Work Area
Mobile Apps
We design and build mobile apps that do one job well on a phone, for customers or for staff in the field. We also build what sits behind them, and we tell you when a well-built website would serve you better than an app.
- 1,200+ clients helped
- Building since 2010
- 15 services, one team
- 50+ technologies
At a glance
What we build
We build apps installed on phones and tablets, for tasks people do on the move or that need the device's camera, location, or notifications.
Problems we solve
A website on a small screen is awkward for repeated or offline tasks, and staff in the field fall back on paper and messages.
Who we serve
Organizations whose customers or staff work mostly on phones, and teams that need photos, location, or offline use.
How to choose
Build an app when the phone's features or repeated use justify it. Choose a mobile-friendly website when occasional visits are enough.
In practice
An app is the visible tip of a larger system
We build apps installed on phones, together with the back end they depend on. Most business apps are not alone: they send and receive information from a server that stores the data and enforces your rules.
People see the screens. Behind them, a server keeps the records, checks who is signed in, and sends updates to every device. Planning only the app, and not what sits behind it, is a common reason for projects that disappoint.
We design both together, so the app stays small and quick and the information stays correct.
App or mobile website: how to choose
What will people do on their phones? Read information or fill a form now and then: A mobile-friendly website; Use it every day, often with no signal: A mobile app; Take photos, scan codes, or use location: A mobile app; Receive timely alerts: An app or a site with alerts.
If: Read information or fill a form now and then
Choose: A mobile-friendly websiteNo download needed, and cheaper to build.If: Use it every day, often with no signal
Choose: A mobile appIt works offline and stays one tap away.If: Take photos, scan codes, or use location
Choose: A mobile appIt can use the phone's camera and sensors directly.If: Receive timely alerts
Choose: An app or a site with alertsEither can notify people. An app is more reliable.
Often built with
What sits behind an app
The app and the system behind it
An app talks to a back end, which talks to your other tools.
The app and the system behind it
Layers from top to bottom. The app on the phone; The connection; The back end; Your other tools.
- The app on the phoneScreens, camera, location, and offline storage.
- The connectionA secure way to send and receive information.
- The back endAccounts, rules, and a database of records.
- Your other toolsAccounting, email, payments, and customer records.
What it looks like
What a field or customer app screen looks like
The home screen of an app decides whether people keep using it.
Audiences
Three common kinds of app
Most business apps serve one of three groups. Each has different needs.
Who is the app for?
Choose this when
People who buy from you or use your service, often in their own time.
- What you get
- Simple, polished screens, notifications, and quick sign-in.
- Keep in mind
- It must be easy at first use, because customers rarely read instructions.
Choose this when
People doing jobs away from a desk, such as visits, deliveries, or inspections.
- What you get
- Fast forms, photos, signatures, and work that continues without signal.
- Keep in mind
- Offline work needs careful design, so changes sync without clashing.
Choose this when
People who return often to read, message, or take part.
- What you get
- Profiles, feeds, messages, and reminders.
- Keep in mind
- Moderation and privacy need thought from the start.
What we build
Typical parts of a mobile app
On the phone
- Sign-in with fingerprint or face recognition where the phone supports it.
- Camera, scanning, and location.
- Offline storage that syncs when a signal returns.
In the back end
- Accounts and permissions.
- Records and business rules.
- Push notifications.
Around the app
- Listings and updates in the app stores.
- Crash reports and usage measures.
- A plan for new phone releases.
A typical example
Inspections reported the same day
A typical case is a company that inspects equipment at customer sites. Inspectors fill in paper forms and type them up later, so reports arrive days after the visit.
A mobile app could let an inspector complete a checklist, take photos, and capture a signature on the spot, even without signal. The report would be ready as soon as the visit ended.
Tell us who the app is for
Describe who would use it and what they would do. We will suggest an app, a mobile website, or neither, and outline a first release.