5 reasons-your-mobile-app-will-fail

5 Reasons Your B2B
Mobile App Will Fail
(And How to Ensure It Doesn’t)

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170

“Mobile is eating the world”
We are in the midst of a mobile revolution. More than 60 percent of U.S. mobile
subscribers use smartphones and the number is growing every year.1 15 percent
of all Internet traffic now comes from tablets or smartphones. Organizations of
all types have embraced this trend and developed mobile apps. 2 As Benedict
Evans says, “Mobile is eating the world.”3

Mobile users who
conduct business
on their devices

While the B2B world typically lags behind the consumer world, the integration
of smartphones and tablets into work life has made this trend difficult to ignore.
Walk through any workplace or job site and you’ll see smartphone users in
full force, not just making calls and sending text messages but reading email,
searching for information and using mobile apps.
The BYOD (bring your own device) movement is accelerating mobile momentum
in the workplace. Even companies that are woefully behind the times are full
of tech-savvy (and tech-dependent) employees. A recent study indicated that
70 percent of mobile professionals will conduct their work on mobile devices
by 2018.4 Even old-line B2B industries that tend to be behind the curve cannot
ignore this revolution. Mobile devices are fast becoming an essential part of
the professional toolset across most industries — critical to how workers stay
connected and to how they find and access information.

70%
by 2018

Nielsen
Adobe Digital Index
Benedict Evans
4
Gartner Inc.
1

2
3

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013

5 Reasons Your B2B Mobile App Will Fail

1

Riding the curve with confidence
Forward-thinking B2B organizations are already riding the mobile curve. They may
have felt particular pressure to make a move when their competitors launched apps
or their sales teams asked for better ways to access support materials on the go.
But as with any initiative — especially software development initiatives — a mobile
app requires a carefully considered strategy. Coming up with ideas may not be very
difficult. The challenge is in determining which ideas are good and how to execute
them effectively.
While there is a lot to be said for wanting to move rapidly to embrace an important
trend, poor planning can result in wasted time, effort and money. Sure, you don’t
want to have to tell the CEO that the mobile app isn’t ready to launch yet and you’ll
be months behind your competitors — but you also don’t want to tell him that the
company invested tens of thousands of dollars in an app that nobody used and
now you’ll have to start from scratch.

“ orward-thinking
F
B2B organizations
are already riding
the mobile curve.”

If you take a smart approach, you can move quickly and effectively.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


2

It’s not all about the idea
When it comes to building new applications, there is always a great deal of focus
placed on coming up with the right idea. It is very easy to overemphasize this.
Ideas are important, but they are only a starting point; the best way to execute may
be very different from the way you conceived it. Few organizations move forward
with truly bad ideas, but many move forward with a mistaken notion of how far
their good idea can really take them on its own.
Derek Sivers, successful technology entrepreneur and author, developed the chart below,
which provides a useful perspective on the relationship between ideas and execution.

STRENGTH OF

QUALITY OF

THE IDEA
Awful
Weak
So-so
Good
Great
Brilliant

= -1
= 1
= 5
= 10
= 15
= 20

EXECUTION

X

None
Weak
So-so
Good
Great
Brilliant

=
=
=
=
=
=

$1
$1,000
$10,000
$100,000
$1,000,000
$10,000,000

=

“deas are only
I
part of the
equation.
They are
multipliers.”

VALUE OF

TECHNOLOGY

Multiply the strength of an idea by the quality of its execution to determine
the value of a technology.5

Ideas are only part of the equation. They are multipliers. Even the best ones
won’t go far without strong execution. Weak execution can drain substantial resources
from an organization while yielding little or no value.
A successful app development process begins with the development of a strong
strategic foundation that will carry through ideation, execution and beyond.
5

Derek Sivers

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


3

“So, what’s wrong with my idea?”
Maybe nothing. The point is not to suggest that you and your team have bad ideas,
and we certainly don’t want to make you feel gun-shy about ideation. But there
is a set of critical considerations you need to go through to ensure that your idea
makes sense for your company and is executed successfully.
It’s easy to feel the pressure to skip the strategic process necessary to refine your
ideas and properly plan your execution. After all, you know your customers. And
the mobile app idea you had in the shower this morning certainly seems perfect.
And that development shop your IT department found has built a lot of apps
before, so they should do a good job … right?

?

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


4

Go forward with confidence
Despite the title, our focus is not on failure but on success. In this e-book, we
will look at the five most common fundamental problems with mobile app ideas
and execution. Our focus will be on B2B apps, but the principles here also apply
generally to consumer mobile development.

5 reasons your B2B mobile app will fail:
1

You built the app for the wrong person.

2

You built a solution in search of a problem.

3

Your idea doesn’t connect to your brand.

4

You’ve lost your core value to feature distraction.

5

You’re not removing enough friction.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


5

1

You built the app for
the wrong person.

?

If your mobile app (or any of your marketing initiatives) is not grounded in a meaningful
understanding of your audience, it’s not likely to succeed.
In the B2B world, we need to engage with a wide range of audiences — influencers,
decision-makers, end-users, distributors, etc. Successful marketing strategies and
tactics require an understanding of each audience as well as its role in the influence and
decision chain for our products and services.
Most companies think they understand their audiences, but once they get beneath the
surface, they find they are operating with some blind spots and assumptions about what
drives potential customers to make decisions. Ensure you have strong command of your
audience’s perspective before undertaking any significant marketing initiative.

Identifying your audience
At The Mx Group, we use a highly focused process to develop a picture of each of our
clients’ target audiences. These pictures, which we call Personas, give flesh-and-blood
identities to these audiences, clarifying the contrast points between different buyers
and ensuring that all of the marketing strategies and tactics we deploy are aligned with
audience needs.
While an enormous amount of time or extensive research aren’t required to develop this
type of actionable understanding about your market, you will need an effective process
and a commitment to uncovering the critical, differentiated concerns of the most
important potential users.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013

“ ost companies
M
think they
understand their
audiences, but
they are operating
with some
blind spots and
assumptions.”


6

2

You built a solution
in search of a problem.

You built a great app — so why didn’t anyone use it?
Because knowing your audience is just the first step. To develop an app successfully,
you need a granular understanding of your audience’s needs. What problems do they
have that this app could help them solve?
Will this resonate with your audience? Will they see your app as a solution to a problem
they actually have? Users won’t integrate a new piece of technology into their workflow
unless it’s something they really need.

Think like a mobile user
When addressing this issue, make sure you’re thinking clearly about how mobile devices
fit into your user’s day. For example, you probably provide a wide range of information
on your website and in your product specification literature. But when considering what
type of app would deliver value, you’ll need to narrow your focus. If you’re building
an app for contractors, does it deliver the type of information a contractor is typically
looking for while on a job site or in another high-mobile-use area? If not, maybe you
should be delivering a different set of information. If your app is designed to empower
your sales force, have you aligned it with the sales team’s process?

“ sers won’t
U
integrate a
new piece of
technology into
their workflow
unless it’s
something they
really need.”

Remember, mobile solutions should solve mobile problems. Your mobile app should
address issues connected with a user’s need to access information when it is not
convenient to use other means (e.g., a laptop or desktop computer).

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


7

2

(cont.)

What problem will your app solve?
For meaningful adoption, an app must solve a real problem for its users. Examples of
problems that B2B mobile apps can solve include:
•

Users: Equipment installers in the field
Problem: “Installing products takes longer than it should because I don’t
have ready access to product information on the job site.”

•

Users: Sales team
Problem: “When I’m on the road with potential customers, I can’t easily
show potential savings or ROI calculations.”

•

Users: Plant engineers
Problem: “I don’t have ready access to manufacturer recommendations,
so troubleshooting issues with equipment on the plant floor takes longer
than it should.”

Many B2B companies have forged ahead with applications that seem to fit a user need,
but really don’t. A set of features may sound great to you, but if your app doesn’t solve
any actual problems, your audience won’t use it.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013

A set of features
may sound great
to you, but if
your app doesn’t
solve any actual
problems, your
audience won’t
use it.


8

3

Your idea doesn’t connect
to your brand.

Mobile apps should not be planned or developed in a vacuum. Be sure that ideation
around your app is rooted in your brand strategy.
Many apps fail because the concept behind them is too peripheral — even
antithetical — to the company’s brand. For example, if you are a high-end, aspirational
brand, it might not make sense to launch an app that helps users find ways to cut costs.
If you are an IT security firm, it might seem like a good idea to build an app that helps
people find IT conferences in their area. But is this app really connected to what the
brand stands for? Probably not. You should not be building the mobile equivalent of a
desk calendar or a logo pen.
Success in developing a mobile app isn’t just about adoption; it’s about adoption that
will help support your relationships with current and prospective customers.

Is this idea consistent with what my brand is about?
This is a key question you need to ask as you formulate your mobile ideas — and
throughout the execution process. Your brand strategy will serve as an important
grounding element for your mobile strategy.
Be careful not to psych yourself out of taking the mobile leap through this process.
Remember, your brand isn’t what you do now; it’s what you should do. It’s easy for
B2B companies to say, “We’re an old-school organization. We’re about face-to-face
communication — not technology leadership.” But if your brand is about building
relationships with your customers and empowering them, then you should find ways to
leverage this new channel to deliver on that promise. More than a few businesses have
found themselves left behind because they decided that a new technology didn’t fit in
with their business model or the mindset of their current customers. Mobile is here to
stay. A new generation of decision-makers will rely substantially on their smartphones
and tablets. Find a way to deliver your core value through this channel.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


9

4

You’ve lost your core value
to feature distraction.

Use of requested
software features

So you’ve got an idea that is well aligned with your brand and will solve a real problem
for your users. What happens next? You make a big list of the features and start building,
right? This is where most market-facing applications fail.
There is a core value to your brand and the application that you’ve envisioned. But
capturing it in the final product takes strategy and discipline. If you’re already planning
several features, ask yourself if they will deliver the core value. What about the other
features that you (or someone on your team) will add during the process?
If you are not careful, you’ll wind up adding a large list of features that will result in two
critical distractions:
1. User distractions — The features that aren’t delivering your core value will be hard
to find among the noise of marginal features.
2. Diversion of resources — Money and time will be squandered developing these
useless features, leaving your most important features underexecuted and
draining the core value from your application.

64%

rarely or never used

6

6

The Standish Group

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


10

4

(cont.)

Feature planning
Work with your development partner to ensure your application stays focused on
features that will deliver its core value.

Typical feature planning flow

Your ideas

Result

Potential features

!!! !!
!!

!!!

• Frozen commitment
to original features
• Distracting feature
additions and reworks

• Project late and
over budget
• 60% of the
features useless
• Useful features buried
and underexecuted

Ideal feature planning flow
Your ideas

!!! !!!! !!
! !!

Refine ideas

Refined features

!!! !!!

Persona, needs,
brand strategy

Develop critical
user experiences

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013

Result
Prioritization and
filtering of features

• Useful feature set
focused on core
value
• roject on time
P
and on budget


11

5

You’re not removing
enough friction.

You have identified a real problem for your users and you have a way to solve it. Now
you need to determine how much of an improvement your solution will be over the
solutions your users are currently using.
Most successful market-facing applications have one thing in common: They remove
“friction” for users in a process. User friction consists of all elements that either require
work on the part of the user or cause resistance, uncertainty or confusion.
For example, a tool that allows you to easily pull up relevant information is better than
one that requires you to scroll through multiple pages of information to find what you
need. (A search engine is a prime example.) Generally, a tool that removes operations
or confusion from a process — reducing the number of clicks and simplifying the
interface — provides value to a user.
So when planning an app, you have to ask yourself, “How does this process compare
with alternative ways to do the same thing?” For example, if your app provides product
details through a three-step interface that requires a lot of scrolling and information
input, but your website (through a mobile or desktop device) will provide those details in
just two steps, then you are actually adding friction to your user’s process.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


12

5

(cont.)

Look at the big picture
To assess how much friction your solution removes from a process, you’ll need to take
a wide view of the process. Let’s take this example:
Users: Equipment installers in the field
Problem: “Installing products takes longer than it should since because I don’t have
ready access to product information on the job site.”
How is the problem solved now? Installers bring manuals to a job site and thumb
through them to find information. They might ask someone on the job site or even
just estimate proper installation specifications themselves.
Let’s look at how these solutions cause friction and where they have important flaws:

Read from printed manuals
Friction

Flaws

Ask someone / estimate

• Time required to find the information
• Printed materials take up space

• Time required to find someone and discuss
• Estimation causes uncertainty and anxiety

• Outdated information may lead

to inaccurate installation

Will your app be
an improvement
over current
solutions?

• Incorrect information or estimation may

lead to inaccurate installation

Will your app be an improvement over these solutions?
You’ll need to fully understand the current process and ensure that yours removes
friction and adds value.
Remember, an application should deliver enough value in solving a problem that users will sell it
for you. When your app becomes a central part of the user’s work day, they are compelled to tell
their colleagues about it — and that’s the most effective marketing you can get!

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


13

5

(cont.)

Mobile isn’t frictionless
By definition, most mobile applications automatically remove at least one element
of friction because the user will not need to access a desktop or laptop computer to
access the tool’s features. But if your app forces users into an even lengthier or more
confusing process, you are actually adding friction. That additional friction may cancel
out the advantages of mobility and result in a tool that does not significantly improve
on current solutions.

Delivering a successful user experience
When planning your user experience, it’s important to consider how users interact with
mobile content. Patterns are different than they are on desktop devices. In the general
mobile population, users spend 90 percent of their mobile device time reading and 10
percent interacting.
The fact that users spend much more time reading than interacting on mobile devices
suggests that mobile utility is more about access to information on the go and less
about having access to full or complex tool sets on every device. This concept makes
sense — smaller mobile screens and keyboards are generally less conducive than
desktop applications to heavy form inputs and controls. In order to ensure that you are
delivering the optimal user experience, make sure you are working with user experience
experts and user interface designers who truly understand mobile.

“ ake sure you
M
are working with
user experience
designers who
truly understand
mobile.”

Since mobile remains very new, the idea of making a process or a set of information
available through smartphones and tablets remains exciting. But don’t let this
excitement cause you to overlook the fact that to be successful, a mobile experience
needs to remove barriers that users currently encounter in accessing that same content.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


14

Don’t be afraid
The key to success is to address mobile opportunity through an effective, strategic
process — determining your objectives and leveraging your knowledge of the audience
and their needs to create applications that will solve real user problems while
supporting your brand promise.
The mobile revolution has created a new playing field on which to engage and provide
value to key audiences. Smart organizations will make the move to stay on this curve
and ahead of their competitors.
Many organizations are afraid of failure and are paralyzed when it comes to moving
onto this playing field. Don’t be! The tide is moving quickly, so you don’t want to
wait. You don’t need months of meetings and hand-wringing about your mobile
strategy — just a smart process of ideation and execution.

Ready to discuss
developing a
successful B2B
mobile app?
Call The Mx Group at:
800-827-0170

Knowing where you might go wrong will help ensure that you are well positioned to
successfully take advantage of the mobile opportunity.

TheMxGroup.com | 800-827-0170 | © 2013


15

The Mx Group’s
software development practice
The Mx Group’s software development team specializes in creating market-facing applications. Our approach
involves a detailed discovery process that helps uncover our client’s objectives and the needs of their audience,
then finds ways to bring them together to create applications that are valuable, long-term investments. We build
applications through an agile process that optimizes development budgets and allows real feedback from the
marketplace to drive ongoing and cost-effective enhancements.

About The Mx Group
The Mx Group is a marketing and technology services company that seamlessly integrates and delivers digital,
creative and sales enablement services for our clients. We are a collection of creative problem solvers, including
marketing strategists, business analysts, designers, writers, programmers, data specialists and sales management
experts. All bringing unique skills and perspectives while contributing to our common mission of helping
companies excite markets, engage customers, effect sales and embed value to create a Total Market Experience™.

For more information, contact The Mx Group at 800-827-0170 or visit TheMxGroup.com

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