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5 Must-Have Features for Your Mobile Business App

As a business owner, you see the benefits of having a mobile application to help create efficiencies, cut operation costs and increase mobility.

Before you rush into the development stage, you should clearly identify your primary goals for your mobile solution and secondly, understand the features that you may want to be included in the app.

While most app features are discovered during initial conversations with the developer and discussed throughout the development process, it is still important to know and understand the elements of an effective mobile app.

To help you get started, we’ve put together the top five features of good mobile apps:

1. An Attractive User Interface

Visual design is not only about selecting the perfect images, colors, icons, fonts, but also determining how the appearance of the application impacts the user experience. The architecture and design phase is typically the first phase of every app development process, as it lays the foundation for the look and feel of the app.

2. Ease of Use

Eliminating any barriers to entry when using the app is another important element in creating an effective workplace application. You may lose users if they find your app difficult to navigate. In order to create the best user experience, it’s important to test your app with different user groups to find out how comfortable they feel while interacting with the app’s content across different platforms and environments. The journey throughout each section of the app should be smooth and seamless.

3. Fast and Reliable Performance

Have you ever used an app that loads slowly, crashes or completely shuts down while running? Understandably, most users have little patience for poor functionality and end up uninstalling or abandoning the problematic app. The most successful apps have fast response times and run continuously in the background. This is generally tested during the quality assurance phase in the app development process.

4. Simplicity

While it’s tempting to throw in fancy features on your mobile app, you lose your user when there are too many buttons and clicks in the app journey. Sometimes a simple, templated app, such as FUSION OF IDEAS’ Dynamic Content System (DCS), can be the best choice to meet your business needs.

5. Updated Content

When you have a system for pushing new or updated content and features to your app, you can continue to improve the reliability of the software. For businesses, it’s important to keep policies, sales messages and security issues up to date.

 

While understanding these qualities and features is essential to creating an effective mobile app for your business, it’s even more important to find the right partner to build your software.

The FUSION OF IDEAS dedicated in-house app development team follows a rigorous nine-step process when designing and executing a mobile application. Our number one priority is to create a custom mobile software solution that is tailored to your organization, and we are proud to have developed more than 300 mobile applications for companies of all sizes and budgets.

Contact our app development team to start a conversation about the possibilities of using technology to take your business to the next level.

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Wealth Management Firm Invests in a Digital Client Experience

Wealth management group Garrison Murphy Wealth Management (GMWM) has a fiduciary duty to their clients to provide transparency in their investment and wealth management services.

One of the ways they are delivering on that promise is by engaging with their clients via iPads that securely display all aspects of their financial life. This custom-branded iPad with GMWM’s logo serves as a communication tool through which GMWM can deliver advice, content and services. Clients can view and access their financial data and important documents in real time and securely transmit, store and share documents with interested parties.

This open-architecture approach has allowed the firm to break away from traditional, time-intensive quarterly or semi-annual meetings and to foster collaboration between the firm and clients. By going digital, GMWM has seen cost savings from the elimination of printing, binding, and physical storage of paperwork.

“It has been a pleasant experience to work with FUSION OF IDEAS,” said Nickole Garrison, GMWM Vice President and Chief Client Officer. “Until we connected with them, we were unable to find a company who could do the custom etching on our clients’ iPads. FUSION OF IDEAS was not only able to do the etching, but they also helped us find a solution for the custom packaging we were in search of for the iPad boxes.”

GMWM, we are honored to be a part of your digital transformation.

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The Beauty is in the Details at Viceroy Los Cabos

Photo credit: Viceroy Los Cabos
Photo credit: Viceroy Los Cabos

One of the newest resorts in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Viceroy Los Cabos is an architectural masterpiece, wrapped by ocean water in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. A modernist dreamscape with futuristic designs, every detail of the luxury resort is considered, from the eye-catching, bold facade to the rich textures and unique art pieces throughout the property.

As one of the first experiences at the resort, guests are greeted at the hotel lobby by receptionists using HP laptops custom-branded by FUSION OF IDEAS. The back of each laptop is wrapped with StealthArmor, our proprietary protective film, showcasing the location’s signature gold sundial design.

StealthArmor is a precisely fitted film that maintains the thin lines of the laptop while offering style and protection. Because it is heat-bonded, the film is not permanent and used as a protective cover for nearly any mobile device without adding the unnecessary bulk of traditional cases.

A growing number of brands, particularly those in the hospitality and other consumer-facing industries, are using logos or other branding elements on their business devices as a way to elevate their brand equity.

In the case of Viceroy Los Cabos, the customized laptops with the resort’s sundial design complete the look of the striking hotel lobby, where every facet is part of the experience.

Customized HP laptops that are used at the Viceroy Los Cabos guest lobby
Customized HP laptops that are used at the Viceroy Los Cabos guest lobby
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Custom-Branding Beyond Phones and Tablets

Think beyond traditional mobile devices for branding. Pictured here: Fujifilm Instax Cameras

Businesses are increasingly finding value in custom-branding mobile technology. Branded technology can be used as: 

  • a marketing tactic to elevate brand equity;
  • employee rewards or as gifts to clients and vendors;
  • a theft deterrent for company devices by having the company logo printed on them.

As one of our core services, customization is our business. We have partnered with more than 2,000 brands to create customized solutions, with phones and tablets being the most popular tech devices for custom branding. In the past few years, mobile accessories – such as device cases, speakers and headphones – have gained traction, particularly during the gifting season.

Our capabilities do not stop there. With laser etching, color printing and StealthArmor (our proprietary protective film) solutions, there is no limit to what we can customize. New products present different specifications, dimensions and materials, making for an exciting challenge for our design and production teams.

As people and businesses continue to move toward mobilization and personalization, we challenge you to think beyond traditional mobile devices and see how customization can take your business to the next level.

Amazon Echo Show
Amazon Echo Show
JBL Flip 4 and Clip 3 Bluetooth speakers
JBL Flip 4 and Clip 3 Bluetooth speakers
Google Home
Google Home
YETI Hopper personal cooler and Rambler wine tumblers
Amazon Echo Dot and urBeats3 by Dr. Dre earphones
Amazon Fire TV Cube
Amazon Fire TV Cube
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3 Tips for Employee Appreciation Day

Employees cannot take their jobs for granted. At the same time, employers cannot take their staff for granted. As an employer, your employees dedicate a significant portion of their time to helping you succeed.

For Employee Appreciation Day, how will you thank your team for their hard work and dedication?

Whether you are planning to bring a simple “thank you” lunch for your crew, or an all-employee celebration, here are three tips to keep in mind:

  1. Get involved. Leaders in the company should be involved in the planning of the celebration, no matter how big or small. Don’t leave the task to non-management employees. Employers need to celebrate their employees and show them how important they are to the whole company.
  2. Everyone is important. Avoid the temptation to spotlight certain employees. There is a right time and place to recognize top achievers. Employee Appreciation Week is an opportunity to show gratitude to the entire staff.
  3. Know what they want. If you are giving a gift, remember that your employees are worth more than a tchotchke that will end up in a drawer or be given to their children. Skip the low-quality items and give something that is valuable and memorable to them. A memorable gift doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many cool giftable gadgets that are priced fairly, such as Apple AirPods, YETI tumblers or Amazon Echo Dot.

We’ve taken to our blog in the past to showcase a growing trend of companies turning inward and giving unforgettable gifts to their employees. Here are a few more examples of businesses that have shown appreciation to staff through gifting.

Omni Technologies: Beats EP headphones with custom sleeve and gift wrap
Omni Technologies: Beats EP headphones with custom sleeve and gift wrap
FlexCare Medical Staffing: Apple Watch with custom sleeve and gift wrap 
FlexCare Medical Staffing: Apple Watch with custom sleeve and gift wrap
Nashville Healthcare Council: Amazon Echo with custom sleeve and gift wrap
Nashville Healthcare Council: Amazon Echo with custom sleeve and gift wrap