*Disclosure: TuneWiki is a client of Demeter Interactive. This review is not a marketing pitch for their app, but rather my genuine review of their app.
TuneWiki – Mobile App
Lyrics are the narrative of our lives. They’re applicable in any situation. And if you’re lyrically challenged like me, you’re left chiming in only at the chorus of every song, right around the time the singer sings, “Yeaah, Yeaaaah.” I’m terrible at listening to a song and picking up on the lyrics. I always envied my high school classmates who could recite the lyrics to any “Top 40 Song.” But now, thanks to TuneWiki, I have the confidence to drive with my windows down and belt out my best Alanis Morrisette impression.
The TuneWiki app has several features that make it valuable. There is the Song ID function (which is similar to Shazam), the lyric chats, and the ability to 
see what songs are being played in the geographic area around you. However, their music player with integrated lyrics is their differentiator. At first sight, this may appear unremarkable, especially since my iPhone has an iPod built in. BUT the TuneWiki music player draws in your phone’s music library and allows you to play songs from the app…with lyrics! The lyrics are what make the song player really great. The lyrics will scroll down and highlight when the words are being sung, just like a karaoke machine. I will occasionally download a new song and play it several times via TuneWiki so I can learn the lyrics to the song. TuneWiki allows you to copy some of the lyrics and share them with your social networks. The lyrics feature is what TuneWiki was built on and in my opinion; this is still their most valuable feature.
My main complaint about the TuneWiki app is the UX/UI. As an avid iPhone user, the TuneWiki iOS UI is less than desirable. The best way for me to describe my distaste for the iOS UI is to describe it as an Android app. It feels very boxy and an unintuitive. There is no main navigation bar, so I constantly have to go back and forth like I’m navigating a webpage. It has no sliding gesture UI, like we talked about with Path last week. The poor UX/UI makes me want to play with the app less. I know the Android app has a lot better UI than the iOS app, but as a die-hard Apple guy, I’m making this part of the review as an iPhone user. I also know the iPhone app will improve because I have no doubt in the team’s abilities. I can’t wait for it the update. But in the meantime, even though I don’t love the UI, I’ll still be playing with the app.
If you’re anything like me, and want to know song lyrics, I’d download this app. TuneWiki’s app has a superior lyric library to its competitors, which is really difficult to achieve. For the record, I’ve used and loved Shazam for years (that’s why I’ve been grandfathered in for unlimited tagging) but their new lyrics feature is shit. I can’t believe the lyrics come at you like the opening credits of Star Wars. It’s really unpleasant, which is why TuneWiki is totally worth the free download. (It’s available on Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Symbian) Follow TuneWiki on Facebook and Twitter.
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Demeter Interactive is maturing as a company and continually growing. One topic that keeps coming up in meetings is how to help brands integrate mobile into their overall strategy. For most companies, budgets are limited, so an elaborate mobile campaign isn’t feasible. But for any company, there are some fundamental pillars of mobile that should be considered when creating a mobile strategy.
Successful mobile strategy starts by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a company. Ask yourself how mobile can improve weak areas and how it can accelerate growth in existing strengths. Most importantly, why are you integrating mobile? Understanding these basic questions will help you build a more effective mobile strategy. Here are a few mobile principles to chew on.
Make Your Site Mobile
Developing an app for every mobile platform can be expensive and time consuming. But every smartphone and tablet has a web browser. To start, create a mobile optimized website. It will be a better viewing experience for your customer and cost a fraction of an app. There is no reason to jump into mobile and create an app and strategy if your basic website isn’t ready for mobile use.
*It should be noted that Demeter Interactive is in the process of building our mobile site. Since we’re a services company, our time is focused on our clients first, but we are slowly making progress on our mobile site and we’re looking forward to unveiling it in the near future.
Utility, Utility, Utility
Users are smart and won’t stand for a branded advertisement. A fun game with your logo everywhere in the game isn’t an effective app for your company. Even if it’s somewhat related to your brand (i.e. A flower company creating a virtual garden game), a game isn’t the end all, be all answer. Make the app useful and in line with your brand’s core competencies. A solid example of this is Clorox created the myStain app that gives users tips on how to get rid of a variety of different stains. Clorox’s app provides very defined value to the user and it’s directly related to their product. There are currently more than 500,000 apps, so above all else, make your app useful.
Keep it Simple
Users expect easy usability from the app’s user interface. Confusion will lead to the app being lost in the great app abyss. An app needs to be simpler than your full website. Everything needs to be be stripped down–to the point that the user experience is intuitive. Just because mobile is booming, that doesn’t mean your mobile app needs to replace every other part of your marketing strategy. The app is meant to complement other tactics.
Mobile is definitely important for your brand’s future. But don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. Keep these three basic principles in mind and you’ll find success with your mobile strategy.
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As I continue to blog with more regularity for Theridion, I’m going to make a point of sharing news of new startups and apps that I find either useful or entertaining. These companies won’t necessarily be a Demeter client, but if they are, I’ll disclose it. App discovery can be difficult and I’d like to help you discover one cool app a week.
Path – Mobile App
Path debuted over a year ago as a private photo sharing app. They wanted to refocus on sharing content with more intimate networks, which is why they 
originally set the friend limit to 50 friends (they currently allow 150). To put it kindly, Path 1.0 was a flop. But Path, led by Facebook alum Dave Morin, didn’t quit, instead they regrouped and came out with a fantastic Path 2.0.
Path’s latest reincarnation is a marvel to see and navigate through. It’s one of the most beautifully designed mobile apps. The UI is a joy to navigate through. Their navigation is a small red dot in the bottom left corner that “opens up” when clicked. Users can share photos, images, music, and comments. They can even checkin or document their sleep patterns. Path effectively uses left and right swipe functions to hide features to optimize the main mobile screen. When I’m on Path, I feel like I’m on Facebook circa 2005. I feel comfortable sharing more information to my 30 Path friends than I might not normally share with my 1100+ Facebook friends.
Personally, I love Path, but I would not suggest a client to try and integrate Path into their social media strategy. In its current incarnation, it’s just not suited for brands. That’s not a bad thing, brand don’t have to be everywhere. But brands should take a look at Path for their UI. More apps need to have this type of seamless interface.
Some people feel like Path adds no value to their life or they don’t have time to add another social network to their daily schedule. I definitely understand, because that’s why I don’t use Google+ anymore. But Path is rather unique and it’s worth a download to see for yourself.
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see what songs are being played in the geographic area around you. However, their music player with integrated lyrics is their differentiator. At first sight, this may appear unremarkable, especially since my iPhone has an iPod built in. BUT the TuneWiki music player draws in your phone’s music library and allows you to play songs from the app…with lyrics! The lyrics are what make the song player really great. The lyrics will scroll down and highlight when the words are being sung, just like a karaoke machine. I will occasionally download a new song and play it several times via TuneWiki so I can learn the lyrics to the song. TuneWiki allows you to copy some of the lyrics and share them with your social networks. The lyrics feature is what TuneWiki was built on and in my opinion; this is still their most valuable feature. 
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