Smartphone Apps (iphone, Android, Blackberry|)

The request was successful.

Dear Cheshire West and Chester Council,

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act please provide me with the following details.

All details relating to the development of the 'Smyle' iphone app - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/smyle/id4...

Details of the number of downloads since it was launched in August to the end of November.

The number of enquiries submitted via the app during this period.

The number of 'deletions' of the app.

The total development, design and implementation cost for the app plus details of any ongoing cost.

The reasoning as to why an iphone app has been developed while there seems to be no similar apps for other mobile devices.

The reasoning why there has been no development of an Android or Blackberry variation.

Details of all research carried out prior to the decision to develop an iphone app - market research conducted, focus group studies, relevant statistical data relating to customer demand etc.

Details of any other smartphone apps (of any format) developed or in development by Cheshire West and Chester plus their estimated development costs.

The number of smartphones by type - Blackberry, Android, iphone or other - currently supplied to staff and councillors. The cost of the purchase of the handsets and associated peripherals, plus the monthly cost of calls/data downloads broken down between staff and councillors for the past 3 years.

The number of tablet devices - specifically iPads - supplied to councillors and staff over the past 24 months. The cost of purchasing these devices and any associated peripherals, plus the cost per month of data downloads and purchases from the itunes store (specifically the number of games and none work related apps downloaded through councillor or staff itune accounts)

The number of tablet devices supplied to staff and councillors who already have council supplied laptops.

Yours faithfully,

Karl Palmer

Cheshire West and Chester Council

RE: Your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

Case Reference: 101000076016

Dear Mr Palmer

Thank you for your email. It will be treated as a request within the meaning of the Act: this means that we will send you a full response within 20 working days, either supplying you with the information which you want, or explaining to you why we cannot supply it. If we need any further clarification or there is any problem we will be in touch.

In the meantime if you wish to discuss this further please contact me. It would be helpful if you could quote the log number 76016.

Yours sincerely

Caroline Timms
FOI Unit
Solutions Team
Cheshire West and Chester Council

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FOI West, Cheshire West and Chester Council

Dear Mr Palmer

 

Further to your Freedom of Information request, Log Number 76016, please
find below our response to your questions

 

All details relating to the development of the 'Smyle' iphone app can be
found on the following website -
[1]http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/smyle/id4...

 

·         Details of the number of downloads since it was launched in
August to the end of November.

This application is bespoke and is the Love Clean Streets application
which has been personalised for use by Cheshire West.  It is not yet a
fully launched application and is in test phase at the moment, information
requested is not available at present. 

The application will be fully launched early in 2012.

 

·         The number of enquiries submitted via the app during this
period.

As above

 

·         The number of 'deletions' of the app.

Not applicable

 

·         The total development, design and implementation cost for the
app plus details of any ongoing cost.

It is a bespoke piece of software (Love Clean Streets) and cost £6,500 to
purchase and personalise to Cheshire West.  Final internal implementation
costs are not finalised as the app is currently still in test and launch
costs haven’t been considered .

 

·         The reasoning as to why an iphone app has been developed while
there seems to be no similar apps for other mobile devices.

This app is currently available on all smart phones platforms i.e iPhone,
blackberry and android, although it is currently available for download
and testing it has not been officially launched.

 

·         The reasoning why there has been no development of an Android or
Blackberry variation.

See above

 

·         Details of all research carried out prior to the decision to
develop an iphone app - market research conducted, focus group studies,
relevant statistical data relating to customer demand etc.

This project was run in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy and Oldham
Council.  Keep Britain Tidy are the lead organisation that undertook both
internal and external focus groups.  Reports and associated documentation
are owned by Keep Britain Tidy.  The Council purchased the software to
enable our digitally enabled community to contact us using their preferred
method.  This app is seen as a quick and easy way to report problems and
is an additional communication channel that can be used.  As the
application has not been officially launched and is still being tested, we
have no data in relation to reports that accurately reflect current
demand.

 

·         Details of any other smartphone apps (of any format) developed
or in development by Cheshire West and Chester plus their estimated
development costs.

 

There are no other plans to develop native mobile phone applications at
present.  Please see the following for a description of Cheshire West and
Chester’s Statement of intent for mobile app development  

 

·         Development of a Mobile CWaC Site

As part of the overall redevelopment of the CWaC website, a separate
project is examining the ongoing requirements for a corporate-wide mobile
strategy, concentrating on a number of key areas to determine the best
approach in terms of satisfying user demand.  While the development of the
mobile site currently takes a secondary seat to the overall redevelopment
of the main CWaC site, we are still currently pulling together a range of
research into possible approaches and solutions.  Key to this research is
the monitoring of mobile usage on the CWaC website, in terms of technology
used, but also what information people are accessing.

With 10% (15,652) of visitors during April-October accessing over 475,000
pageviews through mobile devices, it is clear demand for a mobile solution
is increasing rapidly. While we can trace the month by month increase in
the number of users using mobile devices to access the CWaC website – from
tablets to phones – one of the key inputs is the variety of devices being
used. 

For example, over the last 2 quarters the main CWaC site has been accessed
by 160 different types of mobile devices, with 12 different operating
systems and employing 5 different input methods (touchscreen, trackwheel,
joystick etc.) and, crucially, with over 600 different screen
resolutions.  It is this information that will inform the decision as to
what approach would best suit users as well as the organisation.

Such an array of differing devices will clearly influence the possible
solutions on offer:

·         Adaptive Design - This approach automatically applies a specific
style to a site, when it is viewed in a browser of a predefine size. This
can be on a desktop PC when the browser is resized or when it is viewed on
a device with a smaller screen. This approach allows you to define a
specific view, of the same content, per screen size (or device). This
enables you to tailor the visual appearance of your site to each device,
without needing separate mobile websites.  This is a relatively simple way
of tailoring your website or application to specific mobile devices without
having to redesign your existing desktop version. However, it does require
you know which screen sizes and devices you are targeting in advanced. 

·         Responsive Design - Unlike ‘adaptive’ design, ‘responsive’
design does not require knowledge of a user’s target screen size from the
beginning.  The page will rearrange content constantly as the screen
changes size. While you may still define specific screen sizes at which your
page changes layout, taking a ‘responsive’ design approach means that your
site will be optimised for all potential screen dimension.  This offers a
degree of future proofing. This is worth considering as new mobile devices
are constantly being released and you do not know what size the next shiny
new device will be.

·         Web app –  Web apps provides the ability to tailor user
experience to their mobile device rather than simply reconfiguring the same
content that a desktop user would receive. Web apps will work on any
device that uses a modern mobile web browser making them universal; cross
platform applications. This maximizes your potential audience with a
single implementation; you do not need a different version for Android,
iOS, or Windows Phone. This reduces development costs. However, web apps
are limited in their functionality and user experience to what can be
provided within a browser. Your app will be unable to use device specific
technologies (such as the camera) or harness the devices native user
experience.  Web apps give you the opportunity to offer mobile users their
own tailored experience. However, as this is essentially a separate
implementation from the standard web site it will be more costly to
implement than the adaptive and responsive design options.

·         Native app - An app is useful for offering users a specific
service or function. With the native app you can take advantage of the
vast array technology buried in the mobile device; the compass, gyroscope,
storage and the camera.  Native apps offer the user the slickest
experience on a mobile device made possible by allowing you access to the
native UX controls. However, development time of a native app is likely to
be greatest of all of your mobile options. Also, each native environment
(iOS, Android, Windows, RIM) requires its own development; native apps are
not cross platform. These two factors combine to make this the most costly
option in terms of both time and budget.

Clearly there are a range of other issues that need to be addressed in the
development of a mobile strategy.  For example, regardless of the solution
selected, users clearly interact with content differently on mobile
devices.  No one would relish accessing or filling in our online job
applications form on an iphone screen, for example, so the way in which we
offer contact/application forms will have to be tailored appropriately.
We plan to continue to monitor and assess mobile usage while we work on
the overall site design and a more comprehensive set of recommendations
will be provided in the new year with the purpose of delivering an
effective solution before April 2012.

·         The number of smartphones by type - Blackberry, Android, iphone
or other - currently supplied to staff and councillors. The cost of the
purchase of the handsets and associated peripherals, plus the monthly cost
of calls/data downloads broken down between staff and councillors for the
past 3 years. ??

Number of Blackberry devices is 428 staff and councillors.  The standard
handsets are £250 each however we get an equipment credit of £125 reducing
the cost by half.  The costs for the Blackberry’s are only available from
May 2010 onwards and costs are as follows:-

 

  May-10 Aug-10 Nov-10 Feb-11 May-11 Aug-11 Nov-11 Totals
Staff £15,986.04 £    £   £   £    £   £  £151,517.83
20,875.59 21,705.32 21,729.89 22,627.75 24,609.51 23,983.73
Councillors £   £      £     £     £     £     £      £   
1,123.64 1,104.10 1,119.81 1,144.70 1,114.66 1,139.68 1,399.99 8,146.58
Total               £159,664.41

 

 

·         The number of tablet devices - specifically iPads - supplied to
councillors and staff over the past 24 months. The cost of purchasing
these devices and any associated peripherals, plus the cost per month of
data downloads and purchases from the itunes store (specifically the
number of games and none work related apps downloaded through councillor
or staff itune accounts)

There have been 4 iPads purchased over the last 24 months as part of
testing and development work.

 

Costs

4 x iPad 2 with WiFi + 3G 64GB -  £550

4 x iPad Covers £59

3 of the 4 have sim cards - £7 per month for 1 GB data downloading

1 iTunes £50 Voucher for software installs

 

The devices are being  used to investigate usability and compatibility
with the council’s online presence and to understand the benefits & risk
with technology consumerasitation.  no application installs are purchased
unless through Itunes voucher  £50 voucher.

 

·         The number of tablet devices supplied to staff and councillors
who already have council supplied laptops.

1 HP Tablet device has been purchased

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request a review by writing to:

Solutions Team
Cheshire West and Chester Council
HQ
58 Nicholas Street
Chester
CH1 2NP

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45

Janet Scanlan
Executive Support Assistant
Cheshire West and Chester Council

 

 

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