With the growth of apps spreading like wildfire in the commercial world, many schools have asked us whether they should be getting an app of their own. So here at School Website we’ve put a few thoughts together to help you make that decision.
Firstly, apps are here to stay. Maybe not forever, perhaps one day everything can be done in the browser, however for the next three years at least the app market is set to continue its rapid growth.
Secondly, you need to ask two very important questions:
- Do we have a significant number of customers (stakeholders) using smart phones?
- How active are they on those devices?
The answer to those two questions will invariably differ from school to school, however one thing you can be sure of is that the number of users with smart phones is growing, as is their use of those devices.
Assuming the demand is there for an app, you then need to think about its purpose. Producing an app for apps sake is never going to be a good investment.
Think about the audience; your app needs to improve the user’s experience or engage them uniquely. An app is undoubtedly an additional communications channel which is there to be utilised, but much like social media - it needs to be done correctly to achieve success.
At School Website we have a range of ‘off the shelf’ apps for schools. One aimed specifically at prospective parents and another aimed at current parents and pupils. We have also developed a number of ‘bespoke apps’ from augmented reality to quiz based assessment. So if you have an idea for an app, why not get in touch and let us know.
Posted on
Fri, September 23, 2011
by School Website
filed under