Im curious what people want from the New App

Reads 4697 • Replies 45 • Started Thursday, October 26, 2017 12:37:09 PM CT

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Message Marduk P beers 21970 º places 968 º 00:53 Fri 10/27/2017 It to work properly?
Message tmrmwel beers 4375 º places 65 º 01:23 Fri 10/27/2017 I'm on Erics app as long as offline ratings is not an option in the new one. In addition: what MonsterMagnet said above.
Message chriso P beers 7540 º places 736 º 01:47 Fri 10/27/2017 My general feeling - and one that I've expressed elsewhere - is what's the point of apps at all when they are simply vehicles for serving up a stripped down version of a website. You can have a mobile version of the website for that anyway. I don't need a standalone app for every website I visit on a mobile device on a regular or semi-regular basis, despite most businesses and designers seeming to think I do. Especially when the bloody things want to update on an almost daily basis. I suspect most of them are more directed towards marketing opportunities and data harvesting than enhancing the user experience. I've junked most of the apps I had on my mobile devices. I have retained a few but they're generally third party ones that provide features that are not available in the official app, or on the website. Like Eric's. In my experience, enthusiasts often do a better job for fellow enthusiasts than businesses and designers, for whom an enhanced user experience for enthusiasts is not always (ever?) the prime motivation.

Message haukur beers 2184 º places 32 º 02:52 Fri 10/27/2017 Ratings via the app to be counted as real ratings. I dont want to backtrack via the site just to put in text.
Message Rasmus40 P beers 34464 º places 722 º 08:04 Fri 10/27/2017 Originally posted by chriso My general feeling - and one that I've expressed elsewhere - is what's the point of apps at all when they are simply vehicles for serving up a stripped down version of a website. You can have a mobile version of the website for that anyway. I don't need a standalone app for every website I visit on a mobile device on a regular or semi-regular basis, despite most businesses and designers seeming to think I do. Especially when the bloody things want to update on an almost daily basis. I suspect most of them are more directed towards marketing opportunities and data harvesting than enhancing the user experience. I've junked most of the apps I had on my mobile devices. I have retained a few but they're generally third party ones that provide features that are not available in the official app, or on the website. Like Eric's. In my experience, enthusiasts often do a better job for fellow enthusiasts than businesses and designers, for whom an enhanced user experience for enthusiasts is not always (ever?) the prime motivation. I feel exactly the same. I don't want an app at all. I just want the full website to work smoothly if possible, and I'll leave the app to more casual (and younger?) users.
Message cgarvieuk P beers 37625 º places 457 º 08:18 Fri 10/27/2017 Originally posted by chriso My general feeling - and one that I've expressed elsewhere - is what's the point of apps at all when they are simply vehicles for serving up a stripped down version of a website. You can have a mobile version of the website for that anyway. I don't need a standalone app for every website I visit on a mobile device on a regular or semi-regular basis, despite most businesses and designers seeming to think I do. Especially when the bloody things want to update on an almost daily basis. I suspect most of them are more directed towards marketing opportunities and data harvesting than enhancing the user experience. I've junked most of the apps I had on my mobile devices. I have retained a few but they're generally third party ones that provide features that are not available in the official app, or on the website. Like Eric's. In my experience, enthusiasts often do a better job for fellow enthusiasts than businesses and designers, for whom an enhanced user experience for enthusiasts is not always (ever?) the prime motivation. I was with you for a while Chris. but there something an app can do better as its designed for smaller screens and doesnt need follow web page rules, and app can work when OFFLINE, as its on the device not the web. But the best apps, tend to do a small subset of what the web page offeres. BGenerally something thats used a lot comapired to rest of web, and do it very simply and neatly. Rating on Erics app is so much better than mobile web page. Plus you can have many ratings open in Erics App. When you look up every beer on the board. Not need to complte one before starting the next Or My bus tracker. That knows where i am, shows me the nearest stops, and allows me quicky to see when bus is due Even my Phone provider. Where data left is much easier and quicker to see on App than the website But Lots of people expecially younger people expect an app. Id be surprised if untappd is 80+% app use SO ratebeer if going to attract new people needs the app, but i think it needs to be right. and thats Right both for us long term users, and attracting new users. Im really hopeful that we will see offline rating comme to the app, though maybe 5-6 months away.
Message cgarvieuk P beers 37625 º places 457 º 08:20 Fri 10/27/2017 Originally posted by Rasmus40 I feel exactly the same. I don't want an app at all. I just want the full website to work smoothly if possible, and I'll leave the app to more casual (and younger?) users. Im no causal rater. Erics app makes my fesival and pub visits. Many Many times easier, than the web pages do. I do tend to use web at home, but if out, Eric app, has saved me hours of time every month

Message jercraigs P beers 14882 º places 1051 º 08:21 Fri 10/27/2017 1) Ratings that allow for full attribute scores and "integrate" with my regular ratings. 2) Offline ratings I guess, but personally i just use Notepad on my phone and transfer to Ratebeer at a PC.
Message cgarvieuk P beers 37625 º places 457 º 08:32 Fri 10/27/2017 Originally posted by jercraigs 1) Ratings that allow for full attribute scores and "integrate" with my regular ratings. 2) Offline ratings I guess, but personally i just use Notepad on my phone and transfer to Ratebeer at a PC. 1 Exists as is. Notepad and transwfering is a pain, but yeah without off line ive done that at times. but in an app, they sync easily when you then get online
Message chriso P beers 7540 º places 736 º 11:04 Fri 10/27/2017 Originally posted by cgarvieuk I was with you for a while Chris. but there something an app can do better as its designed for smaller screens and doesnt need follow web page rules, and app can work when OFFLINE, as its on the device not the web. But the best apps, tend to do a small subset of what the web page offeres. BGenerally something thats used a lot comapired to rest of web, and do it very simply and neatly. Rating on Erics app is so much better than mobile web page. Plus you can have many ratings open in Erics App. When you look up every beer on the board. Not need to complte one before starting the next 1. The "smaller screen" argument is a complete red herring. It seems to have become seen as de rigeur to have an app for mobile devices full stop. But there is a whole range of mobile devices with a whole range of screen sizes. What looks good on a small phone screen tends to look crappy on a sizeable tablet screen and even more crappy on a laptop. Nobody makes apps optimised for the larger screens on tablets. There is, of course, an argument that apps designed for 5 inch phone screens, unsurprisingly, look better than the full website on 5 inch phone screens. That doesn't mean they are best for all mobile devices of all sizes. In any case, there have been mobile versions of websites optimised for smaller screens since long before apps became flavour of the month. 2. Some apps can, of course, do useful things offline. Like any software. That's why I said I don't often see the point of apps that do nothing other than present a stripped down version of a website (i.e. most of them). I have apps on my phone that do useful housekeeping things, file exploring, playing media, photo editing etc. Those are not the type of apps I'm talking about. For many websites/apps (think Facebook, Twitter, BBC News etc) live content is pretty much what it's all about so being able to work offline doesn't have much appeal. 3. It's fine if an app does a small subset of the full functionality as long as that subset corresponds to what I want. All too often it doesn't. 4. There are many great apps that provide additional functionality, or other advantages, out there. Eric's is, no doubt, one such. A central plank of the Android platform has been to facilitate the development of third party apps, often by enthusiasts who are not in it for personal gain. Those apps frequently trump the official offerings. I said as much in my previous post. I'm sure you're right in saying that the cool kids expect an app. For now. Until something else becomes the next big thing in a year or two. As in many areas, trends in IT seem to me (as an outsider) to be driven as much by fashion as function.