The first step of our production process:
For our first meeting we discussed some basic ideas as to what type of App we were interested in producing together. As a team it is we agreed that it is essential to be working on something that we all equally find of interest. Some ideas for our app creation that we came up with were as follows: Cooking and health foods, Beatification and cosmetics, fashion, music and travel.As each of these areas of interest appealed to us individually at different levels we collectively decided to take the subject of our choice and conduct our own research into existing apps already made to accommodate individuals interested in them around the world.
I, Micaela, chose beautification and cosmetics as my topic of interest as this is something that I spend a lot of my time researching and participating in outside of academia anyway. Some of the most popular and most easily navigated apps that I found on the UK App store were:
Pretty In my Pocket:
- This is an all round good app for those who are interested in beautification in a broader sense as it allows it's users to compare products on the market to find cosmetics/services that are of better quality or better value for money. This app also allows you to scan existing products onto your account so that you can read and leave reviews on said product, it also allows you to search products based on their user based star ratings in order to find products that are more likely to be premium as judged by consumers.
Veemotion:
- Whereas Pretty In my Pocket is an app aimed at those who are actively buying beautification products on the current market, Veemotion is an app aimed at those who are vlogging/blogging about the industry and its latest products. This app simplifies the taking and editing of photographs and videos that individuals can post better quality viewing materials online for others interested in the same topics. i.e. tutorials.
Make-Up Genius by L'Oreal
- I actually expected to find a lot more of this type of app. The larger cosmetics brands stealing the top spots on the app store but actually only two made made the cut for top dogs. This app is a virtual store that allows users to take a photograph of their own face so that you can virtually apply L'Oreal products to yourself without using messy swatches, it's also a successful way to promote the brand as it's fun and interactive whilst also proving incredibly practical.
Ask Bobbi
- Ask Bobbi is the second largely commercial brand that I saw reached the top most suggested in the app store. Unlike L'Oreal this app isn't virtual but instead allows users access to a number of different sources in which they can access beautification at different levels. Tutorials are available and so are a means of contacting the artists themselves for bookings etc. Similarly you can buy Bobbi Brown products through the app of course but this outlet is mainly promoted through tutorials and physical examples of the products applied on models etc.
Niamh:
I chose to research Apps of the food, drink and health genre. I began my research by looking at the Apple App store and I found that there was a whole category dedicated to 'Food & Drink'. This section then subdivides into more specific types of food and drink apps such as apps created by celebrity chefs, apps specifically for vegetarians and apps for restaurant chains (the list goes on). I also found that the majority of these apps were all free of charge, which is something we will remember in the process of creating our App. I took a closer look at some of the top 30 Food and Drink Apps and I generally found that the most popular type of food App were takeaway ones.
'Change4Life Sugar Smart': This app encourages a healthy lifestyle in which you can scan the barcode of every day food and drink products with your smartphone and it tells you the sugar content. It gives you an estimate of your total daily sugar intake and gives the user helpful hints and tips on how to cut down on sugar. The App has bright colours and is very simple to use.
'JUST EAT takeaway food delivery': This was second on the food and drink charts. The App allows you to order a takeaway in just 'a few easy steps' and offers the user to choose from over 20,000 restaurants. Safe and easy payment can be made within the App and there is a feature in which the customer can 'save with exclusive local offers.' Customers may also access their order history and save their payment details so that they can re-order their favourite dishes 'in seconds.' This clever strategy encourages customer loyalty.
Starbucks: The official app for the famous coffee shop is also at the top of the Food & Drink App charts. The App consists of many features including a menu, a store locator and a reward system for members who can now actually pay for coffees in store via the app without using any money. Members can now: 'pay using your iPhone touch at company-operated Starbucks stores, check your Starbucks Card balance, reload your Card, view your transaction history and transfer balances between Cards.' The reward system, although very beneficial for Starbucks customers, ultimately benefits Starbucks as it ensures customer loyalty.
Jamie's Recipes: This food App is by celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver. The idea is that the user gets recipe inspiration and can follow step by step instructions on how to recreate Jamie's famous dishes. The free version of the App offers a selection of recipes and a 'handy shopping list feature'. However I did note that the description in the App store encourages the user to purchase the subscription version of the app in which there is a much larger range of recipes and video tutorials by Jamie. The App is very aesthetically pleasing, and appeals to a range of people as many of the recipes are tailored to people wanting to create delicious meals whilst on a budget.
Mollie-
For my initial research I looked into music applications, I constituted my research on exisiting apps on iTunes all from the top free charts in order to consider new ideas and gaps in the market.
Spotify- Number one on itunes free chart, a free version and
a premium version availed, appealing to students at a cheaper rate a month
through unidays (discount app for students)
What is Spotify?
-
A app to listen to music on mobile or tablet on
the go
-
- search for tracks, artist, playlists and
follow other artists and users, share playlists and make a music collection
-
Inspiration from readymade playlists and get
personal recommendations
-
-free with adds and limited shuffling, premium
allows no adds, unlimited shuffling and listening offline mode without wifi or
4g
-
-available and popular worldwide
-
-brand has a strong social media presence with
links to facebook and twitter accounts for promotion of the brand
https://www.spotify.com/uk/
TIDAL- Second on the chart and a competitor
for Spotify
What is TIDAL?
-selling points
-high fidelity sound quality
-high def music videos (an extra from
Spotify)
-curated editorial, recommendations for you
from experienced music journalists (professional edge)
-stories behind the sound, integrated music
articles and interviews
-offline mode (similar to Spotify with the
upgrade from the free version)
-favourites and playlists (similar to
Spotify with the upgrade from the free version)
What is sound cloud?
Sound clouds unique selling points
-explore trending music and trending audio
feeds
-follow friends and artists and see what
they share
-browse by genre
- play pause and skip from lock screen
-login and register with facebook and
google + (strong link with other social media)
-anonymous listening
-identify music instantly
-follow the new artist found
-stay up to date with them
Initial market research- (based at a target
audience of 20-25, primarily students) ROUGH QUESTIONAIRE
How old are you?
Rough idea for a new music application-
1.
An app based on existing artists, you could
follow what they are listening too, or with a single feature to follow artist,
personal for the audience and used primarily from fans, a wide range of artists
of all genre of music, would also promote artists and increase support from fan
base
2.
Rise of the Vinyl- shopping site? Music can be
bought on vinyl once listened too
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