Example: a sales oriented element of a client’s strategy included posting to the web a presentation they had made to a live audience. The live execution had music, but it was not embedded into the Keynote they had used (side note: Keynote is to the Mac what Powerpoint is to the PC). The decision was made to leave the music off the online version. A converted Powerpoint version was readied, so either a PC or a Mac could play it. It was posted to mock accounts on Slideshare, Prezi, Google Slides, and a few others for testing purposes. What did they discover? The presentation did not render correctly on mobile devices. And the smaller the screen, the worse the problem. Adding insult to injury, marketing tests had indicated that mobile would be the predominant user method of access.
Do you have a development firm or team to build or rebuild/update your apps and sites? There are some important considerations, which may manifest in how the dev folks describe their workplace and overview. Any number of issues actually have to do with the developers themselves.
Extreme attitudes, oddly enough from opposite sides of the coin, should set off red flags. Beware of early adopter technophile hipster geek nerd know-it-all types. They’ll tell you that NOBODY uses Windows XP anymore, or that NO-ONE still uses a Blackberry. Then there are tech shops purposely mired in the past. They’ll proudly be using old PCs running Windows XP, not have up to date smart phones, and they will explain to you that they in fact represent the majority of real users out there.
Both extremes are incorrect!
The early adopter geeks will use modern machines that do not enable them to test on older operating systems, prior generation desktops and laptops, and mobile devices from years back that are still in use. The preservers of the past are out of touch as well, not taking into account the vast changes that newer machines and devices have adopted and installed. In many cases the more modern software graphics are not “backwards compatible.” A common example of compatibility and interoperability is Microsoft Word. Different versions, releases and patches of the Office Suite don’t play well with others. From machine to machine, from version to version, and from Mac to PC or vice-versa, formatting becomes undone, fonts and page layout and graphics go awry.
Imagine that sort of problem in apps sites, videos, graphics and various flavors of functionality. This is why internal testing is essential.
Even the best dev shops make mistakes; perfection is rare.
Last year my company was involved in developing a new web presence as one aspect of a complete rebranding project for a client. This is a well-known and established entity, which uses the most up to date equipment. We were stunned to find out that the internal network at their facility was running on local machines (work stations) all of which operated on Windows XP. This is not so uncommon. The US Navy’s PCs are on Windows XP. A major provider to NASA we worked with is a Windows 98 shop.
The best bet when selecting a dev shop is to do comparison shopping, check work samples and be in touch with prior clients. Due diligence for vendors is important. Those who create the elements of digital presence, elemental in digital strategy, must be vetted. Also think in terms of chemistry. It is imperative that the vendor and the client maintain clear communications, a work plan, understanding of deliverables and common understanding of the tasks at hand.
Every aspect of digital presence needs to be checked, tested, and run through its paces. User side testing (focus groups, usage tests, language and perception studies) are helpful in the preparatory stages. But when the product is in the final stages of development, a bevy of tests need be run.
Will the app or site have a Shopping Cart? Use the staging site to test every major credit card and a few debit cards. Using PayPal or another click to pay service? Run a few tests. Are various sizes available, as in T-Shirts or tubes of toothpaste? Make sure the user side choices (size, color, number of units, etc.) work in test sales runs. Can orders be combined, or added to prior to shipping? Run tests to be sure. Use real credit cards and do real transactions. Run them from your staging site. Entry to the staging site is, of course, password-only, but should be live and connected to the web.
Buy your own product from yourself at the staging site. Gauge how well the fulfillment process works. Is it digital delivery? Are you using USPS, UPS, FedEx or a private fulfillment service? Make sure timing and packaging and all distribution and logistics are working according to plan (and promise) before launch.
Will social media play a role in the operation? Various levels of social media interaction are possible. This can be handed locally or outsourced to companies that specialize in some or all facets of social media.