Giltedge Africa is a luxury tour operator, specialising in tailor-made holidays and safaris. In addition to their website, Giltedge has a 200-page coffee table publication showcasing a selection of hotels and lodges across Southern Africa, East Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.
The Giltedge Africa app takes the information found in their publication, and presents it in clear, easy-to-navigate digital format. While the printed portfolio comes out every two years, the app can be updated between print cycles and engages their customers directly. Through this app, Giltedge is able to increase their reach, and provide a product-focused experience that complements their website.
The Giltedge Africa app demonstrates a hybrid approach by integrating content created by both Adobe InDesign and HTML5 using WoodWing's Inception. The app interface design allows for greater flexibility and creativity and moves away from the traditional ‘covers-in-a-kiosk’ approach to allow for a truly mobile experience. Furthermore, the app can be created and maintained without software development knowledge and the app UI can be updated without a redesign, rebuild and resubmission phase, says The App Lab.
Twixl Media, based in Belgium, have just entered the UK market, having established a presence in Europe and South America where their publishing platform is widely used. The link between The App Lab and Twixl Media allows publishers to build apps, create content, distribute and market it easily and simply as demonstrated by the launch of the new Giltedge Africa app, say the two companies.
“We love to work with new technology and to be launch partners for new releases. We pride ourselves on being able to get the best out of mobile and publishing platforms. We feel our role is to represent the customer and by understanding their needs, feed into the product development activities of our partners. Twixl Media are great to work with – very receptive to new ideas and with a clear understanding of publisher requirements in this space. Twixl Publisher is a platform that combines all important affordability along with the functionality a publisher needs to develop its mobile offering,” said Craig Llewelyn-Williams, managing director of The App Lab.
“We chose The App Lab because they bring real added value to the process, focusing on making the solution successful for the publisher not just selling our product. The approach of The App Lab is completely different from a classic integrator. They focus on the effectiveness of the app and excel in designing successful app interfaces and templates.
They do far more than making the technology work, they try to define a specific mobile approach and help you design and optimize your app interface” said Laurent Gerniers, Twixl Media’s marketing director.
He continued, “The App Lab is really adding value to our solution and together we provide a very strong offering that is not only about technology. Based on our technology, The App Lab will create concepts and interfaces so that the expectations of mobile readers can be met.”
The App Lab is a specialist digital product development consultancy that has released over 70 apps for clients including Hearst, Time International and Haymarket. Experts in tablet and mobile publishing, it provides insights, training and ongoing support to its clients. The App Lab works with organisations of every size, from global newspaper groups and corporate businesses to independent boutique publishing and start-ups.
