Are school mobile apps worth it?
Apps have become part of the furniture in many businesses’ digital footprint. Most eCommerce stores and online platforms brag about an app readily available and free to download. Even education establishments like schools, colleges and universities are boarding the train to appsville and having their own developed.
But are they any good? And if not, what should they be doing better?
If you have an underperforming app or want a fantastic one developed for your establishment, speak with WEBPRO Education today.
What are school mobile apps?
An app from an education provider is typically aimed at both students and parents, providing much of the same information that can be found on their website, usually with the addition of personalised information from teachers or real-time updates from admin staff.
Some parents prefer apps for schools because it keeps them connected to what’s going on wherever they are through their smartphone or tablet. They can respond quickly to emergencies and feel integrated into the school community.
What’s the consensus on school mobile apps?
We haven’t been on the streets asking parents about their experiences with school apps, but we do have plenty of parents working at WEBPRO Education.
Our mums and dads believe that most apps out there at the moment are ineffective. They typically throw lots of information at you in one go with very little organisation or smooth user experience.
In addition, our mums and dads with more than one child at the same school found the current crop of apps to be even more challenging to use when you need to juggle between users.
We were quite surprised that our parents all had similar experiences; it could be worth surveying your students’ parents and asking what they think of your current app – if you have one.
How to improve education apps
In light of our own experiences with school apps, we believe that education apps need to focus on the user experience and making it simple for both parents and students to navigate and find the information they are seeking.
Schools, colleges and universities need to provide lots of information each year and ad-hoc information during each term. The volume of content can bombard the user and make the app an inconvenience.
Instead, it may be beneficial to make an app with specific purposes, rather than trying to do everything at once and failing. For example, the app could be a communication tool between the school, teachers, students and parents – leaving the syllabus and other information on the website but directing everyone to the appropriate pages.
Make sure the app is on brand!
Some of the apps we have been looking at did not follow the branding of the rest of the establishment. The app should be closely aligned with the colour scheme, logo and other visuals used within the website. It doesn’t have to be an exact match, but the core themes should be recognisable between them. This helps students and parents recognise your app and adds professionalism.
Our school app development services
WEBPRO Education is excited to offer app development services to schools and other education providers. We can help you come up with an app concept that meets user expectations, design it and get it up and running. Our team will be on hand to help every step of the way.
For a quick discussion or an initial consultation, pick up the phone and speak with one of our experienced team members.
Recap: Even education providers are making apps to provide real-time information to their student and parent community. But from our mums and dads’ experiences, they’re mostly getting it wrong. We propose designing more focused school apps that prioritise the user experience and become ‘less busy’. If you want a new school app that gets an A+ from parents and students, look no further than the WEBPRO Education app development team.
P.S. If you have a unique and innovative idea for a school app, we want to hear from you!
