Although research shows that mobile apps continue to dominate consumers’ digital media habits, persuading people to try new ones is becoming increasingly difficult.

The brutal reality facing the app economy is, just because there’s app for something in the app store, it doesn’t mean that an increasing number of users will download it.

Evidently, the app market is becoming increasingly saturated. As a result, businesses need to ask themselves, do we really need an app for that?

Triswick Digital has looked for alternative solutions, we began by asking ourselves:

“how can we help companies communicate effectively without the need of a traditional (native) app?”

Our answer: Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and URUP software.

So, what is a Progressive Web App (PWA)?

Put simply, it’s a mobile app that’s delivered via the web, it’s a link-based app. This new tech allows us to deliver an app-like experience on your browser without the need for app download! It rids the necessity of the app store middleman.

In other words, a PWA is a website with a special manifest file that defines the name of the app, the icon for the home screen, and whether the app should show the typical browser UI or just take over the full screen.

Wait…what is a manifest file?

A manifest file is a file that contains metadata for a group of accompanying files that are part of a set or defined unit.

Wait…what is metadata?

Metadata is a fancy name given to data [information] that provides information about other data. Think of a phonebook, it’s a source of information (data) that gives information about other people (data subjects).

This means the user can add the PWA to their home screen or start menu and simply launch it like a regular app. All the user must do is click on the link, follow the prompt provided, and it will automatically save to their device’s home screen.

Native Apps Vs Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

Native (traditional) apps are apps specifically designed for platforms such as Android, iOS, or Windows. Examples of native apps are Uber, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. They are what usually comes to mind when someone mentions the term ‘mobile app’.

The problem with native apps is the friction they cause for both end-user and developer. They’re not only rigid, but they are extremely costly and time consuming to build.

From a developer perspective, the main difference is that they will not have to adapt their app to Android, iOS, or Windows. The fact that PWAs use web technology means they work cross-platform, on most browsers, taking the operating system out of the equation.

As a result, the dev only needs to build one PWA as it’ll look and perform the same across all devices. Therefore, end-users will enjoy a consistent experience on any device they choose to launch the app on.

According to BiznessApps, with every step involved in the native app download, 20% of users are lost.

Reasons for drop off include:

• Having to find it in the app store
• Waiting for the download
• Sign-up process
• Limited storage space on their device

PWAs substantially decrease the number of steps needed, essentially making it a one-step process.

Benefits of PWAs:

• Progressive: they work for every user, as they can run off any browser
• App-like: looks and feels like an app without the need for app download. App-style navigation and interactions (can even send push notifications), it also negates the extra steps needed to download a native app
• Responsive UI: built to fit any device screen
• Connectivity independent: can function offline or on low-quality networks due to something called an enhanced service worker
• Always up to date: thanks to the service worker update process (no more visiting your app-store for app updates)
• Discoverable: can be searched for online and help with the company’s SEO (marketers, get excited, use this to get that SEO score up)
• Linkable: the URL can be shared via numerous activation methods

“For businesses, deciding whether to pour resources into native apps or mobile web apps is a tough call, but the decision is a crucial one.” — TechoPedia

As mentioned, PWAs combine the best of both worlds as you get the native app functionality that performs in the web browser. All you need to do is share a URL and ta-da, the consumer adds it to their home screen and it’s there to use at any given time, low connectivity and all.

So, what does this have to do with Triswick Digital?

If you’ve managed to read this far, you are probably as intrigued as we were when we first stumbled across this revolutionary tech. The reason this has anything to do with Triswick is the fact that you can easily build PWAs using a software we distribute. The software platform we use is called URUP.

URUP’s unique value proposition enables an organisation, brand or company to engage with their target audience on any internet connected device within seconds — no app download, no sign-up process. This ensures that in a single click your target audience is engaging with you through any digital communication channel that can serve a website link.

Sounds a lot like these PWAs, right? Almost. The key difference here is URUP is used to build different components of the PWA and we call our components “journeys”. Each journey allows you to build communication solutions which we, Triswick Digital, tie together to create the app-like environment whereby the consumer can take multiple routes to access whatever information they need.

An example: picture a native app in your mind, let’s say Uber. Now, if you were to click on the nav bar (menu button) a list of dropdown items appear on the left-hand side of your screen (your trips, payment, help, etc). We would make each one of these menu items a journey, these journeys would then all be linked and displayed on an app-like interface.

The image above shows screenshots of a PWA demo built using URUP journeys. Screenshot one shows what you see once clicking on the URL. It even tells you how to add it to your home screen.

Screenshot two shows the ‘add to home screen’ step. Screenshot four is what you see when clicking on the app icon (seen in screenshot three). This app-like interface is called a “veneer”. Each image is linked to a journey.

Creating a “Journey”

A journey is a sequence of gates (digital cards) used to communicate something to the end-user. Each gate/card is pre-coded on the backend, all you need to do is select which ones you want to use and in what order. The Card Builder makes it as easy as dragging and dropping cards (like playing solitaire) to create a journey’s layout. To see how easy it is to create a journey, please watch this video.

As mentioned in the video, each journey comes with big, meaningful data that allows you to adapt your strategy based on information collected through your journey directly to your screen. Data can then be combined and compared between journeys linked to the same veneer (PWA).

Due to the nature of PWAs (always up to date), a journey can be edited and re-added to the veneer without the end user having to update the app. The URUP platform puts the power in your hands, no tech-heavy background needed or huge investment, anyone can build journeys. Anyone can connect.

I decided to have a look at the crucial factors African countries should focus on to ensure the potential of their youth is realised.

Young people are considered a great asset to any country as they make up a much-needed portion of human capital and contain the greatest potential and innovativeness, two beneficial factors needed by any and every economy throughout the world. In this light, sub-Saharan Africa is a region of vast capital, as Africa has the highest concentration of youth on the planet.

However, of the near 200 million African youth aged between 15 and 24 years old, about 75 million are looking for work, thus Africa evidently suffers from the crucial unemployment problem which affects many countries throughout the world. It is therefore critical that certain factors be dealt with in order to create an employable labour market, one which is adequately educated and skilled as to create an environment which promotes opportunity for future sustainable growth.

A dominating reason for Africa’s unemployment problem lies in basic education. It is estimated that approximately 133 million, more than half of the youth population, is illiterate. Thus, many people are excluded from the productive economic labour force and social life.

Furthermore, those who have limited education demonstrate skills which are largely irrelevant to current demand within the labour market, thus presenting a situation where educational and skill requirements are reaching an increasing level. The result is that of the phenomenal unemployment problem which affects today’s youth, both in and out of Africa.

It is therefore imperative that governments’ try and fix the problem by introducing educational and skill-building programs. An example is that of vocational training where new labour market entrants are given a second chance and are taught the required skills needed within the working world.

The idea of this system is to accommodate the ever-changing needs of the dynamic work environment; however, it is important that it be supplemented by an educational option, one which can provide the youth with a maximum set of durable achievements in terms of basic knowledge, literacy and long-lasting learning skills.

Albeit, vocational training also has a very specific purpose, that is, to improve skills related to specific technologies and to develop them further in the workplace. If the labour market is to succeed in creating a larger pool of able and potential employees, it is critical that the private sector help by offering training programmes so that the youth can become effectively skilled and thus employable.

However, vocational training as a single intervention is likely to be inadequate as a sole means to overcome a context of high levels of youth unemployment. The problem lies in the serious difficulties of integrating youth into the labour market, especially amongst early school leavers. The reason being that poor skill levels are only one of many factors leading to youth unemployment.

A factor which results in the above fore-mentioned integration problem, is that of barriers which prevent young people from accessing employment opportunities, such as: the lack of job creation, vulnerability of young employees to layoffs during periods of weak economic growth, high labour costs or unrealistic wage expectations on the part of youth, discrimination (such as negative attitudes towards inexperienced young workers), poor access to basic education (e.g. the lack of skills from limited job experience and hence little access to on-the-job training), government policies that discourage work, the dynamic economy, and the many labour-market disadvantages that accompany poverty.

Furthermore, the unemployment problem can be solved through trade expansion. Intra-Africa trade creates an opportunity for sustained growth, development and employment. Governments in Africa should, therefore, promote regional integration and, according to the Economic Development in Africa Report 2013, they will need to focus on the building of productive capacities and domestic entrepreneurship in order to benefit from the expected gains. Increased production will thus lead to an increase in jobs, thus giving the unemployed youth the chance to become employed.

However, governments must also note the great importance that the service sector plays in the employment statistics of their countries’. This is due to the majority of the labour force being employed by the service sector in relation to the minority which is employed by the secondary sector. Therefore, governments must promote growth within the service sector to enable job creation and thus, help reduce the youth unemployment problem.

The problem facing today’s youth, in regards to unemployment, is a factor which must be dealt with in all seriousness as it inhibits Africa from reaching its full potential. Both the government and the private sector must provide sufficient education and training in order to create a labour market which is able and capable of facilitating sustainable growth within Africa.

Albeit, further solutions do exist, such as trade expansion and growth within the service sector, the desired outcome of these factors being job creation and an increase in productivity. Furthermore, it is essential that governments realise the importance of building productive capacities and domestic entrepreneurship, as these two factors are crucial if Africa is to realise growth and ultimately help diminish the youth unemployment problem.

Although price charts may seem daunting at first, it only takes few simple explanations to make them more inviting to use and understand.

What is a Bitcoin price chart and why use it?

In a nutshell, a Bitcoin price chart is a graphical representation of the movement of the Bitcoin price over a specific period of time. For example, it can display the ups and downs of the Bitcoin price over the past year.

Uses for price charts include asset analysis (Bitcoin) and decision making support. Traders use price charts to base their Bitcoin buys and sells on by trying to predict where the price will go in the future. To the moon?

Although there are many different types of price charts, I am only going to discuss the three found on the Luno Exchange. Namely, line, depth and candlestick charts.

👉 Note: Only traders with bank accounts in Luno’s supported countries can trade Bitcoin on the Luno Exchange.

Bitcoin line chart

This is the most basic type of price chart, it simply shows the different prices between different time periods and then connects them together with a line. The value in this chart type is its simplicity. Its main use is helping us determine, at a glance, whether the price of Bitcoin is trending upward or downward, in the short term and the long term.

For example, the line graph above shows us the Bitcoin price (Y axis) for each day over the past month (X axis). To plot the graph, we sum the opening price (price of the first trade of the day) and the closing price (price of the last trade of the day) and then divide this amount by 2.

Bitcoin depth charts

The depth chart is a graphical representation of the pending limit orders in the order book. The value in this chart that it shows us how much liquidity there is in the market in-real time.

To understand a depth chart, one must first understand limit orders. The order book lists all the current limit orders resting in the market (trades that have not yet been executed).

Red represents sell orders (or “asks”) and green represents buy orders (or “bids”). As traders place buy and sell orders in the market at different prices, the order book is updated.

👉 Note: the chart’s y-axis represents the number of Bitcoin on the order book and the x-axis represents the prices at which buyers and sellers have orders pending.

Orders are executed when prices match and the market price is determined. The “1 spread” in the image above represents the price difference between the highest bid and the lowest ask.

However, the value in this graph is being able to read the market’s liquidity. The Bitcoin market liquidity refers to the extent to which Bitcoin can be bought or sold at stable prices.

Although the Bitcoin price is relatively unstable when compared to very liquid assets such as cash, this is not what the comparison it is generally used for. Traders use this chart to compare liquidity between different Bitcoin exchanges, as well as to see how many bids and asks are on the order book.

Traders read the chart by examining its depth (the steepness of the valley between the red and green in the above chart) and spread (difference between the highest bid and the lowest ask).

The steeper the depth and the the smaller the spread, the more liquid the market, the more stable the prices.

Bitcoin candlestick charts

This is the most commonly used chart among traders and is most often used to analyse price patterns. The candlestick chart is known as a OHLC (open, high, low, close) price chart.

Each ‘candle’ graphically shows the opening price, the highest and lowest price, as well as the closing price. The colour of the ‘candle’ represents whether the closing price was higher than the opening price (green bar) or lower than the opening price (red bar) for a specific time period.

The reason traders prefer this type of chart is because it’s visually appealing and easy to interpret.

Traders look for patterns that groups of candlesticks form, whether they’re bullish (green, rising prices) or bearish (red, falling prices), they’ll use this information to base their trade strategies on.

How to interpret a candlestick graph (feel free to skip this section)

The longer the body of the candlestick, the more intense the buying or selling pressure was. Short bodies indicate little price movement and represent price consolidation.

Long green candlesticks show strong buying pressure (strong demand), whereas long red candlesticks show strong selling pressure (strong supply). What does this strong supply and strong demand mean? See this blog post to find out.

Candlesticks with a long upper wick and a short lower wick show us that buyers dominated during the trading session and they bid the Bitcoin price up (higher demand). Whereas candlesticks with a long lower wick show us that sellers dominated and drove the Bitcoin price down (higher supply).

Candlesticks with short wicks show us that most of the trades were confined near the open and close. Whereas candlesticks with long wicks show us that prices extended well past the open and close prices. The difference between the high and low prices is known as the spread.

The next step

Now that you’ve had a brief introduction to the price charts found on the Luno Exchange, the next step is applying some of this knowledge. No need to dive straight into the technicalities of the depth and candlestick charts, a simple check of the daily Bitcoin price and its development is all you need as a starting point.

Inevitably you’ll start noticing certain regularities, you’ll start noticing price trends over time. At this point the light switch will most probably flick and, like us, you’ll start checking these price charts not only once daily, but all the time. To the moon!

Originally published at lizavisserza.wordpress.com on November 30, 2017.