Designing an iPhone App for Mobile Engagement

One of my favorite purchases last year was the iPhone. I use the iPhone as a mini-Internet device and to me the applications are what make it what it is–my favorite apps enable me connect with content and people. (I have to admit though that while I love many aspects of it, as a business user, the poor email, lack of search and ability to invite people to events, and the keyboard can be quite frustrating. But, I feel REALLY cool with it…)

KickApps has always been a big fan of the iPhone and early on we developed ways in which our site owners could customize their KickApps powered sites for the iPhone (including transcoding video so that it can be viewed on the iPhone). Lately we’ve been designing iPhone apps for our clients and doing a lot of thinking about what features their site members would want.

Here are some basic things that we think go into a successful iPhone app for online communities:

1. A view of community activity and your friends’ activities, including interactions with each other and content
2. People section where you can view your friends or other community members’ profiles and communicate with them by leaving comments for them or sending messages
3. Media section where you can view, comment on and upload photos, videos, audio or blogs
4. Tracking and participating in discussions on message boards

All of these things enable a member to stay connected with your site, it’s content and the people that matter to them. What would you like in a iPhone app for an online community?

Contact the KickApps Client Solutions team if you’re interested in adding an iPhone app to your KickApps mix. Our team is able to help you design and build one.