Risky Business: The App Story

Apps are a great feature on phones, tablets, and computers but it seems like apps are the only new products entering the market. For class we were asked to create a product or service that could not be a stand alone app to solve a problem people 18-24 years old face. While my group was brainstorming we couldn't help but come back to an app. It seemed like the easy way out, just make an app. That got me curious if some businesses or people create apps to solve problems just because it is an easy way out.

For any class where our final group project was to create some type of product or service, one group at least creates an app for something. Apps can be really great and useful, however if they are just the easy way out, are they really solving problems? 

There are so many different apps on the market, and they are a lot less of an investment than creating a physical product. I truly wonder how many apps on the market have taken the place of a product. It is really difficult to not just jump straight from the problem to the solution. I am sure many businesses have thought they went through the long process and finally created an app that solved the world's problems, however they might have just jumped to a solution without thinking fully about it 

Then there are also cases where products are made and they pair with an app. Fitness trackers are a great example of this. With the new fitness trackers and large displays, you do not absolutely need to have the app to have a fitness tracker. The app is an added feature that helps maximize the product. I firmly believe that apps can help make a product even better, but stand alone apps may not always solve the problem you are aiming to solve. 

Next time you look at an app on your phone, think critically and ask yourself "is there a product that could be even more useful than this app?"