Avoid “Bells & Whistles” Overload in Mobile Apps

I want to elaborate on a very practical point that was brought up in one of the sessions at the recent SISO Executive Conference.

The point was that show producers need to be sensitive to overwhelming the audience with too many features in their mobile apps. This point resonated with me because it syncs with a much larger issue I am passionate about and have addressed many times before—the importance of focusing on the audience, not the technology.

There is no shortage of bells and whistles from today’s technology vendors, especially in the mobile app area.  Yes, they are exciting, cool and cutting-edge, but more bells and whistles do not necessarily equal more value.  In fact, offering your audiences too many features may reduce the value prop of your app by overcomplicating the user interface and taking people’s attention away from the key value drivers that could really benefit them.

I have used many show apps.  While I enjoy the entertainment portion of apps, my main interest when I visit shows is the utility value.  Can the app save me time, make my at-show experience easier, provide me relevant info packaged for the small screen, etc.?   The entertainment value for me is the icing on the cake.  But of course that’s just me.

Every situation is different so take the time find out what works best for your show by defining what your objectives are, asking your community for input and evaluating user behavior.  This will provide you, your attendees, exhibitors and sponsors much better value than chasing the latest bells and whistles.

Posted on August 25, 2011