Why An Invisible App Will Be Your New BFF
While the term ‘invisible app’ was already coined by Matthew Panzarino in 2014, 2016 will be the year in which we’ll finally ‘see’ more of them.
Think of apps that you won’t have to open in order to use them. Apps that talk to you, like magic, through notifications and API’s of your favourite apps like FB Messenger, Slack or even Siri.
Magic? Yes… We’re going to a future where our apps know what we want before we even have to ask.
Obviously we’re not there yet, but there’s a fastgrowing range of apps (see this list on Producthunt) that’s making our life easier today. Those apps integrate in existing channels like email and messaging apps. While some of them are still powered by humans, expect this to be an area where A.I. will play a huge role.
A few examples
Like I mentioned, there are quite a few apps around already. But here are a few notable examples.
MeetChloe: Foursquare 2.0
Uber & Facebook Messenger: Order transport by messaging
Digit: Smart A.I. that helps you save money in a new way
Don’t forget the office
While most of the apps are consumer-focused, this revolution will have an impact on the way we work as well. Just check these three examples…
Clara: Your virtual employee
Clara checks my availability in my busy schedule and organizes meetings for me through email (cc will do). For the price of an intern.
Peter: Your personal AI-based business lawyer. Need an NDA or other legal contracts right away? Just ask.
SlackStack: Every bot you would ever want, in Slack. Stop looking, you’ve found it!
In this hand-curated list you can find a bot for a lot of different tasks. Want to hear to latest news, gifs, or get your personal pshychotherapist in Slack? Just give it a try.
At the 3sixtyfive office we’re currently boost our productivity with GeekBot, that organizes daily (a-synchronous) stand-ups with everyone from our team. This way everybody shares their biggest achievements and priorities of the day.
Conclusion
While it’s early days, things are speeding up FAST. I expect to see and hear a lot more about this during SXSW 2016. OK, there are some privacy and technical hurdles to take, and maybe A.I. will be a bit crappy sometimes too. But everything we need to make this work is already here today.
We have messaging apps, wether it’s WhatsApp, Facebook Message or good old texting. We have API’s. We can pay within Messaging apps.
In order for new technology to succeed it has to bring either fun or functionality. Invisible apps can bring both. They can be your Tinder Wingman, your imaginary girlfriend, or boost your productivity at work.
The biggest advantage… No need to install apps. Just invite a bot into a conversation, text it, cc it or even give a voice-command in order to get things done.
Sorry, I have to go now… Ellie, my personal Slack-pshychotherapist wants to know how I’m doing.
Want to know more about invisible apps? I really recommend following Chris Messina and read his posts about #ConvComm.
