Adding to Our Apps – There’s a Handbook for That

Renew your library book. Check air pollution levels. Look up property information. And do it all from the coffee shop, the beach, gym or anywhere else you’re “on the go.”

Those are just a few of the things you can do from your smartphone with the County’s latest mobile apps. They’re joining the rest of the quickly expanding lineup in the County App Center, the one-stop shop to get the County’s mobile goods. Some of them are full-fledged phone apps. Others are websites or pages designed for easy access on a smartphone.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to getting in the mobile game,” said David Lindsay, who led the SDCounty2Go initiative. “Different approaches are going to work for different customer services.”

The SDCounty2Go initiative was launched to help the County respond to the skyrocketing demand for information and services on mobile devices. Sales of tablets and smartphones combined already outstrip desktop and laptops together, and the trend is only picking up pace.

The need to make services available to the mobile customer is clear; the road there is less so. Part of the SDCounty2Go team’s task was to help show the way for County staff. Team members invested a lot of effort in analyzing what works and what doesn’t in the mobile field, drawing from research, case studies and industry analysts. They reviewed lessons learned from the County’s early work in the mobile field. Then they sketched out the major steps staff should take to create an app.

The result is the just-completed SDCounty2Go Handbook, a simple guide to getting a mobile app from concept to someone downloading it – and keeping it – on their phone.

“Mobile apps are a great way for us to connect with our customers,” said Chief Information Officer Mikel Haas. “But like anything, there are pitfalls to avoid. Our goal can’t be to just get an app out there. It has to be useful, and the customer has to have a good experience. This handbook is a key resource for making that happen.”

The handbook has factors to consider when you’re trying to define what a mobile app should do, compares different methods of getting one launched, and explains the importance of monitoring reviews of apps after launch. It also includes style guidelines for those designing an app.

Even though he helped write the County’s book on it, Lindsay emphasizes apps are rapidly evolving and there will be more to learn as we progress. For that reason, it’s important that anyone working on apps keep their group IT manager in the loop.

“On each app we’ve launched, it’s been a little different process. The key is to share these experiences and keep newcomers aware of how the field is changing,” Lindsay said.