselves from being box sellers to solution providers. Then, in the world of Uber, many traditional products are fast mutating into a service. At Walmart, it is no longer about grocery shopping. Their pick and go service tries to understand more about your journey as a customer, and grocery shopping is just one piece of the puzzle.
There’s a certain common thread that run across all three examples. And it’s about how to break through the complexity of your end customer’s life. Statistics, machine learning, artificial intelligence can’t maketh the life of store managers at over 2000 Kroger stores across the country any simpler. It sounds way too complex.
Before I get to the main point, let me belabor a bit and humor you on other paradigms floating around. Meta software, Software as a Service, cloud computing, Service as a Software… Err! Did I just go to randomgenerator dot com and get those names out? I swear I did not.
The cliché in the recent past has been about how industries are racing to unlock the value of big data and create big insights. And with this herd mentality comes all the jargons in an effort to differentiate. Ultimately, it is about solving problems.
In the marketplace abstraction of problem solving, there’s a supply side and a demand side.
The demand side is an overflowing pot of problems. Driven by accelerating change, problems evolve really fast and newer ones keep popping up. Across Fortune 500 firms, there are very busy individuals and teams running businesses the world over, grappling with these problems. Ranging from store managers in a retail store, to trade promotion manager in a CPG firm, a district sales manager in a pharma firm, a decision engineer in a CPG firm and so on. For these individuals, time is a very precious commodity. Analytics is valuable to them only when it is actionable.
On the supply side, there are complex math (read algorithms), advanced technology and smart people to interpret the complexities. And, for the geek in you, this is a candy store situation. But, how do we make these complex math – machine learning, AI and everything else – actionable?
To help teams/individuals embrace the complexity and thrive in it, nature has evolved the concept of solutions. Solutions aim to translate the supply side intelligence into simple visual concepts. This approach takes intelligence to the edge, thereby scaling decision making.
So, how do solutions differ from products, from meta-software, service as a software and the gibberish?
Fundamentally, a solution is meant to exist as a standalone atomic unit – with a singular purpose of making the lives of decision makers easy and simple. It is not created to scale creation of analytics.
For example a solution created to detect anomalies in pharmacy billing will be designed to do just that. The design of this solution will not be affected by the efficiency motivation to apply it to a fraud detection problem as well. Because the design of a solution is driven by the needs of the individual dealing with the problem, it should not be driven by the motivation to scale the creation of analytics. Rather, it should be driven by the motivation to scale the consumption of analytics; to push all the power of machine learning and AI to the edge.
In Anteelo you have a partner who can execute the entire analytical value chain and deliver a solution at the end. No more running to the IT department with a deck/SAS/R/Python code, asking them to create a technology solution. Read more about our offerings here.
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
– Alvin Toffler
“Times have changed.” We’ve heard this statement ever so often. Generations have used it to exclaim “things are so complicated (or simple) these days,” or expressing disdain – “oh, so they think they are a cool” generation. Whichever way you exclaim, change has been truly the “constant”.
This change is bolstered by a tech-enabled world where the speed at which machines are learning is accelerating – the speed of light.
Let me set this in context with an example from the book of Sales. Unlike in the past, today sales reps are not gauged by the amount of sweat trickling down their foreheads. While they continue to be evaluated in terms of business development and lead conversions, it is not all manual and laborious. Technology advancements have made the process of identifying, prioritizing, scheduling, conversing and converting agile and real-time.
But just knowing change, gathering data and appreciating technology will not suffice. The three will need to be blended seamlessly to yield transformation. Applied to deeper organizational context, “Change” needs to be interpreted – its pace needs to be matched, or even better, its effect needs to be contextualized for differentiation.
Change management in this sense is the systematization of the entire process; right from the acceptance of change to its adoption and taking advantage of it to thrive in volatile times.
But what would it take for complex enterprises, that swear by legacy systems, to turbo charge into the Change Management mode?
To answer this, I will humanize enterprise change management with the Prosci-developed ADKAR Model.
Awareness (getting into the race) – Where can I set up the next retail store, what is the most optimal planogram, how do I determine the right marketing mix, what is my competition doing different, how do I improve customer experience, how do I ensure sales force effectiveness – the questions are ample. By the time you realize and start strategizing, a competitor has dislodged your market position and eaten a large portion of your pie. And while these business problems seem conventional, volatility in the marketplace cry foul. Compound this with high dependencies on dashboards, applications, and the likes for insights, and you’ve seen the side-effects – established enterprises biting the dust.
To survive, organizations will need to be knowledgeable about data that matter viz a viz the noise. They will need to interpret the data deluge in relevance and context; after all, not all data is diamond.
Desire (creating a business case for adoption) – Desire is a basic human instinct. Our insatiable urge to want something more, even better, accentuates this instinct. When it comes to enterprises, this desire is no different; to stay ahead of the curve, to make more profits, to be leaders. But there is no lock-and-key fix to achieve this mark. Realizing corporate “desire” will require a cultural and mindset shift across the organization – top-down. And so, one of the most opportune times could be when there are changes at the leadership, followed by re-organization in the rungs below.
Gamification could be a great starting point to drive adoption in such cases. Allow the scope of experimentation to creep in; invest consciously in simmer projects; give a freehand to analysts to look for the missing piece of the puzzle outside their firewall; incentivize them accordingly. Challenge business leaders to up their appreciation for the insights generated, encourage them to get their hands down and dirty when it comes to knowing their source, ask the right questions and challenge status quo – not just rely on familiarity and past experiences.
Knowledge and Ability (From adoption to implementation) – In business context, “desire” typically translate into business goals – revenue, process adoption, automation, newer market expansion, launch of a new product/solution, etc. Mere awareness of the changes taking place does not translate into achievements. It needs to be studied and change management needs to be initiated.
But how can you execute your day job and learn to change?
The trick here will be to make analytics seamless; almost second nature. Just as the message alert from the bank about any suspicious transaction made on your account, any deviation from the set course of business action needs to be alerted.
Such technology-assisted decisions are the need of today and the future. Tredence CHA solution is an example in this direction. It is intuitive, convenient and evolving, mirroring aspects of Robotics Process Automation (RPA).
Reinforcement (Stickiness will be key) – Your business problems are yours to know and yours to solve. Like my colleague mentioned in his blog, a one size fits all solution does not exist. Solving the business challenges of today requires going to the root cause of it, understanding the data sources available to you, and being knowledgeable about other data combinations (across the firewall or within) that matter. Match this stream of data with relevant tools and techniques that can give you the “desired” results.
Point to keep in mind during this drill is to ensure that you marry the old and new. Replacing a legacy system with something totally new could leave a bad taste in your mouth – with less adoption and greater resistance. Embedded analytics will be key – one that allows you to seamlessly time travel between the past, present and future.
To conclude, whether it is about time to implement change, improving customer service, reducing inefficiencies, or mitigating the negative effect of volatile markets, Change Management will be pivotal. It is a structured, on-going process to ensure you are not merely surviving, rather thriving in change.
The scale of big data, data deluge, 4Vs of data, and all that’s in between… We’ve all heard so many words adjectivized to “Data”. And the many reports and literature have taken the vocabulary and interpretation of data to a whole new level. As a result, the marketplace is split into exaggerators, implementers, and disruptors. Which one are you?
Picture this! A telecom giant decides to invest in opening 200 physical stores in 2017. How do they go about solving this problem? How do they decide the most optimal location? Which neighbourhood will garner maximum footfall and conversion?
And then there is a leading CPG player trying to figure out where they should deploy their ice cream trikes. Now mind you, we are talking impulse purchase of perishable goods. How do they decide the number of trikes that must be deployed and where, what are the flavours that will work best in each region?
In the two examples, if the enterprises were to make decisions based on the analytics data available to them (read owned data), they would make the same mistakes day in and day out – of using past analyticsdata to make present decisions and future investments. The effect of it stares at you in the face; your view of true market potentials remains skewed, your understanding of customer sentiments is obsolete, and your ROI will seldom go beyond your baseline estimates. And then you are vulnerable to competition. Calculated risks become too calculated to game change.
Disruption in current times posits enterprises to undergo a paradigm shift; from owning data to seeking it. This transition requires a conscious set-up:
Power of unconstrained thinking
As adults, we are usually too constrained by what we know. We have our jitters when it comes to stepping out of our comfort zones – preventing us from venturing into the wild. The real learning though – in life, analytics or any other field for that matter – happens in the wild. To capitalize on this avenue, individuals and enterprises need to cultivate an almost child-like, inhibition-free culture of ‘unconstrained thinking’.
Each time we are confronted with unconventional business problems, pause and ask yourself: If I had unconstrained access to all the data in the world, how would my solution design change; What data (imagined or real) would I require to execute the new design?
Power of approximate reality
There is a lot we don’t know and will never know with 100% accuracy. However, this has never stopped the doers from disrupting the world. Unconstrained thinking needs to meet approximate reality to bear tangible outcomes.
Question to ask here would be – What are the nearest available approximations of all the data streams I dreamt off in my unconstrained ideation?
You will be amazed at the outcome. For example, the use of Yelp to identify the hyperlocal affluence of catchment population (resident as well as moving population), estimating the footfall in your competitor stores by analysing data captured from several thousand feet in the air.
This is the power of combining unconstrained thinking and approximate reality. The possibilities are limitless.
Filter to differentiate signal from noise – Data Triangulation
Remember, you are no longer as smart as the data you own, rather the data you earn and seek. But at a time when analytics data is in abundance and streaming, the bigger decision to make while seeking data is identifying “data of relevance”. An ability to filter signals from noise will be critical here. In the absence of on-ground validation, Triangulation is the way to go.
The Data ‘purists’ among us would debate this approach of triangulation. But welcome to the world of data you don’t own. Here, some conventions will need to be broken and mindsets need to be shifted. We at Anteelo have found data triangulation to be one of the most reliable ways to validate the veracity of your unfamiliar and un-vouched data sources.
Ability to tame the wild data
Unfortunately, old wine in a new bottle will not taste too good. When you explore data in the wild – beyond the enterprise firewalls – conventional wisdom and experience will not suffice. Your data scientist teams need to be endowed with unique capabilities and technological know-how to harness the power of data from unconventional sources. In the two examples mentioned above – of the telecom giant and CPG player – our data scientist team capitalized on the freely available hyperlocal data to conjure up a great solution for location optimization; from the data residing in Google maps, Yelp, and satellites.
Having worked with multiple clients, across industries, we have come to realize the power of this approach – of owned and seeking data; with no compromise on data integrity, security, and governance. After all, game changer and disruptors are seldom followers; rather they pave their own path and chose to find the needle in the haystack, as well!
1997 was the year of consumable digital revolution – the year when cost of computation and storage decreased drastically resulting in conversion from paper-based to digital storage. The very next year the problem of Big Data emerged. As the digitalization of documents far surpassed the estimates, Hadoop was the step forward towards low cost storage. It slowly became synonymous and inter-changeable with the term big data. With explosion of ecommerce, social chatter and connected things, data has exploded into new realms. It’s not just the volume anymore.
In part 1 of this blog, I had set the premise that the market is already moving from a PPTware to dashboard and robust machine learning platforms to make the most of the “new oil”.
Today, we are constantly inundated with terms like Data Lake and Data Reservoirs. What do these really mean? Why should we care about these buzz words? How does it improve our daily lives?
I have spoken with a number of people – over the years – and have come to realize that for most part they are enamoured with the term, not realizing the value or the complexity behind it. Even when they do realize, the variety of software components and the velocity with which they change are simply incomprehensible.
The big question here would be, how do we quantify Big Data? One aspect to pivot is that it is no longer about the volume of data you collect, rather the insight through analysis that is important. Data when used for the purpose beyond its original intent can generate latent value. Making the most of this latent value will require practitioners to envision the 4V’s in tandem – Volume, Variety Velocity, and Veracity.
Translating this into reality will require a system that is:
Low cost
Capable of handling the volume load
Not constrained by the variety (structured, unstructured or semi-structured formats)
Capable of handling the velocity (streaming) and
Endowed with tools to perform the required data discovery, through light or dark data (veracity)
Hadoop — now a household term — had its beginnings aimed towards web search. Rather than making it proprietary, the developers at Yahoo made a life-altering decision to release this as open-source; deriving their requisite inspiration from another open source project called Nutch, which had a component with the same name.
Over the last decade, Hadoop with Apache Software Foundation as its surrogate mother and with active collaboration between thousands of open-source contributors, has evolved into the beast that it is.
Hadoop is endowed with the following components –
HDFS (Highly Distributed File System) — which provides centralized storage spread over number of different physical systems and ensures enough redundancy of data for high availability.
MapReduce — The process of distributed computing on available data using Mappers and Reducers. Mappers work on data and reduce it to tuples and can include transformation while reducers take data from different mappers and combines them.
YARN / MESOS – The resource managers that control availability of hardware and software processes along with scheduling and job management with two distinct components – Namely ResourceManager and NodeManager.
Commons – Common set of libraries and utilities that support other Hadoop components.
While the above forms the foundation, what really drives data processing and analysis are frameworks such as Pig, Hive and Spark for data processing along with other widely used utilities for cluster, meta-data and security management. Now that you know what the beast is made of (at its core) – we will cover the dressings in the next parts of this series. Au Revoir!
Go to any of the myriad analytics services providers that proliferate the industry today, walk up to any manager, and ask him if any of the analytics projects he works on is similar to the other. Chances are extremely remote that you will receive a response in the affirmative.
Let’s go one step further. Ask the manager how easy it is to hire people with the right skills for different projects, ensure they learn on the job, while being efficient all through. Be prepared for a long rant on the complexities and vagaries of finding good talent and utilizing it to the fullest.
PMO enables application of what we sell, analytics, to our own processes for betterment and continuous improvement
Challenges at scale
You would have figured out by now that analytics services companies enable their clients to solve complex business problems. And since each business problem is unique, the approach taken to solve it becomes unique as well. This leaves us with a large set of unique, mutually exclusive analytics projects running at any given point in time; each requiring a separate set of resources, time and infrastructure.
Small analytics organizations can handle this complexity because of multiple factors – a very strong and smart core team, fewer projects to manage, and lower layers of hierarchy within the organization. But as the analytics services company grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to ensure each project is running efficiently and on the right track. The problem is exacerbated by two facts: the flexibility of a startup is not easily scalable; and resistance in putting process to bring some order in to the system is something employees – especially old timers – chafe at. This is where the prominence of PMO kicks in.
Setting up, and moving beyond the traditional PMO
When a startup evolves into a mature, established analytics services company, it usually veils the fact that the company lacks strong processes to scale. In the absence of organization-wide standard processes for running projects, processes in silos start to take form, or in some cases the absence of it altogether.
But this leads to inconsistencies in how project delivery is executed. Similar projects are often estimated in different and sometimes erroneous ways; projects are staffed with people who don’t have the right skills, and knowledge often gets lost when team members attrite. Adding to the list of pains, projects don’t get invoiced in time, invoicing schedules are not consistent, and many projects are executed without formal contracts in place. Senior leadership also lacks a common view into the health of project delivery and the pulse of resources working on these projects, at the ground level.
A good PMO organization faces the same problems as a kite flyer – too many processes, and the kite will never take off; too few, and the kite flies off into the wind. But kite flying technique is important as well.
The focus of a traditional Project Management Organization (PMO) is more towards ensuring projects are completed on schedule, and processes are followed the right way. However, for true maturity in delivering analytics services, PMO needs to move beyond just process focus. It should allow improved project planning, monitoring and control
It should ensure the right issues are identified at the right time and addressed accordingly. It should ensure people across the organization speak the same language and terms, and provide the leadership team a single view into business performance. At the tactical level, a PMO group should help employees become more efficient and process-oriented. It should foster a culture of accountability, automation and quality control to ensure improved satisfaction for clients as well.
The right level of process
Setting up a PMO group is only half the battle won. The PMO setup needs to regulate the proverbial oxygen flow so employees don’t feel constricted in a mire of process bureaucracy; or on the other hand continue in a false euphoria of individual project flexibility. Internal change management needs to be a smooth process. While adding processes layer by layer, care needs to be taken to ensure that employees do not feel “pained” by the PMO “demands”, in addition to their day to day deliverable.
At Anteelo, the PMO drives improved quality and timeliness of work outputs, while also serving as a means to achieve work-life balance for our employees. Through a well-planned alignment of employees to the projects, which best match their skills, we ensure each team is best equipped to deliver more than the promised results to our clients. In our next blog, we shall discuss in more detail how our PMO group drives improved efficiencies within Anteelo and makes our employees more efficient and happy.
In this digital age, one can’t survive without technology. Mobile apps have become an obsession for people, a proven fact that in 2017, users around the world downloaded almost 197 billion Android apps and over 25 billion iOS apps. The app development business has reached its peak in the past few years and has been growing higher since.
But with the craze for mobile apps rising high, there’s one massive problem that has arisen for app development companies. Finding enough talented developers who can develop the same thing for Android and iOS is a bit of a challenge.
So is there a more natural solution?
Of course, there is! If you want to develop an app from scratch, for both iOS and Android platforms, React Native is the best option.
React Native is a framework that can be used to develop cross-platform apps. It is a JavaScript-based framework created by Facebook to develop apps supported by both Android and iOS platforms. While it offers benefits such as reduced development time and reusable code and app components, there are some differences between the usages of React Native for both platforms.
In this article, we are going to highlight five significant differences between React Native app development methods across Android and iOS. But before that, let’s have a look at the features of React Native that have made it so popular.
Why is React Native gaining impetus?
React Native is a widely used platform that allows you to alter the user interface of an app for both iOS and Android development. Following are some primary reasons that React Native is such a hit among app developers:
Open-source Framework – This framework is open-source. Its structure is all set to become completely compatible with both Windows and macOS. It also supports reusing already written code instead of rewriting it from scratch.
Quick Development – Application development is not an easy task. Writing code from scratch and learning to code in Swift and Java is tough and time-consuming. React Native resolves this issue in a way that instead of having expertise in these two, you are only required to know JavaScript; this makes app development very easy and quick. That said, basic knowledge of Swift and Java is also necessary.
Focus on the User Interface – React Native allows you to develop smooth and easy-to-navigate User Interface in both operating systems at the same time. UI is one of the main reasons behind its popularity. Before this, developers were required to prioritize one type of operating system. React Native resolved this issue and made development more comfortable and balanced for both platforms.
Coming to the focal point now –The differences when used for Android and iOS no platform is perfect when it comes to technology. There are some boundaries and restrictions for every one of them. The same is the case with React Native. App development for Android and iOS vastly differs, and it is because of the following factors:
While you develop a cross-platform app using React Native, you need to access a few specific iOS simulator tools for app testing. But these tools are not considered reliable as Apple does not officially recognize them. In the case of Windows, Android studio is a reliable source to test the Android version of apps. So it is effortless to conduct official testing for the android version, and there is no authorized testing module available for iOS. That does not mean that iOS apps are not tested; we can say that the results are not authentic.
A suggested solution to overcome this problem is to test the iOS app within Android Studio since it is compatible with macOS. It is better to use Apple MacBook as the testing device to test both, Android and iOS versions of the React Native apps.
Linking Libraries
If you need to link third-party libraries in your app, you cannot merely use the React Native link called “library name” to link libraries. You are required to link those third-party libraries manually. This manual linking is considered to be a hurdle because it is time-consuming, and it requires developers to have distinct knowledge about Android and iOS development.
We can avoid manual linking if complete documentation of the required libraries are available, which is rare. The manual linking requires the developer to have a grip on Java and Swift or Objective C language.
Platform-Specific Styles Elements
While working on a cross-platform app, it is essential to consider the style differences. The styles added using React Native look different in iOS and Android because both operating systems might not support that styling. For example, if you add shadow style in your app, it won’t be visible in the Android version, as Android does not support this styling.
So, developers require keeping the style differences in mind and use the styles which are supported by both operating systems.
Native Elements
The display differences of different native app elements might not be considered at the initial stage, but once development proceeds, developers start regarding such differences as hurdles. React Native has several elements to be used, but the results differ according to the platform they are implemented on. For example, the picker component would display a different outcome on an iOS simulator and a different one on the Android emulator.
Platform-Specific Design Elements
React Native provides a cross-development platform because of shared code, and developers expect to build both versions of applications with minimal efforts. But unfortunately, no platform is perfect. iOS apps usually are quite minimalist in design, while Android is more drawn towards the material design principle. While developing through shared code, you need to make sure that the app is suitable according to its natural look and feel for both platforms. Right now, multitask panels in iOS have small tabs in contrast, while the interchangeable tabs of Android’s multitasking panel are almost of screen size. So, developers need to keep track of these differences while developing on a shared platform.
Similarly, the icons of iOS apps are round-cornered squares, while Android has a range of useful options that include icons with transparent background and shadows. iOS has simplicity and lower cognitive load on icons. There is also a difference in navigation patterns for both operating systems. Android’s native navigation-bar has back and refresh buttons, while in iOS, the back button on the top is screen-specific and also works with a right swipe gesture.
All these differences are necessary to consider for developers while working on application development through React Native. These issues are essential to tackle but don’t come in the way of making it a popular and reliable platform. Many big brands have utilized React Native to develop popular applications for both operating systems.
To Sum It Up
From in-app features to design elements to testing tools, the development of iOS and Android mobile app development using React Native differs on various levels. Developers need to take care of these differences to avoid bugs during implementation. Many big brands like Instagram, Uber Eats, Airbnb, and Gyroscope use React Native’s shared platform technique, which goes a long way to indicate that the framework is reliable and generates up to the mark results.
AGCS (Alexa, Cortana, Google, Siri), as I fondly call these services, certainly have taken over my life. I talk to them every day. I take their help in research. I tell them to remind me of important tasks. I even ask them turn on / off different appliances at home. And they never complain! Now who yells at me or more importantly who do I yell at?
The last few years have been a point of inflection in the area of personal assistants or PIP (Personal Informational Programs). They have gained a voice of their own – to say the least. Voice enabled assistants or voice assists are an evolution in human-machine interactions. When I say, “I speak with Alexa,” people are no longer surprised. They are just confused – am I referring to Alexa service or to a real person! Now that’s what I call the first step in machine takeover – the blurring!
Some serious business:
At Anteelo, we have been experimenting with Alexa for a couple of months now. What started out as an exploratory process (Who and What is Alexa and How can I have a communication with her) has led to a more objective driven program. We like to call this Voice Enabled Insights (VEI).
By integrating Alexa with Tableau, we have managed to provide a short synthesis of how the business is performing. And the best part, the insights are refreshed every morning. Operational managers can now have free-wheeling conversation with this voice enabled feature, enhanced with tableau. What a way to consume your morning coffee insights! The icing on the cake is that our system also crawls the web to provide competitor information so you cover the complete landscape. And the, if you want to discuss, you can ask humble Alexa to schedule a meeting with your required stakeholders (let’s say territory manager) through O365 integrations.
So far, we have taken a small step towards a future that is closely integrated, connected and alive all the time – thanks to voice enablement. Looking into the future, imagine a situation where a patient’s family speaks to the panel and ask for the patient’s condition! They are received with prompt information on the room, current health parameters and in-operation status, if the patient is being recorded live. No more long waiting time and anxiety attacks at the help desk.
How about doctors? They can optimize their time by getting critical patients conditions and issuing necessary instructions to nurses, in near real time. The same goes for any enterprise where there is a lot of personal interactions between service provider and consumer.
Now that we covered the most important aspect from personal standpoint – ‘Health’, let’s move to industrialization and the phenomenon of IoT. There have been rapid advancements in the areas of machine to machine communication and the so-called intelligent machines. Add a larynx (voice-enabled feature) to this combination and I can simply step up to a panel and enquire: what has been the output so far, are there any issues with the systems, and issue commands to reroute if there is a line fault. All of this without even lifting a finger, literally “speaking”!
In most cases, what we discussed is the benefit of the voice-enabled feature in a B2B or B2C scenarios. But this is not just it. The corner room assistant can help provide on-demand and interactive directory services, serve as a knowledge bank, and project manage. She can facilitate efficiency, timely decisions, and can also gamify training using skill and stories based mode for self-learning. Simply put, all we need to be is creative; the tools are already getting quite smart to say the least.
It is a given today that Alexa and other services are changing the world and how we interact with it. With time to act constantly getting shorter, these disruptive innovations will play a greater role in how connected we are. Voice enabled insights, while not new in concept (remember IVR’s), is beginning to gain popularity owing the rapid propagation of machine learning and artificial intelligence. They are simply becoming more human in their interactions. It would be wise to get on the race sooner. But here’s the deal, start out on the journey in incremental ways and then scale. Soon there will be a time where we will adjectivize and say, ‘Just Ask Alexa!’
Starting a mobile app centered business is tough. There are so many questions and doubts that you, in your role as an entrepreneur, have to answer and find answers to. Although things do get a lot easier once you get the support of a partner-like sound mobile app development company, there are a number of factors that you still have to get a grasp on your end for android vs iOS.
While we have curated a mobile app development for startups guide to help you get started with the complete A to Z process of getting your idea on mobile, in this article, we will help you get an answer to the question that worries every entrepreneur who is new to the app industry – android vs iOS for startups.
But before we get on to that, let us give you some ideas and tips on mobile platforms that startups should choose in 2021.
Let’s begin with why one should opt for mobile by joining either Android development or iOS development.
Let’s start looking at the smartphone (iPhone or Android) and app market scenario by first looking into the basics of each – number of users, downloads, revenue, and user retention scenario.
Graphs indicating each of the pointers will help give a clear idea of how both the app stores are performing on an individual level – something which will help businesses take a sound decision.
iPhone or Android? Smartphone Users Graph
These numbers are a clear indication of how big the smartphone industry has been and how it is only going to grow both android and iOS in demand and acquisition number in the coming time. With the number of projected mobile users about to reach 5.7 Billion in a matter of two years, it is beyond time for startups to make a decision related to iOS versus Android and a presence on mobile and reach these billions and then some more users.
Android vs iOS: Market Share
The android and iOS market share division factor when making a choice of iOS vs Android for startup is calculated in terms of total number of users on both platforms. While the graph above shows the obvious – Android development has a greater market share than iOS development, let us still throw some light on it. With the number of Android devices being 10X more than Apple flagship devices, the number of users are by default inclined towards Android as compared to iOS app development.
This difference in market share makes Android a preferable choice for Startups that are keeping visibility above any other business-y factor.
iOS vs Android App Revenue
One of the biggest deciding factors when it comes to Android vs iOS for businesses is the revenue that each of the avenues is able to generate for the startup. As a startup that is about to make an entry in the mobile domain for the first time, it is almost a necessity to base the platform choice on the basis of the potential of revenue they would be able to generate.
While iOS has over time positioned itself as the platform that businesses head to generate revenue, Android developers are soon catching up with their monetized app. But overall, Play Store will still take up more time to come up to App Store level.
Android vs iOS: User Retention
For an entrepreneur struggling to find the answer to which one is correct in iOS vs Android for startup, it is very important to maintain a good user retention number; as it will be the only sign to judge whether or not your app is performing good and is liked by users across the world.
There are a number of factors which contribute to soaring app uninstall rate. Reasons which mostly revolve around the kind of experience you are able to offer through your mobile app.
But in spite of what reasons there are behind growing app uninstall rates in the industry, the fact that users behave differently between one platform to another remains. While Android users are more loyal, Apple users are less forgiving and tend to leave app very soon after a bad experience – something startups need to plan in their incredible & result-driven mobile app design and development in much detail.
Now that we have looked into the market scenario of both the platforms, it is time to attend to the question that every startup willing to make a presence on mobile is seeking answer to – Android vs iOS development for startups.
Android vs iOS: Which Platform Should Startups Go with as Their First App Choice?
The answer to which platform should startups choose out of Android and iOS development is in no way a Yes or No type (and yet, the wrong answer can turn out to be one of the most deadly mobile app development mistakes). There are a number of factors that startups will have to consider when making the choice.
Let us see what those factors are which help decide the platform startups should go with for their first mobile app launch – iPhone or Android.
Where is your audience
Even though 80% of the world’s mobile app market is dominated by Android, some of the most presumed revenue generating nations like the USA or Australia come under Apple’s dominance. So if your audience belongs to the western nations, take help from iPhone app developers but if the world is your audience, go with Android developers.
Who is your user
The choice of app platform goes beyond geographical borders. There are a number of traits that separates iOS vs Android demographics.
iOS users usually have a lot higher income, come with greater education levels, are more engaged with the app, and lastly are willing to spend a lot more on the app.
Android users on the other hand, come with their own share of characteristic traits. They usually belong to the 25 to 45 age range, are more spending conscious, tend to be late technology adopters, and in general are more impatient as compared to Apple users (something that has changed in the recent time).
In-app purchases
If your app’s business model has in-app purchase at the center, it would be preferable to go with App Store instead of Android Play Store. While the average per user in-app purchase per app in the case of Apple is $1.08, in case of the same number gets reduced to $0.43.
Talking of in-app purchases, the difference can be seen on a geographical level as well.
On a global level per user app spending is $0.50, in Asia the number is $0.70 and in North America, Europe, and Latin America, the numbers are $0.61, $0.26, and $0.16 respectively.
Fragmentation
Talking of fragmentation in terms of the variety of devices your app would be able to reach, the one platform that emerges as an unprecedented winner is Android. Because Google has partnered with a number of device manufacturers, there are now thousands of devices under Android umbrella as opposed to Apple.
If you are looking for a platform that would help your startup become a household name by taking it to the masses minus any specific demographic challenge, Android app development will be your answer. But if making a presence among an elite concentrated group of users is what you are aiming for, go with your team of iOS developers.
Ease of design & development
The question on which is the most preferred choice for startups – Android vs iOS, has a solution that is different on both Android and iOS development front.
While in terms of designing, Google Material Design has a greater impact on user experience, mobile app developers feel that when it comes to coding mobile apps, Swift is a much easier language to get started with as compared to Java.
However, design and development is one factor that depends less on the platform and more on the skill of your partnered mobile android app development company. When you associate with a brand that specializes in the development of both Apple and Android apps, it doesn’t matter which platform requires less developmental efforts as both are done within equal efforts.
Release cycles
Talking of Android release cycle vs iOS Release cycle, the updation of apps in case of Android is generally restricted with the partnered OEM devices and the OS versions that they support- an issue that Apple and its concentrated list of iPhones and iPads never have to face.
What this means is that while with iOS you can focus on giving the support of new OS version in your present app with much ease, the level of fragmentation that Android comes with makes releasing new OS versions very difficult.
Now that we have seen the factors that would help decide which platform to go with for your first mobile app, the sad truth remains – There is no yes or no answer to which platform should startups go with between Android and iOS.
But while it will be difficult for us to get you an answer to ‘Android vs iOS: Which platform should Startups Choose’ let us get you the answer to the Why and When.
Difference Between iOS and Android Development
There is obviously a comparison between iOS and Android app development that is generally seen by developers during the process toward creating mobile applications. Let’s have a look at these differences
Programming language
The Android and iOS development operating systems are each customized in various programming languages. This is actually the greatest difference where iOS applications run on Objective-C/Swift, while Android applications run on Java.
The programming in iOS and android platforms utilize different technology stacks. The former vigorously depends on Java or Kotlin as an alternative, while the latter one has an exclusive language intended for application advancement – Swift.
Now you must be thinking which stack is quick and easy to dominate? Most of the app developers discover that an iOS application is simpler to make than the Android one. As the Swift coding involves less time than getting around Java since this language has high clarity and readability.
As Kotlin grows further, in future it is considered to be a prospective Java replacement due to its natural, current, and easy to read features.
Thus, programming languages utilized for iOS have a shorter learning curve than those for Android and are, hence, simple to dominate.
Testing
Every application’s QA testing phase is important for the mobile application development process. The same applies to games and different sorts of software. One should make sure that the application he is creating works perfectly. The iOS simulator and the Android emulator are examples that are frequently used to test this.
A definite difference is that the iOS simulator is a lot quicker than Android. In any case, the Android emulator has the near benefit of being a powerful virtual machine including CPU, which makes it more practical than its iOS equivalent. The iOS simulator often neglects to deliver precise and realistic portrayals of Apple devices.
Therefore, it is important to complete several tests on real smart devices to see the application’s interaction flow and detect potential bugs.
Interface
This is where we come over the visual contrasts when we develop an application for an Android or iOS user. At the technical level, the app developer will assemble XML documents onto Android interfaces. These are basically the same as iOS’ XIB documents.
The nature of iOS animations is superior to the one from Android. Google has attempted to fix this through the preview of Android L and by building up an application design pattern known as Material Design. Meanwhile, Apple has consistently been focusing on delicate, complex, and amazing animations by taking care of its user experience cautiously. Google, on the other hand, chose to fcus on the hardware rather than these perspectives.
Design
For Apple, the content of the application has importance over design. Therefore, clearness and the wide utilization of white space is advisable. The most widely recognized tools utilized by UI designers are shadows and gradients. All things considered, the application’s design ought to convey a feeling of depth and multi-layers.
Android designs come from real inspiration and motivation. Thus, colors and motion are two characterizing factors. Android designers work with a more extensive scope of tools such as light, motions, shading, color, etc.
When Should Startups Choose iOS?
You should place your startup’s first mobile app on iOS by investing in a sound reputed iOS app development company if you wish to come in the sight of the app store’s target demographics. Also, if you are not convinced of an app’s ability to be liked and moved to the home screen, the less fragmented world of Apple might come in handy as you won’t have to invest time in preparing your app for multiple devices.
The benefit of concentration and high revenue-generating capability together makes iPhone app development advantageous for businesses.
When And Why Startups Choose Android App Development?
You should go with Android first if your audience is not concentrated on any one specific location. Also, if there are a good number of customization elements in your mobile app, go with Android. The benefit of reach and customization that the platform offers, makes it almost necessary for Businesses to have an Android app.
When And Why Startups Choose IOS App Development?
You have to remember that in the debate between Android vs iPhone: Which Platform should Startups choose for First Mobile App have a third option as well, one which ends the confusion between iPhone or Android – Launch app on both Android and iOS.
While the option should be chosen as a solution by companies who have enough monetary and time resources, you should invest in mobile app development companies that specialize in Cross Platform app development to grab the opportunity to enjoy the best of all.
Now that we have seen it all – The factors that affect the Android vs iPhone choice for startups and the situations when one is deemed preferable than the other – it is now time to answer a very futuristic, logical question – When should a Business Move from one Platform to Another.
When Should Your Startup Extend from One Platform to Another?
The answer to this lies in – When your app has taken all the advantage of the current platform it is on. If your app has reached a position where it is now getting constant revenue from the App Store, expand it to the Play Store to get greater reach.
If your Android App has gained enough followers on the Play Store, increase the scope of monetization by taking it to the App Store.
Hopefully, our little pocket guide was able to help you get an answer to which platform your early-stage startup should choose. If we have left a scope of confusion, reach out to our team of mobile app strategist and our iOS and android app development company in USA to get the answer.
The newspaper sales have gone down ever since the media decided to have their own news mobile apps. To be precise, 7% drop in sales in 2015 and the percentage is predicted to be even more in the present. According to a survey, an average user spends 2 hours on phone to check news updates.
Mobile phones have been around for a while now but mobile apps have taken over the human lifestyle. In America, only 2% of the population said they read printed newspapers and find it useful. The majority of the population either don’t read the news more often or reads it on a digital platform.
In India, the readership of print media has decreased as per May 2017 reports from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC). Same is the case with countries such as UK, Germany, etc.
The stats above shows the readership of some popular news channels such as Buzzfeed, CNN, Fox News, etc. All these stats prove how fast the newspaper mobile apps are becoming a choice over the print media. However, for some news channels, the cost of news app development is often a matter of concern. To clear any doubts and to learn how much does it cost to build a newspaper app, we have curated this blog.
The ROI From News Apps
Whether you are going to make your own news app or get it developed by news app builder, you have to know the benefits you will get from the news app. It does not matter how much money you have put in the news app development as long as it gives a good return on the investment.
Subscription
Just like you have a subscription for your printed newspaper, you can apply the same method to deliver quality content to users in exchange of a fee. News apps like NYTimes have this method where they offer a certain number of free article to readers and if they wish to read more than that, they have to get a subscription.
Advertisement
Businesses have spent more than $100 billion on mobile advertisements. For any news company having a mobile app, this becomes a great source of income. Having personalized ads for businesses will get you started. It will also be a good option to choose the ads as per the reader’s interests to increase the possibility of viewing the ad.
Campaign for Sponsors
Running a personalized campaign for sponsors on your news mobile app is another way of revenue. Tickets to shows or events can be sold on the app. This can also be done for a specific location or a particular group of people having similar interests.
More reach and readership
It is sort of a given that with mobile apps the reach will increase. However, with the reach, the readership will also increase. Countries like Sweden, South Korea and Spain have larger news app users. The format in which the content is displayed on apps is so much more appealing than that on print media. The use of GIFs and high-quality images increases the chance of readership.
So, now you know the ROI from a news app. Let’s move on to further sections of news app development and the involved cost in newspaper app development.
Which is a better choice, Android or iOS?
This is the most common yet the most crucial question when it comes to news app development. The debate between Android and iOS is ongoing ever since both of these became the top platforms in the development world. When it comes to the security of the app, iOS has been a more secure platform. But Android has a larger audience so if you are going for news app development for the first time and want to get more audience immediately then Android is a choice.
There is also an option to go for a cross-platform news app development which will expose you to a larger audience. Cross-platform app development will not only reduce the cost of developing a news app as compare to news app development cost for two separate apps but also decrease the time of newspaper app development.
But if you wish to go for one platform only, a newspaper app for iOS will be cheaper as compared to Android news app development. If you are wondering how to make a news app for iPhone, then you can contact our team for any assistance.
Since we are talking about news mobile app development, location plays a key role. Locals are likely to be more interested in your app than far-off readers. Choosing the platform that most of your local readers are on is the best choice. To make things more simple, just go for a platform that is the most popular among your readers.
What Features Should Be Included in News App Development?
Assuming that you are a first timer while getting a news app developed, we shall discuss what features contribute to making a successful newspaper app. If you are planning to build the app yourself, this 76 point checklist for app development will answer all your ‘how to develop news app’ questions.
Before we head on to news app development cost, let us see the features a news app must have:
Login or Registration
This feature is very important. The users must be able to create a profile by logging in through their email address or their mobile number. Users should also be allowed to log in using any of their social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Allowing these social media accounts to link with your app is a wise choice as the users can easily share any news on such socials.
User Profile
A user profile needs to be filled by the users that will include data relevant for you. When a user has a profile it becomes easier to suggest content according to their interests and past search results. These profiles can also be used to create engagement on any of the news content, eventually increasing the reach.
Filter Search Option
This feature is seen on many apps and has been loved by users. Having a filter in the search bar allows users to search specific news as well lets you know what kind of content your readers are looking for. A search can be filtered according to location, keyword, date, or latest trending news.
Push notifications
As per the graph above, 6 out of 10 people like to read news on their mobile phones. So, to keep your readers up to date about when a news a posted or what’s the latest news update, push notification can be used. This feature sends a notification the mobile devices of the readers, letting them know what’s up in a fraction of second. This feature is also said to be one of the marketing tools as it helps in user retention.
Filter the Feed
Filtering helps in what the users want to see and do not want to see. Usually, this is done by having a ‘Don’t show this to me’ option on every news post. The more optimised feed a user will have, the more time they will spend on the app.
Offline Reading Option
Most users prefer saving an interesting piece of content for later and for the same offline reading option should be used. This feature allows users to save content to read in an offline mode. This feature helps when there is no internet or the internet connection is slow.
All Types of Media
Words are not enough to make a piece of content interesting and that’s when images, videos, and audios come into the picture. The app should support all types of media including GIFs, PDFs, Slides, etc. This gives more flexibility to deliver the right message and express properly.
Like, Comment and Share
This is the most common feature in any social media app and should not be eliminated in a news app. The option to engage and the ability to share a piece of news makes the whole user experience a fun one. The share option should also allow sharing on other socials like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
These were some of the features that a news app must include. Now we come to the most awaited section of the article and that is the cost of developing a news-based mobile application.
How Much Does It Cost to Build A Newspaper Application?
News app development cost depends on certain factors. These factors are:
A choice between Android and iOS
Development type: Native or Hybrid
Number of features added
Hiring a development company or a freelancer
Outsourcing or in-house news app development
These points affect the news app development cost. However, the general MVP cost estimate for news app ranges between $18,000 to $20,000 for a basic app.
If you wish to add any additional features, the cost may rise. A high-end news app allowing more user action costs around $35,000 to $45,000.
This is not as scary as it sounds because the better the app, the more the ROI on the app.
However, if you know how to develop news app for Android or iOS then you shall only pay for the tools you will be using. There are some app development cost calculators that can give an estimate of the development cost.
Our team of developers knows well how to make a news app for Android and iOS. Contact our mobile app development agency to get yourself a brilliant news app.
We are just 2 months away from entering the age of next technological revolution – the onset of a wireless network which will help combine data computation with million of devices in a matter of a few seconds. Imagine it like this – Till the time you blink your eye, millions of data would have transmitted from your system to millions and millions of connected devices in the world. The facility that will make it possible – after being talked about and dissected at great length – is finally here. The powerful technology that is on the brink of altering mobility that we are going to talk about in much detail in this piece is 5G Wireless Networks.
Seeing the potentialities that 5G technology comes powered with, it will be naive to call it just a network. 5G will be the underlying fabric for a complete ecosystem that is made of completely connected devices and is capable of overhauling business and economic policies 180 degrees – The reason why 5G has found its place in the list of Top 10 tech trends that will go mainstream in the near future.
The transformative technology has seen interest coming in from not just businesses but also in the charts estimating a number of subscriptions. The paradigm shift that 5G technology is poised to bring is going to having a lasting effect across a number of industries in ways that are going to open doors of innovation and transformation to an extent that things that were always assumed to be too far fetched or ones belonging to a Steven Spielberg sci-fi movie. A shift that will be faster than the time you take to get 5G technology explained.
We are going to look at the impact of 5G on a number of different industries in this article. But since the most direct impact of a high internet connectivity can be seen in a mobile app economy (and because mobile app development economy is our expertise) we will be majorly focusing our attention on the 5G impact on Mobile Apps.
But before we move on to the 5G impacts on Mobile Apps, it is imperative to get you acquainted with the power of 5G – something that you will only be able to understand when you know how different 5G is from 4G or through a comparison between 5G vs. LTE vs. 4G
How is 5G technology Better Than 4G?
A lot faster fiber comparable sped minus wires
Lower latency – meaning lesser delay and interference
Greater wireless power to allow more devices to connect on an IoT network
A uniform experience with a greater variety of coverage option and condition
Greater opportunity for wireless connectivity
But what do these benefits mean for mobile apps?
Let’s Find Out.
What Does 5G Networks Means for Mobile Apps?
1. Greater Speed
The high download speed that will now be tagged with 5G technology will not just make it easier for the users to download apps in a few second irrespective of what the MB size your app is of.
Apart from taking benefits in terms of high app download speed, the speed factor seen in mobile apps with 5G will also come in handy for mobile app marketers who are relying on in-app download based monetization plans as one of the ways they can earn from mobile apps.
While this is about the perks that mobile app market will enjoy because of high download speed, there is another category of speed that affects mobile app retention to a huge extent. In fact, in the world of entertainment apps, it is one of the main reasons behind users abandonment after first app visit – App Streaming Speed.
5G mobile apps will remove the mere concept of streaming lags.
2. Faster File Transfer
With great speed comes faster transfer of files, money or simply anything transferable. The power of 490 MBPS browsing speed and 100 MBPS download speed ripples down to speedier file transfer.
The revolution that 5G mobile app is going to bring in the file transfer feature is going to advance a number of mobile app categories that have based their business model around transfer of data or money from one account to another.
3. Low to Zero Latency
There is nothing more annoying for a mobile app user than an app that takes ages to respond to their one action.
Latency is something that the mobile app development economy is not a stranger to and a victim of. But with 5G mobile apps, the time it takes to react to the users’ prompt becomes even more faster than real-time. An event which comes in very handy in AR/VR based mobile apps.
4. Greater User Experience
While the three factors mentioned above are sufficient in themselves to improve the user experience to a huge extent, one of the biggest perk of high 5G internet speed is clarity.
You must have noticed the difference between watching a video or hearing music on 2G network over streaming the same over an LTE Network. It is only going to advance now. The effect of app UI gets elevated to a very huge extent when used or streamed on a 5G network.
Now that we have given you a sneak into the myriad of benefits that your mobile app is just a few months away from availing, it is now time to look into the industries that are most likely to be touched from this revolution called 5G.
Industries That Are Going to Witness the Maximum Benefit from the Onset of 5G
5G wireless networks will be unleashing a massive amount of revenue opportunity – approximately $12.3 Trillion globally – across a wide spectrum of industries, according to IHS Economics. An amount that is equal to consumer spending of all of the USA in 2016.
5G is expected to create millions of jobs universally, with the mobile app developers being identified as the core career groupings who stand to benefit, in addition to the content and infrastructure providers.
While there is not even a single industry that is going to go untouched by the advantages that the higher than ever seen before internet speed is going to bring, there are some industries that will show the first sign of adoption and innovation. Industries that will in many ways become the torchbearer of 5G Power adoption in the mobile domain.
Let us look at some of those industries that are going to be the fastest recipients of the 5G benefits in the mobile domain.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The faster than real-time communication speed and long battery life – the two benefits of 5G wireless networks are perfect condition for Internet of Things growth
According to a recent survey by Gartner held between several representatives of different economic sectors, it was found that over 57% respondents considered IoT the most promising 5G mobile apps niche.
5G will allow the mobile app developers to work in those IoT areas which makes it crucial to keep a difference between 4 milliseconds and 40 milliseconds.
Smart Cities
With 5G finally here, creation of smart homes and heck, Smart Cities a reality now. A reality that is equipped with millions of sensors working in real time.
Smart Cities are undoubtedly a unique platform for businesses as they will now be able to connect multiple devices with a single mobile app.
The perks will most be enjoyed by someone who own multiple businesses as Smart City will help them offer every single sphere of their service offerings to the user of tens of connected devices in one stroke.
Even if you keep the profit and business side away, imagine what 5G powered Smart Cities would do to city’s safety quotient.
AR/VR
The time when AR/VR used to be an upcoming trend will now finally stop. Now, users will see the advent of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in almost all phases of life around them.
From attending a live event in LA while being at home in Canada to seeing the history of every room and turn of the monument, AR/VR will now finally go mainstream with 5G.
While the examples that we gave above are more inclined towards entertainment, there are a number of other industries – Healthcare, Education, Army, etc that will witness the benefit that the platform where Reality and Virtual surrounding is same.
Logistics and Production
Use of 5G mobile apps will help in improving remote control of the machine in complex industries. Stability of the automation system will grow and alongside an enhancement of the product quality.
Three-dimensional printing along with 5G and robotics even allows designing of smart plants. Remote controlled machines significantly reduce risk factors for people who are working at difficult production facility.
Healthcare
All the various healthcare obstacles will cease to exist once 5G comes into the picture. Challenges like remote patient monitoring and doctors not being able to attend to patients on time are ones that would not exist once 5G meets healthcare applications.
Along with this, wearable devices connected with medical apps will be able to keep better details of the patient’s records and then give reports in real-time as well.
So here were the industries that are going to get affected with 5G onset. But, is the soon to be true future really that perfect?
Well, no.
Like at the beginning of every technology, implementation of 5G also comes with its share of challenges. Let us look at what they are –
Challenges Associated with Implementation of 5G in Mobile Apps
1. Security Issues
With greater speed will come a greater increase in the number of connected devices and networks – something that will create loopholes in terms of security.
2. Establishment of 5G Based Business Model
The network speed which 5G is anticipated to be launched with, will demand business models that make the most of its potential, something that the mobile app strategists will have to give a lot of thought to. It is not just the strategists but also the OS ecosystems like Android 11 which are looking to help businesses adapt the 5G technology.
3. Multiple App Versions
With 5G coming into practice, the app audience will be get divided to poles apart. There’ll be those who have devices fit for 5G and then those who are still working on 2G or LTE version devices.
Want to find solution to these challenges? We have them. Get in touch with our team of Mobile App Strategists to know how to prepare your app to be a part of the 5G race even before it’s here.
