Design Practice - Competitor Analysis

This journal entry compares the likely competitors to the water safety app and analyses the RNLI and how it can leverage its strengths and opportunities and minimise weaknesses and threats to improve its profile and revenue.

App Research

An initial search was carried out on Google Play App Store for ‘water safety apps’.  The main search results returned apps for:

  • Water drink reminder
  • Water eject tool
  • Check water resistant qualities
  • Safer Seas and Rivers Service – which tackled the issue of water sewage.

As this enquiry rendered no viable results a further search was executed for ‘safety apps’, which returned a better outcome, although these did not contain water safety.  The subject outcomes focused mainly on personal safety when out and about and what to do in accidents.  Two of these apps were selected for further analysis: Personal Safety and Get Home Safe.

App 1 – Personal Safety (Play.Google.com, 2023) Available at: Personal Safety – Apps on Google Play (Accessed: 21.09.2023).

Personal Safety App - Play.Google.Com (2023)

The Personal Safety app has an overall look and feel of a serious interface indicated by the black background with primary coloured hilights of yellow, blue and red and sans serif font.  Features include emergency SOS, emergency sharing and car crash detection. The review rating is 3.6 stars from 26.5k reviews.  

App 2 – Get Home Safe (Play.Google.com, 2023) Available at: safety apps – Android Apps on Google Play   Accessed: 21.09.2023.

Get Home Safe App – Play.Google.Com (2023)

The Get Home Safe App also employs primary colours  (in RGB mode green is a primary hue) but still portrays a serious visual display and sans serif font.  It also provides alerts and emergency contacts but has a map display, which is useful for area knowledge.  The review rating is 3.9 stars from 85 views.  

It can be seen from these examples that primary colours are used, which command attention and sans serif fonts that are clear to read.  There is a stark user interface in both apps, however the clean interface allows the message of each screen to be clear and unambiguous.  The reviews were both under 4 stars with consumer comments revealing frustrations with technical issues, unclear wording and excessive clicks to access screens, however users did find these apps a positive idea.  The lack of water safety apps shows that the RNLI could corner a niche market, which could allow a greater awareness regarding water safety in an easy to use digital format that could drive traffic to their website and social media.

RNLI SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis was performed, which provides a snapshot into the inner and outer environments of the charity.  The RNLI have a lot of strengths and opportunities, which could be used to build greater awareness and collaborative projects.  The weaknesses and threats reveal that in order to keep being one of the top charities in the UK, they have to invest in digital transformation and be aware that charities are competitive amongst donors, who may shift preference depending on trends and causes profiled in the media.

SWOT Analysis - RNLI (Heugh, 2023).

Summary

The app research reveals that there is definitely an opportunity for a water safety app in the personal safety market.  The bright primary colours also reflect the RNLI colour and safety beach flags ( RNLI Beach Safety – Know Your Flags And Signs ), which are prevalent in safety apps.  The SWOT analysis confirms that taking water safety information to an app format with their history of public awareness could provide a new digital opportunity, which could project them ahead in the charitable space.  There is even a possibility sponsorship could be used to fund the app or sell advertising space in order to provide profile and revenue.

References

Get Home Safe (Play.Google.com, 2023). Available at: safety app – Android Apps on Google Play Accessed 21.09.2023.

Jones, (2021) Non-profit SWOT Analysis: Effective Decision Making [The Ultimate Guide].  Available at: Nonprofit SWOT Analysis: Effective Decision Making (keela.co).  Accessed 21.09.2023.

Personal Safety (Play.Google.com, 2023). Available at: safety app – Android Apps on Google Play Accessed 21.09.2023.

RNLI (2023) Become A Corporate Partner.  Available at: Become An RNLI Corporate Partner And A Lifesaver  Accessed: 21.09.2023.