The startup Yapp, is offering its users the ability to create their own personal apps that they can share with friends. It is not a service designed for more interactive apps. For the purposes of this review, I will highlight both the potential and the limitations of Yapp.
I experimented with the beta version of Yapp several months ago and walked away from it unimpressed, mostly because the official service had not yet launched, so I did not see the value in creating something that would not be seen. Well, that all changed when Yapp announced their official launch the other day, so I though it fitting to delve into the service once again and develop a full critique.
It is essential to mention that Yapp is targeted at event-planners, especially weddings. You have several tools at your disposal to cultivate an event invitation. Some cool features include the ability to integrate a Twitter newsfeed into your app, which would allow planners to have streaming info that would stem from either a Twitter profile or a selected hashtag. This is one of the highlights of the experience, leaving room for even more social integration that would make this worth your while.
Because I’m not getting married anytime soon (and I have no events worth making an app for), I decided to use Yapp as a business development tool, making my own business card accessible as an app. Why do this? Well, Yapp gives you your own QR Code that allows you to share your app. It is also advantageous because Yapp allows you to send the link via email or SMS, so all you need is a fellow colleague’s contact info to send your own along. I can definitely see this being handy at conferences when I routinely run out of business cards.
The only limitation with this feature is that you don’t necessarily have your own app. Your app is only accessible through the YappBox app, which the link prompts you to download. The problem here is that you have another barrier to cross before finally getting someone to your app, a hurdle that can potentially halt a connection with the person you want to view your app.
Another limitation in general is the current inability to really customize your content. To date, you can really only add photos and text along with your Twitter feed. You can’t customize the layout, making your design selection slave to the handful of default skins presented to you. My hope is that this builds in time, which would lend the kind of high-quality content that your app would need to have to maintain real stickiness with browsers.
For my business card, I added contact information, a brief synopsis, and my personal logo. In the end, it looked pretty and can serve the purpose of making me looking trendy (if that really is a good thing). After reading some reviews online about the app’s versatility as an invitation tool, I think it’s safe to say that the app-building service does this well and is worth checking out if you want to get a little creative with invitations. Other than that, I can only recommend this as a fun experiment that may surprise you, but I don’t see much value using this as something effective to market.
Oh, and I would be remiss to not include the link to see my new app! You can scan the QR code or simply follow this link on your mobile phone: http://my.yapp.us/Z4ZKFG
