Apr 17, 2019
(via App: The Human Story)
“It’s crazy to think of a world that existed before software. I don’t understand how people got things done”
App: the human story looks at the people behind apps–– those who make them and those who love them.
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(via App: The Human Story)
“It’s crazy to think of a world that existed before software. I don’t understand how people got things done”
App: the human story looks at the people behind apps–– those who make them and those who love them.
(via Taco Math - SNL - YouTube)
“I’m like a week into this brainwork app I just downloaded. It’s just like 30 seconds a day of math, ten seconds of a word search and 20 seconds of shapes. It’s like one minute a day and I’m already smarter.”
“That’s amazing, those apps really work.”
Later in the sketch, she needs her app to try to understand a simple concept. She is reliant on the app to help her in her life.
(via App Accessibility is The New Must in Mobile Development - BuildFire)
In the United States there are about 57 million individuals who have a disability. Adding accessibility elements into an app design can make a large difference in terms of the success of an app.
While including accessibility features into apps may pose a challenge for developers, it can boost overall engagement because it opens up the app to a new audience. This article discusses some of the best practices software designers should keep in mind.
Dozens of companies use smartphone locations to help advertisers and even hedge funds. They say it’s anonymous, but the data shows how personal it is.
This New York Times article shows how apps on smartphones track locations to help advertisers. Although the data is supposedly anonymous, it can be very personal.
The data is being used for businesses who want insight into consumer behavior because locations can say a lot about a user. Apps have become “the backbone of this new location data economy.”
Some have concerns about privacy and surveillance because apps are constantly watching them.
(via Mobile Privacy: What Do Your Apps Know About You? | Symantec Blogs)
Many sources cover data collection by apps in an anxiety evoking way. However, it is important to remember that apps may need access to certain data to be able to function in a useful way. For example, at the bottom of this infographic it mentions fitness apps may need to track your location. While it is important to understand how apps are using your data, it is also important to consider why it may need access to this data.
(via Senators want to ban social media app design that tricks you into sharing data - Vox)
Some apps use software design to attempt to “trick” users into allowing it to collect data such as location and contacts. This has become known as “dark pattern” because they look harmless and friendly, yet they are exploiting users and intentionally undermine consumer choice.
Senators Deb Fischer and Mark Warner introduced a bill which will make this type of software design illegal. Apps must make data collection “clear, conspicuous, context-appropriate, and easily accessible.”
(via Consumers willing to dump apps that collect private data, but can't tell which are doing so - Help Net Security)
“While about 25 percent of consumers surveyed said they accept mobile apps tracking their behaviors as ‘part of modern life,’ not everyone agreed. 43 percent said they are mad about the situation but feel powerless to change it or are demanding they get their privacy back.”
This study suggests the majority of consumers are aware apps are collecting their data, they just have a difficult time understanding which ones are collecting unrelated data. Two in three consumers are “willing to dump data-collecting apps if the information collected is unrelated to the app’s function.”
(via What is BlindSquare | BlindSquare)
BlindSquare is the world’s most popular accessible GPS app developed for the blind and visually impaired. It describes the environment, announces points of interest and street intersections for people who want to travel independently.
One thing I found interesting is that Gillespie mentions interphase metaphors are considered successful when they are intuitive, however there are a large amount of smartphone users that use accessibility functions and software designers have to consider ways to make the interface intuitive for them.