Of course there is, there’s an app for everything. But should there be?
There’s an element of ‘me too!’ about some client requests — they feel they ought to have an app in their digital strategy, but aren’t quite sure why. Everyone has an app, right? They must be good. Some probing teases out at least a couple of reasons:
Let’s take those two in turn…
All our recent websites are built to work very, very well on a smartphone or tablet. We’re not one to slavishly follow trends, preferring a more measured view — if it doesn’t tick the boxes for usefulness, longevity and great user experience, we’re out. But responsive design is one movement that will not go away. It won. Responsive design means a single site that works well on a mobile and desktop.
Who really is away from an internet connection for long these days? And if it’s a killer consideration, your app starts to need all sorts of local storage intelligence building in that starts to make it quite top heavy. In recruitment the core functionality is about communications — applying for jobs, registering with an agency, sharing social links – no getting away from the need for a connection there.
So yes, you can build an app for the recruiting process, but it might well look a lot like a website …so why not build a really, really good website that focuses on a superb user experience?
Which brings us to our next stumbling block – why maintain two things when you can maintain one?
You still feel an app might have some value? Are you also happy to double your development costs? Are you happy for the functionality to be frozen in time, or are you willing to embrace the development costs of adding new features in both your website and your app?
We’d say you absolutely need a website, what’s in doubt is whether you need an app as well. Just a few of these reasons should be compelling enough:
Perhaps the most important point is effort — time and cost! A website is likely to be easier and cheaper to develop.
We’d like to convince you that well designed website is an app in your pocket, that doesn’t cost more for a slightly hamstrung feature set. If you’re a global brand or one of the big job boards, an app might be right for you, but for the majority of recruiters and SMEs, a website is the better choice.
Get in touch to find out more.