Why mobile apps will change everything in corporate IT

The stats prove it: for the majority of users, the miniature computers in our pockets are becoming more important than the laptops sat on our desks. In May 2013, 14 percent of Web visits were from a mobile device; by May 2014 that had risen to 25 percent, and globally, mobile data traffic rose by 81 percent last year.

So how does this mobile revolution affect corporate IT? While company executives are unlikely to be Snapchatting quarterly reports any time soon, apps like Dropbox, Slack, Trello and Skype are becoming increasingly important for workers on the go and in the office. And that shift in usage is a big opportunity waiting to be taken.

Most of the businesses we work with are only just starting to think about bespoke apps for their workforce, yet the potential benefits in terms of efficiency, convenience and the company's reputation as innovators are huge. If a third-party app such as Dropbox or Slack can reap productivity dividends, imagine the impact a custom-made tool that supports your business could have.

That's not to say corporate app development is easy: in fact it's very difficult to get right. Being able to turn complex problems into simple mobile app interfaces is a rare skill, but it's essential for an app to be effective — that's why Apple emphasises deference, clarity and depth in its iOS design guidelines. Meeting your business's needs with simple intuitive interfaces takes a great deal of care and attention to detail. Take a look at the Little Big Details blog for some more examples of what we mean.

This cartoon exaggerates the potential pitfalls of corporate applications for comic effect — but it's not too wide of the mark. While Apple, Google and the major players in mobile consistently come up with beautifully intuitive fronts for their complex systems, company apps are all too often painful to use and badly thought out.

For big business to get on board with mobile apps, companies must understand the needs of their staff need and then meet those needs with an app that doesn't look like it's been ported straight from a Windows XP desktop interface. For those who get it right, the rewards are plentiful — from team satisfaction to productivity levels to bottom-line profits.

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