Is your app fat? Yeah, Im serious asking this question!
What’s a fat app?
Well, a fat app is one, which in the hood of being ‘rich’ on features, is something which is loaded with features, just because the developers have this sense that more features will attract more people. Just coz the team feels, they gottu deliver something new with the new build and roll out. And that the company feels that the differentiation vis-a-vis the competition will be more features (how usable they are, ohh well, we’ll see)!
What’s a lean app?
Simple, an app which will enable and empower you to achieve what you are set out to. Example, if you want to send FREE SMS, well, then the app should in the best and the richest possible manner, simply allow you to send FREE SMS. How difficult is this to understand?
Actually extremely difficult: Just read a blog post on a popular free messaging app which talks about these 15 features and to be honest, I did not read a word over 5, I was done. Bored. ENOUGH the mind said. Couldn’t you build something which is utterly easy to use, with an awesome UI and something which simply helps me send messages to friends and family who might or might not have the app?
Some probably are getting the deal. Especially the made in India one’s which understand the unique challenge of a majority of users being on feature phones and on normal SMS. There still are those who spend multi million dollars on mobile marketing to acquire customer and do great PR’s. But lets be honest is there Love?
Why in the world should I keep using products which force me to do something in a certain manner which restricts my communication in ways, when I know, in the fast evolving tech domain, soon sense will prevail and someone will come up with something which is genuine and love will win!
Competition: does that mean you will keep adding more?
Competition does not mean you keep adding more and more without a sense and just coz the other player is adding more to its system. Competition should compel you to deliver a smarter, a better product. But remember, a great product will be the one, which is built while there are clouds of competition and with the silver lining of the customer understanding.
I love my apps lean and rich in the ‘way’ they let me achieve my goals, no BS please.
And I am sure OR I would love to assume that many of us would love to have our apps be the same way.
*Disclaimer: the author represents hike, a P2P free messaging app, a 100% Made in India product going global in October. Currently available on Android in India. Reviews and feedback welcome.
twitter: @hikeapp