From Online Service to Mobile App

Service companies use branches, phone, kiosks and web as direct channels to customers. In recent years service companies added a new channel - the smart phone application. Smart phones differ from PCs in screen size, ease of typing and input, connection speed and use context. Keeping these changes in mind, mobile apps shouldn’t be a replica of their online counterparts. One difference is that the mobile app has to be leaner. Another difference is that mobile apps should have unique features, such as location based features, taking advantage of mobile capabilities.

As a case study, I compared the online website and mobile app of Citibank’s card services. As shown below the mobile app has fewer pages (17 vs. 84) and has fewer levels (4 deep vs. 6 deep).

Companies rushed to create iPhone and android apps often not doing it “right”. Mobile operation system defragmentation and rapid market changes make doing it right all the more challenging. That may be the reason why Citibank’s iPhone app got a poor ranking of 2.5 out of 5. Surely in coming years the industry will mature and mobile apps will improve.

Figures (top to bottom): Citibank Credit Card Online Service (Prepared with PowerMapper), Citibank Credit Card Mobile App, Van diagram comparison of features

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