Developer Workshop: Citysearch

Developer Workshop is a series of profiles exploring the current state of the mobile marketplace from the point of view of the software developers mapping out its future. Each profile focuses on a developer with a compelling story to tell, and offers their perspective on what the industry's doing right, what it's doing wrong and how to make it better. Check out our previous workshops on Shazam, InfoMedia, Viigo, Meet Now Live, Shortcovers, Pint Sized Mobile, Geodelic, Spark of Blue Software, Tarver Games, People Operating Technology, Booyah, Bolt Creative and Thwapr.

This week FierceDeveloper profiles Citysearch, which provides the free cityseries app that presents information and recommendations on local bars, restaurants and merchants in a digital magazine format designed expressly to maximize the Apple iPad interface.

Less than a month after launch, Apple's iPad tablet device already boasts more than 4,200 available applications, according to mobile analytics firm AppShopper. What sets the first wave of iPad applications apart from the initial batch of iPhone apps available when the App Store opened two years ago is the number of familiar media brands creating and adapting content for the new unit: A quick scan of the App Store's top iPad downloads rankings indicates the likes of ABC, The Weather Channel and USA Today. Few content providers are approaching the iPad platform as creatively as online local guide Citysearch--its free cityseries app presents information and recommendations on local bars, restaurants and merchants in a digital magazine format designed expressly to maximize the iPad interface. In addition to page-flip transitions that bring to life the familiar magazine experience, cityseries enables users to swipe, tap and zoom through Citysearch content; when the iPad is in horizontal mode, the app also brings up popovers featuring special offers.

Citysearch was founded in 1995 and is now an operating business of Internet company InterActiveCorp., led by former Paramount Pictures head Barry Diller. Citysearch also owns local business recommendation site Insider Pages and restaurant finder service Urbanspoon--its online guide information spans more than 75,000 locations across the U.S., although for now, the cityseries app is focusing on major metropolitan locales like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Seattle. FierceDeveloper spoke with Citysearch Mobile Product Director Bardia Dejban about developing for the iPad and translating the online guide experience to a new user paradigm.

cityseries - An iPad App from Citysearch from Citysearch News on Vimeo.

Bardia Dejban on creating cityseries for iPad: We were working with the iPad SDK beta program--we didn't have early access to the iPad hardware. It's always preferred to have the hardware, of course, especially when your application launches the same day as the hardware. But it's the same toolkit as the iPhone and the same interface for engineers and developers, so the process is similar, only you're working with larger, higher-definition images. The biggest difference is that the iPad includes so many new features to leverage.

Dejban on the differences between cityseries and other Citysearch apps: The iPad lends itself to magazine-style content--the page transitions feel like a magazine. We've never created an application with those types of features before, so we tried to put ourselves in the minds of how people would use it--whether they're sitting at home, or walking around like they would with an iPhone.

Dejban on the iPad user experience: Cityseries is for people who want to learn about someplace new--someplace you want to travel to. Our editors have taken the time to experience shops, restaurants, spas and bars--not just for experiences you can have in a new place, but also when you're only 10, 20 or 30 miles away from home. Both uses are definitely possible on the iPad.

We'd love to have statistics on how people are using their iPads, especially when the 3G edition comes out. We don't anticipate them walking around with them just yet--I carry mine with me, but I'm not using it while I'm walking. But there is definitely the potential for interesting experiences from a shopper's point of view, which is why we're presenting offers in the application.

Dejban on the biggest lesson learned developing for iPad: You have to learn to make tradeoffs. It's necessary if you're trying to meet a deadline and working with a brand new SDK and you want to be there on time the day iPad comes out. But you have to make sure you're making the right tradeoffs and still honoring what you set out to do.