17. Creating and Distributing Content on the iPad

Until recently, if you or your company wanted to create an app or distribute proprietary content via the iPad, a costly custom app needed to be created. However, to cater to the needs of businesses and entrepreneurs who want to use the iPad as an interactive tool for disseminating information, Apple has created several low-cost and easy solutions that require no programming skills and that can be used in-house in a fraction of the time needed to create a custom iPad app.

Using any Mac and the free iBooks Author software available from Apple (www.apple.com/ibooks-author), anyone who knows how to use a word processor can create professional-quality and highly interactive eBooks for the iPad that can incorporate text, photos, video clips, audio, other multimedia content, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, voiceovers, and quizzes.

eBooks created using the iBooks Author software can be disseminated to employees, customers, and clients or distributed (sold) to the public via Apple’s iBookstore. Using the iBooks Author software, a company can easily adapt any printed materials, such as catalogs, annual reports, user manuals, training guides (and training videos), marketing materials, or other documents into eBooks for viewing on an iPad.

If a company’s needs involve gathering data via an iPad, streamlining the process of filling out forms, or accessing database content remotely from a tablet, using the FileMaker Pro database software with the FileMaker Go iPad app serves as a low-cost, extremely customizable option.

In this chapter, discover more about how to utilize the iBooks Author software, learn about other eBook publishing solutions, and learn more about what’s involved in having an iPad app created from scratch.

iBooks Author is a free Mac application that’s available from the Mac App Store. Using this software, you can custom create compelling eBook content using templates and a simple-to-learn, drag-and-drop interface.

When you select a template in the iBook Author software, you can import and format content from a word processor (such as Pages or Microsoft Word) and incorporate it into the eBook that’s being created. You can then import images or other precreated multimedia content, and the iBooks Author software autoformats the text around the photos or content.

Instead of having to program interactive elements into the eBook, from within iBooks Author, you can import and customize precreated widgets, so it’s easy to incorporate an interactive table of contents, glossary, or quiz, for example.

After you’ve created an eBook using the iBooks Author software, it’s possible to easily transfer it to an iPad and read it using the free iBooks app that is available from the App Store. Using this software, publishing your eBook using Apple’s iBookstore service and then distributing the eBook for free or selling it online is also straightforward.

Self-published authors, entrepreneurs, small business operators, educators, and public speakers, for example, have discovered a wide range of innovative ways to use iBooks Author to create and distribute compelling iPad content for employees, customers, clients, conference or workshop attendees, or trainees. For example, traditionally printed catalogs and sales materials can become interactive and highly engaging when created as an eBook. Product user manuals can be created for the iPad that utilize more than just text and graphics to teach customers how to use a new product. Boring employee training manuals can be transformed into interactive training tools that can be utilized anywhere. Presentation handouts or reports can be published in eBook form and presented in ways not possible on a traditionally printed page. The possibilities are truly limitless.

iBooks Author runs exclusively on Mac computers and can create eBooks compatible with the latest iPad models.

Adobe’s digital publishing options are more advanced and powerful solutions; however, they typically require a significant learning curve. If you’re already familiar with how to use Adobe’s popular InDesign CS6 software (for the PC or Mac), you’ll definitely be at an advantage. Adobe and third parties, however, offer printed and online training options.

The Prss service then allows you to set your own price for the download that your readers actually pay (although publications can be offered for free). Three of the benefits of using the Prss publishing solution are that up to 30 people can collaborate on the creation of each publication; the publications can be created using almost any computer or device that’s connected to the Internet and that has a web browser; and once published, powerful Analytics tools are offered to help you track downloads, reading time, in-app (publication) purchases, ad clicks, engagement time, and the other important behaviors of your publication’s readers. These are tools and resources not offered by Apple’s iBooks Author software or other digital publishing solutions for the iPad.

Anyone who already knows how to surf the Web using a web browser, such as Safari or Internet Explorer, and who knows how to do word processing, using Microsoft Word or Pages, for example, already possesses the skills needed to create professional-looking and highly interactive digital publications that can be read on an iPad.

SHIFT magazine (available from Newsstand and the App Store for the iPad) is a sample of a digital publication created entirely using the Prss digital publishing platform.

Using one of the turnkey eBook publishing solutions from BookBaby, you can include up to 50 digital images in your eBook’s content, but no interactive elements (like what’s possible using Apple’s iBook Author software) are available.

Many custom apps have been created by mid-sized to large companies in an effort to better cater to the needs of their customers or to serve as a marketing tool to increase business. Another portion of these apps were custom-designed for specific companies to be used in-house by employees in an effort to streamline or automate specific tasks or give people access to company resources while they’re in the field.

Every day, companies in all different industries are discovering innovative ways to utilize the iPad. Some of these uses, however, require a custom app to be created.

Next, sketch out or create a detailed outline for the app. For example, figure out what options should appear on the various screens, and decide what features and functions the app needs to include. This includes determining your target audience for the app. For this step, absolutely no programming knowledge is required, but considering these things gives you, and the programmers you ultimately hire to develop your app, a clear understanding of your goals.

Before proceeding further, visit the App Store to determine whether an iOS app already exists that meets your needs. If similar apps already exist, determine whether you can use one of them or what your intended app needs to do differently or better. It’s essential that you understand, from day one, how the app will be used and how it will fit into your company’s established workflow and overall business objectives.

Next, invest $99.00 (per year) and join Apple’s iOS Development Program (http://developer.apple.com) to learn more about what’s possible in terms of having a custom app created, plus gain access to the resources and tools available directly from Apple.

By hiring an independent iOS app developer, companies are creating innovative, proprietary, and highly specialized apps for use in-house. An app that gives a sales force a streamlined method for entering and processing orders while on the road and grants them full access to an online inventory database or catalog from their mobile devices is an example of a custom app.

In some situations, cutting-edge companies are developing custom apps for their customers and clients as a way to boost sales, distribute marketing or promotional content, improve customer service, increase brand awareness, or build customer loyalty.

Thanks to the Location Services/GPS capabilities and the Maps app that is built in to the iPad, a custom app can determine where a customer is located at any given moment and direct her to a company’s nearest retail location. This same customized app can enable a customer to place an order online from her mobile device and have it waiting for her upon her arrival at her destination. In the case of Pizza Hut or GrubHub, for example, a customer can arrange for food delivery with a few taps on her mobile device’s screen.

The cost of developing a custom app is becoming far more economical than it was just a year or two ago, in part due to increased competition among independent software and app developers.

One of the biggest challenges you face after you decide to have a custom app developed is not determining what the app should do or how it will be used; it’s finding and hiring an independent app developer who is capable of creating an app that perfectly caters to the intended audience by offering the end user value, simplicity, security, and intuitive functionality.

It’s important to realize up front that having a custom iOS app created is very much like having customized software developed for any other platform. Having a well-designed, highly functional, and bug-free app developed that includes a slick user interface and the back-end functionality you need is going to be a costly and time-consuming endeavor that should include involvement from various departments in your company.

One problem that many companies encounter is that they hire a low-cost app development company or team of programmers. Companies that do this often wind up with an inferior result that is riddled with problems. It’s important to choose an app development company that’s stable because you want the same company to be around in the future to support the app and make enhancements or bug fixes.

Speaking of app development problems, to save money, some businesses opt to outsource their work to small, overseas app development companies. Common problems with this solution include dealing with time zone differences, which causes delays in communication, and significant language barriers. If you’re unable to easily communicate with your app developer, explain your needs, and closely follow the app’s development, the end result will often not be what you anticipated.

Ultimately, your goal should be to establish a long-term relationship with the app developer you hire. Even if you choose not to add new features or functions to the app down the road, as Apple releases new versions of the iOS operating system, you will need to have the app updated to keep it functional.

Before hiring an app developer, look at the company’s portfolio of work. Carefully evaluate the quality of its apps, including each app’s user interface and functionality. Also, keep in mind that many different factors go into calculating development costs and the amount of time the development process will take.

Development costs for most good-quality apps, created by an experienced and competent development company, run between $5,000 and $50,000 (or more). Realistically, the development, programming, and testing process typically takes between 12 and 16 weeks, so plan accordingly.

The more detailed your company’s initial outline or plan for the app is, the easier it is for the app development company you hire to offer you a reliable price quote. How much you wind up paying for the app’s development is in part based on the complexity of the app itself.

Hiring a programmer, as opposed to a full-service app development company, is a low-cost option for small to mid-size businesses. You can find iOS app programmers using an online service, such as eLance.com or guru.com. Alternatively, use a search engine to enter the search phrase “iOS app developer” or “custom iPad app development” to find links to app developer websites.

Another method for finding a well-qualified developer is to search the App Store for apps you like and then contact those developers. Part of every app’s description in the App Store includes the developer’s name and a link to the developer’s website.

Often, having a custom FileMaker Pro database created is significantly less expensive and much faster than having an iOS custom app developed, yet the functionality could be similar, depending on your company’s needs. To learn more about the FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Go options, visit www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-go.

Do your research to determine what’s possible, and then decide exactly what you want your custom app to do. As you do this, put yourself in the app user’s shoes. Determine their wants, needs, and level of expertise using the iPad, and then cater to the intended user every step of the way.

Develop a specific plan for your app, outlining the overall goal or objective of the app, as well as each feature or function you want to include in it.

Plan the development process in a realistic way, making sure you have the budget and resources in place to handle the process appropriately. The main stages of an app’s development include Planning, Design, Coding/Programming, Debugging, Testing, and Deployment/Implementation. Each of these steps requires planning, time, resources, and money. Cutting corners during any of these steps could result in costly problems, development delays, or unanticipated results.

Be sure to put together the most knowledgeable and experienced app development team possible, starting with people within your business or organization who clearly understand how your business operates, the needs of those who will ultimately be using the app, and the ultimate goal for the app itself. Pair this in-house team with skilled and experienced programmers and app testers.

For apps being developed from scratch, start by incorporating the core functionality that’s wanted and needed, and make sure that it works properly and has an intuitive user interface. Then, over time, add additional features and functions. Not only will this save time and money, it will also keep the app’s development easier to manage.

Before releasing the app to your employees, customers, or clients, be sure it has been properly tested, is 100 percent bug-free, and functions exactly how it should. The easiest way to alienate your customers or annoy those who will ultimately be using the app is to release an app that contains bugs, is unstable and crashes, that doesn’t handle the intended objectives properly, or that is unintuitive to use.

The app should also function using the latest version of the iOS operating system and fully utilize the capabilities of the iPad. If the app ultimately doesn’t serve a defined purpose, successfully address a need, solve a problem, or provide value to the user, it will not be embraced and adopted by its intended users.

It has been predicted that online mobile use will surpass people using their desktop computers to access the Internet by 2015. Knowing that your company’s clients, customers, and employees, for example, will be accessing the Web from their mobile devices, including the iPad, consider offering your company’s websites and other online content in a format that’s conducive to being accessed by these devices.

To find website designers that specialize in the creation of mobile websites, using any Internet search engine, enter the search phrase “mobile website development.”

Google, for example, offers free, online-based tools called Go Mo for designing a mobile website (http://www.google.com/think/collections/make-website-work-across-multiple-devices.html). From this website, you can also download free case studies that explain why a mobile website can be useful to your small, medium, or large company, regardless of what business or industry you’re in.

The WordPress website/blogging platform (www.wordpress.org) also offers tools for developing websites and blogs that utilize professionally designed custom templates that adapt to the screen size someone is using to view the site/blog.