Mobile Applications – Does it have a future?
Pretty much what you do on your smartphone is through an app – you Facebook through Facebook app, you WhatsApp through WhatsApp app and book a ride through Uber app. But if you are not on Android or iOS, it becomes very difficult for you to find the appropriate app for your platform. This is known as App-Gap. The term "app gap" suggests a numeric disparity exists between the number of apps available on iOS and Android and that of Microsoft's Windows Store or on Firefox OS and Black Berry OS. One of the largest reasons why these platforms failed is because of the lack of developer support. If you do not get your favorite apps on the platform, you are likely not to buy a device running that OS. This is such an extreme case that Google does not even develop apps for Windows Phone. There is no official Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, etc. But wait, is that the end of the App Store(y)?
Just like in 1990’s everyone wanted to have a website, in late 2000’s they wanted to have an app. Apps have become a way to get things done. But wait, what about 2020 or 2030? Will apps remain the one true way to do everything? Well, I doubt it. Apps are a hassle to both users and developers. For the users, each app requires to be found, downloaded and installed, and each one looks and acts differently and hence each has to be learnt. They eat up your phone resources, memory, RAM and more importantly a space on your homescreen. These are small hassles but if users wouldn’t have to fire up a new app for every small need, they would prefer it right. On the other hand, designing, developing and constantly maintaining the app is a lot of work too. Apps like Facebook or games heavily rely upon their app-interface for meaningful engagement. But, most company have an app as an interaction tool between the customer and the company. If you are an airline, you would want a customer to buy ticket through your app or if you are an Uber, you would want your customer to book your rides through your app.
Fair enough! But what if the user doesn’t have to go through the entire journey of transacting via an app? If the companies were able to sell a movie ticket or Uber rides without making an app, wouldn’t it be much easier? So with app being such a hassle, there are better solutions coming up for the future. They being:
a) Super App – WeChat, Facebook etc.
b) Chatbots – SkypeBot, Messenger Bot etc.
c) Virtual Assistant – Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, Alexa etc.
Super Apps: WeChat, which started as a social messaging app, now has more than 800 million users and has transformed essentially into a portal of web services that an average Chinese checks about 10 times a day. It lets people send instant messages and post about personal events, while incorporating functions like ride hailing, buying movie tickets, sending payments, settling utility bills as well as online shopping. WeChat hasn’t stopped at personal use. It has added a range of business-oriented features onto the app over the years, effectively making WeChat the go-to corporate communication tool blurring the lines between work and life. More than 20 million office workers now apply for leave, file for reimbursement and track project progress through WeChat’s enterprise accounts. According to the website of WeChat enterprise account, Supermarket chain Meiyijia, has added functions where employees can report inventories while the Beijing Institute of Technology allows its students and professors to check performance and pay school fees through its account. Companies can also offer customers virtual membership cards through WeChat, where consumers can scan each time they make a purchase to accumulate reward points. Chinese office workers share files through WeChat instead of using e-mail. Group conferences are also conducted on the app as opposed to Skype. People ask for each other’s WeChat ID, not name cards, during business meetings.
This is a huge transformation with people not having to open Uber for booking a cab and bookmyshow for booking a movie ticket. SuperApps have become a one stop solution for aggregate services.
Fig: WeChat – The Portal to a new Mobile World
Chatbots: The second method is a bit futuristic but you already are in use of a few of them. Microsoft is bidding big on Bots. But why Chatbots? Before we answer that, is the way we currently access and share information efficient? Well, there is growing consumer fatigue with apps. Users no longer tolerate the hassle of finding and downloading an app on the go; it is usually a waste of data, patience, and time. And no matter how great your app’s UI/UX is, there will always be users who simply don’t understand it and get frustrated because the process isn’t natural. With Chatbots, you don’t have to download anything. It’s a more natural experience and you can go straight to your goal. Also with increasing development & distribution costs for developers and with an average person spending 80% of their time on mobile devices using just 3 apps, instead of developing and supporting native apps for all devices, developing one backend chat system, or use APIs of existing platforms seems more efficient.
The new Chatbots are expected to act more like personal assistants, doing everything from handling your Amazon returns to booking flights and ordering your lunch. These intelligent bots are always learning, to give the user useful and playful experiences. For example, as the Skype page puts it: book a trip with Hipmunk, buy tickets for gigs and shows with StubHub, or be entertained with stories by Jessie Humani. It is evident that these bots are going to replace the apps in the future.
Fig: SkypeBot – The whole new way of doing things
Virtual Assistant: Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana and Alexa are the biggest players for now and they are more universal and advanced than any other platform. Cortana can set reminders, recognize natural voice without the requirement for keyboard input, and answer questions using information from the Bing search engine (e.g., current weather and traffic conditions, sports scores, biographies). Cortana's "Concert Watch" monitors Bing searches to determine which bands or musicians the user is interested in. It integrates with the Microsoft Band watch band for Windows Phone devices if connected via Bluetooth, it can make reminders and phone notifications. Alexa on the other hand is also an intelligent personal assistant developed by Amazon. She is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic and other real time information. Alexa can also control several smart devices using itself as a home automation hub. Alexa can also be connected to your credit card which can help make purchases right away.
Fig: Cortana – Your personal assistant
These are things which previously needed a dedicated app. Now these virtual assistants are making these apps redundant. Ofcourse, some applications like games & professional applications like Photoshop cannot be easily replaced by the above three futuristic solutions.
So while in the present scenario, the interface for service a user wants to enjoy is generally app, however, it may not be the case in the future. I believe that the simpler apps are either going to be replaced by SuperApps or Bots or even assistants while the professional app may take a longer time to catch up. Will these aggregates be the new Game Changers? It would be an interesting scenario to look out for.
