The App vs. Mobi site debate gets ugly – well actually… just realistic!

We’re often asked the question by clients why they should invest in an App when a mobi site will do just the same job at a lower cost. One such occasion arose recently when immedia held an App workshop at a large financial institution.

The big question around the table was why it should go for an App when a mobi site would be so much easier and – dare we say it – cheaper.

Well that’s like asking: “would you like a peanut butter sandwich or a French baguette?” When mobi sites were first launched, they were seen as nifty versions of online content that mobile users could access and to a certain degree, interact with. From a brand perspective they offered consumers immediate access.

They were, however, far from perfect and as is often the case with digital, things changed… and fast! This meant that the next generation Smartphones and the resulting App phenomenon created a completed different user experience. One of the most arresting things they allowed for was the amplification of the power of personal expression to the nth degree, where users could bypass the usual clutter and navigate seamlessly and effortlessly to the heart of the matter i.e. do what they really wanted to do.
The technologies that are creating an explosion of content and services are therefore also liberating and democratising the creative process.

This means that in our opinion Apps are now way ahead of so-called old school mobi sites which could be described as ‘accountant grey’, sterile and stuck in the past. When you come down to it; Apps are digital art that are full of personality and capable of manufacturing a far richer, deeper user-experience. They allow users to communicate who they are and pick and choose the kind of content they wish to interact with. This affords a new intimacy that’s all about real time creativity and design and most importantly, human expression.

From a development point of view, Apps represent a fusion of talent i.e. developer and creative talent, because of their innate personality. You cannot engineer an App because you cannot create personality by dictate. This has led to the rise of a new style of developer – the ‘cool geeks’ if you will who are confident about their talent; demand to be heard and constantly question and critique what they’re creating. This multi disciplinary team functions very much like a musical band where one aspect of the team is meaningless without the other.

Ultimately, an App is all about putting it out there, seeing what comes back and then making it even better. It requires a dynamic mindset from the development team and a visionary approach by clients who understand and therefore appreciate, that the ‘risk’ will be so worth the reward.