July 1, 2014 / by Evan Kirkwood / Uncategorized / 0 comments
In his post about keeping Apps relevant and prevalent, Rick wrote about the importance of ensuring Apps are functionally relevant to those using them, that they are fit for purpose and contain features that help, not hinder or get in the way. App analytics provide insight to what features are being used, by which users, for how long, etc. But […]
Read more
Blog posts and articles from Arter Kirkwood & Associates, a mobile app development company based in Alberta, Canada. Read the insights and findings from our top authors below. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like us to write on a particular topic.
Gradle DSL method not found: ‘runProguard’ error after updating Android Studio
December 14, 2014 / by Evan Kirkwood / Uncategorized / 0 comments
Android Studio 1.0 was released this past week, more than a year and half since the first preview version was made available to developers. Among other changes, the 1.0 release includes an updated version of the Android Gradle plugin, which includes changes incompatible with prior versions. When attempting to build an existing Android Studio project […]
Read more
Build-Measure-Learn…and quite possibly Pivot?
December 1, 2014 / by Rick Arter / Uncategorized / 0 comments
We have been captivated lately by The Lean Startup movement and the mainstream traction it is gaining, particularly in organizations you would not consider to be a startup, such as General Electric. It doesn’t take long, however, to appreciate that these well established corporations experience many of the same pressures and challenges startups do when […]
Read more
Troubleshooting Android Application Compatibility
November 16, 2014 / by Evan Kirkwood / Uncategorized / 0 comments
The diversity of Android devices can make ensuring compatibility a challenge when developing mobile applications. Google Play applies filters so that users can only install those applications that are compatible with their devices. An incompatible feature can limit the users you reach with an Android application. The Google Play Developers Console provides a handy feature to examine what devices […]
Read more
Analysis-Paralysis: When Strategy Becomes Crippling
November 5, 2014 / by Rick Arter / Uncategorized / 0 comments
We have an extensive amount of experience developing information technology strategies for organizations that reaches back long before our exploits into the mobile application development space. Strategies of all size and scale: everything from broad organizational strategies to lower level program-specific strategies and now to mobile application development strategies (helping organizations determine what mobile Apps […]
Read more
Responsive Design Challenge: Content Prioritization
September 27, 2014 / by Evan Kirkwood / Uncategorized / 1 comment
Determining what content is most important and how to arrange it to reflect priority is a challenge in web design for any device, but becomes even more difficult when considering a responsive web design. A site designed with Responsive Web Design techniques dynamically changes layout depending on the screen size and orientation of the device […]
Read more
Successful partnerships…and when they are not
August 20, 2014 / by Rick Arter / Uncategorized / 0 comments
When striking out on your own to establish a name for yourself, should you resist or embrace partnering with other organizations to deliver your service? The fear being that you might dilute your presence (your name) in the marketplace. There’s definite pros and cons to either answer but on the balance, and based upon our […]
Read more
Responsive web and IE 7 – can we just get along?
August 3, 2014 / by Evan Kirkwood / Uncategorized / 0 comments
When it comes to responsive web design, IE 7 is pretty far from people’s minds these days. With global usage of IE 7 having dropped to under 1%, more and more sites and web frameworks are dropping support for this 7-year-old browser. But who makes up that 1% you ask? In our experience: paying customers. […]
Read more
A Place for Traditional Project Planning?
July 15, 2014 / by Rick Arter / Uncategorized / 0 comments
In this age of agility and ‘getting things done’ over ‘talking about getting things done’, it’s often asked if there is still a place for traditional planning, particularly at the outset of a project or consulting engagement. For us, the answer is yes. We find it particularly useful to commission each project or consulting engagement […]
Read more
A-B testing – it’s about what we know
July 1, 2014 / by Evan Kirkwood / Uncategorized / 0 comments
In his post about keeping Apps relevant and prevalent, Rick wrote about the importance of ensuring Apps are functionally relevant to those using them, that they are fit for purpose and contain features that help, not hinder or get in the way. App analytics provide insight to what features are being used, by which users, for how long, etc. But […]
Read more
Beyond Break-Fix: Keeping Company Developed Apps Relevant and Prevalent
June 16, 2014 / by Rick Arter / Uncategorized / 1 comment
Most think of managing company mobile Apps beyond their initial development as simply keeping them running, defect-free. But what about how relevant those mobile applications are to those using them? And are those using them representative of the target market, i.e. audience and size, whether those Apps are for internal or external company use? Apps […]
Read more