Our initial work meetings with the team were highly productive. Together, we set the project goals and chose from a range of alternative approaches for reaching them. We gained perfect understanding of the work processes and the vision of the website’s team. Without wasting time, we created the project plan and schedule and allocated the responsibilities and tasks. Our next step involved setting up the foundation for the building of a unique mobile news app.
Excellent Preparation
Our work began with analyzing the leading mobile apps for sports news in the world plus some rising stars.
We evaluated them in detail, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses. We had a clear direction where we were heading and came up with lots of new ideas.
Our thorough market research revelead what users wanted and how to give them the best experience and make them come back for more.
The first step in the app’s conceptual design development was building the information architecture with the use of mind maps. We determined the app’s features and how to organize the content. The mind maps served as the basis for creating interactive wireframes of the user interface which showed how users would interact with the content. During the concept building process, the teams of Whiz and our client discussed all details to ensure that the end result would be truly perfect.
A Superb Mobile App Bringing Joy to Users and Revenue to Its Owner
We designed the mobile app to fit the smartphone and tablet touchscreens precisely. Users can view the entire content, from the articles to the photos and video clips, perfectly, regardless of how they hold their smartphone or how large their tablet’s display is. The design is elegant and fresh. The menu has clearly defined sections while the buttons are big enough for comfortable tapping. We chose the green color, which makes the brand recognizable, as the main one. This added an extra touch of charm to the user interface - people simply cannot move their eyes away from the screen.
Our programmers built an impeccably working native mobile app matching the strict requirements of Android and iOS completely. Native development has major advantages. In the first place, there is the incredible speed, which is fundamental for creating excellent user experience. The app works effectively in sync with the features of the smart devices and this makes it even more useful, fun and engaging. For example, it is much easier to use the smartphone’s mic for performing a voice search than to enter the keywords using the keyboard. We created wonderful features for the app, ensuring that they would be intuitive to use. Any content on the application can be reached with a few taps on the touchscreen.
The mobile app turned out to be as fabulous as we had envisioned it and matched the management’s requirements precisely. Check out the features that users enjoy:
- Beautiful design in the brand’s style which pleases the eye from the moment you open the app
- Intuitive navigation - The menu and all of its sections plus the options for viewing each type of content (like image galleries and interviews) can be accessed from anywhere in the app with the touch of a button.
- Well-organized sports news sections - All articles and other pieces of content are arranged in clearly labeled categories and subcategories. Users can easily find what they are looking for from the menu.
- All news stories come with a photo and/or video - What better way to use the multimedia functionality of smartphones and tablets? Users can see the memorable moments in sport.
- News filtering for a personalized experience - Users can choose to see only interviews, comments, video, photo galleries, audio materials or gossip news.
- Quick access to related stories - By tapping the “More” button above each article, users can see related ones. This is a great way to help them learn more and engage them more effectively. The higher engagement guarantees the long-term success of the mobile news app.
- Voice search - Users can choose to enter keywords to perform a search or tap the mic icon and actually tell the app what they are looking for. This feature works exceptionally well.
- Social media sharing - With a few taps, users can share an article on the most popular social networks and email it to their friends too. This helps to create buzz for the article and for the mobile app resulting in more downloads.
We gave the app a user location tracking feature, enabling it to show regional sports new. This is a great opportunity for sports fans to follow their favorite local teams, players and events. This feature can also be used for ad personalization as part of target marketing campaigns.
The integration of the banner ad serving systems - SmartAdServer and Google Mobile Ads, with the app is in
the core of the monetization strategy. The mobile app is free and this inevitably results in more downloads and active users. Advertisers, on the other hand, are eager to target a larger audience.
By connecting brands with consumers, the application makes money. The monetization model works flawlessly and helps for the mobile app’s long-term growth and development across all departments, from user experience and features to marketing.
The native mobile app has push notifications too. They are generated automatically on the users’ smartphones and tablets, regardless of whether they are using the app or not. The messages can vary from breaking sports news to a short presentation of the latest application features. Push notifications help to increase user activity on the app. They can be used effectively for advertising and promotion too.
Thanks to the integration of Google Tag Manager, the team can find out exactly what users are doing on the app. The analytics reveal the preferences and expectations of the app’s target audience. The team knows exactly what to do to achieve higher user engagement and long-term growth.
Growing Popularity and Further Development
The mobile app was ready for publishing on Google Play and App Store. To prepare it for the big day, we gave it an attention-grabbing icon plus promotional graphics presenting its interface and features in the best possible light. Just like good coaches never leave their players alone, we stand by the mobile app’s side along its way. Our team ensures that it works perfectly at all times. With the integrated system for automatic reporting, we will know about the existence of a functional problem immediately. This enables us to provide a solution fast. We are always reachable via phone, email or online chat.
Our team is actively involved in the app’s further development with ideas and suggestions which we discuss with our client's team. With optimizations, we give it a longer useful life and help it keep up with the pace of modern technology. We add new features for increasing user engagement and loyalty.
How is the mobile app performing in the competitive market? Just like the sports, which the journalists write about, the application is gaining an ever larger number of fans.
There are tens of thousands of downloads from Google Play and App Store. The excellent reviews, the high ratings and the numerous happy users all make us, at Whiz, feel proud.