LIME MARKETING

Utah App Design and Development Reviews from 2011

EyeDecide, Utah App Design and Development at Its Best..2 Customize Your Event, Create and App....4 The Ultimate Event App for Utahs Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo..6 Haunted Event Apps, Including One by a Utah App Developer..8 De ning Success in Government Apps, Including Utah Government Apps...10 The Good, The Branded, The Local (to Utah)Shopping Apps for Black Friday/Cyber Monday...12 Ski Apps, Developing the Quintessential Sporting App..15

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MONDAY, AUGUST 22ND, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

EyeDecide, Utah App Design and Development at Its Best

When in the planning stages for this app, Orca MD (an mHealth solutions company) wanted to deliver something that would fully leverage the touchscreen capabilities of the iPhone and iPad. Orca has released several other medical apps that allow the user to examinealmost experiencethe bodys anatomy, but nothing quite like this. Not only can the user study the anatomy of the eye from all angles, but they can also experiment with visual examples of how an individuals vision can change depending on the eye condition they are experiencing. EyeDecide also takes advantage of the capabilities of the iPhone/iPad platform by incorporating 3D rendering into its user interface design. The experience offered through 3D rendering on an app is one of heightened quality and greater interactivity than any online website can offer. For the medical industry, apps like these can be invaluable tools for teaching and learning about medical conditions in a hands-on, visual manner unlike any of the other educational methods currently available. About the design process for the app, StephAnn K., one of the graphic designers, said: We neededan effective display to show all of the anatomy for a small, but detailed part of the bodyThe more we worked with the conditions, we came to realize that we HAD to integrate augmented reality for some of the vision problems so that users could gain a better understanding of how the condition would affect their vision. The designers also worked very closely with the eye doctor to ensure that the content selected for inclusion in the app was accurate and thorough, addressing any questions a user might have about eye anatomy or conditions. The design process also included work with the 3D design team, who created the motion simulation and animations for the piece. The challenges of 3D rendering are complex. The
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typical animation designed through 3D involves a pipeline process beginning with design research, development and planning, and then proceeding to modeling, shading, rigging, animation and postproduction. About this process for EyeDecide, artist Nick Wolensky said: When you think about it, the eye is pretty complex.Even though it just rotates around in a circle, I had to rig the muscles that attached to the eye and they had to move every time that the eye moved. The graphic designers and 3D artists must also work closely with the iOS programmers to ensure that any bugs are worked out of the app, allowing the user interface to work smoothly for the user and the real-time animation to be easily operated from in the app. And the nished product? Here is what StephAnn and Nick had to say about it: This app is amazing. The visual appeal, the way it functions and especially the interactivity make it so much more than a look and learn app. I think that users will be pleasantly surprised with everything it has to offer them in terms of information and exploration. It is seriously on the cutting edge of mobile learning technology. StephAnn I like the anatomy section where you can move the eye around in any direction you want [and] I love the conditions page. A lot of them are very interactive and allow the user to view images seen through the iPads camera as if they had certain eye conditions. Nick The iTunes reviews in the Apple app store are also very positive. Try the app and let us know what you think! EyeDecide MD for iPhone EyeDecide for iPad Considering an app for your company? Read our comparison of mobile websites vs. apps and learn the advantages of producing an app to represent your brand.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

Customize Your Event: Create an App

What are the top few reasons you attend an event? Most recently, for The Project Intern, we accompanied our competitors to the Ogden Pioneers Days Rodeo. The competitors had been assigned the challenge of conducting research on the effectiveness of the rodeos eventmarketing campaign. Here are the top ve reasons our competitors found that attendees came to the rodeo: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Attended because its tradition Read about it in the paper Heard about it online Were participating Had friends involved

Getting that survey information took quite a bit of time through a variety of methods (one being a text-messaging database). Most if not all of this information, however, could be collected with considerable ef ciency through an app. If there was ever a reason to create an app for your event, measurement and analytics is a good one and not even the only one. Event apps offer a truly interactive way of involving an events participants onsite meanwhile simultaneously engaging others offsite virtually. Throw in the fact that apps are immensely popular and that millennials are especially tuned in to the land o the native app, and you are looking at a very intriguing tool to not only promote your event and gather analytics but also to engage event participants to a greater degree than previously possible. Apps can be made for any event (so many events, so little time!): Festivals Fairs Rodeos Sporting events Trade shows, Dog shows, Food shows, Vegetable Shows (vegetable shows might be better classed under fairsstate fairs perhaps?)

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Conferences Retreats

But beyond the basic features of schedules and maps, what can an app offer to enrich the event experience that a print program or webpage cant? A surprising amount it turns out: Personal/customizable scheduling An attendee can pick out a particular demonstration or speaker they want to hear (at a trade show or conference), and set an alarm. They can nd their location on a map and determine what bands are playing closest to them (at a music festival) or what speakers are close by (at a business conference). They can mark speci c destinations, such as booths at a trade show. Essentially, the customized schedule is one of the most usable functions of the app. Lead/note capture A user can record notes, scan business cards, nd information about sales or networking leads, even locate pro le information on the business/musicians/bull rider they are interested in remembering. Real-time updates Any changes to the events schedule can be immediately fed to the app: updated locations, announcements, parking information. Transportation hubs How about offering an area for attendees to organize carpools? Ride shares? Find out local transportation schedules? Social-media platform links Rather obvious, but links to social media platforms are an essential means of involving those friends and family not at the event in the event. Talk about a great brand awareness tool! Social aggregation portal This sort of portal allows attendees to post pics, comments and videos to a feed, such as the events live-streaming photo feed, once again offering real-time, virtual access to the event. Sponsor showcase An app with a sponsors logo and graphic placement in it offers great impact and reach for the sponsor. Guaranteed you will remember the sponsor when you see their logo every time you open the app on your smartphone. Games Involve your attendees with badges they can earn by visiting certain booths, scavenger hunts, prizes. Apps that include these kinds of interactive activities structured like games tend to be popular.

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E-commerce Offer links and portals to sponsor products, merchandise for the event or deals for local businesses close by. As you can see, the event app niche is just really beginning to take off and certainly hasnt reached its apex. If you are thinking about creating an app for your event, check it out! Offer your attendees even more reasons to participate through a cool, customized app.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

The Ultimate Event App for Utahs Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo
After our brush with the rodeo world while lming The Project Intern at the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo, I found my interest peaked by event apps. What makes a good event app? And what would be good for a rodeo event app? I explored event app features in a previous post, Customize Your Event: Create An App; however, you might have noticed there was no mention of a rodeo event app in that post. Since, out of curiosity, I downloaded all the current rodeo event apps and had a look, I am now going to remedy that. Here, then, are my ideas of what would make the perfect event app for the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. Branding The rst, and arguably most important, aspect of the app is branding. Fortunately, Ogden Pioneer Days has a good looking website and an absolutely fantastic logo, the whoopie girl. Seventy- ve years old this year, the whoopie girl is distinctive and well-loved by Ogdenites and other rodeo attendees. Though she may not t inside the square icon that differentiates the app from any others on your iPhone, she surely would be fantastic on an introduction screen upon launching the Ogden rodeo app. User Interface Design Next we have to decide how to design the user interface (UI). The standard navigation for iPhone apps (as Im sure youve seen) is a nav bar across the bottom of the apps screen with icons and text identifying the apps features. These UI designs can also include list
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menus or icons on the app screens themselves. Since the standard nav bar across the bottom is such a familiar convention for users, that would probably be the best option for this app. Each separate nav bar icon would then have a list menu with more information about that particular feature. Features Now that weve decide on a basic UI layout, I would recommend adding some of the following features: Personal, customized scheduling Real-time updates Transportation hub Social media platform links Social aggregation portal Sponsor showcase Games E-commerce However, because the perfect app can be pretty expensive, Im going to focus on the features that would best bene t the Ogden rodeo rather than go over the top (we always wish for the ideal, but additional features could be added in future updates). Since one of the Ogden rodeos main marketing channels is the Standard Examiner (Ogdens agship newspaper in print and online) I would include a social aggregation feature that could upload rodeo attendee photos to a webpage on the Examiners site (during previous rodeos the Examiner has invited rodeo participants to send pics to them; how much easier would it be for the fans to upload the photos themselves?). The feature would also allow users to access the Twitter feed about the rodeo and share statuses and pics on Facebook. Customized scheduling would be another feature I would recommend. The rodeo itself is just part of the Ogden Pioneer Days, and to give the app greater appeal and usability, I would include the entire schedule of the Pioneer Days within the overall schedule feature. The user could then select the events they were particularly interested in from the entire festival and access them via a built-in personalized schedule feature. A transportation hub would be my next choice of features. The hub would have a map of the venue and local surroundings. It could also include schedules for local, public transportation like buses and trains along with a car ride-share page. Mapping and a link to geolocation features are always bene cial when it comes to events. Sponsor Showcase Finally, I would include a section for a sponsor showcase. Though many of the rodeo event apps I looked at simply contained descriptions of activities, groups and sponsors within the larger event or festival, the sponsor showcase would have more than that: links to the sponsors websites (which, in an ideal world, would be mobile webpages) and a call to action of some sort. This might be a giveaway entry promoting the sponsor, coupon offers
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for services from the sponsor or at other local businesses, and maybe even a gaming feature offering a reward for so many sponsor signs and insignias spotted during the event. Analytics As you can see, an event app can be useful both for the rodeo attendee and the rodeo organizers. Especially as the rodeo organizers can collect speci c analytics regarding rodeo attendance, most popular scheduled events and other statistics through the app. What features would you suggest for a rodeo event app? Check out LIMEs app design for the Utah rodeo on our tumblr blog.
Rodeo iPhone event apps examined for this post: Alpha Psi Rodeo 2011, Of cial Calgary Stampede, Cheyenne Frontier Days & Nights 2011, NFR Las Vegas 2010-2011, Rodeo Austin 2010-2011, and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 2011

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

Haunted Event Apps, Including One by a Utah App Developer

In our exploration of event apps, I discovered another, seasonal style of event app: the haunted house. As you will recall from a previous post, Customize Your Event: Create An App, apps can provide a great opportunity to engage event attendees even more in the event experience. Since I found a haunted house app for a house here in Utah, I decided to compare its feature to those offered by others in the iTunes store. General Features There were a few more than a handful of apps, nine that I counted. Each followed a very similar format, which can be explained by the fact that two or three were made by the same companies. Obviously the most important features they included are very basic:
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Geolocation and directions

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Ticket info List of attractions (especially if for larger park) Social links Photo and/or video links Push noti cations that the user could opt-in to receive

The majority of the apps are for larger haunted houses, almost theme-park like in size, and I had a great deal of dif culty accessing many of them (namely they crashed several times; this could, of course, be due to the recent iOS update). All had spooky welcome screens that communicated the houses branding, and the majority tried to include anything they thought might interest visitors, such as the news feature (that mainly appeared just to advertise any special deals the house is offering). Also all of the apps also included links to social portals like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter; though, most werent mobile webpages (and therefore a lot harder to navigate on a mobile). Those apps that did include these interfaces in the app provided a far more user-friendly experience. But after you get over the novelty of having an app for your haunted house, whats left to see and do? Extra Spooky Features and Recommendations Here are a few clever ideas I found: A backstage look feature A how-to section for Halloween related-DIY projects A special VIP pass offer (included in the Nightmare on 13th app) I would actually recommend that designers and developers also consider a gami cation element for their apps in the future. The HHN Orlando app included a scavenger hunt that allowed users to win a prize if they checked in to each attraction that they visited in the park. This sort of gaming strategy optimizes the users experience and offers more engagement than merely features that might be less expensive for a company to simply include in a mobile webpage. Utah Haunted House App, Nightmare on 13th Across the selection of haunted house apps there is one exception to the standard UI design presented and that was the app created by Utah developer Courtney Parsons. In an interview with Parsons he said that he presented the idea of an app to the owners of the haunted house and was able to create the UI design and features himself with input from the haunted house owners. His app, Nightmare on 13th, has a nice consistency in branding, which is incorporated into the background screens throughout the app. However, besides accessing all the basic info about the house and online web links to ticketing and social pages, there were no other engaging features except possibly the screen allowing you to access photos from the haunted house by entering your assigned number. Parsons did say that at the time he created the app he did not see any others for haunted houses in the app store and will be updating the app with requested features in the upcoming season.
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Here are my suggestions for some features that Nightmare on 13th might include in their update: the video testimonials featured on Nightmares webpage, a photo gallery, and even information about the houses Resources, which appear to be other haunted event venues. While the majority of the features that I discuss in this post are used across all event apps, those that seasonal apps can take particular advantage of are seasonally speci c how-tos and videos as well as some sort of gami cation feature. What features do you think would make a spoooooky haunted app?
Apps consulted for this review: Nightmare on 13th by Courtney Parsons, Fearshire Farms, Fear Fair, Frightmare Manor, Kevin McCurdys Haunted Mansion, Netherworld Haunted House, HHN Orlando, The Nest, and Thrillvania.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

De ning Success in Government Apps, Including Utah Government Apps

The State of Government Apps Since the launch of the app zeitgeist, the government, both federal and state, have taken interest in the possibilities of communication via apps. By August of this year federal agencies had launched more than 80 mobile apps. The reasoning for this government foray into the app market includes the recognition that lower income people who cant afford computers are buying smartphones through which they gain internet access as well. Commentary on the governments mobile app releases has ranged from enthusiastic to serious questioning as to how many downloads the apps are getting. Nextgov.com, a journalistic website covering government IT, had three different experts evaluate a set of the governments current apps and offer ratings, advice and opinions (these experts are all members of companies selling and marketing mobile apps, such as Shazam). Below are the best and the worst of the federal government apps, according to them.

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Federal Apps The top two government apps, as voted by the Nextgov.com experts, are PTSD Coach and Baby Name Playroom. Each of them has a speci c use and demographic appeal. PTSD Coach: Devised for veterans, this app helps lead them through the calming practices they have learned in therapy to deal with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) attacks. The comments by the experts noted that the app is easy and convenient to use and works quickly. Baby Name Playroom: Based on social security records, this app compiles more than 130 years of names for expecting parents to explore. It also reminds parents to register their children for their social security number and links to webpages with advice on child-raising. Expert comments note that this app is a great use of data in a fun and easy way. The least successful government apps include the IRS app for checking up on the status of your tax refund and one called Fuel Economy.gov that measures an individuals carbon footprint. Comments about these apps note their limited use and features that dont bring anything new to the market. Apps like these by the federal government can provide important services and appeal to a broad demographic as shown by the more successful apps. As Joseph Marks writes: Many of the biggest innovations in the government apps sphere, though, are happening at the state level. Utah Government Apps Utahs government has apps ranging from a drivers license practice test to parks and state eld guides and crime reporting. The capital city, Salt Lake, just released an app called Salt Lake City 311 to deal with city administration issues. With the app users can report issues, such as illegal signs, construction violations and abandoned/inoperable vehicles with more options to come. This particular app differs from others launched by nearby cities Draper and Herriman because it communicates directly with the city work order system. The report by the user, submitted with an image, is geo-tagged and automatically routed to the person or team responsible for that area. The app developers in this case are the citys land-use management software providers, Accela, and Salt Lake Citys chief information of cer, Bill Haight, says that the feedback to date has been overwhelmingly positive. The other city apps iDraper and iHerriman differ in that they attempt to tap into local business and city news by offering news feeds and navigational maps around the surrounding locale. The possibilities of a tourist-style apps for local promotion are excellent, but they must be done with care. As with the federal government apps, these should not be limited in usefulness and speci cally target an audience if they are to be successful. Recommendations for the App Maker, Government or Otherwise
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So what are those government app review experts recommending for app makers, government or otherwise for a successful app? It needs to hook the user (a successful app has about 30 seconds to sell the user as to why they should make room for it). It should respond to a need. It must have a no-nonsense interface (both more and less than a mobile website). It must have compelling content.

Keeping these guidelines in mind, its clear that government apps at the federal and state level can be immensely useful. The potential for making data available, collecting information from citizens via apps and organizing day-to-day work orders are some of the obvious advantages to continuing app development. What apps would you like to see the government release?
http://www.nextgov.com/top-mobile-apps/ http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110819_2942.php http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20111003_5868.php

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2011 WRITTEN BY JENJ

The Good, The Branded, The Local (to Utah)Shopping Apps for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
60 million consumers will shop via mobile over Thanksgiving weekend. InMobi via Mobile Commerce Daily Retailers have been preparing, as usual, for the Black/Friday through Cyber Monday frenzy with more attention in 2011 to all things mobile: price and product comparison, coupons, geo-location, barcode/QR code scanning, social sharing and apps. Though these features have been available in the past, the exploding number of smartphones and tablets continues
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to alter the retail experience. So, what features do consumers need/use when shopping with their devices? InMobi predicts (from a study they conducted) that they will use their devices in these ways: 31% will receive updates on sales and promotions 27% will search local store hours and directions 26% will take product photos 18% will view of cial retailer apps 17% will access customer support With this list of requirements (receiving sales and promotions, search and product identi cation from photos, app viewing and customer support access), its not surprising that there is no completely perfect app to do the ultimate holiday shopping job. Here, however, is an idea of what the ideal shopping app should contain and a few apps that may come close to the mark. The Good Including such features as a search bar, categorized navigation, barcode scanners and, in some, voice input and mapping/geolocation, these apps were continuously recommended for the serious shopper: Target PriceCheck by Amazon Google Shopper PriceGrabber RedLaser ShopSavvy

Of course, for the perfect shopping experience, the Amazon app, when set to the 1-click purchasing option, has an extremely simple navigation completely via buttonsno typing. With a mobile screen this is obviously an ideal feature. Other ideal features in a shopping app might include one that saves any input information, follows standard user interface designs (so that the user is not confused when navigating the app) and maybe even has an augmented reality feature. The ultimate shopping app would, of course, combine these features in a branded experience. The Branded For the holiday season 50 percent of all retailers invested in mobile-optimized websites and one in ve created a tablet or other shopping app. A brief list of these includes:
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Walmart Macys
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Toys R Us Best Buy JCPenny Disney Zappos

As you can see, retailers are getting serious about providing a mobile experience and trying to entice shoppers to their own apps for a completely in-brand experience. A few local-toUtah apps by Utah app makers are also taking this approach. The Local The three large Utah-based companies that have launched their own shopping apps are O.co, SkullCandy and BackCountry. Each is known particularly in the ecommerce world, and in the case of SkullCandy, that experience is incorporated into a larger app inclusive of a music, skating and boarding culture. Of these SkullCandy is hugely popular as indicated by their over 10 million iTunes store ratings. Perhaps this is in part due to the all-inclusive lifestyle experience their brand embraces. In sum, the best shopping apps range between those that are easily navigable and well organized and an app like SkullCandy, which immerses the user in a life-styled brand. What are your favorite shopping apps? And which ones will you be counting on to get you through the holidays?
http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/2011/11/17/60-million-consumers-plan-to-use-shopvia-mobile-over-thanksgiving-weekend-inmobi http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/11/09/20111109retailers-offer-new-appsholiday-shopping.html

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH, 2011 WRITTEN BY JEN J

Ski Apps, Developing The Quintessential Sporting App

Utah ski fanatics brought out their gear early this season when the snow started falling in October. And, as the cliche phrase goes, theres an app for that. Besides maps, directions and weather reports, however, what else could skiers possibly want in an app? Lots of things it turns out. The perfect app for a ski fanatic can record stats about their ski routes, lift statuses and even geotag their position on the mountain so they can later watch a satellite replay of their run. But who, besides the skiing obsessed, care about this enough to make an app? It turns out that ski apps are made by six different industries or kinds of people: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Ski resorts or outdoor retailers State tourist departments Map makers News stations or reporters Performance ends gathering statistics Brands showcasing a lifestyle

Each different app-maker develops their app with a focus on how they think their audience will use the app. For example, Skullcandy, an ecommerce company specializing in headphones, has built an app around the lifestyle and culture it embraces in its branding: the laid-back hipster who loves any sort of boarding, skiing or otherwise. The Skullcandy app has a feature focusing on weather reports and maps for skiers and snowboarders alongside music, TV channels, sur ng, skating and shopping features. Ski apps by ski resorts or news/weather stations, on the other hand, tend to focus on a particular location and delivering up-to-the minute news, such as new snow fall, snow depth, number of lifts open, views through close-by webcams and local deals. The most interesting apps by far, though, are those that also include statistical features to record the distance the skier/boarder travels, how fast they go, the angle of the slope, the number of runs along

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with averages, highs and lows and any other relevant stats. Some of these apps can even be used off season while hiking or mountaineering. To nd apps that local ski hounds like, we asked around and also checked out those with the best reviews. Here is our list of some of the best offering several different features: Geo-Lives allows you to record your own ski trail, see the average speed and distance you traveled in real time and then add points of interest like pictures and notes along the route. Then you can share it online for friends and family to see. iTrailMap 3D lets you see the trail you skied on Google earth in 3D along with guides to various resorts. Mammut Safety is all about avalanche detection. It assesses local avalanche risk using a clinometer to estimate slope angle and a compass to determine slope exposition. Ski Tips is a ski-instruction app with video, text and audio. The app-makers wanted a skier to be able to listen to an audio loop while skiing after watching the instructional video to make it easier for the learner to remember the instructions. Ski Tracks GPS records various stats and can geotag your runs allowing 3D playback later on Google earth. These, of course, are just a few of the many available. We would love to hear about any of your favorite apps as well. What do you think is the most important feature for a ski app? And if you have time, check out Snow Alert, a ski and snow report app we worked on. With it you can set alarms for your favorite snow conditions and never miss a good day on the slopes. Also, learn more about different apps genres and features in some of our previous posts including other Utah designed and developed apps.

For more information about developing an app for your company, contact LIME Marketing, Utahs Premiere App Design and Development company.

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