Home ›› 06 Sep 2021 ›› Editorial
Apps are making life comfortable and enjoyable in the modern era as one can avail a number of services with the press of buttons. From calling a taxicab to delicious food items, or booking train tickets to ordering oxygen cylinder, one can depend on good apps. And the important point to note here is ‘good app’. If the app is not good or useful, people would hardly use them.
An app is the short form of “application”, which is actually a type of software that can be installed and run on a computer, tablet, smartphone or other electronic devices. An app usually refers to a mobile application or a piece of software that is installed and used on a computer. One has to download the app on his smartphone and then press on the right buttons to request for the services one desires. In this tech-savvy world, a modern man will not be able to achieve much without the help of apps on his phone.
Apps can contribute to a person's work, education, healthcare and recreation. Currently, thousands of apps are available in various categories like business, productivity, shopping etc. Businesses use apps because they are cost-effective, can extend the reach of a business, can increase production and enable office to handle orders from all over the world. But an app has to be good and user-friendly.
The detailed report in Business Post published yesterday elaborates on the reality of over 600 apps developed by the Information and Communication Technology Division (ICTD). The report says that because of lack of innovations and updating a number of mobile applications developed by different government agencies are hardly being used by the target audience. These apps were supposed to provide citizens with various services, but it is not happening as these are found to be outdated and not user-friendly. Experts are quite baffled as to why the authorities (ICTD) continue to invest in creating such apps when the existing ones are struggling to create an impact.
The report further says that the government plans to launch alternative app-based services like Jogajog to provide an alternative option to Facebook, Alapan to Whatsapp, DreamStream to Netflix and Boithok to Zoom and Google Meet. The ICT Division is also working on launching an app called ‘Sathik’ to provide a solution to Bangla grammar correction. As for the app called Boithok, even high-ups in the government commented that it was quite amateurish compared to the conventional Zoom or Google Meet. They also feel the same regarding Facebook’s alternative ‘Jogajog’ or WhatsApp’s alternative ‘Alapan.”
Because of no updating and upgrading of the apps of the ICTD, some of them have already become outdated. It is indeed disconcerting to learn that the Bangladesh Bank app that offers various bank-related services was last updated on May 19, 2015. The Department of Agricultural Marketing launched its app ‘Sadai’ for trading agricultural products to ensure a fair price for farmers, but the app contains names of only a handful of vendors with no update or description of their products. The official App of Janata Bank failed to keep its promises to offer prompt online services. Even changes in its board of directors are not updated for a long time. Similar stories are heard about apps of other banks, such as Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank and Rupali Bank. Apps like Background Wallpaper, Magic Tricks, BD Train Schedule, Currency Converter, Noboborsho, Asset Tracking, Traffic Fine Info are hardly used by the people. The app of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution only has an interface to search licence number of a handful of products and it was last updated in June 2015. Corona Tracer BD is an app to warn users if they have been near someone who later tested positive for the coronavirus. The app received little response for lack of information and updates.
If technical products like apps are not done by qualified people one can well imagine what the end product would look like. We hope the ministries concerned should look into this matter with due seriousness.
