As summer winds down, many of us are reminiscing about sunny vacations in idyllic destinations. One of our favorite app development stories comes from the Grand Vacations division of Hilton Worldwide, a household name in hotels and resorts. When we first connected with Hilton, they were seeking to create a piece of technology that was both a gift to their timeshare owners, as well as a continuous branding vehicle for all of the Hilton Grand Vacations offerings. The Fusion of Ideas development team worked with Hilton to build a custom iOS application showcasing videos from various resort locations, links to other Hilton programs, and information about the timeshares. The finished app was loaded onto custom iPads featuring Hilton Grand Vacations branding on the lock and home screens, Smart Covers, sleeves, and the etch on the iPad itself.
Our second encounter with the Hilton organization was a project for their newer brand of affordable hotels, Tru by Hilton. The goal was to create an aid to hotel General Managers, who could use the app to upload audit reports and view videos, images and PDFs pertaining to their specific location. Our DCS solution turned out to be the ideal strategy for this app – the client was provided with an admin portal, where they can update and adjust the content being displayed to the GMs. As with the Grand Vacations project, the team at Fusion loaded the app onto iPads with custom print and sleeves.
Customer satisfaction and a good employee experience are two things we can relate to, and we were lucky to have the opportunity to work with Hilton brands on their efforts in both areas. This combination of Fusion solutions – custom apps with custom branding – can be a fitting complement to the polish and professionalism of the hospitality or any customer facing industry.
Fusion of Ideas was recently featured again in Construction Executive, the magazine for the business of construction. In this article, we discuss these five essential tips for getting the most out of working with a mobile developer:
To many people, Neiman Marcus and other department stores might warrant the occasional stop when wandering the mall or looking for something in particular. But for an elite circle of customers dubbed the “Chairman’s Circle,” shopping at Neiman Marcus is part of a lifestyle – and one that comes with perks. Members of the Chairman’s Circle (the highest loyalty level under the InCircle Neiman Marcus reward program) must reach a designated annual spend using a private label credit card. Once they’ve met those requirements, customers unlock a treasure trove of exclusive benefits, including in-store dining, salon services, access to tickets for in-demand events, hard-to-get restaurant reservations, and premier getaways.
It was the last item on that list that Neiman Marcus sought to optimize with Fusion’s help. Working with the team at Neiman Marcus, our app developers created a completely custom mobile app for Chairman’s Circle members. When a user opens the application on an iPad (customized of course!), a message is displayed describing the purpose of the app, which is to detail the amenities available at Chairman’s Circle level. The app then shifts its focus to one particularly notable amenity: a complimentary trip to one of eight destinations around the world. Using the navigation at the bottom of the screen, users can tap an icon labeled “Itineraries.” This leads to a selection of clickable photographs with destination names, which users can click to view the details of the excursion and corresponding hotel.
To present this as a gift from Neiman Marcus to Chairman’s Circle members, we created a fully customized package including an iPad wrapped in matte silver Stealth Armor, a sleeve to house the iPad box, and a high-quality box with magnetic closure encasing the entire bundle. It’s the best kind of gift: one that contains another gift inside.
We have worked with high-end retail clients before and we dove into this project headfirst, gathering information from the client until we felt confident enough to build the app they were looking for. “Neiman Marcus knew they wanted to gift their Chairman’s Circle members with a free trip, but they were looking for a truly memorable way to package that information,” said Hollie Go, App Development Project Manager. “Instead of sending a letter or an email, this app is an interactive way for recipients to see full color photos and details about each destination.” With Fusion’s custom branding, packaging, and mobile app services, Neiman Marcus found the level of prestige they were looking for in a gift for their most valued customers.
The mobile application landscape in 2018 is saturated with a dizzying array of apps, ranging from straightforward and simple to complex and colorful. Business owners are faced with the challenge of building an app that is visible, user-friendly, and detailed all at once. At Fusion of Ideas, we’re aware of just how easy it is to gravitate towards a “more is more” solution. After all, there are countless technologies and functionalities available in the app development world. But we also know that an excess of options can lead to a chaotic and overly complicated final product. That’s what pushed our app development team to come up with a much simpler app solution for clients: the Dynamic Content System.
Imagine that you are the owner of a small consulting business. You have a well-designed website with sections to address every topic of your business. But you’ve noticed that most of your competitors have mobile apps in addition to their websites, so you decide to seek out an app development firm. Your mobile app checklist might look something like this:
Simple design
Easy to use
Menu of 6-8 sections, each covering a service your business provides
Sections featuring photos, videos, and text
Ability to add, remove, and change content on an ongoing basis
The DCS approach, our version of what’s known as a CMS (content management system), can check all of those boxes without breaking the bank or overly complicating your app. It’s customizable yet simple – the general concept of displaying content using a list or menu view does not change, but the format, fonts, colors, designs, and logos can all be customized. As the client, you’re equipped with an easy-to-use web admin portal where you can continuously make changes to the content on display. This gives you a streamlined way to create and manage an app without having to hire a dedicated developer. After an initial design and development period with the Fusion team, the app is entirely yours to control. The end result: a cookie-cutter setup process with unique, personalized results.
This is the user view of the Kidd’s Kids DCS App.
One of our clients, Kidd’s Kids, is a nonprofit group that strives to bring joy to kids who are dealing with life-altering conditions and their families by sending them on an annual trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The organization was looking for a way to display event information as well as a photo of each child with their name, hometown, and favorite Disney character. The finalized app features the Kidd’s Kids branding and logo as a backdrop, with a simple menu of options to choose from. Each of the families received an iPad equipped with the app, so they could easily open it up and scroll through the photos or look for event details. The app placed important information at their fingertips, and gave them a simple way to learn about the other recipients on the trip.
This is the admin view of the Kidd’s Kid DCS App.
Fusion of Ideas strives to meet a higher standard than most other companies that offer a CMS-type service. Because our development team (which is entirely based at our headquarters in Lake Forest, California) have gone through several iterations to perfect our DCS solution, your app can be delivered in just a two week time frame. Our designers will also build a custom application icon with your company’s branding, logo, and/or artwork, depending on your aesthetic preference. Your app icon will be yours – not that of a third party app development company. You won’t see any Fusion of Ideas branding within the app either. The focus is completely on your company and your content.
Check out the complete list of what’s included in our DCS package below.
Custom application icon
1 platform (iOS, tvOS, or Android)
Multiple groups and users (5 groups and up to 100 users)
Initial product training
Access to web admin portal to manage content being displayed to groups and users
Fusion customer support
Fusion can also provide additional design and functionalities, along with full custom development services outside the scope of the DCS solution. Contact us today to get started!SaveSave
Fusion of Ideas was recently featured in Construction Executive, the magazine for the business of construction. Because we’ve developed several mobile applications for construction industry clients, we were asked to write an article about the ways our clients have used technology to solve business problems and to save time and money. The article details some of the types of tasks a custom app can accomplish, and the satisfaction that comes from embracing technology and moving in a positive, future-minded direction.
Fusion of Ideas