Why Enterprise Apps Need to be Consumer Grade

The accelerating shift to mobile is well documented (see the bulleted list of facts after this article if you need more evidence) and comes with some interesting side-effects, not the least of which is consumerization.

As a new generation of consumers flocks to their smartphones for information, entertainment, products and services, they also want to get things done. And their method of choice is a simple, intuitive app on a mobile device.

In fact, for those who use mobile devices to access the web, 89% of their access is done via apps.[1] The more they go mobile, the more they expect that user experience (UX) to translate across every digital interaction they have, at work and at play.

What Does Consumerization Mean for Enterprise?

People’s love affair with smartphones and the resulting explosion of apps affects every organization that interacts with an increasingly tech-savvy audience. Whether that audience is made up of existing employees, potential hires, university and college students, or customers; it demands a different approach.

Everyone is a consumer. And when it comes to the consumption of technology, today’s consumers want:

• Mobile access to everything, including enterprise systems like PeopleSoft.
• Simple, online self-service—when shopping, job hunting, or dating—and when completing everyday tasks at work: choosing benefits plans, updating their information, tracking time, etc.
• Elegant, effective apps for anything and everything they want to do online.
• Beautiful, engaging, easy-to-use interfaces that offer a modern UX and a clean, task-oriented focus.
• As few clicks and as little data entry as possible on screens that contain only the information and fields needed to complete the task at hand.
• An optimized experience across all their devices: desktop, tablet, and smartphone.

Large organizations that rely on enterprise applications are particularly challenged by this new reality. Existing enterprise systems represent a huge investment of both time and money into technology, integration and security.

But enterprise systems don’t readily lend themselves to simple and elegant mobile access. One response to consumerization is a shift to the cloud; although moving such complex platforms (and the data they house) to the cloud requires careful, organization-wide consideration. Other options can be equally costly and disruptive.

Even so, to compete in a consumerized environment, your multi-million dollar business systems need to be as easy to use as the $1 app on your personal phone.

Appifying Enterprise Without Sacrifice

Consumer and technology trends are clear—it’s time to bring a “consumer grade” user experience to all enterprise applications. If your organization is heavily invested in enterprise systems that need to be updated with an “appified” experience, you have three options:

1. Stay the course and wait for a better solution to emerge or for urgency to force your hand.
2. Undertake a massive IT overhaul, and fully embrace the change.
3. Combine the best of both worlds with a hybrid approach.

Number three is where we come in. A hybrid system is the easiest and least disruptive way for enterprise to respond to consumerization and embrace “appification”. You can leverage your existing investments by giving your system a brand new, responsive user experience.

This approach offers a number of advantages, including:

• The lowest possible security risk since all data is left in the system of record and all security protocols are intact.
• The modern, mobile UX your users want, quickly and cost effectively (in days or weeks, not months).
• No angry backlash from users due to mobile device fragmentation[2] causing unpredictable execution across their various devices. We develop and maintain your branded front-end apps that work on all devices, using standards-based web technology.[3]
• You and your users reap the benefit of a consistent, contemporary UX.

 Let InFlight help you modernize and mobilize without sacrifice. Schedule your free demo today!

A Few Stats on the Smartphone Tsunami

• Smartphone usage is up 394%.[4]
• Almost two-thirds of adults in the U.S. own smartphones. Break that down a little further and we find that 85% of Americans ages 18-29 (78% of college graduates) are smartphone owners[5] and 45% of those access the internet primarily through their smartphone.[6]
• Across all demographics, mobile digital media time in the US is now at 51% (compared to desktop at 42%), and growing rapidly.[7]
• In 2016, the number of smartphone users in the United States is estimated to reach 207.2 million.[8]

SOURCES

[1] Ibid.

[2] Damith C. Rajapakse, Fragmentation of Mobile Applications http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/fragmentation-mobile-applications/66475

[3] Enterprise Apps Today, Mobile Apps: HTML5, Native or Both? http://www.enterpriseappstoday.com/management-software/mobile-apps-html5-native-or-both.html

[4] Kate Dreyer, Mobile Internet Usage Skyrockets in Past 4 Years to Overtake Desktop as Most Used Digital Platform. http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Mobile-Internet-Usage-Skyrockets-in-Past-4-Years-to-Overtake-Desktop-as-Most-Used-Digital-Platform
[5] Aaron Smith, Pew Research Center, Chapter One: A Portrait of Smartphone Ownership
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/chapter-one-a-portrait-of-smartphone-ownership/

[6] Aaron Smith, Pew Research Center, Cell Internet Usage 2012, http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/06/26/cell-internet-use-2012/

[7] Danyl Bosomworth, Mobile Marketing Statistics 2015. http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/

[8] The Statistics Portal http://www.statista.com/statistics/201182/forecast-of-smartphone-users-in-the-us/