Source: flickr.com/elmastudio

Did you answer, “an application?” I beg to differ.

Don’t worry – you’re not alone. Suddenly everything is an “app.” Bloated office productivity software? An app. Gigantic social networking site for pets? An app.

This app-washing misses the importance of this new paradigm. If you are app-washing your product, you are falling behind.

So What is an App?

An “app” is a bit of code which delivers a set of context specific capabilities to a target audience. Apps offer a focused approach and execute in a runtime environment very close to the user.

Apple design award-winner, Paper, is an app because it gives people with iPads who like to doodle a way to do that without buying and toting around a bunch of Moleskine notebooks.

Acquisition darling, Instagram, is an app because it gives people with cameras on their phones an easy way to make their pictures look better and share them with friends.

The Bank of America app works because it gives their customers with mobile devices access to account information and the ability to manipulate their financial life on the go.

But are Apps Really Different?

You bet they are — in a very fundamental way.

Think back, if you will, to your first experience working with a computer. Chances are you physically went to the computer. Applications were located on the computer. It was an intentional action, a destination. There was a fundamental scarcity when it came to technology, and it shaped everything about the tools.

Apps fundamentally flip this relationship. Apps come to the user and are available when the user wants them. The technological tools required to run these context-sensitive bits of code are cheap and easy, and the code itself is similarly inexpensive.

This flip has driven other interesting changes, too. The biggest is the creation of a whole new specialization: the user experience professional. In a world where technology is cheap and available, the way a user interacts with software is suddenly more important than what software can do.

Incredible!

The app paradigm is here to stay, and we in the industry are just starting to get the hang of it. The next twenty years will see tremendous innovation in this space.

Developers, my advice to you is simple: jump in. You probably have a device (or three) that can run apps, so take some time to write a simple one. Make it a browser plugin, an iOS app or play around with Node.js. Download a template or follow a guide to get started.

You’re going to like what you find.

This post originally appeared on Wired.com.

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