Blog

Mobile App Game Changers

February 16th, 2011

Application Development, Technology, Usability

Have mobile applications made us idle?  Do we leave the house less, interact less, and use our brains less than we used to?  Are applications slowly phasing out elements of socialization that were once an integral part of human experience? I’ve heard comments of this nature before, most often from my favorite luddite, my mother, who marvels at my generation’s inability to pen a thank you note and unfailingly signs each of her sporadic texts with “this is your mother.” But is there actual merit to the argument?

Take something humans are wildly adept at overcomplicating: choosing a place to eat dinner. Instead of asking the guy in the grocery store if he’s been to the restaurant on the corner and what he thought about it, are we pulling out our phones and reading reviews on Yelp or Urbanspoon, effectively isolating ourselves from our surroundings?

Or, conversely, are we simply living in a world in which we leave less to chance? The guy at the grocery store might have had a particularly bad experience at said restaurant, negatively flavoring our impressions of what could actually be a good place.  Yelp reviews, while still subjective, offer a much larger pool of opinion to consult, bringing us closer to cuisinal truth.

I argue that mobile apps haven’t made us lazy or dumb; they’ve made us faster, more productive, and less arbitrary.  Even the most absurd applications have some expeditious utility.  For example, Auto Will lets you fill out your will on the fly and ping it to your family and lawyer.  More time can now be spent zestfully jumping out of airplanes than morbidly mapping out your inheritance.

I think what’s most exciting (and scariest) about mobile apps is the potential for them to fundamentally alter the way we live.  I’m not just talking about apps like Pandora and Ziplist and Redbox which, while disparate in their offerings, serve the same basic purpose of filtering out the things we don’t care about and delivering what we want in a process of elimination style.  I’m talking about apps that change how we spend our time and focus our thoughts and energy.

How many hours have you wasted at your bank waiting to deposit a check, stuck behind the ever-present “there’s no way my check could have bounced” guy? If you’re with Bank of America, USAA, or a number of other banks offering remote-deposit capture (RDC) apps, you’ll never have to do that again.  And what will you do with the extra time gifted to you by RDC? Maybe go exercise? Maybe track your progress through RunKeeper or Cyclemeter?  That might be a little idyllic, but the point is that good apps either save us time or save us pain.  If we’re lucky, they do both.

Some of the most mind-boggling apps I’ve seen have come from the health care industry.  Just last week Novo Nordisk rolled out Coags Uncomplicated, the first app to assist in the diagnosis of bleeding disorders.  The app lets physicians input lab information and immediately receive potential diagnoses.  The results focus on a causal instead of location-oriented diagnosis, essentially changing how physicians recognize blood clotting activity.

Equally as revolutionary, although decidedly less lofty, is the Chipotle app, which lets you order your burrito ahead of time, customize it exactly as you want, and label it things like “moo”, “fail”,  or “your diet starts tomorrow.”  The fact that you can effectively degrade yourself while saving time and satisfying a craving is a trifecta of technological achievement probably never even imagined.

And what about Google Translate, the app that lets you translate words and phrases in over 50 languages?  Instead of awkwardly fumbling around with a dictionary, you can translate quickly, be on your way, and look cool and unflustered, despite the fact that you still probably have no idea what’s going on.

Applications aren’t meant to keep us from connecting with people in conventional ways.  The fact that they do is just an effect of the time-saving nature of technology in general.  And applications haven’t diminished our intellectual capacity either.  They’ve made us savvier in a variety of circumstances and, more often than not, the smartest people out there are the ones with the best apps on their phones.

Exhibiting the anti-social tendencies so viciously ascribed to the technologically-obsessed is a personal problem best tackled with therapy.  In the meantime, for all those not under the influence, I suggest getting to know the best apps out there (Evernote for the workhorse, RedLaser for the bargain junkie, Calvetica for the Swiss inclined) and taking the time to learn how to use them.

In the end, mobile apps will set you free, saving you time you’d rather devote to other things anyway.  Plus, you’ll look smarter.  And probably be able to talk to people a lot less.

At NavigationArts, we pride ourselves on being experts in usability.  Here’s what our staff thinks are the best apps out there for both the Android and iOS platforms:

• Bank of America – As previously alluded to, let’s you avoid bounced check guy.
• USAA – See above.
• Redbox – I don’t know who doesn’t have Netflix, but this is for you guys.
• Mobile Spy – Track what your kids are doing. Uh oh.
• Springpad – Organizer like no other.
• Weatherbug – This one should be self explanatory.
• Redfin-Real estate app with all MLS data, including for-sale-by owner and bank-owned homes not yet listed in the MLS.
• Yelp – You can search by name, location, or category and get reviews, phone numbers and directions all in one place. We really heart Yelp.
• Shazam – Hear a song? Like it? Can’t remember its name? Can’t remember your own name? Shazam it!
• The Economist – App version of the magazine allows users to download print and audio versions of each issue. I feel smarter already.
• Pulse – Sexy way to read the news on the iPad.  Perfect for impressing that special someone on the Metro.
• Facebook – Not sure. I’ve never heard of Facebook before.
• Dropbox – Transfer and store files in the cloud to be accessed from your computer, your phone or a website.
• DirectTV – Allows you to search and set your home DVR from anywhere via your phone. Great use of time during the work day.
• NPR – Streams live radio and plays recorded shows. (Because we all sound smarter when we reference NPR)
• RedLaser – Amazing for price comparison.  You can scan a barcode by taking a photo and it searches for prices online.
• Word Lens – Instantly translate signs to and from English – an incredible way to augment a travel experience and avoid getting totally lost.
• Evernote – Allows you to access work from anywhere. Awesome! (?)
• Harvest – Track time on various projects while on the go.
• RunKeeper and Cyclemeter – Track and collect stats while running or biking. Watch your progress, or lack thereof.
• TomTom – Great car GPS
• Calvetica – Superior calendar app with nice Swiss design.
• ZipList – Lets you create shopping lists, add your grocery store and order the aisles for the way that you shop. What, you don’t like wandering aimlessly around Giant?
• Sherpa – Allows you  access to basecamp accounts on the go.
• Colorsnap- Snap a photo of a color you like and pair it with one or more of Sherwin Williams’ 1,500 paints.  Have fun going insane while you try to find the exact match.
• The Daily- Awesome news publication for the iPad.