Bringing great ideas to digital life with Swipe.Apps

Lategan.

A great idea itself, Swipe.Apps is a fully autonomous, self-sustained, dedicated, specialist app development unit of Swipe Interactive, focused on the design, strategy and execution of native iOS and Android mobile software applications. Lategan explains that they’ve taken their decades of combined technical expertise and fixed their gaze on the world of native mobile applications to answer the pressing need in the market.

Explaining that need, Lategan points out that smartphones now account for almost half of all time spent online and with that, so has the need for a partner who can deliver on complex, custom-engineered mobile systems with user-experience at their heart. Swipe.Apps was thus born from a simple idea that permeates the company culture: Exceptional, hands-on client service, and nobody is afraid to roll up their sleeves to get the job done, with no task too small and no request too trivial. As they enjoy a personal relationship with every one of their clients, they never bog them down with unnecessary processes and don't sweat the little things. Instead, they’re always testing, improving and communicating, making sure that their platforms will thrive in the wild.

On realising that with scaling beyond a particular point they’d run the risk of losing the ability to provide that calibre of service to their clients, they decided, “Instead of just bloating up with resources, putting pressure on infrastructure and adding inefficient processes to manage the increasing layers of interference, we would attempt to clone our existing model.”

Team Swipe in action...

It’s by producing a carbon copy of Swipe Interactive, a winner at last year’s Bookmark Awards, as a secondary business unit to service a specific subset of clients that they’re able to replicate that level of diligence, ownership and agility that’s currently a key component to their success. That's because the applications their team delivers are designed to utilise the full spectrum of functionality that the client's device lends to the experience.

Here, Lategan takes a step back and shares the importance of unwavering dedication in getting ahead in business.

1. Elaborate on your business journey with Swipe.

Lategan: It has been quite a ride. When we, formerly the Barbarossa Media team, got onboard with Swipe earlier this year, we knew we were about to take things to a whole other level, but we didn't expect to be boarding a rocket ship! Our teams integrated seamlessly and our respective cultures, already having been very much aligned, gelled instantly. We learned some new tricks along the way and were able to bring a few of our own to the table. But most importantly, we were given the ability to realise our ambitions in providing our clients with the very best solutions our imaginations could muster. The team at Swipe is comprised of a group of extremely capable and experienced engineers. No idea is too big nor any challenge too daunting for these guys and, as a result, allowed us to open up the creative floodgates.

Of course, no adventure worth its journey is without challenges. Together with Swipe's founders, Leo and Deon, we laid out the foundations for our combined future growth, hedging our bets on our success. Together, we have big aspirations and the determination to see it through, as well as the knowledge that we need to give it everything we’ve got for this to come to fruition. There have certainly been some late nights and a fair amount of difficult decisions, but so far our hard work has been paying off. We've had the privilege of working with some amazing clients and have had massive projects pass through our hands. The business is showing no signs of slowing down and we can't wait to see what the future will hold!

2. Why is native app development in particular so important?

Lategan: It isn't. That's sort of the point. 90% of the time when you think you need an app, odds are that you probably don't. Mobile web experiences can be perfectly sufficient in many cases, providing excellent usability and a range of capabilities. In fact, there are many instances where going the app route is a particularly bad idea.

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It is figuring out if you fall into that last 10% that is the trick. If you need a solution with deep integrated functionality, complex mechanics, or access to the extended features of your device, then native is really your only choice.

3. Talk us through the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset to get ahead in business and how it applies in your case.

Lategan: For me, one of the key components of the entrepreneurial mindset is unwavering dedication – be that to your clients, your mission or your values. It is this dedication that allows us to push harder and work faster. It is why we focus on the details and always go the extra mile. As entrepreneurs, we never accept half measures. We ensure that every project that passes through our hands are treated with the same care, diligence and imagination we would treat our own business.

Sounds like a winning business ethos to me. Click here for more on Swipe.Apps and follow their Twitter feed for the latest updates.