Im curious what people want from the New App

Reads 4694 • Replies 45 • Started Thursday, October 26, 2017 12:37:09 PM CT

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cgarvieuk
beers 37625 º places 457 º 11:36 Fri 10/27/2017

Originally posted by chriso
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. In any case, there have been mobile versions of websites optimised for smaller screens since long before apps became flavour of the month.

2. 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.


1)agreed probably would never use app on my tablet, but many are useful to me on my phone

2) apps like twitter seem to deal with notifications, that the website site doesn't. I also find app easier to use on phone,but equally totally happy with bbc mobile websites.

3)agreed there are many crap apps

4) agree that's true. if fan led can often give better app. but there's no reason an official one cant be good if they get it right. Also agree that many features of app will be for developers benifit nkt users. but that can also be true if Web

agree tends change, but i think apps are probably here to stay. but even if not. i think we need make ratebeer easily access to as many as possible, bif it wants to stay relevant

 
blipp
beers 14843 º places 219 º 11:41 Fri 10/27/2017

Can someone explain "offline" ratings to me? Are you pre-loading pages when you have access to wifi, then going out and taking notes, then uploading the ratings when you return to a place with wifi?

This sounds like they type of feature that a very small subset of power users would use. When I rate from my phone currently, I just rate straight through the mobile website, and can't really think of an instance in the past year where I would have used an "offline" rating feature.

 
DuffMan
beers 10981 º places 349 º 11:47 Fri 10/27/2017

Originally posted by blipp
Can someone explain "offline" ratings to me? Are you pre-loading pages when you have access to wifi, then going out and taking notes, then uploading the ratings when you return to a place with wifi?

This sounds like they type of feature that a very small subset of power users would use. When I rate from my phone currently, I just rate straight through the mobile website, and can't really think of an instance in the past year where I would have used an "offline" rating feature.

I agree. Just pay for a data plan.

 
cgarvieuk
beers 37625 º places 457 º 12:09 Fri 10/27/2017

Originally posted by blipp
Can someone explain "offline" ratings to me? Are you pre-loading pages when you have access to wifi, then going out and taking notes, then uploading the ratings when you return to a place with wifi?

This sounds like they type of feature that a very small subset of power users would use. When I rate from my phone currently, I just rate straight through the mobile website, and can't really think of an instance in the past year where I would have used an "offline" rating feature.


Ok theres a whole Raft of Situations

1) I am looking up every beer in the bar to see how many i need. If i Need it i start a Rating.(Cask at...) SO its stored on phone, Then look up next, then next etc. Till i have a list of all the beers that i need. Then i decide which im actually gonna buy.

2) No Internet. Guess what i need and take my notes

3) Internet is Slow, it often is at festivals I write notes but dont have time to waste hoping its going to upload and not error.

4) Preload a festival list onto a Phone so i know exactly the ones i want.

5) The beer doesnt exist in DB. So Rate offline till i can or someone else adds then upload.


100% of my Beer use while out at about is using Erics app and id say about half the beers i do on it are done off line for one of above reasons.

Id also say that of those i know who use erics app the main reason they love it is the Off line Feature. Esp as its a feature the WEB can not offer.
Plus its much harder to lose a rating you hit the back button on your web and all the entry input is lost, you hit back button on his app and you just end up back at list of recent beers

 
cgarvieuk
beers 37625 º places 457 º 12:10 Fri 10/27/2017

Originally posted by DuffMan
Originally posted by blipp
Can someone explain "offline" ratings to me? Are you pre-loading pages when you have access to wifi, then going out and taking notes, then uploading the ratings when you return to a place with wifi?

This sounds like they type of feature that a very small subset of power users would use. When I rate from my phone currently, I just rate straight through the mobile website, and can't really think of an instance in the past year where I would have used an "offline" rating feature.

I agree. Just pay for a data plan.


and Traveling? that be can be expensive

I bought a data plan for US, and got signal less than one third of the trip. Plus there are many dead spot in some places , Basement bars etc

 
cgarvieuk
beers 37625 º places 457 º 12:13 Fri 10/27/2017

Im not saying the APP should be the only way to access RB, If your happy witgh the Web. Cool. No problems with that. But i love Erics app it makes my beer life so much easier.

Plus i think RBs main user base has not grown in line with the beer Market Explosion. If we want to increase its Market share. I think an App is something we need.

 
blipp
beers 14843 º places 219 º 12:19 Fri 10/27/2017

Originally posted by cgarvieuk
1) I am looking up every beer in the bar to see how many i need. If i Need it i start a Rating.(Cask at...) SO its stored on phone, Then look up next, then next etc. Till i have a list of all the beers that i need. Then i decide which im actually gonna buy.

2) No Internet. Guess what i need and take my notes

3) Internet is Slow, it often is at festivals I write notes but dont have time to waste hoping its going to upload and not error.

4) Preload a festival list onto a Phone so i know exactly the ones i want.

5) The beer doesnt exist in DB. So Rate offline till i can or someone else adds then upload.


I still have so many questions...

For situation 1 you still need internet to look up the beers, right? I don't understand how offline ratings helps here, when you have reliable internet available.

For situation 2, same as above. If you don't have any internet available, how are you looking up beers to enter notes for?

For 3, I guess I understand this. One less step where you need to rely on an internet connection in you're in a situation with spotty internet. That makes sense.

For 4, I take it this is the situation I described above? You pull of the rating page before going out, enter rating notes while you're out, and upload them when you get home. As much as I get this, I'd imagine there is a very very small subset of people that would do something like this.

For 5, if the beer isn't in the database (which you had to look up using internet) how is taking notes in the app different than just taking notes in a "Notes" app?

I definitely believe you that there is an inner-circle or super raters that rely on "offline" rating, but I would imagine for the vast vast majority of users it's just not a priority, and not something they would regularly use.

 
weihenweizen
beers 6991 º places 700 º 12:22 Fri 10/27/2017

I probable would not use an app. I like the website fine on my phone. I am not greedy, I am just glad the apostrophes are back. Any chance we can have offline rating on the regular website also.

 
Inbreak
beers 9950 º 12:26 Fri 10/27/2017

Agree with Craig. I don't really look up all the beers upfront, but often when signal is bad, I'm unable to upload. Then I'll just leave the rating offline and upload later. If I can't find a beer, I just start a rating without linking it to a specific beer, and search for the beer to link the rating to later. And it's also nice to have my entire rating database offline in the app, to search at the plane for eksamen, when preparing for a festival (beer lists often get out too late)

 
cgarvieuk
beers 37625 º places 457 º 12:37 Fri 10/27/2017

Originally posted by blipp
I still have so many questions...

For situation 1 you still need internet to look up the beers, right? I don't understand how offline ratings helps here, when you have reliable internet available.

For situation 2, same as above. If you don't have any internet available, how are you looking up beers to enter notes for?

For 3, I guess I understand this. One less step where you need to rely on an internet connection in you're in a situation with spotty internet. That makes sense.

For 4, I take it this is the situation I described above? You pull of the rating page before going out, enter rating notes while you're out, and upload them when you get home. As much as I get this, I'd imagine there is a very very small subset of people that would do something like this.

For 5, if the beer isn't in the database (which you had to look up using internet) how is taking notes in the app different than just taking notes in a "Notes" app?

I definitely believe you that there is an inner-circle or super raters that rely on "offline" rating, but I would imagine for the vast vast majority of users it's just not a priority, and not something they would regularly use.


1) its the fact you can keep 10 beers open half way through ratings. at the same time. Rather than a data issue.
Those 10 beers appear at top of my list anything i write isnt at risk of being lost closed accidently and is easier to manage as i can read all 10 beers names at once. rather than having 10 tabs open which is much harder to open

2) you dont need internet to know a beer name, it on the Beer board /tap handle
So im guessing that i need Beer X as it sounds New. SO i just create a Beer entry and take notes. When data comes. I hit search and it does search and suggests beers it could be. I think link my rating to the one thats correct.

4) is a low use case even for me, but i have done it.

5) The main difference. It the app is designed for off line notes. So its got, a Name Field, all the scores, and the review space. As said in 2. Once beer is in DB. The Search button finds the beer it couldnt before. Then i hit link, and upload. SO need to cut and paste. No need to set scores, IT justs just search - link - upload


How often do you take notes on beer not in DB, if its a lot i pretty damn certain you would find that easier with Erics app.

Also its a feature the Web doesnt offer, so for those using the app, its probably higher usefulness than you suspect, and for many probably the main reason for using an app.

But who really knows