Just a few decades ago, mobiles were merely seen as portable communication tools, restricted to calls. However, the mobile computing industry has undergone herculean advancements today, which were once unimaginable. The small, hand-held devices have transformed into portable computers, thus justifying the exponential growth in its use. The evolution of technology and an increase in the number of smart-phone users, globally, has resulted in a surge in mobile application usage.
Mobile App Statistics
In the year 2017 alone, 178.1 billion mobile apps were downloaded globally. This figure is projected to grow to 258.2 billion app downloads by 2022 (according to Statista, 2019). In the complete pool of mobile applications, sports applications amassed 30 percent penetration.
The impact of sports download was seen both in iOS and Android. The global increase in downloads was further driven by the effects of FIFA and other tournaments. As a result, more and more businesses in the multimedia market are entering into this segment of mobile applications.
A Journey of Developing an Interactive Cricket Application
Sailing in the same boat, a renowned Australian multimedia market company wanted to enter the sports app segment through a cricket app that delivers real-time engaging content to the customers.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia; and hence, the company wanted to take advantage of this popularity. The app was to be developed within one year, so we deployed a team of three top developers for the project.
Requirements
An application (compatible on all the platforms) that would provide ball-by-ball information, live scores, and batting & bowling statics, which can also be used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the players later.
Challenges Faced
Although the requirements seemed to be quite simple, they were not. There were a lot of challenges in front of us:
Screen Variability
Users have different devices working on various platforms, and designing an app for each platform would have wasted a lot of manpower, time, and other resources. We had a challenge of developing a flexible app that could adjust to different screen sizes and platforms.
Features and Performance
A significant challenge in front of us was deciding on the functionality and the performance of the app.
The app had to create Wagon Wheel, Run rate, Manhattan chart, etc. Along with this, the app must track the shot direction and must be capable of producing scores ball-by-ball. All this was required to be generated in real-time.
Considering the performance, it is widely known that people perceive app performance differently. Making the app run successfully on all the target devices with myriads of features was of utmost importance because many people uninstall the app due to performance issues.
App Noticeability:
To get your app noticed, it must stand out from the rest in this world of increasing mobile apps. A good app must pop up automatically when the user is searching. The absence of this aspect qualifies the app for ‘bad apps category.’
Approach Utilised: Proposed Solutions
Great Imagination
Design is the most significant success factor that is directly proportional to the usability of the app. We greatly emphasized on the design feature that was both modern yet user-friendly. Our team incorporated bright colours, cool textures, 3D effects in the app to enhance the appeal of the app.
Working Offline
A great app works online and offline with the same ease, without noticeable differences. Our focus was to make certain features easy to use in offline mode as well.
Intuitive Features
All the features were incorporated into the app with attention to details. A meticulous recording process was designed to record every single ball and provide analysis at the end.
Responsive Design
Our team proposed a hybrid mobile app using Cordova (one of the best platforms for providing cross-platform app) with responsive design to improve the user experience. A brilliant design is the one that dynamically adjusts to all the screen dimensions.
Further, to cut the cost, we used a single development environment that targets different platforms.
The Final Result
The outcome after a year of brainstorming and hard-work was a crisp, clean, user-friendly app that could do more than what our client expected. The app created an instant impact in the minds of the users. The UI was so appealing that it induced the viewers to try the app.
The app has various implications and can be useful for the coaches and trainers as they can work on the weaknesses of the players and utilise their strengths. Moreover, it can be used to make predictions regarding the strategy of the opponent players.
Cloud computing can also be introduced in the mobile app to make them more useful. Developing new and innovative apps will lead to the possibility of significant revenue. The team of Pratham is well-versed in cloud computing technology and can provide brilliant solutions to the clients. The custom application development services of Pratham can surely surpass the expectations of customers. Our developers are well versed and experienced to develop mobile applications in any domain.
