SMART CITY FANATIC

 Short answer: NOTHING! I know. Controversial. But: consider that answer in the context of tech. The whole process of technology has in effect shifted, changed, destroyed, dismantled and reinvented the old service vs product paradigm. Think of it, this way: 1: An 'app' is all well and good.   Download it to phone. Use. Cue millions, even billions in revenue for the creators and an easier life for users.  But: HOW to USE it? In effect, the app requires its own training regimes. 'How to' guides etc. Has to be part of the whole package. Equally, chances are, said application, be it mapping, social, whatever, is connected TO service provision.  2:   If I create the ultimate transport aid, to rival City-Mapper et al?   It is yes, prima facie, a kind of 'product'. At the same time, however, I am thereby commenting on, interacting with and growing from a SERVICE. As in, the service of transport or whichever sector my app targets?  3:  Flip that logic for...

  Ok, yes, that is a leading headline. It is what GOOGLE thinks you want to hear, right?  But what if I told you that travel apps are already facing extinction? Yes, they will always exist in some iteration. But the paradigm is shifting. Incrementally yet dramatically. Implicitly yet definitely. Here's why: 1: Tech changes, frequently.  The moment a new application launches? It has a thousand counterpart competitors, waiting in the wings. What you must ask yourself, therefore, is whether you, as a user want to invest time and perhaps 'fremium' monies, in a tool whose redundancy is all but inbuilt?  2: There are STILL things that apps cannot, or at least do not, as yet 'do'!  Sure, things have improved. An app can tell me at each stage of a journey, which direction / route/method to deploy. Yes, there is indeed, up to the minute updating available when delays or cancellations occur. But why stop there?  When was the last time an app gave you a PRECISE read o...

 Or rather? Maybe they DO it. But those features are not yet flagged up or tailored enough.  We have been talking, at some considerable length, regarding the many features and advantages which define travel focused applications of late. And one cannot in any way diminish those strengths. However, it is equally important to note that there are a number of urban themes which pervade the travel experience and it is in THOSE areas where the NEXT big app will take off.  In no particular order, a non exhaustive list, as follows: 1: DISABILITY!   We assume, immediately, a visible or aesthetically obvious point. Wheelchairs and so on. But think of say, DYSPRAXIA? Visual impairment and all the many iterations of limitation on one's ability to be truly mobile. An app that guides them through EVERY step of a journey, beyond simple tips/directions? ESSENTIAL. And in its way? STILL not 'there', yet.  2: AGE!   It is a problem. Older population. They do not all have to d...

He can buy ANYTHING. Go ANYWHERE. Be ANYONE. And yet? Mr Musk just invested in a social media platform for micro blogging and comment. WHY? News just in: ELON MUSK has bought himself a nice 9.2% stake in TWITTER. In effect, therefore? The man now controls it. It is a curious move, in part because Musk was among the first to shun 'marketing' budgets, and with that, social media drives?  That is not an uncommon tactic. Indeed, CITY MAPPER does not invest hugely in commercial communications, allowing, instead, customer word of mouth and quality of product, to do the work for them. That said, I would not necessarily be too hasty in joining that bandwagon.  Every company needs marketing. Do not overdo it or present as something you are not. But equally, shunning such operations entirely is foolhardy, at best. You need those social media logos at the top and bottom of correspondence, same way an address /email/phone number complete the professional 'look'.  Content is key and...