Why is an ISBN scanning feature like Goodreads necessary for your app?
Contrary to what the media would have you believe, reading is a hobby that is rapidly regaining popularity rather than a habit that is about to become extinct. And yes, it’s true that we’re moving away from printed books and toward eBooks, but it doesn’t mean that other forms of entertainment, like streaming services, are becoming extinct; rather, it just means that they’re evolving. Kindle, GoodReads, and numerous other apps have become the new go-to activities for avid readers because they enable them to read books on the go without having to carry a physical book with them, browse through directories to find potential new reads, share their most recent reads with friends on all social media platforms, provide reviews, and even give and receive recommendations.
However, before doing so,
We feel it is our responsibility to explain what an ISBN is to you, our less frequent readers, and others who may not know much about them. The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, is a serial number that is distinct for every book and that, as the name also implies, stays the same everywhere in the world. Additionally, because this number is associated with the book, it may be used to mine the internet for data on the book, like the author bio, kind, synopsis, year of publication, etc. These ISBNs are used by bookshops to categorize books by author and genre, and they are also helpful when a book is being purchased.
We can now continue our discussion of ISBN scanning, It is essentially an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capability that enables you to scan a book’s ISBN code and download all of its information from the internet. The use of ISBN by Goodreads is now pretty intriguing. It enables you to scan a book’s ISBN using the smartphone’s back camera before retrieving all of the book’s information from the internet.
Let’s talk about the benefits that including an ISBN function in your app can provide for both you and your consumers.
- Scanning is less frustrating, faster, and easier
Talking on your phone and typing from memory are very distinct and much less annoying activities. Writing, however, becomes a curse when you have to write something down, especially when there is a long list of figures or a lot of information that needs to be filled in. The issue is that you must first read a portion of the number, then write it, then read the following portion while paying attention to the sequence of numbers, and then type again. After that, you must also double-check it. It might be somewhat inconvenient and seem needless,particularly when there is a simpler way to go about it. Data transfer from the real world to the digital one is no longer a frustrating process thanks to ISBN scanning. It only takes a few quick touches to complete. Additionally, you don’t need to proofread because you are confident in the accuracy of the scanned data. And as a result, the majority of applications, including GoodReads, decide to include an ISBN scanning feature in their apps.
It is not only simple, but it is also quick. It is obvious to everyone that scanning anything is faster than typing it all out, especially when there is a lot of information to process. Finally, ISBN scanning has become more useful in recent years. The rationale for this is that you can access all the information by using just a few integers.
- Accurate Scanning
Unless a human has made a mistake first, most machines operate without error. This human mistake component is a significant issue in the ISBN entry market. Using the ISBN scanning feature is more prudent due to a human’s low accuracy rate and his fear of making a mistake, which is paradoxically the reason why he makes a mistake most of the time. 99% of the time, ISBN scanners are accurate. No person can boast of being so precise.
Typos are the main issue while inputting large numbers. We all make typing errors, especially if you type quickly. However, sending a text message incorrectly is not a big deal. Your autocorrect will probably take care of the typo, or you can send the message anyhow and your friend won’t even notice. But two factors are working against you when you type numbers like ISBN. The dread that you will commit a mistake comes first. As a result, we must move slowly. Our depth of perception comes next.
The process is also made complicated by a number of additional factors. The best part about ISBN scanning apps is that they simply don’t worry about things like your health, where you are, etc. They will scan anything you give them to scan. Period. They are an excellent tool to have for your workers because they make taking accurate and complete inventories simple.
Several more elements contribute to the process’s complexity. The best thing about ISBN scanning apps is that they don’t concern themselves with things like your location, health, or anything else. Anything you offer them to scan will be scanned by them. Period. They make taking accurate and thorough inventory straightforward, making them a great tool to have for your staff.
- They boost user engagement for your app
Every organization or corporation that has an app maintains a close eye on a number of metrics that indicate whether the app is successful or unsuccessful. One such metric is the app’s level of engagement. Owners are informed of how long each user spends using their apps. The goal here is obviously to increase profits, therefore a higher level of engagement will result in users using your app for longer periods of time. User involvement can be raised in a variety of ways. One of the obvious ones is to make it easy to use and a complete joy. Complexity makes people hesitant.
They just want your programme to function properly and without any fuss, without you having to pull off some elaborate technological pirouette to win them over. In this situation, ISBN scanners are useful. With just one swipe, you may instantly eliminate the need to write in pointless details. That’s it. That is the easiest that a process can be made to be. Therefore, including an ISBN scanning option in your app will undoubtedly be beneficial to you. Users will only need to aim their cameras at an ISBN code, and then all the data will automatically fill in the fields that would otherwise need to be filled.
By adding tools like this, you are attracting more users than ever by demonstrating how simple the entire process has become. There is no need to type, copy, or move back and forth to double-check that you are typing the correct number; all it takes is a tap.
Including an ISBN scanner in an app
Now that you are aware of its benefits, let’s quickly go through what you need from your app, or more specifically, what you want it to be able to do. Do you want to add this functionality to your existing app or do you want to develop an ISBN scanning software that will be designed particularly to read barcodes and other similar codes? The way you proceed will depend on the response to this question.
You will need to engage a mobile app development company or set up your own development team and do it all yourself, which will be 10 times more expensive, if you want to create an app only to scan different codes and papers. Additionally, be aware that there are no restrictions preventing you from including this feature in one of your subsequent updates rather than your first app. When you think it will help you right away, you can add this functionality.
1 Comment
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!