Think Outside the AppPredicting the user’s actions for a seamless user

experience

Andrew Kozlik

PRPL HQ100 E. Pine Street, Suite 204Orlando FL 32801

We’re Onlinepurplerockscissors.comtwitter.com / @prplrckscssrs

Purple, Rock, Scissors / Think Outside the App

Evernote

• Cloud based note keeping

• Free for users with a limit on data storage

Instapaper

• Stores text for reading later

• Free service, but iOS app costs $4.99

Purple, Rock, Scissors / Think Outside the App

Evernote

• Predicts what your note will be about by looking into your Calendar

• If you’re at an event, it starts a new note with the event name

• This is excellent when at conferences or meetings

• Allows the user to focus on note taking, not data entry

Consider Event Kit Framework

Purple, Rock, Scissors / Think Outside the App

• Allows iOS applications to access Calendar database• Contains several classes including EKAlarm, EKCalendar, EKCalendarItem

• Checks time to see if you’re current at an event• If you’re at an event, pull the event name and use it for the title

• Programming Guide - https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/DataManagement/Conceptual/EventKitProgGuide/Introduction/Introduction.html

• Framework Reference - https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/EventKit/Reference/EventKitFrameworkRef/_index.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40009662

Purple, Rock, Scissors / Think Outside the App

Instapaper

• You can copy a link from Safari and Instapaper detects it

• Looks into your buffer to see if you’re saving a link

• Uses regex to detect link, and prompts user to “Read Later”

• Keeps user from going through the entire link submission process

Purple, Rock, Scissors / Think Outside the App

Consider Using UIPasteBoard

• Allows sharing data between applications using a system-wide or application-specific pasteboard

• Two types of pasteboards• General (UIPasteboardNameGeneral)

• All-purpose memory storage• Find (UIPasteboardNameFind)

• Stores most recent string in search bar

• Class Reference - https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#DOCUMENTATION/UIKit/Reference/UIPasteboard_Class/Reference.html

Don’t Abuse the APIs

Purple, Rock, Scissors / Think Outside the App

• Path used the Address Book framework to automatically upload users’ contact lists without their permission

• Best practice is to alert the user that you will be accessing data

• Apple may be revisiting privacy settings

• APIs may require permission, similar to Core Location

User Frameworks to Improve User Experience

Purple, Rock, Scissors / Think Outside the App

• Core Location, Address Book, Event Kit

• Consider the easiest path to data input

• What will set your app apart from the rest?

The information contained in this proposal or quotation constitutes a trade secret and/or information that is commercial or financial and confidential or privileged. It is furnished to you in confidence with the understanding that it will not, without the permission of Purple, Rock, Scissors, be used or disclosed for other than evaluation purposes.

Questions?

Andrew KozlikSoftware DeveloperTwitter: @codefortravel

Purple, Rock, Scissorswww.PurpleRockScissors.comTwitter: @PrplRckScssrsFacebook: www.Facebook.com/PurpleRockScissors