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Why don't you want to add any additional features? Specially if there are any that can make the experience easier for users. For example: You say users can eas

by bushido 13y ago

Why don't you want to add any additional features? Specially if there are any that can make the experience easier for users. For example: You say users can easily send photos, but the premise is wrong, in the sense that it takes the same number of steps for a user to: 1. Click a picture 2. Open the picture 3. Select to send it via email/mms/whatsapp/etc. or share it on facebook/dropbox/etc. 4. Of course the next step would be select a contact, add an @user and add a message if they choose. 5. Hit send/share/etc. to confirm I am guessing they would need to choose a business or contact in your application too, so it does not really add anything "new" and is no more convenient or simpler than other options. On the other hand; If you added features to: 1. Take a picture from within the app 2. Allow users to directly load pictures from the phone 3. Tagged pictures with the exact GPS coordinates (with the users permission) 4. Allowed users to sort, tag and share (using a privacy first approach) You could request businesses to pay a small fees to get access to semi-publicly shared photos on your application that share the geo-location/coordinates with their event location and time. This could also be done in real-time. You could also automate sharing/backups to other services that you can integrate using tags and other user preferences. Only then will you have a complex enough product, that actually simplifies the users activity. edit: formatting

jmathai 13y ago
There's a few points in your post that don't address the needs of (our) business users. If you run an event with hundreds or thousands of attendees you don't want them all emailing or SMSing photos to you. Or if you run a travel agency and want to provide a way for people to share photos after their group vacation your suggestion won't work there either. There's a lot of use cases that we've been discussing with customers. Only then will you have a complex enough product, that actually simplifies the users activity. Can't say I agree with that statement :).
- bushido 13y ago
  edit: disclaimer: tad off-topic since the OP specified "We don't care or want to add any features to this app." which was exactly what I just did. :) > If you run an event with hundreds or thousands of attendees you don't want them all emailing or SMSing photos to you. A dedicated email address for the event, using twilio for sms/mms[0], watching/following a #hashtag thru something like hootsuite will work and is already used. It also does not require the users do download any Apps at all. *Though, my previous comment was not intended to criticize or compare you to other services, beyond the scope of reaffirming what apple has already told you, you're application is too simple in terms of being light on features. As a matter of fact, I am also reaffirming that there is potential to the idea. It's likely the simple fact that we just have a different definition of what would be considered simple. From my perspective an application like this has two different sets of users, both of whose needs should be met. The business customer and the app user, what you explained is truly simple for the business customer but the success of those users depends on the usage/adoption by the app users. If you're saying that the needs of the later group should/can be avoided or overlooked then we are truly coming from different places. :) Also in regards with: > Or if you run a travel agency and want to provide a way for people to share photos after their group vacation your suggestion won't work there either. In my previous comment I mentioned that you could allow the app users to sort, tag and share photos(point 4 under the second list), if a tag/category was shared by the user the challenge for the travel agency would be solved. If I were to implement this I would: -> first make the travel agency share the folder/link-folder with the people in the tour ->-> If the user shared a 'link' under this folder it would ->->-> the pics/links get shared with other users of the folder and the tour operator ->->->-> As an added feature the app user could select their terms for sharing ex. share with operator only etc.
- Terretta 13y ago
  You are doing the right thing. Your app exists to Collect photos for a business, that's what it should do. Some apps have screen shots that aren't screenshots but more like presentations explaining screenshots. You could try that to make clear the great things going on at the other end of your Collect app? Your real audience will be the Business's users, but in this round, your audience is the Apple reviewer. It needs to look, to them, like it's doing something cool. Or, since your install vector is a link: * Use an HTML5 app! That was the original intent for the platform, and iPhones and iPads support that. Have a look at http://forecast.io http://forecast.io or http://forecast.io/lines http://forecast.io/lines for examples of apps that install as HTML5 apps w/o using app store, and do cool things. In your case, you can upload photos and EXIF data, and you can get to an install faster. There are so many async js file uploaders to S3 at this point, you're golden.

by bushido 13y ago

jmathai 13y ago

There's a few points in your post that don't address the needs of (our) business users. If you run an event with hundreds or thousands of attendees you don't want them all emailing or SMSing photos to you. Or if you run a travel agency and want to provide a way for people to share photos after their group vacation your suggestion won't work there either. There's a lot of use cases that we've been discussing with customers. Only then will you have a complex enough product, that actually simplifies the users activity. Can't say I agree with that statement :).

bushido 13y ago
edit: disclaimer: tad off-topic since the OP specified "We don't care or want to add any features to this app." which was exactly what I just did. :) > If you run an event with hundreds or thousands of attendees you don't want them all emailing or SMSing photos to you. A dedicated email address for the event, using twilio for sms/mms[0], watching/following a #hashtag thru something like hootsuite will work and is already used. It also does not require the users do download any Apps at all. *Though, my previous comment was not intended to criticize or compare you to other services, beyond the scope of reaffirming what apple has already told you, you're application is too simple in terms of being light on features. As a matter of fact, I am also reaffirming that there is potential to the idea. It's likely the simple fact that we just have a different definition of what would be considered simple. From my perspective an application like this has two different sets of users, both of whose needs should be met. The business customer and the app user, what you explained is truly simple for the business customer but the success of those users depends on the usage/adoption by the app users. If you're saying that the needs of the later group should/can be avoided or overlooked then we are truly coming from different places. :) Also in regards with: > Or if you run a travel agency and want to provide a way for people to share photos after their group vacation your suggestion won't work there either. In my previous comment I mentioned that you could allow the app users to sort, tag and share photos(point 4 under the second list), if a tag/category was shared by the user the challenge for the travel agency would be solved. If I were to implement this I would: -> first make the travel agency share the folder/link-folder with the people in the tour ->-> If the user shared a 'link' under this folder it would ->->-> the pics/links get shared with other users of the folder and the tour operator ->->->-> As an added feature the app user could select their terms for sharing ex. share with operator only etc.
Terretta 13y ago
You are doing the right thing. Your app exists to Collect photos for a business, that's what it should do. Some apps have screen shots that aren't screenshots but more like presentations explaining screenshots. You could try that to make clear the great things going on at the other end of your Collect app? Your real audience will be the Business's users, but in this round, your audience is the Apple reviewer. It needs to look, to them, like it's doing something cool. Or, since your install vector is a link: * Use an HTML5 app! That was the original intent for the platform, and iPhones and iPads support that. Have a look at http://forecast.io http://forecast.io or http://forecast.io/lines http://forecast.io/lines for examples of apps that install as HTML5 apps w/o using app store, and do cool things. In your case, you can upload photos and EXIF data, and you can get to an install faster. There are so many async js file uploaders to S3 at this point, you're golden.