Key Ingredients to Make Your App Go Viral

There is no single formula that every business could use to make their Android App go viral. Although identifying the coefficient of these could be the closest you could get to a formula, it remains to be a potential but not an absolute solution. Perhaps the best thing about not having one formula to make an Android App viral is that it keeps the door open for new ways to make it happen through various Android app development training. Some Apps have tried using the methods that have been tested through time, while others are in search for ways on how to make a strategy work to their advantage.

Virality can be completely unpredictable. There is no such thing as a step by step process to be followed in order to achieve virality of an App. There are techniques and some might have worked for others, but there's no assurance that it could work for you too. Before you pull all your hair out trying to figure out which techniques could work for you, here are five ways to make a viral Android App.

The acronym VIRAL that stands for Value, Intuitive, Reward, Ability and Likable will be your reminder as to what it takes for you to spell out success in building and promoting Android applications.

Value

You may think that the application you are making hits the target audience right on the spot. You assume that your app has got everything they could ever need. And you know what they say about assuming.

Look critically. You have to make sure that your app and everything in it is exactly what your audience needs. How do you make this happen? Consumer testing is the key.

At every stage of your app development, integrate the feedback that you are getting from the audience who's testing it. Come release time, you are sure that your target clients will be satisfied of the app that you just made for them.

You have released your app, but don't sit down just yet. Constantly tweak your app to make your clients have second thoughts about deleting it. Remember that the goal should always be longevity and relevance.  Make it an app that they simply could not live without and you don't have to worry about anything else.

Intuitive

Your app should have an intuitive design and action flow. You don't want your target clients to get frustrated because you made it so hard to sign-up.

You can do this by developing an app that allows them to sign in through their social media accounts. You don't want to add up to the mountain of passwords and usernames that they have yet to remember.

Make it easy for them to share the knowledge they got from your app through social media. Don't hide this.

Reward

Encourage your users to show and share your app to their friends. Incentives and other promotions would surely make this a hit.

Give them back something as a gesture of appreciation for what they did for you. Perhaps a $20 money-back guarantee would make this work out. Any form of reward can go a long way.

Awesome

Your app is already good, valuable and useful, but it can't be released unless it's already awesome. Your target users are cool, so your app should be too.

Don't think about what is quantifiable about your app. Just think about the many other developers out there developing an app that's very similar to yours. How will you make your app standout?

It is not enough that you develop an app that will help them put their pictures up online. You have got to offer them more than just that. Instagram rose to success while other photo-sharing apps have failed repeatedly, simply because it has made things simpler for people. And also because it is awesome as it is.

Likable

This is one of the factors that you simply could not ignore. Your app should be likable both by its users and across social media for those who are not yet using it.

Look into what your target audience likes and shares in their social media accounts. Observe their habits and mold your brand out of it. Remember that your app should not only be something that they need. They have to want it so bad that they will want their friends and other contacts to download it too.

10 Key Design Tips for Great Mobile Apps

Focus on eliminating users' work.

Mobile is all about being on the move. Chances are that your users will be using your app while multitasking or as a form of distraction. They are looking for simplicity. Give it to them. Once you're in the app, if you're more than two taps away from doing anything you might want to do, you need to simplify. As you design your app, always aim to reduce the amount of thinking users will have to put in in order for the app to make sense.

Design must be goal-driven.

Design must follow function, especially when you're designing for smaller mobile screens. All aspects of your design should be about better connecting your users to the product. For instance, your UI design needs to ensure that every time your app prompts a user with a request for input, the user is provided all information they'll need to make a decision about their action. Don't forget that design is not just about looking awesome, it is about making the user experience awesome and that means clarity is king.

Make it thumb-friendly.

Most people hold their smart phones one of three ways. They use a single hand and navigate with their thumb, use two hands and two thumbs, or hold the phone in one hand and use their opposite index finger. Some people touch with the tip of the finger, others with the whole finger pad. It's impossible to pinpoint exactly how many pixels should be dedicated to making your buttons clickable, but apple recommends making your touch targets 44 pixels by 44 pixels. This measurement doesn't need to serve as a cardinal rule, but keep in mind that a finger is much larger than a computer mouse and you need to design your touch targets accordingly.

Give users feedback.

Don't let your users forget about you while a function loads. Make that time interesting and get rid of blank screens. When a user swipes, taps, or clicks, there should be an immediate response. If something is going to take awhile to load, show the user their loading progress so they know they're getting somewhere (and fast). Alternatively, you can have an animation that keeps them engaged by adding some extra entertainment. Either way, make sure every user interaction gets a response.

Do not overcrowd your screen.

Just because smaller pixels are available does not mean you should shrink the font and cram more in. More does not mean better. This gets back to function: know your core aims, stick to them, and reduce frill. Always view your app on the actual device you're designing it for to make sure that all critical elements are very easy to see. Text size should be at least 11 points, you should have ample spacing between letters and lines, and you should never have to zoom in to clarify any action buttons or information essential to the product.

Use gestures wisely.

Gestures help you keep clutter to a minimum, come intuitively to the veteran Smartphone user, and make the user experience more fun. Study popular interfaces and common UI patterns so you know what gestures make your target users feel at home. The gestures a millennial audience is familiar with are going to differ than those of target audiences that are novices in the Smartphone game. When weighing what gestures to use, think about your audience, know your product, and choose the gesture or gestures that make the most sense for your app.

Use high-resolution images.

The number of screen resolutions available for mobile devices continues to expand. Always start by designing for retina, high-resolution and pixel dense screens and then scale down accordingly. Better yet, use vector based images that will scale to any screen size and ensure that you always have beautiful and crisp images.

Keep it consistent.

If you're changing your color or font from one screen or paragraph to the next, have a good reason. Color is a powerful organization tool: it helps you direct users' attention and establish a visual hierarchy. For instance, if you present your user with three buttons to choose from, the first being bright orange, the second a softer orange, and the third a light peach, you're signalling that the first choice is the most extreme option while the last is the most temperate. Too many color or font changes will dilute the impact of any one transition and confuse the user. So, make few changes and be sure those changes pack a lot of punch in terms of visual and organizational impact.

Place action buttons appropriately.

If you haven't noticed already, everything in a good design comes back to user experience. The same goes here: make clicking as easy as possible. Especially for users who tap with their thumbs, the bottom half of their screen is more accessible. Put general action buttons there, while making sure that controls that pertain to specific content are located very near to that content. 

Create order with alignment.

This may be the simplest tip of the bunch, but it deserves mention because strong alignment choices will transform your app design. Alignment is about creating visual appeal, organization, and helping your user make connections across your app. When you're formatting content, think about how your text and images relate to one another and then use alignment as a tool to show those relationships to your users. Use a well-designed grid to help you define your layout, create order, and help control the way your user makes connections in thinking about your product.

You didn’t know your iPhone can do these things

iPhone owners often entertain a certain feeling of superiority towards other Smartphone users; ironically, they quite often fail to use even a fraction of real features their devices have and never delve deeper into what their iPhones can really do, sometimes putting up with inconveniences for years. Here we will tell you about 5 lesser known or not easily achievable things that can be done with iPhones.

1. Taking Photos with Headphones

Not literally, of course – there is no hidden camera in your iPhone's headphones. However, these recognizable white headphones have a number of additional capabilities that are overlooked by the vast majority of users, and their usefulness in taking photos is one of them. With the camera app open, you simply have to press the centre of the headphones to take a picture. What for, you may ask? It is quite simple – when you press a shutter on touch screen, you almost always inadvertently cause your iPhone to alter its position somewhat, which may lead to blurry photos, and using headphones allows you to avoid it.

2. Fighting the Lack of Free Space

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that iOS is probably not among the most flexible and accessible platform, and nowhere it is shown to the same extent as in how little freedom you have over how your precious drive space is being used. Annoying "Other" portion of space usage grows incessantly, and you haven't the foggiest idea as to what your iPhone insists on keeping there and why it occupies more than a half of your total disk space. Wiping the device may help, but it is a little bit too drastic measure, and a temporary one at that. In order to get rid of this problem you will have to invest in a storage cleaning app – you may find a number of useful recommendations here.

3. Creating Custom Vibration Alerts

It may sound like an insignificant and rather weird thing to do, but you can create customized vibration notifications for your contacts. This means that you may single out people who are more important and set custom patterns to be able to immediately recognize them without having to look at your phone. It may turn out to be a great relief when you are occupied with some serious business and are able to tell at once if you have to look at your phone or it can wait.

4. Caller Block

Wrong numbers and spammers can get really annoying, especially if you have a phone that is very similar to someone who gets a lot of calls or if your number is listed somewhere online. There is a way out, however – you may block contacts with one touch, and there is no need to go deep into setting to do it. Thus, spammers and wrong number won't get more than one shot at you – then they will get blocked indefinitely.

5. Text Messages in Response to Calls

What can be more annoying and distracting than getting a call during an important meeting and having to either reject it or interrupt the meeting? Instead you can answer with a text – and it isn't even necessary to type the entire message, as there are a number of pre-made answers covering most typical situation, like "Can't talk, in a meeting".

iPhone possesses a host of additional abilities and options to make its owner's life easier – unfortunately, most people don't even suspect about their existence, as the only way to discover them is to read the manual, or intentionally research the matter on the Internet – which is exactly what you did right now.

This App Will Turn Your Smartphone into an Earthquake Detector

Seismologists and app developers are shaking things up with a new app that transforms smart phones into personal earthquake detectors.

By tapping into a Smartphone's accelerometer -- the motion-detection instrument -- the free Android app, called MyShake, can pick up and interpret nearby quake activity, estimating the earthquake's location and magnitude in real-time, and then relaying the information to a central database for seismologists to analyze.

In time, an established network of users could enable MyShake to be used as an early- warning system, the researchers said.

Crowd sourcing quakes

Seismic networks worldwide detect earthquakes and convey quake data to scientists around the clock, providing a global picture of the tremors that are part of Earth's ongoing dynamic processes. But there are areas where the network is thin, which means researchers are missing pieces in the seismic puzzle.

How it works

Accelerometers measure forces related to acceleration: vibration, tilt and movement, and also the static force of gravity's pull. In smart phones, accelerometers detect changes in the device's orientation, allowing the phone to know exactly which end is up and to adjust visual displays to correspond to the direction it's facing.

Fitness apps for smart phones use accelerometers to pinpoint specific changes in motion in order to calculate the number of steps you take, for example. And the MyShake app is designed to recognize when a Smartphone's accelerometer picks up the signature shaking of an earthquake, which is different from other types of vibrating motion, or everyday shaking.

In fact, the earthquake-detection engine in MyShake is designed to recognize an earthquake's vibration profile much like a fitness app recognizes steps.

It's about looking at the amplitude and the frequency content of the earthquake and it's quite different from the amplitude and frequency content of most everyday shakes. It's very low-frequency energy and the amplitude is not as big as the amplitude for most everyday activities.

In other words, the difference between the highs and lows of the motion generated by an earthquake are smaller than the range you'd find in other types of daily movement.

Quake, rattle and roll

When a Smartphone's MyShake app detects an earthquake, it instantly sends an alert to a central processing site. A network detection algorithm is activated by incoming data from multiple phones in the same area, to "declare" an earthquake, identify its location and estimate its magnitude.

For now, the app will only collect and transmit data to the central processor. But the end goal is for future versions of the app to send warnings back to individual users.

An iPhone version of the app will also be included in future plans for MyShake. For seismologists, the more data they can gather about earthquakes, the better. A bigger data pool means an improved understanding of quake behaviour, which could help experts design better early warning systems and safety protocols, things that are especially critical in urban areas prone to frequent quake activity. 

Figuring the costs of mobile app development

Understanding how much a mobile app cost to make does is vital information for companies that opt for mobility.

Before obtaining an application the first question that pops into the mind of the client is "the price". So how much does it cost to make an app? Over the years the mobile application market has been expanding at great speed. However, there are still a number of unknown aspects in this market. In fact, actually knowing the price of a mobile application is a common question among business customers.

Before building an App

As mentioned earlier, the cost for developing applications is a common question, especially for those who have never been through the process of developing one. You can say your experience among other factors will illustrate how much you really know about mobile applications.

Parameters that influence the prices

There are a number of factors that affect the price of an application. The characteristic of the app is what directly influences the price. Depending on the features of the app will result how much you pay for it; therefore, this means the cost will vary. It is also significant the client and developer agree on clear objectives so that the development of the application can run smoothly.

App Dev Platforms

To understand the costs to create a mobile application it is essential to know the platforms the application will be developed on. Building a native app will always be more expensive than creating a web application or a hybrid. Keep in mind that the more platforms you want your application to reach the higher the price you will need to pay for the development.

However, there is much more than platforms you need to consider when creating an application. Within the different operating systems (IOS, Android, Windows Phone…) there are different devices with distinctive functionalities. This is one factor people least consider when determining the price of a mobile applications. For example, the iOS spectrum contains the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, which includes different software features.

Development process

In the development process you should include all expenses that go towards the marketing & promotion of the application also keeping in mind of taking care of administration and maintenance expenditure.

If you still have doubts when it comes to the realization of the cost of mobile apps in spite of all these factors; mobile phone blogs offer indicative amounts that are adjusted to the type of application you are looking to make.

Now Conduct a Successful Teleconference in your smart phone

Conference calls can be a productive and efficient way to hold a meeting, especially for individuals who would otherwise have to travel far distances to attend. However, if the call is not conducted in a professional and organized manner, it can be a waste of time for your participants and yourself. Below are 10 ways you can create a successful conference call.

Organize and Prepare

One of the most important things to remember before any phone meeting is to be prepared and organized. This step is crucial if you want to accomplish the items on your agenda and keep your participants engaged throughout the meeting. Prepare ahead of time for the topics you want to discuss. Create an agenda or an outline of the call for yourself and your attendees. Also, prepare as much material as possible before the meeting so that you will not waste time on useless topics.

Encourage Participation

When others feel comfortable, you create an environment for ideas and strategies to develop. If you are hosting or managing the conference call, ask your participants questions. Let them know that you value their opinions. Letting others participate in the phone call is key. People who aren't involved easily tune out and become lost in their own daydreams and will not provide the feedback or the help you may be seeking.

Many conference call services provide features to involve your attendees. These features may include polling, surveying and Q&A capabilities. For many services, these features can be accessed by entering in certain codes on the dial pad. At the beginning of your conference calls, go through these codes and ensure that your participants are aware of how they can contribute to the conversation.

Be Punctual

Just like any other business meeting, it is important that you arrive early. Dial into the call a few minutes early. If you wait until the last minute, you may encounter technology issues that can take time to fix. You may also find that you have the wrong dial-in number or pass code to access the phone meeting. Being punctual to your meeting is also another way you can be prepared and ready to participate.

Be Aware of Your Location

Your location is critical during a conference call. If you are in a loud area, you may have a difficult time hearing the conversation over the phone line. Additionally, you will want to seclude yourself from others. By being in the same area with many people, you may find yourself quickly distracted and missing important information.

Also, if you use a microphone or speakerphone, be aware of its location and surroundings. You want the device close enough that it picks up your voice but far enough that it won't pick up every little sound you make. Additionally, be aware of any electronic devices. These items can cause interference and affect the quality of your call.

Stick to the Agenda

People are busy. They do not have the time to listen to conversations that are not pertinent to their job and the tasks at hand. It is important during a phone meeting to create an agenda and stick to it. Don't waste time discussing the latest basketball game or where you ate lunch. By discussing the current problems and topics at hand, you will receive more participation and more willing participants. Also, do your best to stay within your scheduled timeframe. By extending the meeting, you may also quickly lose participation and attentiveness.

Use Visual Aids When Necessary

Visual aids can help entice participation and encourage discussion among attendees. Visual aids are ideal if you are presenting new ideas or strategies to a large group. They do not need to be used in every phone call, and they can become an annoyance if they are long and provide too much information. However, to use visual aids during a conference call, you will need an internet connection and web conferencing capabilities.

Keep Notes

Keeping notes is an excellent way to stay focused during a long conference call. Also, if the information being presented is important, you will want to keep notes as a reference. Regardless of whether you take extensive notes or just jot down a few ideas, you should always keep a writing utensil and a notebook next to you during your phone meetings.

Record the Conference Call

Many conference call services allow hosts to record the phone meetings. This can be a valuable tool for several reasons. First, it can allow participants to go back and review the phone discussion and the presented information. Second, if an individual cannot attend the meeting, they can listen to the recording and receive the same information as the individuals who were there. Additionally, a recording is a way to keep track of the meetings and verify what information was discussed and presented.

Become Familiar with the Conference Call Service

Conference call services vary. Each service can offer different features and tools, particularly interactive features such as hand raising, polling, whiteboards and more. Before you begin a conference call, spend some time researching the service and learning its features. Many services allow an operator to sit in on the call to make sure things run smoothly. Also, it is a wise idea to go over certain commands and features at the beginning of a conference call to ensure that everyone on the call can participate.

Keep the Meeting Short

One of the quickest ways to lose participants' focus in a phone meeting is to extend it much longer than is necessary or its scheduled length. By keeping the meeting short and concise, you will have captive participants and individuals who do not dread your meetings.

Digital pickpockets using smart phones to steal credit cards

No matter how aware you are about safeguarding personal belongings and confidential information, you don't have complete control. Now you need to worry about digital pickpockets swiping your credit card information during your subway commute or when pumping gas at a rest stop.

How Skimmers Operate

RFID technology-operated credit cards require a quick tap to scan, rather than the magnetic swipe traditionally used by cards. The RFID chip emits a constant stream of unencrypted information, which can be picked up by any device equipped to tune into that frequency. Among the information transmitted? Your credit card number and expiration date.

Anyone with a device that picks up radio frequency can scan for nearby RFID devices and obtain the number. Because of rising near field communication or NFC smart phones, a Smartphone can be used to read your credit card data, capture it and transmit it in a store, reports Matt Markovich of Komo News.

Programs like MasterCard's PayPass also aid criminals. PayPass stores credit card information on your phone and you tap into a POS monitor to pay. Since you don't give your card (or any identification) to a clerk, there's no way to verify if you're using your PayPass card or if you wrongfully have someone else's data stored.

Ways to Stay Safe

Although credit card companies have indicated they may begin encrypting data to prevent fraud. The onus falls on you to monitor and protect your identity.

As a first line of defence, make it a habit to review your credit card and bank statements at least once a month. If you see any unusual transactions, contact your Credit Card Company or bank. While reversing charges, the claim process can be lengthy. If skimmers steal your debit card and deplete your bank account, you'll need a loan in the meantime.

An identity protection service provides round-the-clock monitoring against security threats and skimming. Specialists will notify you of any suspicious activity on your card. This service acts as an extra cushion for regularly monitoring your statements.

If you discover your card has an RFID chip, and you don't think you'll use it (or don't want the fear of identity theft), call your credit card company and ask them to send you a card without the RFID technology.

Lifestyle Gamification: Changing your Life

One commonality that binds us all is our endless pursuit of happiness. What "happy" means to one person surely differs from that of another? There is no single path to being happy and the road to a more fulfilling and joyous life is different for each and every person on the planet.

So what do video games have to do with happiness? Well, the truth is, it is what goes into creating the video games – the methods and techniques that hook users – that can be applied to real-world experiences that can dramatically impact your lifestyle and levels of happiness.

Welcome to the world of lifestyle gamification.

Many students who neglect school and get in trouble all the time aren't like that because they are dumb or dislike learning – they just don't see the purpose of learning the subjects that are taught in class. This very same logic can spread beyond the classroom and has no age limit.

Video games are much more than just stunning visuals and quality voice over work. Psychological traits possessed by all people are taken into account when creating video games.

By applying gamification techniques and tweaking the approach taken to achieving certain goals and aspirations, people can find the focus that has slipped from their grasp.

The power of gamification and your diet

Gamification can change the way you eat. By doing so, it can change the way you feel and ultimately, how you live.

Games are addicting for a reason. Games like Angry Birds and Temple Run leave players feeling like they must continue to get to the next level or break their previous high score. This comes at the risk of going to bed later than they had planned or putting off doing homework until the last minute.

Applying similar gamification techniques to your diet can be engaging enough for you to stay on track. Trying to stick to a strict regimen can be a daunting experience if you are looking to lose weight or eat healthily. The Paleo App is a great example of using gaming techniques to train folks to change habits for the better.

How does the Paleo App use gamification with its users? Being able to track your progress is a great start. This is where technology comes in handy. In the past, it would have been seen as strange and even discouraging for you to walk around with a notebook to track the intake of all food and beverage. Now that everyone is constantly buried in their phones, those close by will never suspect that one is cataloguing their lunch – a concept that might be embarrassing to those starting off on their quest to weight loss.

Paleo also makes it so users receive rewards for small milestones. This breaks down larger goals into manageable steps that are less overwhelming and way more achievable – especially for those who are starting off and are more vulnerable when it comes to becoming derailed.

Gamify your exercise routine

Like maintaining a healthy diet, many people struggle with staying on course when it comes to exercise.

People binge throughout the holiday season knowing that just around the corner comes a clean slate, a fresh new start where they will eat less and exercise more.

People have a very hard time staying motivated without seeing results quickly. But now there are many apps out there that reward users on their journey to getting in shape.

The Telegraph reported on Zombies, Run – a top-selling fitness game available. By putting runners into the shoes of people escaping Zombies, they feel more connected to their workout and are more likely to run more frequently. Instead of running on a treadmill listening to music, you are dropped into a chaotic, Hollywood-like film that will whip you into shape. When the zombies get close, you have to run like mad – interval training at its finest!

Adrian Hon, the creator of Zombies, Run, told The Telegraph that "a lot of people find exercise to be boring and repetitive, even with music. can make running more exciting by putting you into a fictional world where you running really matters – so on a rainy Sunday morning, you'll still be motivated to get up and run."

Ability to learn new things

Back in the day, learning something complex like a new language was a formidable task. While learning a new tongue still takes an incredible amount of time, dedication, and perseverance, the process – when married with gamification techniques – can be a lot more fun for the users.

Duolingo is the perfect example of gamified language learning and is now helping teach new languages to over 100 million people. Not only does Duolingo help make learning a new language fun, but it is helping translate the Web in the process.

The gamification of language learning is more effective with Duolingo because as students learn a language, they earn skill points when lessons are completed or web content is translated. Lessons associated with a skill are successively completed when a given number of translations are completed. Since web content is inherently more interesting than "made up" sentences, the translation assignments are more engaging.

Final thoughts

Gamification can be applied to numerous areas, meeting personal needs or addressing problems at the workplace. One thing about gamification that is certain is that it is complex. It is no magical cure-all that can be applied haphazardly and it isn't something that will make overnight changes. To properly apply the methods and techniques to your own life or your business, it's best to do as much research as possible and contact an expert that can help you achieve the most from gamification.

With technology that is constantly improving and the rapid growth of the Internet of Things, it is certain that gamification isn't going anywhere. Learning as much as possible about this new field sooner than later can set you up for a better, more fulfilling life.