Information Technology: The booming App age

The 2016/2017 Budget speaks about the need to encourage the development of mobile applications by start-ups to provide information on Government services such as transportation, traffic and weather forecast, amongst others. While Mauritius is lagging behind in this area, the time is now ripe for the emergence of SMEs engaged in mobile apps development. 

The development of mobile apps is part of the fourth strategy of the Budget, that of moving towards a fully fledged digital society. Among other measures announced to achieve this goal, there is the project of setting up 250 additional free Wifi Hotspots around the island, in major public areas such as traffic centres, hospitals, municipalities and district councils

Mobile applications have become indispensable with the advent of smartphones. Whether free or paid, apps can be downloaded from various platforms such as Android or IOS. But why are mobile apps becoming popular? This is because, today, there are more mobile users than desktop users.  Thus, the mobile app market is growing steadily as businesses seek ways to innovate, create business value and engage partners and customers in new and different ways.  Enterprises realise the need to effectively use mobile channels for attracting customers.

The choice between mobile apps and websites depends on their cost, usability, required features and the audience they serve. The explosion of mobile apps development has caused new business segments to emerge, namely m-marketing, big data and also new business models such as mobile ads. The sector has also unfolded new job opportunities such as developers. 

Sector-specific apps are flourishing in areas such as medicine, pharmaceuticals and real estate where professionals are likely to spend a lot of time away from their desk and there is often a need to access a body of knowledge quickly. For example, there are numerous apps that help doctors make diagnoses or calculate the correct dosage, as well as apps that give them access to journal articles, databases and trial data. Apps such as these make professionals not only more efficient, but more effective at their jobs.

Young budding entrepreneurs can today easily set up micro-enterprises in the IT sector not requiring huge investments but which have the potential to generate handsome revenues. It all starts with an idea. Various facilities are already being offered by public institutions and private bodies such as the Mauritius Startup Incubator.

Parveen Peerye: “Apps create job opportunities”

Parveen Peerye, a software engineer in the private sector, says she is convinced mobile applications development in Mauritius will unfold numerous job opportunities as well as new scope for entrepreneurs in a fast moving digital society. “Young graduates will find opportunities and apps development can take place in any economic sector. Apps, apart from being a tool to attract customers, are also efficient in eliminating bureaucracy and raising productivity.” She however warns that we cannot develop apps just for the sake of developing them. “There are so many applications that are free and that will hardly generate revenue. Application designers should be aware of this.  Many apps don’t succeed because they fail to get noticed or they don’t serve much purpose. Just launching an app on the app store is not enough. Entrepreneurial and marketing skills are as necessary for success as the objective of the app.”

Javed Bolah: “Apps rely heavily on PR strategies” 

Javed Bolah, PR consultant and CEO of Cerebrõ Ltd, is adamant that mobile applications and PR strategies go hand in hand. “Did you know that Google Play and Apple’s App Store receive 1,000 new app submissions each day? That’s indeed a lot of competition! How do you expect an app to stand out from other apps in a niche environment? Let it be said clearly that an application’s image and brand are just as important as the app itself. And to make the app stand out from countless other applications being created every day, effective PR and communication techniques are inevitable,” he explains. Javed adds that “Many app developers who launched an app without professional PR/Communication strategies have found their app flopping, only to seek professional help afterwards, but it’s, too late. Another common mistake is to rope in communication professionals too late in the process. In order to promote, advance, and benefit clients’ applications, it is essential to define and communicate the app’s message in the most straightforward ways. A good PR specialist will advise on any readjustment that will further improve the app’s brand and reputation, generating high interest and demand early, on both traditional and virtual platforms.”

Nicolas Goldstein: “Mobile apps have become vital for businesses”

Nicolas Goldstein, an entrepreneur in the field of new technology, says the era of mobile apps in Mauritius is here and is vital for any enterprise aiming to target customers. “Mauritius is indeed far behind compared to Europe, but the country will soon catch up rapidly. The last app that gripped the world did not spare Mauritius and our youths hastened to download the app to search for Pokemon. The apps culture is kicking and alive in Mauritius! For business enterprises, the government is rightly pushing them to develop mobile apps and is at the same time increasing the number of wifi hotspots in public places across the island. In Mauritius there are many companies which are already engaged in the mobile app industry, such as Mari Deal, Buynow.mu or Career Hub. Other enterprises will have to follow the trend to ensure their growth and remain connected with their customers as well as with business opportunities,” says Nicolas. He adds that enterprises with no mobile version of their websites are penalised by Google referencing search engine. “This says it all. The evolution of the App explosion will further expand in the coming years.” Nicolas Goldstein also informs us that the Indian application ‘Testpitara’ will soon reach our shores with a mobile version to offer courses in various fields to Mauritian citizens. 

The App Culture enchanting the Education World

Tutoring is one the world’s oldest professions, but even a vocation so entrenched cannot escape the rising “Uberisation” of daily life. Plato tutored Dionysius, ruler of Syracuse, while Aristotle instructed Alexander the Great. But modern parents, especially in the stress of the exam season, can now turn to a tutoring industry using online technology. Mobile Apps, like Snapask, allows students to ask questions with a snapshot and then matches them with a tutor within seconds to have a one-to-one instant learning session.

Launched last year, Snapask is now serving over 100,000 students in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, with over 5,000 qualified tutors from top universities receiving tens of thousands of questions each day. It is more like a WhatsApp-style instant messaging environment. Users can use image, text or audio to communicate. It also has benefits for tutors in terms of making the most of their time and also earning extra money as well.

Online technology has also changed how parents can select tutors. There was a time when finding a tutor relied upon recommendations from friends or looking through newspaper adverts. But now tutors can be reviewed and selected online.

Online apps like ‘Tutor Hunt’, allow parents and students to browse through a list of tutors offering tuition in their chosen area, contact them and arrange for instruction. As with other tutoring services, they are offering online tuition via Skype and other video services, as well as interactive whiteboard software. Some teachers have also opened their Youtube channel offering all the lectures for the closed group of students. While students taking tutoring fully online certainly has its benefits, it opens up a much bigger student base to tutors, also giving students more choice.

But do you really need a private tutor? Private tuition is a fundamentally flawed idea in almost every aspect for various reasons namely, cost, inaccessibility, and lack of oversight. In many cases it actively undermines a student’s ability to learn independently or improve understanding of the subject. In private tuition, the tutor is doing most of the work, while the student hopefully learns by osmosis. The result is that a lot of money is spent on a method of learning that at best is effective in the short term, but at worst can create a dependency on outside help

Another important concern for parents will be safeguarding. Some apps require tutors to upload a high-resolution photograph of their passport or driving licence, which it then inspects and validates before it lists the tutor. Its terms of service stipulate that if a student is under 18, a parent or guardian must be present at all times during the lessons. Once lessons have taken place, it also requests that students leave feedback for the tutor, which it displays on their profile page. This should mean that badly-reviewed tutors are pushed to the fringes. Online tutoring software presents a far more secure alternative to private tuition, with no direct contact between students and tutors, and all interactions logged and recorded.

The Scene in Mauritius: In the time of change, when CPE is being abolished, which is a good step ahead, we should seriously start thinking in developing Educational Apps tailored for our future leaders. The decision makers may also liaise with the app Developers in order to adapt it to the local curriculum. This could be a GAME CHANGER. As an alternate to private tuition, going online might also keep our students busy online.

Vidur Ramdin

Head of Marketing, AMITY