Last week, we shared best practice examples of Responsive websites. Today, we talk about mobile applications….
Mobile Applications
These are purpose-built applications that capitalize on the visual and interactive capabilities of mobile devices, providing a specialized and immersive experience. Because they are designed to take advantage of mobile technology, they usually make use of functionality unique to mobile devices. Mobile apps can be native or web-based. This can be a point of contention for many app developers in terms of which offers the best experience for users. Below is a run down of each:
Native apps
Native apps are what often come to mind when someone thinks about mobile applications. They are installed through an online application store (Google Play, App Store, Blackberry World, Windows Store), stored on a mobile device, and are only accessible through that device. Native apps are specifically developed for individual mobile platforms (Apple, Android, BlackBerry). In order for a native app to run on both iOS and Android technology, two different versions of the app need to be developed.
Royal Dutch Shell (http://www.shell.com/) provides an excellent example of a native app for its mobile users to access their IR website content, and include a comprehensive mobile summary page that links directly from their corporate website homepage, so visitors can easily find them:
http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/website-social-mobile/mobile-apps.html
From this mobile summary page, readers are offered a wide range of different apps that house specific content: an Inside Energy app, Shell Lubricants and Shell Motorist apps help users find the products they need, and a dedicated Investor and Media app for those looking for company-specific information. Shell’s Investor Relations app is offered for both Apple (iPhone and iPad) and Android platforms:
http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/investor/news-and-library/follow-us/app.html
Shell also makes it easy for users to download the app they want by providing links to both Apple and Android apps through QR codes (below). All a visitor has to do is scan the QR code and the app will automatically download to their device:
http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/investor/news-and-library/follow-us/app.html
The app itself provides interactive content related to price and historical charts, IR related social media, quarterly results, presentations, annual publications and reports:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobgen.shellir
In addition to the usual IR content, Shell’s tablet apps provide mobile users with deeper corporate content (as per the left navigation bar below) in the form of CSR information, executive speeches and video, and interactive financials:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobgen.shellir
Shell’s mobile phone app (below) provides similarly colourful, vibrant and interactive multimedia content as its mobile tablet app, but better suited to the small smartphone screen, with fewer pictures and logos, and more drill-down IR content:
Web apps
Not mobile applications, per se, but they emulate the look and feel of them, with enhanced functionality suitable for smaller screen sizes. They are separate websites, run on a web browser rather than the mobile device so can be accessed from a wider range of devices and operating systems. They also provide similar functionality in terms of taking advantage of the unique pinching and swiping features that are part of the mobile experience. Like a responsive website, they detect the screen size of the device accessing it and the app renders itself to fit the parameters. A best practice though, is to develop two different versions of a web app, one for tablets and one for smart phones to best optimize the screen features. Depending on what device is accessing the app, it then chooses which version to launch.
Since they are accessed through a mobile browser, there is no need to download a web app from an app store. They also require no space on your device. What you do lose with web apps is the ability to access them in an offline setting. They make up for this by being able to be linked directly from the corporate site. This makes it easier for mobile users to organically find the app, rather than having to be redirected to an online store and then having to download the app.
Nielsen provides a great example of a web app for its IR visitors:
IR Homepage – Desktop
http://ir.nielsen.com
IR Homepage – Tablet
Home-screen view of http://ir.nielsen.com/ on a tablet
The opening splash page of the tablet-oriented version of the web app is a great way to give investors a nice introduction to the app. It offers visitors a quick look into the current stock price and the latest press release.
Front page view of http://ir.nielsen.com/ on a tablet
The front page of the tablet version of the Nielsen app provides all the same kind of content that would usually be found on the homepage of a standard IR website. The only difference is the arrangement of the content to better fit the parameters of a smaller screen.
Press Release page view of http://ir.nielsen.com/ on a tablet
On the press releases page of the tablet app, the releases are organized in a magazine style layout, making creative use of the space provided. Using the swipe functionality of a tablet device, users are able to browse through the press releases, easily navigating the content and getting a chance to get a quick overview of the investor news. Rather than just pointing to downloadable PDFs of the release, the browser app allows for the releases to be read in the app, making it a quicker and more efficient user experience.
IR Homepage – Phone
Front page view of http://ir.nielsen.com/ on a smartphone
The experience on a smaller device (i.e. a smartphone) is very similar, just optimized for a smaller screen. The front page has the information stacked, allowing users to use the scrolling feature of their device so they can explore all the updated content in one place. Also, throughout the app, a drop-down menu option is easily accessible so that users can select which section of the app they would like to view without crowding the app screen.
Stock Information and Press Release view of http://ir.nielsen.com on a smartphone
As mentioned above, to maximize the effectiveness of the app on such a small screen, a stacking style layout has been adopted. On both the stock information and press releases examples above, you can see that the stacking layout ensures that all the content fits on the screen and is easily accessible. Using the scrolling feature of the app, users can quickly browse through the content on the screen and find what information they are looking for.
As noted in our previous post, the future is fast becoming one that is rooted in a mobile online experience. It is now up to companies to decide what manner of online presence they are going to have that will reflect the needs of their users. For investor relations specifically, the goal is to offer investors an online mobile resource where they can easily access all the key information they are used to getting on an IR website. Depending on the company, that goal can be reached in a variety of different ways. As time goes on, the technology and best practices will begin to shift. In order to stay on top of the changing trends, it is important to gain a better understanding of how your user base prefers to access your content and then put your resources into that area.
Related posts:
Q4 Report: Mobile Technologies for Investor Relations
The Future is Mobile Part 1: Overview of findings from our ongoing study
The Future is Mobile Part 2: Best Practice Examples: Responsive Design
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