Being Cross Platform - KIK shows why
Posted on 27 Nov 2011 by @jaredfrere
A lot of businesses these days are looking to mobile applications as a strategic additional touch point to their consumers. And this is undoubtedly a good decision.
However A lot of business in doing so immediately look to an iPhone or iPad application as the solution, ignoring all other operating systems and devices.
Admittedly with the sale of iPhones and iPads being so strong in Australia this is not such a bad idea and indeed a good start. However when creating an application that looks to build into a community and enable participation by a user with their friends or soon to be friends on the network its important to give some thought to devices outside of apple.
A good example of this is KIK. KIK is a cross platform messenger service similar in design to Blackberry messenger and is what I use on a day to day basis as a messaging app on my iPhone.
I have only every tried the iPhone version, however as the interface is reasonably simple, im assuming the experience is the same across all platforms.
Kik recently launched their Windows 7 version of the device and as documented on Techcrunch were thrilled by not only the uptake by WIndows 7 users, but the halo effect which then increased the number of users on Android and iPhones also.
The lesson being that although its easier to create applications and experiences on devices targeted by marketshare. The phone and mobile devices we're born from communication and as such most application are assumed to have some element of communication about them. This means that if you are choosing to go solo with only one device/platform not only do you limit yourself to the number of users of that device but you may be limiting yourself to an even smaller number if those users then expect to be able to participate with friends on other devices.
However just as this is true so is the reverse meaning the effort spent on creating something as a phase 2 on smaller marketshare players like Windows 7 could see you increasing your number of users again on your original target device like the iPhone.
read the original techcrunch article.