Is There an App for That?

Qualitative Research Presentation

Justin AllenRandall Burke

Brooke McCarterMara Meadows

Taylor Wolfhahrt

Research Question

Why do Tech Students use mobile application as opposed to traditional internet usage of the same types of activity? What are the most

common types of mobile applications that are replacing these activities?

Sample Participants

• Ages: 18-23• Lifestyles

– Students• Business

– Marketing– Accounting

• Biology• Education

– Elementary

• General Education• Nursing• Dental Hygiene• Psychology

– Busy Lifestyles• Always on the go• Multiple jobs• A lot extracurricular

activities– Sororities/ Fraternities– Sports– Arts and crafts– Odd school hours

Findings• Common Usage

Categories– Social Networking/

Communication• Facebook• Twitter• Four Square• Facetime• eBuddy• Instagram• Pinterest

– Games• Temple Run• Words With Friends• Scramble• Angry Birds

Findings

• Common Usage Categories (continued)– Organization

• Banking Apps• Weave (to do list)• Evernote• Sugarsync

– Media• Pandora• YouTube• Shazaam• ESPN Scorecenter

Findings

• Common Usage Categories (continued)– Shopping• Amazon• eBay• ShopSavvy

Findings

• Diverse Application Usage– Health Related• iTreage • iPharmacy• Walgreens

– Political• Reddit

– Navigation• Google Maps

Findings

• Innovations– Garage Door Opener App– Grocery/ Shopping App– Credit Card App – Clothing Coordination

App

– Food Nutritional/ Recipe App

– Weekly Meal Preparation App

– Remote Control App– Business Management

App

Discussion

• Interpretation–Most college students want apps that

aid in areas of communication and social networking• i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.

– Factors like convenience and usability also came into play

–Many students also used apps to pass the time• i.e. Angry Birds, Temple Run, Facebook, etc.

*Customer Value Hierarchy

Social Networking

Media

Organization

Gaming

* Customers’ values according to category of app used

*Customer Value Hierarchy

* Customers’ values from using mobile applications

Communication

Convenience

Passing the Time

Easy to Use

Social Networking

TwitterLive Feed

Four SquareEasier way to find out where friends are

FacebookEasy to way to share and communicate with friends

Top App Categories and Reasons Why They Are Used

Limitations

• Validity of statements• It’s only limited to people who

actually own a smartphone• Region– Not all places have access to

internet/apps on their phone

• Finances– Not everyone can afford a smartphone

Limitations

• Sources of Error– Misunderstanding of what some people

meant in what they “said”– People’s attitudes towards smartphones

• Some people are more excited about it than others

• Precautions– Recording of interviews– Try to interview people that “wanted” to be

interviewed• Enthusiastic people

The Next Step

• Currently– Word of mouth advertising

• Advertisements– Commercials, text messages, advertising

through applications

• Differentiation – Something totally new rather than building

onto something that already exists• Instagram is something built from other photo

editing apps