Native iOS and Android App for our “On” site

Although we appreciate the responsive design on the “On” products it doesn’t scale well to devices smaller than a tablet.  Menus get confusing (and thus navigation) and web apps are never as responsive as a native app.

In December we conducted a Design Thinking exercise with several groups of parent volunteers.  One of the consistent themes was a desire for a better mobile experience.  We will be conducting a school-wide survey this month to gather more information on how our constituency accesses our site and their experience with it.

From my personal standpoint,  I find that the old mobile site is more responsive and easier to use on a smartphone than the new responsive design.  For example,  try looking someone up on the directory on the new design.  

I am sure almost all of our adult constituents owns a smartphone.  Our own datametrics shows significant mobile access to our site but we want to see what our survey says to help fill out the picture.  


Thank you.  

  • Matt Powers
  • Jan 5 2016
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    • Laurie Cross commented
      April 26, 2023 20:27

      It is 2023 and this only has 68 votes since 2016???? ? Oh my gosh--even our very small Cathooic elementary school has an app. Unure why this isn't a priority at Blackbaud.... please...

    • Marie Campione commented
      February 09, 2023 14:49
    • Guest commented
      June 13, 2022 19:29

      would love a mobile app, thank you

    • Anita Pinkerton commented
      March 31, 2022 19:25

      In this day and age, it's a requirement to have a mobile app. I can't believe there isn't one. AND the responsive version of the site is not a substitute. An app will keep you logged in - the workaround to save a bookmark with "remember me" is inefficient at best. The site does not scale well for a cell phone. Please make this a priority.

    • Morgan Kunze commented
      April 08, 2021 18:58

      This is an old post, but the need for an app is still very real. Please consider development of a mobile app with limited features!

    • Rachael Lachhwani commented
      February 23, 2021 18:29

      A mobile app will improve the customer service experience by increasing engagement and ease of use for finding information. I agree with the comment below that this is the industry standard, as users spend 90% of their time online within mobile apps. Thank you!

    • Shannon Lowe commented
      May 13, 2020 18:46

      As communication director for our school, the number one Blackbaud question I get from our parents is this: Why isn't there an app? This seems like low-hanging fruit for you--an app for a platform like this seems like the industry standard. PLEASE consider it!

    • Ben Taylor commented
      February 29, 2020 15:52

      To deal with the complexity that could arise from having multiple personae represented in the app do what Canvas did and make a separate app for faculty, students, and parents.

    • Suzan Moffett commented
      August 17, 2019 22:13

      Younger parents almost exclusively access the software via phone, not even via tablet. This preference is well-documented in surveys about millenials and their habits. The poor phone experience is a real pain point for us.