iPhone App Case Study: RTÉ Radio ‘DocOnOne’

The Challenge: Ireland’s state broadcaster, RTÉ, has produced many fine radio documentaries down through the years. As a result, there exists a vast archive containing hundreds of hours of truly remarkable irish radio storytelling. The ‘Documentary on One’ team wanted to make this online archive available to the ever increasing number of iPhone and iPod Touch users, allowing them to discover for the themselves the joy of great radio on their favourite device.

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Step 1 – Brainstorming: Having discussed the project’s initial requirements with the client, the Digital Orchard team then brainstormed the concept amongst ourselves. We then discussed our ideas with the client to determine the best possible user-experience for the audience. It was agreed in this instance that the key to success was to create an app that was fast and easy to use. The need to make the content ‘viral’ by allowing users to easily share a documentary with their friends via Email, Twitter & Facebook was also seen as key. Then we thought hey!, why don’t we put the mobile user in complete control by allowing them to create and manage their own playlist. Nice.

Step 2 – The Design Document: The next step in this process is for Digital Orchard to produce a detailed design document for the project. This document illustrates both the look and feel of the proposed app and it’s functional requirements. This helps the client to understand the proposed solution and visualize the final app. Once this document has been agreed and finalized, its caffeine time! There’s a deadline to make.

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Step 3 – Development & Testing: Now its time for the geeky stuff that the client usually doesn’t really know or care about. The stuff that’s under the bonnet is important and this step usually constitutes the bulk of the time and effort involved in any project. Once the app has been coded, then its time to test. Then test again. Boring but crucial. It is always best that any issues are discovered and rectified at this stage. We nerds call this ‘debugging’ the software.

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Step 4 -App Store Distribution: Now that the ‘DocOnOne’ App has been completed and thoroughly tested, it’s time to submit it the App Store within reach of millions of iPhone and iPod touch customers! As a member of the iPhone Developer Program, Digital Orchard can advise you on the best way to optimise your App’s content so that it can easily be found in the App Store.

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Step 5 – Praise: Irish Independent (Tuesday March 9th 2010): “The app of the week must be RTE Radio’s Documentary on One. The application allows playback of more than 400 episodes of the series on your iPhone. Cleverly designed, the free app enables you to listen to streaming versions over the phone network or tag them for download as a podcast. Find what you want with the search function and share your choice via Twitter, Facebook and email.”

To learn more about how Digital Orchard can help you plan and create your iPhone Application, call us now for a no obligations & confidential consultation on 052 6123359 or email us at info@digitalorchard.ie.