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Generation Z is a brilliant and forward-thinking generation making a progressive transformation in the world as we know it. Following behind Millennials, they are heavily immersed in the technical landscape and are highly app savvy. They were born into a world of expansion and innovation with creations like the Apple iPhone and Facebook. Having grown up with the ability to access knowledge at the tap of their fingertips, they’re educated individuals with great entrepreneurial goals. They expect companies to anticipate their needs and will move on when they don’t deliver. They’re looking for flawless app design, fast iterations, responsible data collection, creative outlets, and more. Some Facts About Generation Z Born between 1997 and 2012, they’re in the era of self-discovery. Since their youth, Gen Z parents have been navigating the rise of technology and the online privacy issues that come with it; for Gen Z, finding their true selves is no easy task. Due to their immense media consumption, they expect instant gratification and high-speed delivery. As the “mobile generation,” 96% of Gen Zers are reported to own a cellphone—many spend 10 hours plus connected online. They frequent social platforms like Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, and other platforms. Gen Zers gravitate to mobile banking apps to serve their financial needs and streamline their tasks. Consequently, email is slowly dying out among this community of users. Generation Z interacts with apps in their lives as a means of communication, to fill a need in their life, and for play and creative expression. They are true digital natives and are hyper-connected to the world around them—making them increasingly self-aware and emotionally reflective. Generation Z also reports high rates of anxiety, depression, and mental challenges—more so than in past generations. Experiencing a global pandemic has only exasperated their mental health struggles. Consequently, prioritizing and addressing mental health is of great importance. Take Oye—a creative wellness app created by singer J Balvin “to make the world feel better.” It’s an app to transform your emotions into creative actions with mind-body practices, daily emotional check-in tools, personalized goal setting, and mindful notifications. Gen Z has proven to be catalyzed citizens who want to make a difference through social responsibility. Their innate understanding of the power of social networks and their regular consumption of news and information has allowed Gen Z to move past the era of Millennial armchair activism. While navigating life in today’s world, Gen Z confidently prioritizes experiences over objects. Considerations in App Development for Generation Z The Generation Z cohort is a significant target for app developers. Being born and raised in the digital age, they are always looking for novel tech to explore. Generation Z represents much larger historical forces at play, driving progressive transformation in the workplace that will redefine the entire generational experience. As a result, this generation has experienced increased globalization, technological advancements, and a fast-paced influx of information. Generation Z is changing the way we build digital experiences. Generation Z is the first generation to merge the digital and physical worlds into one experience. They view the internet as more than just a transaction and instead see it as a human experience. What that means for development is creating intuitive experiences that Gen Zers will love—innovative, straightforward, and seamless. With this information in mind, we’ve identified vital considerations to keep in mind when developing digital products for Generation Z. What Gen Z Consumers Want in An App Obsessively Tested, Flawless Design Gen Zers value efficiency and flawless design. That is why thorough testing and gaining user feedback are paramount. Be sure to ask for feedback from this generation and integrate the user input throughout your app’s development process and in updates. “If the designer doesn’t remove themself and try to see the user’s perspective, they can overly complicate the journey.” AARON LEA, ART DIRECTOR AT INSPIRINGAPPS, BOULDER CO Glitchy user interface behaviors and poor design choices are instant turnoffs for Gen Zers. Make your app seamless and flawless from the start, or you may lose your customer. Build your app with swift and straightforward interactions, and don’t reinvent the wheel for every feature within your product—draw inspiration from apps that are already working. By sticking with best practices and standard features and anticipating your users’ desires, your users will navigate more intuitively and stick around for more. Fast Iterations Gen Z consumers have grown up in a fast-paced digital world and value convenience and efficiency. They prefer mobile apps that offer quick and uninterrupted experiences, such as fast loading times, easy checkout processes, and streamlined workflows. Keep your app low on data—fast to download and delete. Control Over Their Digital Footprint Gen Zers quickly went from a private world to everything constantly being shared online. In their formative years, they grew up with little technology at their disposal. They were thrust into a world of hyper-technology and interconnectedness as time progressed. With that in mind, here are essential factors to keep at the forefront of your app development: Privacy Settings Gen Z should be able to manage their privacy settings on apps. This type of functionality includes having the ability to choose whether their information is shared publicly or only with specific individuals and having the option to limit the usage of their personal data. Data Transparency Gen Z should have clear access and information about what data is collected, how it’s used, and to whom it gets shared. Responsible Data Collection It’s essential to ensure that Gen Zers’ personal data is protected from data breaches and cyber threats. Apps should implement robust security practices to keep user data safe. Value-Add Through Personalization You can add value with personalization by using various technologies, such as saving login information, geolocation, machine learning, and AI, to cater to the specific needs of Gen Z. It is crucial to find a proper balance in incorporating personalization that genuinely adds value, without overdoing it. Here are a few core components to adding value through personalization: Saving Login Information Gen Z is all about convenience, and one way to provide that is by saving their login information. By doing so, you not only save them time but also provide a straightforward user journey. Geolocation Gen Z consumers are constantly on the go and expect a personalized experience based on their location. Using geolocation technology, you can offer tailored recommendations, promotions, and content based on their location. Machine Learning & AI If you want to better understand your Gen Z customers, machine learning can be a potent tool. By analyzing their data, you can personalize their experience and provide the results they seek—before they even ask. AI and machine learning are great tools for automating manual tasks as well. Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in many ways to develop apps for Gen Z. Here are some ways to incorporate ML and AI in your app to improve its performance: Personalized Recommendations: ML algorithms can provide customized recommendations to Gen Z users based on their interests, behaviors, and preferences. Chatbots & Virtual Assistants: With natural language processing (NLP) techniques, it’s now possible to create bots that can interact with Gen Z users in a way that feels just like talking to a real person. Bots can help users with tasks such as scheduling, finding information, or making purchases on their mobile devices. Image & Video Recognition: Computer vision techniques can be used to recognize images and videos, which can be helpful in apps such as social media platforms, gaming, or e-commerce. Predictive Modeling: Predictive modeling techniques can be used to forecast future behaviors and trends. For instance, a news app can predict which articles will be most popular among Gen Z users. Predictive modeling ensures your app stays ahead of the curve. Voice Recognition: Voice recognition techniques can be used to develop voice-enabled apps and devices that can be controlled with voice commands. This technology can be helpful in apps such as virtual assistants, smart home devices, or hands-free gaming. ML and AI can help app developers create more engaging, personalized, and interactive apps for Gen Z users. By leveraging these technologies, app developers can improve the user experience and stay ahead of the competition. Creative Tools More than half of Gen Zers believe they are more creative than previous generations. Most of them engage in creative activities in their free time. Gen Z is a highly creative generation that values individuality and self-expression. Therefore, niche tools enabling creativity are essential for creating apps that resonate with them. Concluding Thoughts on Developing Apps for Gen Z Gen Zers have a unique vantage point when it comes to app development. They’ve experienced the best of both worlds—an era of privacy merged with hyper-connectedness. They are vicarious app consumers, making them ideal customers for app developers. Brands that take the time to understand their Gen Z users’ behaviors, motivations, preferences, and expectations will experience significant growth. Considering the above considerations, one can ensure that their app hits the mark with this brilliant and forward-thinking generation. Gen Z wants more than just an app. They crave a unique experience that fulfills their daily needs and brings joy. The app should leave them feeling special and enhance their well-being. At InspiringApps, we stay on the pulse and ahead of the curve to bring you the most forward-thinking and trending app development insights. If you have any questions or thoughts on the above material—we’d be delighted to connect!

Boulder, CO—In the latest article from Built In Colorado, InspiringApps’ Creative Director, Aaron Lea, shares his advice on creating simplified user journeys within digital products. How To Simplify User Journeys When do you know it’s time to simplify your product’s user journey? When we design digital apps, we’re always looking for ways to simplify the user journey. Limiting the number of interactions users have to make is a best practice for most apps. The more users have to drill down into extra screens, the more likely they are to leave. I like to think of it this way: design the app like you’re in the Target parking lot and about to go inside the store to buy Tide Pods. As a user, I want to be in and out as quickly as possible. A quick exchange that’s easy for me to use means I’m more prone to open the app the next time I’m in that Target parking lot. It’s often the case that apps are downloaded, opened once, and then deleted. These apps are too cluttered, and people won’t reuse them. On the other hand, when users know it doesn’t take too long to accomplish a task—no guided tours they’re more likely to use the app. A simple experience is a successful experience. Unless we’re creating something like TikTok, we aren’t designing the app to keep users in it. We’re here to help users achieve something or access a specific feature. The fewer interactions it takes to accomplish that, the better the journey. What process do you use to identify opportunities for simplification? App design is an art that involves trusting your instincts. I like to think of this process as similar to editing a script. Editors are great at identifying what’s essential and getting rid of clutter. But their real goal is staying true to what makes the script great—and amplifying that by revealing only what needs to be there. For example, an app may have a component that mirrors the functionality of Slack or Youtube. These are established popular apps. And even the best digital products aren’t going to lure people away from them. Any project, whether it’s designing an app or a home improvement project, can be subject to scope creep. Is that feature really needed? Was it added at the last minute? We all get distracted in the creative journey, and the risk is that we keep getting further away from—or even lose sight of—the reason we started, the problem we wanted to solve. We need to stay true to what inspired us in the beginning to create the app. ART DIRECTOR, AARON LEA | INSPIRINGAPPS, BOULDER CO What are some common traps designers can fall into that result in an overly complicated user journey? One trap is elevating ego over empathy. If the designer doesn’t remove themself and try to see the user’s perspective, they can overly complicate the journey. Designers must constantly evolve, challenge themselves, and put themselves in others’ shoes. ART DIRECTOR, AARON LEA | INSPIRINGAPPS, BOULDER CO Another trap could be the designer finding a new design tool or method they want to use and deciding to use it in a particular product. Novelty is not a substitute for suitability. A good rule of thumb is, don’t force it if it doesn’t deserve to be there. Sometimes, designers get set in their ways. Just because it worked last time doesn’t mean it will work this time too. Or conversely, designers may reinvent the wheel. If the design worked the first time, there’s no need to rethink it. Time management is critical. With mobile apps, people remember the launch, the middle, and the endpoint. A trap could be spending too much time on incidental interstitial areas. Don’t focus all your time there. Take that time and instead pick the three most vital sections—the app’s beginning, the middle, and its exit—and make those experiences ones that keep users coming back. Meet InspiringApps’ Creative Director Aaron Lea We believe that Inspired Employees Make InspiringApps and that our diverse backgrounds, skills, hobbies, and perspectives are what make us a stronger team. Aaron Lea finds his inspiration steeped in pop culture, a tradition of art in his family, and a creative digital design process that enables him to put novel creations back into the world and inspire others as a result.  

When optimizing your enterprise app’s return on investment (ROI), there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each business has unique goals and objectives to consider when creating a successful app. However, some key strategies can help any business maximize ROI for an enterprise app. In this article, we’ll discuss the top eight ways to enhance the ROI of your enterprise app and drive success for your business. From identifying your goals and understanding what you aim to achieve with the app to creating an attractive user interface and gathering customer feedback, this guide will equip you with all the tools you need to ensure maximum success with your enterprise app. Definition of Return on Investment (ROI) Return on investment, or ROI, is the gain generated from an investment. ROI calculations estimate how many dollars you will receive in return for each dollar invested. For example, if you invest $25,000 in enterprise app development and generate a profit of $50,000, your calculated business ROI is 200%. ROI helps business owners understand how well their investments are performing so they can make more informed decisions about where to allocate resources. In addition to increased profits, other benefits of implementing ROI business strategies may include reduced expenses or intangible outcomes such as brand awareness and operating efficiencies. Benefits of ROI for Your Enterprise App When it comes to enterprise app development, ROI is instrumental in achieving goals quickly. Using data collection tools, you can gain insights into customer journeys that will enable you to optimize user experiences while driving costs down. Increase ROI With These Strategies for Enterprise Apps Creating an app is only the beginning of the journey. Enterprises must focus on increasing software ROI through continuous iteration and improvement to maximize each app’s potential. Here are the strategies that can help enterprises increase mobile app ROI: 1. Identify Your Business Goals As a business owner or operator, consider how the mobile application will meet user needs and ultimately help you reach your desired outcomes. Whether it’s increasing customer engagement or improving business operations, your goals and mobile app strategy should be clear from the outset. Furthermore, your objectives should be measurable, achievable, and time-bound so that you have tangible ways of tracking progress and measuring ROI. By taking the time upfront to identify and set realistic goals related to ROI, you can ensure that you’re building an application that serves both users and your bottom line. 2. Measure Performance & Analyze User Behavior Measuring performance and analyzing user behavior is crucial to any successful enterprise app strategy. It allows you to identify growth opportunities and ensure that your app meets the needs of your users—driving engagement and ultimately delivering increased ROI for your business. Understanding what metrics matter most is a crucial aspect of seeing tangible mobile app ROI. At its core, metrics must look beyond the surface of conversion rates and provide a deeper understanding of user behavior—how they interact with your app and what areas could use improvement. Understanding what drives performance and engagement will help determine where to direct your resources for maximum ROI. For example, churn rate can have a direct impact on ROI. Conversely, improving user retention rates by just 5% can produce a 25% to 95% increase in profits and reduce operational costs associated with serving customers. 3. Keep Iterating One key to delivering ROI with an enterprise app is to keep iterating. Enterprises should regularly evaluate the app’s performance, user feedback, and business needs to identify improvement areas for future development. Constant iteration and improvement of the app ensure that it remains relevant and continues to deliver value to its users. Enhance App Features As the business landscape evolves, enterprises must adapt their apps to meet changing needs. By regularly assessing which features resonate with users and which need work, you can better tailor the experience to meet their needs. This will help you achieve your desired ROI and ensure that customers remain satisfied over time. Social Media Integration Social media platforms are an integral part of modern communication and marketing. Enterprises must integrate social media features into their mobile app to leverage this powerful tool for engaging with customers, promoting their brand, and driving sales conversions. Add Interactive Technology Interactive technology, such as 3D visualizations, augmented reality, and virtual reality, can provide a unique and engaging user experience. Enterprises can leverage these technologies to showcase their products and services, provide interactive training, and create immersive marketing campaigns. For example, the free Explore Orion mobile app developed by InspiringApps offers a stunning 3D model, an interactive timeline, a video library of content, interactive trivia—and the ability to send messages to the Moon. The app’s immersive, content-rich user interface shows Lockheed Martin’s historical brand legacy as a leading pioneer in deep space exploration. The in-app experience links the overall brand to help meet key business and marketing goals. Monitor Progress & Make Adjustments as Necessary Finally, don’t forget that successful enterprise apps require ongoing maintenance to remain competitive in today’s market. You can ensure your business maintains its edge over time by staying up-to-date on trends, customer demands, and industry best practices. For example,InspiringApps was tasked with improving existing features, adding new features, building new product lines, and providing continued maintenance for Artifact Uprising, an application that already had a large established user base. The award-winning app expanded to meet the ongoing demands of increasing complexity. In only its second year, the mobile app generated 16% of company revenue. 4. Create an Attractive User Interface As a business leader, you understand the importance of creating an attractive user interface for your enterprise applications. The look and feel of your app is an integral part of the customer experience and plays a significant role in determining whether or not app users will come back again. Ensure Smooth User Interaction A smooth and intuitive user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) can make all the difference in user adoption, customer retention, and satisfaction. Enterprises must prioritize UI/UX design to ensure the app is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and visually appealing. To ensure success, it’s essential to focus on three key aspects when designing your user interface: usability, aesthetics, and functionality. You want to ensure that users can easily navigate the app without feeling overwhelmed or confused. Additionally, it would be best to create an aesthetically pleasing interface that resonates with its intended audience. Finally, ensure all features work as they should to guarantee customers the best possible experience. Invest in a Professional Design Team It’s important to remember that the look and feel of your app will play a prominent role in determining its success. A great design team will integrate within the entire app development process, ensuring that your app’s user interface is attractive and functional, providing customers with an easy-to-use experience they’ll want to return to. Investing in the right design team can be the difference between an average ROI and something extraordinary—so we recommend that business owners don’t skimp on this crucial step. 5. Ensure Consistent Quality Across All Platforms Ensuring consistent quality across all platforms is critical for business enterprises striving to maximize the ROI of their digital platforms. After all, if customers have a poor experience on one platform, it can quickly lead to negative reviews and decreased customer loyalty. Cross-Platform Development With the rise of multiple mobile platforms, enterprises must ensure that their app is available on multiple platforms to reach a broader audience of potential customers. Cross-platform apps can increase ROI by reaching more users and providing a seamless experience across different mobile devices. At InspiringApps, we believe that no matter what device a user uses, they should have the same great experience. Our app developers and designers work to ensure consistency in app design from one platform to another. That way, our customers can be sure they’re providing their customers with the same great experience regardless of which device they’re using. We create an environment where users are free to explore without worrying about inconsistent experiences across devices—ultimately leading to a loyal customer base and higher returns for everyone involved. For example, partnering with Fidelity National Financial, InspiringApps helped design and build web, Android, and iOS versions of the inHere® cross-platform app, which has helped over a million users keep their financial futures secure. InspiringApps created an enterprise solution that feels comfortable for users, no matter which platform or device they choose: Our mobile and web teams worked closely to ensure feature parity, delivering a unified solution across Android, iOS, and web browsers. Our design teams reimagined the experience across various device sizes—from phones to large desktop displays. And then, our development teams brought those designs to life using a variety of programming languages and tools—each best for the platform in question. 6. Gather Feedback From Your Customer Base Your customers are the people who use and interact with your app daily, and they can provide invaluable insights into how you can improve user experience and increase customer satisfaction. By taking the time to understand your customers’ needs and wants, you’ll have the opportunity to create an enterprise app that truly stands out in the market. At InspiringApps, we believe getting customer feedback is one of the most critical aspects of creating revolutionary products. We understand that incorporating customer feedback into our designs and processes can create something remarkable—an enterprise app that exceeds expectations and provides users with an unforgettable experience. That’s why we recommend taking a three-step process when gathering feedback from your customer base: Listen to what your customers are saying. Ask for their input on specific topics. Allow them to act on their feedback by providing easy ways to submit suggestions and comments. 7. Enhance Compliance & Security Mindful Data Collection Data collection is crucial for enterprises to gain insights into user behavior, preferences, and needs. However, it is essential to be mindful of data privacy and security. Enterprise mobile apps must include measures to ensure that data is collected securely and ethically and that users know how it is used. Strengthen Security A security breach can be extremely costly. With cyber threats becoming more prevalent, security is critical to mobile app development. Enterprises must prioritize security measures such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and secure data storage to protect sensitive information in business apps. 8. Offer Scalability & Speed Mobile users expect fast and responsive apps. Enterprises must optimize the app’s performance and reduce load times to provide a seamless user experience. This can be achieved through caching, minimizing network requests, and optimizing images. Enterprises must ensure that the app can handle increased traffic and usage as the user base grows. Scalability is critical for the app’s long-term success, and enterprises must plan and prepare for future growth.   “InspiringApps has been an important partner for us for over three years. They helped us create multiple enterprise apps and continue to work alongside us to make enhancements to them as our needs evolve.” HEAD OF IT, MOLSON COORS INTERNATIONAL Concluding Thoughts: Business Strategies, Enterprise Apps & ROI Optimizing an enterprise app’s ROI requires a customized approach considering each business’s unique goals and objectives. However, specific strategies can help maximize ROI for any enterprise app. Effective strategies include identifying business goals that are measurable, achievable, and time-bound, measuring app performance and analyzing user behavior, iterating the app to ensure it remains relevant, creating an attractive user interface, ensuring consistent quality across all platforms, integrating new features, adding interactive technology, and monitoring progress while making necessary adjustments. By following these strategies, enterprises can create successful apps that drive engagement and ROI while delivering user value.

Colorado has evolved as a tech hub in the past decade. The region is home to notable businesses like Apple, Google, and Facebook, among myriads of other diverse local startups. Whether you are kickstarting a startup or building up an established business, there are numerous resources and opportunities to connect to the tech community in Boulder and Denver. The mile-high city is an established entrepreneurial hub with opportunities for brilliant collaboration and innovation. There are many shared spaces to hone your skills or discover a new passion. All pose as great ways to meet interesting people, grow your business network, and stay up to date with the latest developments in the industry. We broke down the top ways for you to get connected to the tech community in Colorado into five main categories: Join a local meetup. Connect at a communal workspace. Participate in events. Hone your tech skills. Join a digital community. Join a Local Meetup Denver and Boulder have numerous groups that meet regularly to connect people across the tech world. Collaborating with other entrepreneurs is invaluable for business growth and success. Here are some of the top networking meetups from intimate to large groups: Looking for a large networking meetup?  New Tech Colorado, the largest “community of geeks” in the state with 14,000+ members, is highly active with plenty of events and networking opportunities. So is Creative Connections, an equally large group for local creatives looking to connect with other like-minded individuals. Unite with other creatives to enjoy a relaxing and innovative space to share ideas and get together with local artists. Looking for a smaller group? If you prefer a more intimate group size, consider House of Genius. With chapters in both cities, they bring together a diverse mix of collaborators from the community for an evening each month filled with disruptive thinking, supportive community alliance, and creative output of innovative ideas. Seeking a group addressing a specific niche in technology? Denver Denver Founders is a vibrant network of 9,000+ members sharing entrepreneurial experiences, knowledge, and connections. From startups to established companies, all are welcome. Denver UX hosts events on everything user experience. With over 3,000 members strong, they host UX events monthly. Boulder Denver BigData offers opportunities to learn and share your experiences with NoSQL and big data technologies. Software development serves up countless meetups covering nearly any topic under the sun. Boulder  Boulder JS is ideal for those interested in delving into the wonders of JavaScript. Boulder Open Coffee is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to get into or expand their startup. CodeForBoulder is excellent for techies passionate about nonprofits and volunteering. Flatirons LGBTQ Tech Meetup is a community of LGBTQ folks and allies with a focus on networking. Analyze Boulder is an active group with monthly TED-style talks on various data-focused topics. It’s a space to live, work, and play for data enthusiasts. Women in Tech There are a whole host of ways for women in tech to connect with each other. Find communal support and expert knowledge from women-led meetups. SheSays is an incredible organization that organizes educational events and happy hours with groups in Denver and Boulder. Women Who Code is also in both cities and inspires and empowers women in technical fields to achieve business success. National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT) is a non-profit organization that works to correct underrepresentation and increase the meaningful participation of women in computing. Ladies Get Coffee, Women in Tech, and Women Who Startup are fantastic groups for female entrepreneurs and innovators that aim to build community through education and events. Connect at a Communal Workspace Adaptive, collaborative workspaces have become popular in the last few years. Joining a coworking space can be an excellent way to meet new people and share ideas and inspiration. Denver and Boulder are home to larger coworking chains, including Industrious, WeWork, and Galvanize. Prefer a more intimate feel? Here are a few more popular spaces Denver has to offer: Green Spaces and Converge Denver are spaces for the sustainable and forward-thinking entrepreneur. Commons on Champa, an incubator and accelerator space, offers everything from free coworking spaces to free coffee and wifi or private offices for rent. Boulder also has some outstanding local shared spaces: Expansive is one of our favorite unique spaces that also includes nifty perks like local beer on tap. NiCHE Workspaces (Boulder-owned) has both a Pearl Street and a North Boulder location. CAMPWORKS is another lovely Boulder option with an outdoor workspace and proximity to beautiful nature trails.  Participate in Events Events are a great way to connect with other entrepreneurs and gain high-value knowledge in a single session. Boulder has bragging rights as the founding city for the “startup week” concept, and Boulder Startup Week continues to host a fantastic event year after year. Denver Startup Week began a couple of years later but is now the country’s largest (free) entrepreneurial event, bringing thousands of people together. The local chapter of TED, TEDxMileHigh, is also a great gathering to consider, with speakers sharing wisdom and innovative insights on various topics. Given the size of Denver, it’s worth noting that it attracts a lot of great conferences for those in the tech field, from GlueCon to the Digital Summit. Consider setting up an alert on Eventbrite to get notified when something new is coming to town. Hone Your Tech Skills In the fast-moving world of tech, there is always more to learn. You can leverage your desire to improve your skillset to connect to others with similar interests. General Assembly has a vast array of classes on subjects ranging from diversity and inclusion in tech to introduction to branding, visual design, and product management.  Galvanize, which has locations in both Boulder and Denver, offers tech bootcamps. Build your skillset with part-time or full-time courses like data science immersive or Python fundamentals. Turing School is another computer programming school local to Denver, offering 7-month-long full-time programs.  In addition to the above resources, some coworking spaces also host events and classes for their members for an entrance fee. Join a Digital Community  If your schedule is tight, you may prefer networking online. We’ll close with a few online resources to help you keep up with the latest trends and networks. Are you interested in the startup community? We highly recommend joining the Colorado Startups Facebook group, a broad group of over 10,000 startup enthusiasts. It’s also worth signing up for Techstars’ Startup Digest. Sent weekly, it will keep you plugged into the entrepreneurial community through curated events and content. Final Thoughts The wealth of resources available to the Boulder and Denver tech communities is outstanding. We hope you venture out and try one of these value-packed events, meetups, or classes mentioned above. Have any questions on the above material? We’d love to connect; contact us at any time.

They are the most tech-savvy and the largest generation in history. They have tremendous buying power—and unique habits and needs. They’re Millennials, and designing and developing apps for this generation should be a top consideration for companies bringing digital products to market today. In a previous post, Designing Apps for Millennials, we examined how collective generational values influence motivations, preferences, and expectations. In this article, we will explore some key considerations to ensure you’re keeping the Millennial mindset top of mind when developing apps for them.   Background on the Millennial Audience Digital Natives Millennials have grown up in an era of rapid change, experiencing the unique transformation of globalized technology and connectivity. As the first generation of tech natives, it’s no surprise that around 98% of Millennials own smartphones. Born between 1981 and 1996, they have different expectations for their technology than the generations before them, including Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Z. Millennials tend to value and prioritize efficiency, mobility, and instant gratification. Millennials also typically have a seamless relationship with their digital devices and the apps that run their life. Millennials as Consumers In terms of customer trends, Millennials are the biggest generation (92 million) and most influential in history, changing the world in ways never thought possible. They comprise 30% of the workforce and possess 1.3 trillion annual purchasing power.  Millennials are fiercely loyal to brands they love, willing to pay more for well-made products and enjoy making online purchases. They interact with apps as an integral means of solving problems and fulfilling needs. By considering their needs when developing your app, you can ensure its success among the millions of Millennial app mobile users. Millennial Trends in Technology As avid smartphone users, Millennials are an ideal audience for online content and app development. This generation’s average user spends 4 hours daily on their mobile devices. Highly Social & Interconnected Millennials view social networks as an outlet for creativity and self-expression. They frequent platforms like Snapchat, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Airbnb, Youtube, and Pinterest. Apps that allow for easy sharing, collaboration, and communication are more likely to resonate with the Millennial generation. Consider Snapchat, an instant multimedia messaging app created in 2011, nearing 200 million users. In August, Snapchat was ranked as the third most popular social app among Millennials, trailing closely behind other huge networks, Facebook and Instagram. Dr. Heather Dretsch, Assistant Professor of Marketing at North Carolina State University, observed, “The creative aspect that younger generations seek of social media is very cool. They actually view themselves as more creative when they follow content that reflects their own aspirations, colors they like, high-quality imagery, and wit.” Convenience & Cash Millennials tend to prioritize convenience and functionality in the apps they use. As such, other popular categories include banking and finance, food delivery apps, and apps used for gig economy jobs enabling Millennials to earn extra money. Gaming is also on the rise for this generation—with a heavy dose of game consumption on mobile devices.   Key Considerations in Developing Apps for Millennials If you’re looking to scale your app and reach the Millennial masses—the big question is how. This tech-savvy generation has been immersed in technology and thus has different needs than other generations. When it comes to developing digital products and content for Millennials, keep these considerations in mind: App Performance & Speed Speed matters greatly when creating customer experiences for this generation of digital natives. The average attention span of a Millennial is approximately 8 seconds. A slow or poor initial interaction will result in quick user abandonment. For instance, the BBC found they lost an additional 10% of users for each additional second their site took to load. With that in mind, apps must hit the mark quickly. Lightning-fast performance should be at the top of your considerations for developing your app. Here are some ways to increase the speed of your mobile app: Optimize images and media. Large images and media files can slow down your app’s load time. Compress images and other media files to reduce size before incorporating them into your app. Minimize data usage. With numerous other apps likely running in the background on their mobile devices—data and battery conservation are critical. 37% of Millennial respondents identified data usage as a top concern when downloading an app to their mobile phones. Use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN can help improve your app’s performance by caching your app’s content on multiple servers around the world. This can help reduce load times and ensure that users can access your app quickly from any location. Use caching. Caching can help improve app performance by reducing the need for data to be loaded every time the app is opened. Implement caching wherever possible to speed up the app. Optimize your code. Optimize your app’s code by reducing the number of requests it makes to the server, minimizing code redundancy, and reducing the codebase size. This can help improve app performance and speed up load times. Minimize network requests. Reduce the number of network requests your app makes by consolidating requests and reducing the size of requests. This can help speed up the app’s performance and improve user experience. Test your app frequently. Regularly test your app to identify any performance issues and bugs. This will help you fix any problems quickly and prevent them from slowing down your app. By implementing these tips, you can help improve your app’s performance and speed up its load times, ultimately enhancing the user experience and keeping Millennials as loyal customers. Lean Into Expected User Behaviors Millennials want apps that are easy to use, instinctive, and visually appealing. If an app is poorly designed, difficult to navigate, or cluttered, users are likelier to delete it and look for an alternative. Think intuitive features with an easy learning curve, minimal noise, and key features easily accessible at the tap of your fingertips. Convenience & Specificity Keeping convenience at the forefront when designing an app for Millennials is essential. While some generations may need a more guided onboarding experience, tech-savvy Millennials are comfortable trying new tools. As InspiringApps Art Director, Aaron Lea, puts it: “When users know it doesn’t take too long to accomplish a task—no guided tours—they’re more likely to use the app.” Furthermore, unless you’re creating the next social network, don’t develop the app expecting to keep users in it. If users start to sense a stickiness in the product or the offerings themselves, you risk them closing the app or ditching their digital cart. App developers help users achieve something or access a specific feature. The fewer interactions it takes to accomplish that, the better the journey. Again quoting InspiringApps Art Director, Aaron Lea: “We all get distracted in the creative journey, and the risk is that we keep getting further away from (or even lose sight of) the reason we started—the problem we wanted to solve. We need to stay true to what inspired us in the beginning to create the app.” Intuitive Design Design is more than pretty colors and flashy animation—it’s the how and why of the app development process, deeply ingrained throughout the entire project. Design your app to be intuitive to your users by following universal design principles and heuristic guidelines. iOS and Android guidelines and design best practices will provide the best rule of thumb for most interactions. Of course, you want to create an innovative product—but users know what to expect from an “x” or a “hamburger button.” With mobile apps, people remember the launch, the middle, and the endpoint. Pick the three most vital sections—the app’s beginning, the middle, and the exit—and make those experiences ones that keep users coming back. A simple experience is a successful experience. Streamline old habits and familiarity into expected interactions, and let your ingenuity shine through the features and business logic. Create a Seamless User Experience First impressions matter—and Millennial users expect a smooth and seamless digital experience from start to finish. That means everything from anticipating and displaying the content they need to automatically unlocking the door they’re walking up to—all without a glitch. Cross-Platform Functionality To attract Millennials, apps need cross-platform functionality, meaning they’re usable on multiple devices so that app users can switch between platforms seamlessly. Millennial users expect to choose where to use your app, whether a smart device, a mobile device, or a web browser. For example, as the financial world becomes increasingly digital, Millennial consumers seek web and mobile apps to safely manage their money. However, with fintech apps, a tremendous amount of data originates from different systems and stakeholders. As we showed with our project, inHere, the key is to ensure that experience feels comfortable for users, no matter which platform or device they choose. First, design teams create the experience across various device sizes—from cell phones to large desktop displays. Then, development teams bring those designs to life using a variety of programming languages and tools, ensuring feature parity. Personalization & Customization Millennials value personalization and customization to their unique preferences. They want apps that allow them to tailor their experience to their preferences and needs. This includes features such as customizable notifications, personalized recommendations, and user-specific settings. Furthermore, IoT is becoming embedded in our everyday lives. Consider how you can use data to personalize your user experience in meaningful ways along the different points of connection consumers make while using your app. Provide Social Proof Using social proof to leverage trust and credibility is more important than you may think. Millennials value other people’s opinions more than other generations—making social proof highly effective and necessary for your app’s success. Many Millennials look at reviews before making a purchase or commitment. Take FOMO, for instance. They display recent orders, product reviews, and a variety of other customer behaviors to socially motivate their customers. Social proof like credible reviews and user-generated content proves that many other users also utilize your app. In-app interactions such as “likes” can be very effective in accomplishing this, as well, and can provide the user with opportunities for engagement and connection.   Concluding Thoughts on Developing Apps for Millennials Brands that take the time to understand the behaviors, motivations, preferences, and expectations of their Millennial users will experience significant growth. When positioned correctly, companies can apply these insights to broaden their market potential with Millennials and develop strong brand loyalty among their key customers. Every generation is unique in how they relate to technology and the world around them. Understanding your audience and market and avoiding over-generalizations are essential prerequisites to developing a successful app. Developing an app that caters to Millennials’ needs can provide immense value. Our insights can help you grasp the nuances required for developing such apps. With many Millennials already using apps, customizing them for this generation can yield significant returns. If you have questions or concerns about developing apps for Millennials, Baby Boomers, Generation Z, Gen Xers—or any other generation—we would be happy to provide a free consult to you. Get in touch with us today!

In this discussion, CEOs Tim Hayden of Brain+Trust and Brad Weber of InspiringApps break down what’s behind the major transformation in data privacy and artificial intelligence—and the opportunities and risks it presents to businesses today. You can watch the webinar replay or skim through the conversation explored below. Data Privacy & AI: The Future Is Here AI has revolutionized how we live, work, play, and communicate. Tools like ChatGPT have tremendous potential to enhance our lives but can also pose significant risks if not harnessed properly. In the latest webinar, Brad and Tim explore privacy concerns as well as the tremendous benefits of artificial intelligence. Are you curious about the future of data privacy and how AI will shape it? Join the CEOs of Brain+Trust and InspiringApps as they discuss what’s behind the rapid transformation in data privacy and where it’s headed next. Join Us for the Next Webinar Join us for our next live webinar for more InspiringApps insights. Sign up to attend our next webinar here. Watch the Full Webinar   About Brain+Trust: Brain+Trust is a strategic consultancy empowering brands to compete at the speed of the customer and grow revenue. By helping brands and leaders make sense of an evolving marketplace, they can better understand their customers and grow their business. Brain+Trust Partners counsels companies and organizations with strategic consulting, governance and compliance, automation, product development and more. About Tim Hayden: With more than 20 years of marketing and business leadership experience, Tim Hayden has been a founder of new ventures and a catalyst for transformational progress within some of the world’s largest brands. Part social anthropologist, part strategic business executive, Tim studies human behavior and how media and mobility are reshaping all of business. From operations to marketing and customer service, he assembles technology and communications initiatives that lead to efficiency and revenue growth. A past and current investor/advisor to technology startups, Tim works with entrepreneurs and ventures to capitalize on opportunities and shifts across many industries. He also proudly serves in executive board and volunteer leadership positions with non-profit organizations. About InspiringApps: App development that makes an impact. InspiringApps builds digital products that help companies impact their employees, customers, and communities. Yes, we build web, mobile, and custom apps, but what we offer is something above and beyond that. What we offer is inspiration. Our award-winning work has included 200+ apps since the dawn of the iPhone. Our core values: integrity, respect, commitment, inclusivity, and empathy. Our guarantee: finish line, every time, for every project. Get in touch at hello@InspiringApps.com. About Brad Weber: Brad Weber has more than 25 years of software development experience. Brad received his MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado and spent several years with Accenture before striking off on his own adventures, including the successful founding of four different technology companies. With a passion for software artisanship, Brad founded InspiringApps to build a team that could tackle larger app development challenges than he was able to handle on his own. His leadership creates an environment where the most innovative digital products continue to come to life. Read the Transcript Stephanie Mikuls Thank you for joining us today on our webinar on “AI & Data Privacy—Navigating the Risks & Opportunities” of this rapidly evolving landscape that we have right now. I’m Stephanie, the marketing director here at InspiringApps. Welcome. This is a joint session between InspiringApps and Brain+Trust, the second in a series of webinars where we’re talking about data privacy restrictions, artificial intelligence, and app and software development in this new space. Brad and Tim, I’ll have you guys introduce yourselves, and then we can just get into it. Tim Hayden Sure, thanks. Brad—great to see you again. I’m Tim Hayden, the CEO of Brain+Trust. At Brain+Trust, we help companies with their first-party data, usually with customer data platforms or hybrid cloud environments. And we are exploring the world of artificial intelligence in an effort to help companies with both privacy and cybersecurity, but also all the mapping of how to go about implementing customer data platforms and hybrid cloud management. I’m excited to be here with you, Brad, because, of course, to leverage all that data, many times you need apps, and that’s what you guys do. Brad Weber That’s true. Thanks. Good to see you again, Tim. I’m Brad Weber. I’m the founder and president of InspiringApps. We design and develop custom web and mobile apps for funded startups and large enterprises and have experience across this space. Certainly, many of our customers are running into the data challenges and privacy challenges that we’ve been talking about in this series. So I’m excited to dive more deeply with you into that, Tim. And today, our focus is on artificial intelligence, specifically, as you mentioned, and the data privacy implications of that. I thought I’d take just a moment and take care of a little “artificial intelligence” housekeeping and talk about what it is, just at a very basic level. As you mentioned, we develop and create custom software solutions. The majority of those solutions—especially in recent decades—have been explicitly programmed. So a lot of what we create is a matter of implementing business rules. It’s: “If this customer’s age is greater than X, then do this.” Or, “If the bank balance is greater than Y, then do this.” There are a lot of explicit rules in the code that cause it to behave the way that it does—and those are very black and white. What we’re talking about with artificial intelligence is really getting into the gray areas and giving the computers and the processors the opportunity to come up with their own solutions. They don’t necessarily have to be explicitly programmed in order to reach conclusions. Those conclusions may be things that you’ve seen in your life. It could be an identification of an object—there are popular apps that will help you identify a planet or a flower or that type of food based on the photo that you take. That’s artificial intelligence that’s driving that to support object recognition in that kind of application. There are also many applications where the technology of the system is given a goal or an outcome, and it has a lot more flexibility in determining what the appropriate or best path is and in reaching that outcome. In order to accomplish all of these things, you need a lot of data. It is not enough to tell the difference between an apple and an orange or an orange and a banana reliably by just using one photo of each. Models that do that sort of thing rely on hundreds or thousands of examples to make those kinds of determinations. Certainly, as you get into more complex challenges like self-driving vehicles or fraud detection in transactions, you need lots and lots and lots of data. And the focus of our last episode together was talking about the privacy implications of that data collection. So that’s probably a good place for us to pick this up and look at privacy through the lens of these advancements in artificial intelligence. Tim Hayden Definitely. And Brad, when you talk about artificial intelligence—I think we mentioned this the last time we spoke, but—it’s math, right? It is. It is really fascinating, complex math—probably not so complex for mathematicians. But it’s not easy math, right? If it was easy math, everybody would be doing it. But it’s math that’s been around for decades. And now that it’s been digitized, it’s able to make sense or basically identify patterns within data. And what we saw most recently just over the last several months and including a very exciting week last week—I don’t think it’s coincidental at all that it happened during South by Southwest—but you know, OpenAI released to the world ChatGPT 4, and I saw on LinkedIn everyone sharing that. I say everyone, but many people are sharing this illustration of a small circle and saying this is ChatGPT 3 and then a much larger circle and saying this is ChatGPT 4 and basically talking about the exponential number of parameters that GPT 4 would have. And, of course, out of the gate, there’s hype around the fact that it can pass a bar exam and be in the 98 percentile versus ChatGPT 3 only being in the 10th percentile. When you look at these things, it’s certainly impressive. But where did the data come from? To your point, Brad. Where, exactly? And this is where I think there are privacy and security concerns and many more that we might get to or might not while we talk today. What OpenAI has access to, and increasingly has more access to, through its relationship with Microsoft and other big tech firms, is essentially data that you, me, and everyone else helped populate the internet with. And many times it was—What kind of car are we shopping for? Or, what are we searching for dinner?—Or, scarily—What are my symptoms? What symptoms do I have? What do they mean that I have? A lot of this data that was public or accessible by OpenAI is now being used to inform those “parameters” and the language model itself to do more. And Brad, I’ll toss it back to you. But I mean, that, to me, is at least questionable. I’m not going to say scary yet, but it’s certainly questionable. Brad Weber Yeah, I agree. There was a great Ars Technica article about the privacy implications of ChatGPT. Their focus, given the timing of the article, was on ChatGPT 3. I don’t have updated numbers for this specifically, but the scale of this was astounding. And what caught my attention were several things. One was just the immense amount of data like you talked about. The number that I saw quoted was that ChatGPT 3 was driven by a vocabulary of 300 billion words that it accumulated. Now, granted, there were many repeated words. It’s not saying that there are 300 billion unique words. But the assembly of those words that it has gathered from blog posts and books and articles and transcripts of webinars and podcasts like we’re sharing right now. The majority of the data appears to be publicly available. But, in the example of books, the author in this article noted that they made a request of ChatGPT to cite a chapter from a copyrighted book. And ChatGPT happily reproduced the entire chapter and provided no copyright annotation for that. So, that’s troubling, certainly, for authors. Tim Hayden It is. Brad Weber But you had mentioned that there could be medical data—we don’t really know what is being shared. And I think that we’ve been somewhat complicit in this in our decades of accepting privacy policies. And, more recently, disclosures about how data might be shared from one platform to partner platforms. This is an example of how that data might be used in surprising ways. As you mentioned, where we individually are, in many ways, populating ChatGPT and other similar engines like this. And I think that’s worth further discussion. Tim Hayden Oh, it absolutely is. I mean, when you talk about terms and conditions and privacy policies and privacy statements that you check and say that you understand—it’s just like car dealer advertising on the 10:00 news, when they say at the very end, very fast, that “The vehicles we’re talking about do not exist on the lot. And if you come in, we reserve the right to throw $2,000 on top of you through the entire process.” The bottom line is the legalese—the fine print—in terms of the wares that we’ve used and in terms of user agreements over the past decade-plus. That’s exactly the data that is being used now to inform and train these language models. And kudos to OpenAI, who has come up with a very sleek, intuitive, and easy-to-use interface for us to be able to leverage—I hate to call it intelligence, but—to leverage some of the math that is able to make sense of our prompts and go find out with a certain degree of correctness. And what it is we’re looking for, the answers that we need, or the answers that we’ve asked it to provide. You know, what’s funny—because you mentioned it earlier about the book and a chapter out of a book—is the U.S. Copyright Office, over the weekend, actually came out with a formal statement saying that they were going to revisit copyright law. And as we do, they left it open-ended. But they said, “We can tell you this much: that if you are using generative AI to produce copy or a book, you cannot claim the copyright to that content.” And I think this is where things are probably for a different webinar and a different conversation for us to have about authenticity. But, certainly, when we think about the one-two punch of private, sensitive, or otherwise nonpublic data that has been used and has been generated in some type of content, or some type of prescriptive advice that one of these language models is providing, it gets a little spooky in this. Now, I will say it. Now, I will say scary, right? This gets scary and a little bit spooky when we think of college students, and we think of someone sitting in their home who is trying to generate a report or type up something for their PPA and claim that they’re the author of it, right? It’s happening. Those kinds of things are happening right now. It’s what we always talk about with “Garbage in. Garbage out.” Maybe it’s not garbage. It’s just somebody else’s. It’s somebody else’s work that’s going somewhere else. And someone else claiming that it’s their own. Brad Weber Yeah. I think it’s an interesting point—that we’re talking about two different aspects of copyright material. One is the copyrighted material that might be used to populate the collection of data that’s being used for generative AI. And then the other is when the AI produces potentially copyrightable material, whether it be in written form or artwork out the other end. And so, I think this is probably one of the larger changes that have come to the Copyright Office in a long time. So it wouldn’t surprise me if this takes them a little while to digest. Tim Hayden Definitely, and I think, in the vein of privacy—I’ve had a few clients who’ve read up on the OpenAI API documents and have asked me, “We can simply plug ChatGPT into our CRM. We can plug it into our marketing automation system.” And the premise is to be able to generate content faster and better. But, what’s happening there, when you make those connections with something that has that processing power—a model that has the ability to identify patterns and to supposedly help you in a utilitarian way—there’s a way, I think, that could backfire, right? I’ve told each of those clients that asked me that question: my short answer is “No, don’t do it.” Stay using ChatGPT in the browser. If you want to have it help you with outlines or help you write a paragraph—sure. But then wordsmith it as your own. But don’t plug it into your systems. Don’t do that. Because that’s where I think we have this opportunity to misstep and move in a direction where certain systems, for better or worse, all of a sudden know things that they shouldn’t or have access to things that they shouldn’t when it comes to information. Brad Weber So we’ve talked a lot in both of our episodes about the implications for personal privacy and personal data. But I think what you’re touching on now is also an important subject. There is plenty of private data in a corporate environment, so would you like to explore that a little further? Tim—I think that’s what you’re talking about, the CRM, right? Tim Hayden Yeah. I mean, you live in Colorado, right? And Colorado has a Colorado data privacy law, as does Utah. California has got a couple of them with CCPA and CPRA. And on January 1, when yours went into force, it did so along with Utah, Connecticut, and Virginia, as well, and a revamp of CPRA. These laws—basically, I giggle a little bit when it’s general counsel or a CFO who’s really worried about a violation of them, and I say absolutely you should be ready for some type of litigious call or letter that will show up because someone says they unsubscribed and you’re still sending them email. That’s been around for a while, and I think we’re going to see that only grow. But the other side of that is: when you read these laws, they’re basically a prescription for restructuring your data to be a better steward of the data that are entrusted to you. When you talk about CRM or customer data platforms, cloud management, all of these systems today, in terms of how they leverage IA/ML, are there to help you move faster internally to the organization. And that, by all means, is proprietary in some regard. That’s proprietary information, a competitive advantage, if you will. If you know why people are buying from you or what’s working and what’s not with business operations, data can help you inform that. Especially if it’s structured and you have the right systems in place to make sense of it, to derive patterns from it, and to detect all of those things. So, I mean, there’s the front side of that too. The interface side of it, which is where I look to you, Brad. I mean, where do apps play in all this, right? Where do apps stand in terms of privilege—of access to information? What do you see happening there, and what does that have to do with this world of privacy, especially when you’re plugging into a CRM or some other large database of information? Brad Weber Yeah, good question. So I think the mobile app specifically, although this certainly applies to web applications as well, oftentimes provide the window into that data that we’re talking about—the immense amount of data that’s driving ChatGPT and its competitors is petabytes of information that’s in the cloud. That certainly eclipses what you’re going to be able to carry around in your pocket anytime soon. So what we see on the client side of this, both web and mobile, are the results often of that analysis that’s happening in the cloud or in a giant server farm that’s coming up with the information or the tips or the driving information for the sales team, or what regions they should focus on, all that sort of thing. The numbers are being crunched oftentimes in the cloud and being presented at the phone or the browser level in order for a user to make sense of it and to be able to write from that. The phones, in particular, we talk about this a little bit in our last episode—are also participating in collecting some of that data, oftentimes through our active input and other times very possibly behind the scenes, whether it’s our location data, our health data, the number of steps that we’ve taken—that sort of information is helping to feed the machine as well. So I think we see it in two different ways. And when you’re talking about the things that corporations and IT departments might be considering and actions that they might be taking in this regard. I think one thing is important, the distinction to make is that they don’t really need the scale of a 300 billion word or phrase vocabulary in order to get answers to their corporate questions. I think what we see is that the questions that our clients want to answer—either about their customer behavior, about their employees, or about products—are much more focused. And so I think it’s far more practical for organizations whose sole purpose is not to answer these questions for the general public but to answer very specific questions about how to improve the performance of their operations and create their own models and manage their own data. Keeping it private within the walls of their organization to perform the analysis and maintain that competitive advantage that you were talking about. Tim Hayden Definitely, I think it’s all fascinating. I think the next time we talk, we probably should talk about edge computing because it’s not just the phone. It’s not just the browser in the conventional or traditional sense. It is machines themselves now that are connected, and they’re also processing millions of signals that come from wheels that go round and piston the churn and traffic that walks by, right? I mean, all the different ways that the world’s connected now. But, you know, back to where we are right now. You know, I’m of the belief I shared this morning in an article that I read from TechCrunch that Google Glass is finally being sunset. And we’ll defer a conversation about Google Glass and all of that for IoT and edge computing because that’s what was happening with Google Glass. There was a lot of processing happening in the frame of the glasses. Right. But the harbinger, I call it, I always thought Google Glass was just not right any time soon because we as humans don’t need a heads-up display. And at the time I said that—this was a decade plus ago—I was a mobile strategist myself, and I was helping companies figure out more things to do utilitarian with mobile apps at the time. But at the same time, I was very cognizant that we don’t need people staring at their phones while they’re driving their cars. We don’t need people staring at them as they’re walking down the street, and as that happened, you know, it just seemed like it wasn’t any safer to have a heads-up visualization and Google Glass. I don’t think it’s too far of a reach to say that where people are enamored right now with ChatGPT and what Microsoft has done with Bing and pulled back a little bit and then come back a little bit more. What Google’s doing right? And what they say they can do and what they will do more of. We could probably talk about them specifically. But do we, as humans, absolutely need to have a Siri or an Alexa or now something that is much deeper and much more capable to constantly be the thing that we go to, to answer a question for us? Especially when we are able-bodied to get around and to experience life ourselves and to know where to query information when we need it, that which is necessary. Right? I understand if you have encyclopedic needs, you’re going to have to go to the internet anyway. But I just wonder—what is the shelf life going to be? What is the run? It looks really good right now. It’s new; it’s shiny. But I don’t know, Brad—what do you think will be in six months, nine months from now, with ChatGPT or any other of these other language models? Brad Weber I think we’re definitely going to see privacy at the forefront of that conversation. I think right now, there is, as you said, such excitement around the tool, and people are learning about what’s possible. What’s interesting is that it isn’t new. You talk about being around for decades. I mean, over 75 years, you can go back into some early research papers, like in the 1940s, talking about the possibilities of this. So the idea isn’t new. And the military—US and others—have been advancing artificial intelligence for a long time. And in public view, I remember early over 20 years ago, meeting teams there were participating in the DARPA’s challenge to create autonomous vehicles that were able to complete a course. It was unknown. And ahead of time, it wasn’t mapped out. They were given a challenge on the day for their vehicle to be able to figure out how to get from point A to point B over really challenging terrain. So those problems have been worked on, and you know what? What that evolves into is Tesla and others working on their self-driving car capabilities and, you know, just other conveniences that are popping up in our everyday lives that we talked about in the last session as well. I think it’s exciting. I think there are a lot of things we’ve talked about that, as you noted, are a little scary. Maybe we’re going a little too far to start. But what’s really exciting is that ChatGPT, in particular, has really thrown the notion of artificial intelligence and ML into the conversations of the general public. And I think that is an important step in the process for us to continue to advance and for that to expand in. So I talked about privacy, and you said what’s coming in the next six months? One thing to note about ChatGPT, it’s entirely text-based at this point. It doesn’t do anything with audio. It doesn’t do anything with video. There are a lot of other areas where we’re most certainly going to see this start to permeate. But this is an important “big bang” to get everyone’s attention at this point. I think it’s an exciting part of the process. Tim Hayden Sure, I absolutely agree. And to that point about privacy, we mentioned the US Copyright Office, right? You have the US Copyright Office, and you have several states that have data privacy laws in place. You have hungry attorneys out there that will make something out of nothing and make something out of something that has substance right now in terms of how data is being used. A client of ours here at Brain+Trust said to me about two weeks ago, “You know, people say that data is the new oil, and certainly, data has value, but data is actually dynamite. At the end of the day, you have to handle it with care.” And that’s where this is going with privacy. It’s where it’s going with security. And I think we’re going to see it to be most fascinating. When we talk about three or four months from now or nine months from now, in 2023, there are a number of economic economists and economic analysts that are forecasting that there will be some type of economic recession. That there will be corners of the economy that will shrink, and there will be others that just continue to grow and expand. AI is certainly one of those that I think we’re just going to watch because it does hold that promise that technology has always given us to do more with less. And it’s proving it day in and day out. But at the end of the day, when you think about patterns, right? We’re coming off the end of a pandemic. We’re just now getting the emergency label removed. And with that, things weren’t normal. This is not a conversation about normal, but things are just not linear. The way that they were, and they won’t be. As we continue to have innovation move at the breakneck pace that it is. So when it comes to predictive analytics, which is what I think I heard, and I forgot who it was, but I saw some people quoting speakers at South by Southwest that said, you know, all ChatGPT is—is fantastic statistical intelligence, right? It’s able to detect patterns. It’s able to identify things based on a problem. But it’s that statistical intelligence. Right. And, you know, it’s something that I see if we look in the future—how smart machines are going to be able to really detect our patterns if the world is changing at the pace that it is. Brad Weber It’s interesting, and I think it’s worth noting before we part or close out on this subject that it’s not all doom and gloom. I mean, it’s important for organizations to think about treating data. I like your references. Data is dynamite, but be very careful with the data they collect. I think it’s important for consumers, the general public, to be aware of the data that they’re sharing and maybe pay a little more attention to that than we have in the past. But there’s really a lot of benefit from this as well. I mean, the science, the technology that we’re talking about is helping with medical advances, you know, being able to review medical imagery and make a diagnosis perhaps more effectively than humans would. Or as an initial screening of that is really helpful. I have just a silly example of where some artificial intelligence has gotten my attention in a positive way. On the road recently, I was taking a couple of long car trips in rental cars and took advantage of the cruise control feature. And although I’m sure plenty of people watching this will be familiar with this, this was new to me: As I approach another vehicle, I’m used to my “cruise control experience of the past” as tapping on the brake very inconveniently. And then once I get around the vehicle that I was approaching, I had to reset my cruise control. And it was a pain. It was a small pain, but a pain. And I am now pleased to find that multiple vehicle manufacturers have an automatic detection feature associated with that cruise control, so I can set a certain speed as I approach another vehicle, the car will automatically start cruising and slowing down on its own. If I just change lanes, it recognizes that there’s no longer vehicle in front of me, and it’ll automatically resume to the speed that I had. That is convenient. It also requires absolutely no personal data from me. Now, there is a ton of data that went into that feature to determine what an appropriate distance is, taking into account the speed of my vehicle and trying to anticipate the speed of the vehicle in front of me. But it doesn’t have to know anything about Brad in order for that to be effective. And I think one of the messages for brands who are looking to add that kind of delightful customer experience is to, again, be critical about the data that you’re collecting and scrutinizing each individual. But is that absolutely necessary for us to know “Brad” individually in order to provide this capability that’s going to add some time to his life or somehow simplify the process of his day-to-day moving around? So some thoughts for you to reflect on there, too, Tim. Tim Hayden I’m with you. Adaptive cruise control and lane assist, and things like that are in place to provide us with a safer life. You know, Apple’s handoff: With just being able to intelligently know that I was listening to a Spotify playlist or a podcast in the car but when I walk in the house and it connects to the wifi, and all of a sudden, Sonos comes on, and it plays there as well. I mean, this is, by all means, really great coding. It is intelligence and with the respect to “if this, then, that” type of logic that is put in the systems now. And this is what I think is fascinating—is that there’s a balancing act. If we want to keep on this path of privacy—we have to understand that opting in and allowing that type of data, which you just described, which isn’t really that much about me, the individual, but me and my disposition in terms of geographic location, in terms of velocity and direction, in terms of the time of day, in terms of maybe the thing or where I was, you know, 5 minutes before or where I happen to be headed next. The fascinating thing is a lot of this is the way that the advertising world works right now. That we can start to deliver programmatically the best message to the right person at the right time. So, a lot of this has already been in play for a while, and I wonder how we’re going to see systems and language models start to inform that as well. If you do have your data structured right and all of your systems, I’m thinking of a customer data platform now where you have 100% of your customer-related technologies that are connected via a real-time API. Most of them, not all would be, but most include both for the real-time API. You’ve got your finger on the pulse of customer behavior all the time. Do you see the language model coming in to automate how that would then go inform a demand-side platform with advertising or even better things that happen within a store and apps that inform people that are working on the floor about customers or certain kinds of customers that are headed that way? And maybe we need to change our script. Maybe we need to move the sweaters to the front of the store—I don’t know. You know how I think, Brad. It’s all connected. And it’s fun to play with in a browser. When are we going to put this thing to real work to help us with that data we have today and to make sure we’re doing so very responsibly? Brad Weber Yeah. And I really think that’s the theme of what we’ve been talking about. I think that’s a good summation. Are there any other key points if we were to bullet, any takeaways that you think are important to revisit here? Tim Hayden You know, what we stated before is to go out and experiment with this, right? If you don’t have an OpenAI account, it’s free. There are things that you can and can’t do with that free account, and think twice before you start to give them $20 a month or any more than that. Right. And certainly, I would say talk to your attorneys and go find legal advice. There’s some of it online, but talk to your personal business attorney who, if it’s not them, they’ll have somebody in the practice or somebody they know who’s been looking at these matters. To understand—is it the smart thing to start to talk to OpenAI about an API connection? Is that really a prudent thing to do right now? And I’d say lastly is what you and I both know. With the data you have today, if you want to employ automation and if you want to really have intelligence that can inform what you do next with your business—you need to look at something like a customer data platform; you need to look at companies like Snowflake that help you organize information that’s in the cloud. That’s where we are today, folks. And those are the two things. Don’t jump off the deep end for the shiny water when what you’re sitting on right now is already pretty much what you would need to innovate and to do some pretty magical things. Brad Weber Remember that there are tools available for organizations to realize the benefits of AI that we’ve been talking about within their own walls of the organization and not necessarily having to jump on (like you said) the latest “shiny solution.” There are more focused tools—more focused solutions that will help companies get to the answers that they need to improve those internal operations. I think that’s great; thank you, Tim. And we alluded to it in this session that you had mentioned as well that there’s a lot going on with the Internet of Things, connected devices, and edge computing. I know you and your customers have a lot of experience with connected vehicles. And so it seems like that would be a great thing for us to turn our attention to next time. Tim Hayden Definitely, we alluded to it, but when you get into the adaptive cruise control and the lane assist, there’s a lot of play there. There’s actually some work we’re doing in that space that I’m looking forward to uncovering with you. Brad Weber Excellent. Terrific. Well, we will look forward to doing this again next month. It’s good to see you, Tim. Take care. Tim Hayden Thanks, Brad.

Colorado has been ranked #4 in “America’s Top States For Business,” according to CNBC. This distinction is in large part due to the significant amount of resources available state-wide. Competitive states like Colorado encourage new ideas and have the resources to support entrepreneurship. We’ve compiled the ultimate list of resources for Colorado entrepreneurs that you can leverage to improve your business success. Namely: Legal Resources for Entrepreneurs: Denver and Boulder entrepreneurs can receive advice on numerous corporate law topics. Financial Resources for Entrepreneurs: Confidently tackle financial questions with the help of mentors and workshops geared toward Colorado entrepreneurs. Networking Opportunities for Entrepreneurs: Festivals, community coalitions, and groups on the Front Range offer the chance to connect, collaborate, and grow. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re in the midst of your business journey, these resources will provide excellent value for every stage of entrepreneurship. Legal Resources for Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial Law Clinic The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic (ELC) at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to help law students gain real-world experience. One of the ways they do so is by providing free legal counsel to entrepreneurs. Students provide legal advice under the guidance of professors and attorneys. Denver-based entrepreneurs can receive advice on numerous corporate law topics, such as: Commercial contracts Handling intellectual property rights Drawing up shareholder agreements Entrepreneurs need to apply to work with the ELC, and finalists are chosen based on several criteria. Once an application is approved, the entrepreneurs interview with the ELC to determine if a mutual benefit exists. An accepted applicant must sign an engagement letter to ensure commitment. UpCounsel If you have a need that can’t wait for the ELC selection process to run its course, consider checking out UpCounsel. In addition to having a free online repository of articles and forms, thousands of lawyers nationwide are willing to make bids on proposals. You can search for counsel by state, legal area, or topic of interest. CooleyGO In any location, CooleyGO can help you to identify and create all the essential legal documents you need to get started. Whether you want to incorporate your business or protect your intellectual property with a non-disclosure agreement, you’ll find their free, easy-to-use document generator indispensable. They also curate outstanding content on topics ranging from creating a board of directors to selling your company. Financial Resources for Entrepreneurs SCORE Denver Another organization that offers free counsel is SCORE Denver. SCORE assists local entrepreneurs in confidently tackling financial questions. SCORE does everything from pairing you with a mentor in the business world to helping you enroll in workshops on various topics to providing free financial resources. SCORE relies on a dedicated group of local business people who volunteer their time and experience to help those just getting started. Mentoring is free and entirely confidential. SCORE also hosts workshops focused on small businesses and entrepreneurs. Although many workshops are free, some include a small fee. Prefer to do your own business research? SCORE includes an online library dedicated to documents and information about owning a small business. You can find information on a variety of topics from how to finance your company to government statutes that affect your industry. B:Side Fund B:Side Fund (formerly Colorado Lending Source) has a range of loan products and a referral program of partners offering additional lending options. Their blog provides various resources catering to finance and entrepreneurship. Networking Resources for Entrepreneurs  Startup Weeks Both Denver and Boulder host a “Startup Week,” a week-long festival in which hundreds of events are held to showcase—and further build—the culture of innovation in the region. Startup Week is a wonderful free event offering networking opportunities, vast resources, and global culture. Always a sought-after festival, it’s the largest of its kind in North America. Denver Startup Week is the pinnacle of entrepreneurial energy, innovation, and connection. Denver Startup Week: September 18-22, 2023  Boulder Startup Week: May 15-18, 2023  Community The Minority & Women’s Chamber Coalition (MWCC) was formed to give a voice to Colorado minorities and women-owned businesses. MWCC created a leading nonprofit organization, the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CWCC), to advance women’s leadership in an inclusive space. CWCC provides invaluable business connections, resources, and transformative education. While we’re at it, feel free to review these other phenomenal women-led resources: Women Who Code SheSays Ladies Get Coffee Women Who Startup Coaching & Mentorship For those who desire a deeper dive into business coaching, the Denver and Boulder community offers abundant resources. The Founders Network provides mentorship through everything from cohort programs to conferences to private coaching. Techstars, a now global organization founded in Boulder, offers accelerator programs and bootcamps. Similarly, Boomtown’s Boulder Tech Accelerator aims to specifically help tech startups through their intensives.  Meetups Plenty of meetups along the Front Range bring together founders of startups and small businesses. Most meet monthly and focus on curating speakers who can provide insights and resources for entrepreneurs. Denver Founders Network and Boulder Startup Meetup are some of the largest and most popular in the area.  Digital Networking Lately, there has been a significant shift from in-person to digital networking. Numerous top-notch networking opportunities are available with the convenience of logging in anywhere, anytime.  Denver Devs: A Denver-based Discord community for developers, engineers, and designers Women Who Startup: A leading platform for female entrepreneurs and innovators offering online engaging events Startup Colorado: Exciting event programming and business opportunities for the Colorado rural entrepreneur Tech Friends: A fun networking group for entrepreneurs building a website or mobile application Colorado Technology Association (CTA): Meaningful connections through a diverse and inclusive pipeline with a network of 18,000 thought leaders and entrepreneurs Other Resources Not To Overlook Part of the Office of Economic Development & International Trade, Choose Colorado has advice specific to entrepreneurs getting set up within the state. They have up-to-date guidelines on business regulations and legislation by industry. Furthermore, you can find Colorado-specific resources for entrepreneurs, including the Small Business Resource Guide, which takes you through the process of entrepreneurship in Colorado.  Choose Colorado also offers numerous lectures and courses for entrepreneurs and business people. Courses range from “Introduction to QuickBooks Online” to “Marketing Basics” to “Instagram for Business: Basics & Beyond.” Additionally, you’ll find resources for: Filing for occupational licenses Getting proper funding Finding the best free consulting by business area Similarly, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity provides many resources and ideas to help startups and small businesses. You can even meet with business development representatives (with offices at the Commons) for a personalized consultation. Final Thoughts for Boulder & Denver Entrepreneurs As a booming entrepreneurial hub, Colorado has incredible resources for entrepreneurs and innovators. We encourage you to use these resources as a starting point to connect with other techies, immerse yourself in knowledge, and attend leading events.  At InspiringApps, we believe shared collaboration is the key to creating immersive and transformative solutions.  Have any further questions? We’d love to hear from you.

AI + Data Privacy Artificial intelligence has arrived—and the race is on. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how we live, work, play, and communicate. It has tremendous potential to enhance our lives but can pose significant risks if not harnessed properly.  AI technology can detect and prevent data breaches, identify cyber threats, provide secure and encrypted communication channels for businesses, and more. And yet, with great power comes great responsibility. As AI continues to evolve, it poses significant challenges to data privacy, transparency, and accountability.  Join the CEOs of Brain+Trust and InspiringApps on March 21 as they engage in a thought-provoking discussion surrounding the rapid transformation in data privacy, and provide invaluable insights into the direction it’s heading next.  This is a fantastic opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the current state of AI + data privacy and its potential implications for businesses in the future. When March 21, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada) Registration Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and be part of this important conversation. Click here to RSVP for an informative webinar you don’t want to miss!

Even the most thoughtfully developed apps will need to evolve, and one effective way to spot opportunities for improvement is through application performance monitoring. Application performance metrics fall into several categories, each providing a unique look at app performance and areas for improvement. We believe it’s essential to be keeping an eye on user acquisition, user engagement, and customer satisfaction. User acquisition metrics reveal the success of your marketing efforts, monitoring things like the number of downloads and users. Engagement looks at user experience and how users interact with the app, from how long the average person spends in the app to user turnover rates. Customer satisfaction measures how successfully an app meets user expectations and the likelihood of a user recommending the app. We’ll look at each of these app performance categories and talk about key metrics to gauge how your app is doing in each of them. App Performance Metrics for User Acquisition App performance metrics related to user acquisition provide valuable insight to help you focus your marketing budget and tap into new customer bases. Acquisition metrics range from app store rankings to insights on how users became aware of your app. Services like data.ai, APPLyzer, and Adjust can help you monitor app acquisition metrics. App Store Ranking A primary acquisition metric is app store ranking. Ranking refers to the visibility of an app when a user searches for it in the app store. A high ranking means an app appears within the top search results. App ranking is increased through optimized keywords, positive user reviews, and regular updates. Ranking matters most for iOS apps because Apple uses a search algorithm that places higher-ranked apps first. Number of Downloads Number of downloads represents another critical acquisition metric. This measurement links directly with the extent of app reach. As it sounds, the number of downloads tracks how many mobile app users install an app onto their device. Low numbers of installations could mean that marketing campaigns need to be further tailored or that the app could use an upgrade. App Attribution It’s also helpful to track the sources that lead users to discover your app, a metric called app attribution. Attribution provides a glimpse at the success of marketing efforts by enabling you to know what sites or promotions generated higher click-through rates and downloads. Viralness One additional metric we like, viralness, reveals the number of new users brought in by a typical current user. This is a handy metric for many social consumer apps. You have a lower cost per acquisition if you gather new users from viral sharing rather than through direct marketing. Viral acquisitions also tend to engage more because they interact with friends and family vested in the app. In-app promotions that reward current users for referrals can help increase viral reach. App Performance Metrics for User Engagement User engagement metrics measure the value customers get when using an app. These performance metrics are worth tracking for most types of apps. The data provides information about the activity level of consumers and flags potential pain points. Tracking user engagement metrics can help developers view user behavior patterns and improve an app’s usability. Tools to track user engagement metrics include Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Firebase. Active Users Time factors heavily into user engagement and helps measure customers’ activity levels. Metrics for user engagement include daily, weekly, and monthly active users (DAU, WAU, MAU), which gauge the number of users within a time period. “Active” can mean anything from opening the app to posting and engaging with content. However, app experts tend to look at the DAU ratio to MAU (“stickiness”) rather than the individual metrics. This ratio shows the number of days in a month that users return to the app and provides a more accurate look at active users. Retention Rate Retention, one of the most important app performance metrics, shows how many users return to the app at least one time. The metric is often evaluated at 30, 60, and 90 days. While good retention rates vary by industry, it’s obvious that the higher the number, the better. It’s a strong indicator that users value the app. In another post, we discuss how to keep users engaged with your app. Churn Rate Churn rate offers the opposite performance metric to retention: the percentage of discontinued users. Understanding when users churn in the lifecycle is critical to addressing potential engagement problems. If users churn soon after installation, the app might have technical problems like frequent crashes, an unfixed bug, or other application errors. Losing long-term users can indicate that the app provides only short-term value or doesn’t meet expectations. Visits & Views Both average visit time and screen views per visit are also useful application metrics to evaluate end-user experience. Average visit time shows how long users engage with the app in one visit, while screen views per visit records the number of screens clicked in a session. Sessions Session length is a good indicator of your app’s engagement. Generally, the more time a user spends on the app, the better, but you may also want to look at session length in terms of the number of app crashes and uninstalls and see if there is a correlation. Session depth reveals how far along the user path someone travels before closing the app; for example, going from browsing to making an app purchase may correlate with greater session depth than logging in to check for content updates. Likewise, app session interval, which measures the period of time between two consecutive sessions, offers additional insight, enabling you to measure how attached users are to your app. App Performance Metrics for Customer Satisfaction The final category of app performance metrics deals with customer satisfaction, which shows consumer preferences and expectations. User satisfaction metrics include user ratings and reviews, in-app feedback, and satisfaction surveys. Examining these metrics can provide a deeper understanding of what customers want from your app and allow app developers to hone features and in-app support to better meet user needs. Appbot, appFigures, and Lookback all provide app metrics on customer satisfaction. Reviews & Ratings Reviews and ratings can provide incredible, actionable insights to your business about what additional features and improvements would be valuable. They also have significant power to influence acquisition. App store reviews affect app store ranking, so maintaining a positive score improves the visibility of an app. According to Apptentive’s “Mobile App Ratings and Reviews” guide, peer recommendations in the form of app store ratings and reviews stand alone as the single greatest driver of discovery and conversion. In-App Feedback Collecting in-app feedback about bugs and usability problems can often help avert negative public posts by allowing you to quickly fix any issues. Feedback can be gathered via chat systems, email contact forms, and surveys. In-app feedback reaches customers actively using the app and requires no outside windows or web browsers, streamlining the process for users. A particular type of in-app feedback, rating metrics, can complement customer reviews. If an app user provides a positive rating, you can prompt them to leave an app store review, helping your ranking. Final Thoughts These highlighted app performance metrics only scratch the surface of the quantitative and qualitative data you can gather about an app. With the overwhelming number of mobile app metrics you can track, picking and choosing the critical metrics for your app can prove challenging. Please contact us today if you want to learn more about what metrics will deliver the most relevant information about your app.

Whether you are a startup seeking out financial resources, a developer looking to grow professionally, or a business leader interested in networking, there are numerous ways to get connected to the Austin tech scene. Over the past two decades, Austin has evolved as a tech hub, drawing in both larger tech companies like Oracle and Google, as well as countless driven entrepreneurs and tech startups. This influx of tech-minded people has caused the Austin tech scene to flourish, and with it, a whole variety of organizations helping people to get connected, learn, and support one another. Here are some of the top ways you can get plugged into the Austin tech scene: Participate in events, meetups, and other groups for techies. Join an office at a coworking space. Take a class to up your technical skills. Follow key news sources and join online communities. Participate in Events, Meetups, & Groups for Techies If you’re looking to get involved in the Austin tech community, attending events, meetups, and groups is a great way to network, collaborate, and learn from like-minded individuals in the vibrant Austin tech scene. While SXSW and Austin Startup Week are some of the most well-known annual events in the city, there are countless other organizations that meet on a regular basis to collaborate, innovate, and play. Both Austin Open Coffee and Austin Entrepreneurs bring together entrepreneurs and investors at large. LinkedIn Local Austin Networking, while not focused on just technology, is an active group that seeks to make those LinkedIn connections more than just electronic. Join a Local Meetup Not surprisingly, meetup groups exist for nearly every kind of technical discipline: EdTech Austin is a must-attend for exploring the intersection of technology and education. Open Austin is ideal for individuals passionate about open government/data and civic technology. Austin Chapter of Women Who Code (WWC) for women in tech in Austin, the 4,000+ member-strong WWC, is the largest community nationally and is dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. Austin Women in Technology network with fun, successful, savvy, tech-minded community at events and other mediums. Local software development (code-specific) groups include:  Google Developer Group  Austin on Rails Meetup Software groups focused more broadly on bringing together all kinds of software engineers include: Austin Developer Community  Austin DevOps If you’re looking for more of a party vibe, then BASHH, considered Austin’s favorite casual tech networking event by many, may be the right place for you. Similarly, Austin Tech Happy Hour is another long-standing favorite for Austin’s tech community. And if you love the outdoors, Hiking With Geeks is the group for you. Their mission is to create opportunities for people in STEM careers to connect away from the screen and in nature. Get Connected via Coworking Spaces If it’s challenging to get away in the evenings, you can also connect to the Austin tech scene simply by choosing an office at one of the many coworking spaces around the city. Austin has a whole host of options, but WeWork, Galvanize, and Capital Factory are our top three recommendations that cater to tech. Not only will you bump into like-minded people while brewing your coffee, but you can also sign up for office hours and mentorship. If you’re a more established company or have other unique interests, there are numerous options in Austin. We encourage you to check out this round-up from Built In Austin. Get Connected While Growing Your Skills In the fast-moving world of tech, there is always more to learn. You can leverage your desire to improve your skillset to connect to others with similar interests. Two well-known learning communities in Austin are Galvanize and General Assembly. While Galvanize focuses on offering courses primarily in software engineering and data science, General Assembly offers programs in web development, data science and analysis, user experience design, digital marketing, product management, and more.  In both cases, instructional teams often come from top businesses and can share real-world experiences and insights. In addition to the courses and bootcamps, both have meetup groups, host happy hours, and offer other free local events. Learn About the Austin Tech Scene From News Sources & Online Communities By joining digital communities and following key news sources, you can tap into a wealth of information and opportunities in the Austin tech ecosystem. Join a Digital Community It’s undoubtedly no surprise that online communities are part of the way you can get connected to the Austin tech scene. Facebook Groups are a popular online forum, and the Austin Startups Facebook Group, with over 20,000 members, should be top on your list for participation.  The ATX Tech Volunteers Facebook Group is also a great way to learn about opportunities to plug in and make a difference simultaneously. Follow Key News Sources Austin Startup Digest is a Techstars program, the Startup Digest is available for numerous cities, and the Austin weekly digest will plug you into the entrepreneurial community through events and curated content.  Austin Startup Reddit feed will help you get connected to the Austin tech scene. Austin Startups is a lead voice of the Austin startup ecosystem. If you’re not particularly interested in startups, there are numerous other media outlets that keep a pulse on the tech scene at large.  Austin Business Journal, part of the BizJournals network, has everything from a Twitter feed to a daily news email.  512Tech from the Austin American-Statesman shares leading news about Austin’s technology industry and the culture that surrounds it. Built In Austin is another way to stay current with the latest trends in the Austin tech scene. Summary There’s no shortage of ways to get connected to the Austin tech scene! Every group and media outlet has its own personality and focus, so find one that feels like it could be a fit and give it a try. There’s no substitute for personal connections, and even if it’s not the perfect match, putting yourself out there will help you find one that is. Are you looking for a top tech company? InspiringApps has deep roots in the Austin community. We partner with inspired companies to create digital products that delight our clients’ customers and improve business outcomes. Sign up here to receive invaluable expert insights on everything tech + innovation. Of course, we’re also always happy to help with ideas; contact us at any time.