More and more, I am struck by the lack of speed in mobile apps. As a near-constant iPhone user (with the ever peppy 3GS), I’ve noticed the significant time it takes to do quick actions.
I love foursquare, but from a cold start (app not already open, on full bars 3G), it takes 27 seconds to check-in. 27 seconds! It loads the splash…
my current friends and their latest check ins, and then the place list (which often needs to be refreshed once or twice before it shows you the new venues), and then finally the ability to check-in.
I think there are going to be niche apps which do less, to speed up the experience. A “only let’s you check-in” app, would be a great utility. Run a background location update every minute/hour etc…and then just get to the venue list, and provide the check-in dialogue.
Think of an app that will only…
Just Check-In
Just Tweet
Just take one photo
Solves a basic problem, by doing less.
