This document discusses the development of mobile applications to extend the reach of Extension programs. It provides examples of several apps created by Extension to address issues in agriculture, parenting, and education. The apps were designed to simplify data collection and resource access for users on mobile devices. By making Extension resources more accessible and usable on mobile platforms, these apps allow for more efficient resource delivery and optimized management practices.
6. Balancing Act
Content
Video
Audio
Text
Database
Photos
Product
User Needs Directions
Platform
Connection Phone
Information Mobile Tablet
Communication Desktop
Learning Strategy Touchscreen
Entertainment User Interface
Shopping Goals
Revenue
Brand
Engagement
Efficiency
7. Strategic Vision
Start at the End
End User
End Result
End Location
Do Less, But Better
Above All Else: Enhance Your
Brand Strategy
“What we call the beginning is often the end.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.” --T.S. Eliot
8. Keys to a Successful Strategy
Mobile First Design
Think Beyond the
“Cool Factor.”
Match App Type
(Native, Hybrid and
Web) with Customer
Needs.
Platform
Independence
Forrester Research
13. What Makes a Good App?
Better Mobile?
Simplification
Competing
Products?
Stakeholder Buy-
in
14. What Makes a Good App?
Concrete Idea
Working Model or
Spreadsheet.
Navigation First,
Content Second
Test, Test, Test
15. Case Studies – Seven Mobile
Apps powered by Ed Media
<mhendricks1@unl.edu>
16. Why mobile?
Goal – What problem(s) does the app solve?
Model – Migrating content to the mobile platform. Is
there a model/workflow to build on?
HUI (Interface design) – What decisions were made
and why?
User needs and concerns– How does mobile
improve or optimize the process? How does it
change the process?
Impacts?
17. Aphid Speed Scout
Goal – decision tool to survey for aphid threshold
Model – Spreadsheet developed by UNL Extension
HUI – Designed to simplify for field data entry
User needs and concerns – Solves problems
surrounding field data entry and visualization,
speeds up data entry/collection, sets calendar
reminders to re-test or recommend treatment
Impacts – More efficient data collection -> optimized
use of pesticide
19. BCS Beef
Goal – Use BCS scores standards, manage nutrition
for beef herds
Model – Tool developed by UNL Extension
HUI – Designed for field data entry
User needs and concerns – Gives users examples of
scored beef cows, tutorial, YouTube and Twitter
feeds
Impacts – Standardization of data collection ->
optimized management
21. Backyard Farmer
Goal – Collect all Backyard Farmer resources in one
app you can take to the garden
Model – Website, TV program
HUI – Field resource and data submission
User needs and concerns – Provides TV program
archives, NebGuides, soil temp, publications,
calendars, weather and photo email to the Backyard
Farmer Panel of Experts – available on iOS and
Android.
Impacts – Take Backyard Farmer to the backyard!
23. Parenting App
Goal – to teach parents about milestones for
newborns to one-year olds and keep an electronic
journal
Model – UNL Extension Resources
HUI – solve user navigation issues
User needs and concerns – aggregate information
about milestones and health records for parents of
newborns to one-year olds
Impacts – Parenting resources that you take with
you!
25. myUNLextension
Goal – provide mobile access to UNL Extension
offices, calendars, programs and other resources
Model – UNL Extension website
HUI – simplify navigation and communication
User needs and concerns – aggregate information
about UNL Extension programs, offices, events
Impacts – Extension resources when you need them!
27. ExtensionTV
Goal – aggregate UNL Extension video content from
multiple sources into a searchable interface
Model – YouTube & other video distribution sites
HUI – weighted grouping of content by spires of
excellence and popularity
User needs and concerns – works on desktop and
on mobile, ability to cut & paste links
Impacts – easily find the video you need from
trusted sources!
30. Marketing in a New Era
Goal – to teach current and potential ag producers
about marketing & management through simulation
Model – multiplayer excel simulation and extension
publications and spreadsheets
HUI – move from spreadsheet to web interface for
more graphic display of concepts
User needs and concerns – learn about marketing
using multiplayer simulations. Design for classroom.
Impacts – greater understanding and development of
skills using real world tools
33. Questions?
Brandon Schulte Mark Hendricks
Director, Ed Media IT Specialist, Ed Media
402-472-2990 402-472-4280
bschulte3@unl.edu mhendricks1@unl.edu
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is an equal
opportunity educator and employer with a
comprehensive plan for diversity.
Editor's Notes
The mobile revolution in many ways mirrors the internet revolution of the late 90s. Many of the innovations that were developed during that age are the innovations that make mobile success possible. Information – The ability, and the expectation of accessing data at your fingertips on demand whenever you need it. This has led to a culture where information is taught and retained in different ways today than it was prior to the internet age. Data Storage – We ’ve come along way from when Bill Gates said that 640k should be sufficient storage for any ones data needs. Now there are files that are routinely that large. The ability to store large amounts of data and access it in timely fashion has led to new innovations from “cloud based computing” to “video streaming and video On-demand.” Networking – The ability to interconnect networks allows for the data speeds in which make mobile possible. Digital – We have a new generation of individuals that will probably never know hard media devices as storage devices from records, to CD ’s to Floppy disks, to DVD’s, Blueray. It’s difficult to image a scenario where digital media don’t replace all traditional media. Social – The advent of social media further put demands on devices which can be updated in real time and can conveniently be carried on the go. The growth of social media has slightly preceded the growth of mobile devices over the past 3-5 years. Mobile – When was the last time you saw or used a payphone. Even 10 years ago the thought of having a computer that you could carry with you at a price point that was more cost effective than a desktop device was unthinkable. Upgrades in operating systems (IOS and Android) coupled with 3 and 4 G connections and WIFI hotspots has made the phone the computer of the future.
-By 2014 more customers will access internet content from mobile devices than desktop devices. -Average User spends 2.7 hours per day on their device. -200 Million Youtube views per day. -50% of all local searches are currently completed on mobile devices - Infographics mobile statistics 2011 -Business Insider Intelligence estimates nearly 500 million tablet devices sold annually by 2015. -Google programmers are doing work on mobile applications first, according to Chairman and Former CEO Eric Schmidt. -By 2013 a typical fortune 500 company will use a combination of at least six different mobile platforms -Apple set mobile -device sales records in the first quarter of 2012 by expanding its global iPhone shipments 88 percent year-over-year to 35.1 million units and boosting iPad shipments by 151 percent to 11.8 million units. Gartner , Forrester and IDC are forecasting 330 million to 375 million media tablet sales in 2015. Unit shipments in the global tablet market are on track to achieve parity with the global PC market within the next three years.
At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Ed Media is considered a service center, which means we charge for our services and are our operations are not state-subsidized. This allows us to move quicker to capitalize on changing market conditions quicker than a state funded operation. Two years ago we worked with IANR (Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources) to provide seed funds for some testing in mobile technology. From there were invested our own money in hiring resources and partnering with third party resources with mobile expertise. We purchased I-pads for our IT staff and for customer to test programs. We moved all of our mobile resources into the same building and built up our personnel, resources and space for this team. We ’ve been flexible with customers and made sure all of our developers know each of the platforms and is able to complete continuing education as the industry evolves. We have worked with customers and potential customers to show them on what is possible using mobile applications and how they might be able to benefit from this technology. We have worked with our developers to standardize the development process to have a consistent way of documenting code which increases efficiency, reduces cycle time for projects and eliminates downtime. We have worked with subject matter experts to collaborate on what they and the end user of the app needs, to better understand the conditions of where the application will be used and what users want in this type of application. Lastly we’ve focused on providing value for our customers. Creating a good product drives value back to the University, the faculty and Ed Media. If customers don’t see at least more value in the end product than what they paid for the product they won’t come back.
When developing a mobile strategy for your university, program or individual product must be considered. While in some instances one category might gave a greater weighting than another category its important to see how each fits into your overall strategy to make the best decision.
Prior to beginning a new project we step back to see the big picture before focusing on the individual product. We look at each part of the mobile strategy to see what makes sense for our customer and the end user. When we begin developing an application we think about the final product first. Who is the end user? A student, a mom with kids, a construction worker, a researcher, etc? Each will need something very different out of the application. Secondly we look at the desired result: increase prestige, increase awareness or outreach, a platform to drive sales, create internal efficiencies, reduce costs, etc. Lastly we look at where will the application be used: in a soybean field without connectivity, on a construction site with heavy duty equipment, in a office environment at a fair or conference etc. By working with the customer we can tailor the best solution for the customer which increases the likelihood of adoption and the success of the application. Do less, but better. An app is considerably smaller and has less utility than a website, channel, newspaper, book, etc. However it can be a tremendous aggregator of information. As an example I think of our Backyard Farmer application. BYF is a weekly gardening program run on the local PBS channel that is the third longest running program in America. This app allows a user to watch a current episode or any of the episodes over the past few seasons. Has access to weather data for the users location, links to soil temperatures, recent gardening news and tips, allows a user to take a picture of a plant, pest, etc and email a question to the show, links to gardening Neb Guides which have research-based specific information on gardening and the history of the program. It also presents it in a mobile form where a user can take the phone with them to their garden getting real time information as they come across obstacles out in their yard. This type of functionality can ’t be replicated on one website or on the program and would need multiple trips across several places and significant searching to get the same information accessible on the app. Above all else, just like everything else the goal of an app has to be to enhance your brand strategy, if it doesn ’t do that then it’s a waste of time. Again think back to the foundation of the internet where for a while everyone needed to have a website regardless if that made sense or not. The same thing is true for an application. Just because it is new and cool, isn’t sufficient reason to build an app.
Here are some things that we ’ve learned at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln over the past two years. The current consensus amongst web developers and web marketers is that a mobile first design makes for the most effective strategy. This line of thinking holds that if you can hold someone ’s attention on a small screen while they are riding a bus, walking down the street, waiting for class, etc. that the design will do even better when someone is sitting at a desktop looking at your material. The other advantage of a mobile first strategy is that it forces you to highlight the four or five things that you do best. In other words, if you think of the 80-20 rule which states that 20% of your site generates 80% of your traffic then you focus on that 20% in your mobile platform to produce the best results. And if that 20% of your website aligns with the goals and objectives of you program, university or business you are better off than almost any of your competing institutions or programs. As we just said being cool isn ’t enough, the app must have a functional use. While we are still fairly early in the life cycle of an app, gone are the days when you post and app, any app, and see tens of thousands downloads per day and huge revenue streams just because you have an app. To be successful the app must serve a need and do something better than other competitors (apps or other such as web, books, videos, etc). We will discuss the different types of apps more in depth later but we ’ve found that it is absolutely critical to match the type of app that you develop with your customer’s needs. If these are misaligned then the value of that application will significantly be reduced. A quick example of this misalignment might be relying on a web app that requires a constant internet connection to function in a rural area with poor connectivity. Our first few apps were all native, but as we ’ve gotten better we’ve been pushing platform independence with our customers. Right now IOS (Apple) and Android (Google) have the vast majority of the market while players such as Microsoft, Blackberry, Barnes and Noble etc try to catch up. By staying independent we don’t only save time and money on the front end we also reduce the risk of a VHS vs. Beta VCR scenario playing out like it did in the 1980’s. If you choose the wrong solution you could find yourself with an obsolete product just like a Beta user did 20 years ago.
What does it mean to have a “mobile strategy?” Any of the logos around the edge are examples of mobile platforms however to be successful a University or company can’t just one of several of these but rather have an integrated strategy to best compete in a mobile economy. There are three development paths for an application – Native, Hybrid and Web. The budget and user requirements are the two key drivers when making the decision on which path to follow. After discussing the big picture through the first few slides at this point in the process we start thinking small. How do we display crucial information and hold a users interest with our content when the screen size is five, ten or even 15 times smaller? Lastly, we ’ll discuss what’s worked for us, what hasn’t and give some case study examples to help you pin down some ways to successfully display your content on a mobile platform.
The type of application determines the cost and user interface or experience. A native app (developing directly through the IOS/Apple or Android/Google) platform provides the best user experience as it is designed specifically for that operating system, but at the highest cost. On the other side of the spectrum you have a web application which has the lowest cost, but the worst user functionality. A hybrid app falls in between where you use general programming for both platforms for the application, but customize the code to fit each platform at the end of the process. Some examples of this customization might be screen size, screen orientation, etc. Let ’s talk about each one specificially. Native Apps Native apps run on devices locally using device OS - can use things like GPS, Compass, USB, Camera etc. Natives apps are usually self-contained (don ’ t require net connection) Native apps can share data between other native apps Hybrid Hybrid apps are native apps which can interact with remote programs and data Hybrid apps generally are used in news and other apps where current data is important. Hybrid apps can also be used to submit and share data Web Web apps are sites designed for mobile devices Many can “automatically” determine which device is being used - Need network connection - cannot use device specific hardware Can be faster to build and less expensive General Rules of Thumb “ Innovate where it matters and standardize everywhere else...” Pick the “right” tool for the job and allocate appropriate resources.
Points to show… Data Entry and Visualization
Show LEARN game, twitter feed, YouTube and app. Rick Rasby, lead specialist, developed by Russell Houlden and Mark Hendricks
Show video, NebGuides, etc.
Brandon – you might have more experience using this one…
Google maps and calendar
Architecture
Demo from laptop, link on iPads
Still very beta… mulitplayer, classroom in mind… admin interface, teacher interface….