Main Problems Of Custom Mobile Apps [Interview]
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Posted 15th April 2013 at 07:59 AM by MobiDev
Nobody wants bad apps. App owners don't want to have bad outcome of their projects. Users don't want to have bad apps on their devices. But what hides behind the vast meaning of the word "bad"? And most important, how can software owners avoid building and getting "bad" mobile software? Today we are interviewing Oleg Lola, CEO of MobiDev Corporation.
Q: Hello Oleg! What is your opinion on the definition of a "bad" application?
A: Hi! Well, a bad app is one that does not satisfy the end users' needs. That's the definition for me as a developer. Any software must have a direct purpose, a precise task that it performs. Any app must have one. Whether it's a social network, a game or a tool for business processes, or data transmission - every app has a defined audience of end users. It's the purpose and precise implementation that are main conditions of making an app good. So if the app lacks these, and it cannot perform its intended task, cannot meet the needs of audience, it's a bad application.
Q: Are there any other peculiarities that make software "bad", unpopular and inconvenient?
A: Yes, I can say a bad app is also one that doesn't fully meet the needs. For example, a well-working app that doesn't have a proper UI, or lacks some functionality. This causes inconvenience for users, who are very likely to abandon this app, and try to find a better one. I can also name support as a criterion; if the users have questions about the app, they must receive feedback; and software owner has to consider the reviews and improve the application. An app that doesn't have proper support, becomes obsolete and unpopular. Speed and security are also very important. It's unallowable to leave a chance for security breach and leaks of corporate data, e-mails, contacts, or any personal information. A good app not only has to bring benefits - it has to cause no harm. Bad software is created without the discussion of these issues between the software owner and developers.
Q: What about any minor problems, bugs?
A: Problems like these are usually eliminated through quality assurance. Bugs may also lead to dissatisfaction of end users, blocking them from using the app. That's bad. But the major bugs are usually disclosed during the QA process, before the deployment.
Q: And what are the main problems an app can face after deployment?
A: The majority of problems after deployment are connected with compatibility of devices and platform versions. I mean Android. It has plenty of devices, smartphones and tablets. If the app doesn't use the standard UI elements, for example, there might be problems on certain devices. That's bad. But that can be solved by the precise list of devices the app should run on; and by thorough testing on each device. BlackBerry usually faces the same problem, but to a lesser extent. iOS is a winner here: developers have to consider the differences between iPhone and iPad; and the platform versions - they check if the app works properly on the earlier versions. Or otherwise, if the app is quite old, it should be tested on newer OS versions.
Other problems may include updates. For example, occurs some change in Facebook, some function is added, or some is removed. This may influence the app that has integrated Facebook sharing. This has to be tracked and updated in case of necessity. Then the server maintenance. If hosting stops being supported, a crash of the app occurs. This must also be tracked. As for any minor problems, they are usually easy to eliminate. You really shouldn't allow your app to become obsolete. Updates are vital for good apps.
To read more visit our blog
Q: Hello Oleg! What is your opinion on the definition of a "bad" application?
A: Hi! Well, a bad app is one that does not satisfy the end users' needs. That's the definition for me as a developer. Any software must have a direct purpose, a precise task that it performs. Any app must have one. Whether it's a social network, a game or a tool for business processes, or data transmission - every app has a defined audience of end users. It's the purpose and precise implementation that are main conditions of making an app good. So if the app lacks these, and it cannot perform its intended task, cannot meet the needs of audience, it's a bad application.
Q: Are there any other peculiarities that make software "bad", unpopular and inconvenient?
A: Yes, I can say a bad app is also one that doesn't fully meet the needs. For example, a well-working app that doesn't have a proper UI, or lacks some functionality. This causes inconvenience for users, who are very likely to abandon this app, and try to find a better one. I can also name support as a criterion; if the users have questions about the app, they must receive feedback; and software owner has to consider the reviews and improve the application. An app that doesn't have proper support, becomes obsolete and unpopular. Speed and security are also very important. It's unallowable to leave a chance for security breach and leaks of corporate data, e-mails, contacts, or any personal information. A good app not only has to bring benefits - it has to cause no harm. Bad software is created without the discussion of these issues between the software owner and developers.
Q: What about any minor problems, bugs?
A: Problems like these are usually eliminated through quality assurance. Bugs may also lead to dissatisfaction of end users, blocking them from using the app. That's bad. But the major bugs are usually disclosed during the QA process, before the deployment.
Q: And what are the main problems an app can face after deployment?
A: The majority of problems after deployment are connected with compatibility of devices and platform versions. I mean Android. It has plenty of devices, smartphones and tablets. If the app doesn't use the standard UI elements, for example, there might be problems on certain devices. That's bad. But that can be solved by the precise list of devices the app should run on; and by thorough testing on each device. BlackBerry usually faces the same problem, but to a lesser extent. iOS is a winner here: developers have to consider the differences between iPhone and iPad; and the platform versions - they check if the app works properly on the earlier versions. Or otherwise, if the app is quite old, it should be tested on newer OS versions.
Other problems may include updates. For example, occurs some change in Facebook, some function is added, or some is removed. This may influence the app that has integrated Facebook sharing. This has to be tracked and updated in case of necessity. Then the server maintenance. If hosting stops being supported, a crash of the app occurs. This must also be tracked. As for any minor problems, they are usually easy to eliminate. You really shouldn't allow your app to become obsolete. Updates are vital for good apps.
To read more visit our blog
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