MyHeritage Mobile App Case Study: Business Analysis & Redevelopment

This case study provides an in-depth analysis of the MyHeritage mobile application, a genealogy platform developed by an Israeli company. It explores the app's business model, which includes both free and subscription-based services, and its features, such as family tree creation, photo uploads, and historical record access. The study also discusses the impact of the app on users, highlighting its benefits in connecting families and preserving memories, as well as addressing reported problems such as limited access without a subscription and customer support issues. Furthermore, it examines business process redevelopments, including the addition of new features like an inbox and scanner, aimed at enhancing user experience and functionality. The case study concludes by referencing sources that provide further information about MyHeritage and its mobile application.

Running head: MOBILE APP CASE STUDY
Mobile App Case Study: MyHeritage
Name of Student-
Name of University-
Author’s Note-

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Business of the Application
The application MyHeritage is basically a platform of online genealogy platform. This
application provided web service, mobile service, as well as software products. The services of
MyHeritage was developed by an Israeli company in the year 2003. Users who are using the
application can create a family tree, upload their photos, browse their photos as well as get all the
historical records globally. The application of MyHeritage provides the user with a variety of 42
languages and has more than 80 million users over the world. Headquarter of MyHeritage is in
Israel and also has offices in Ukraine, Lehi, Burbank and in California.
The earlier versions of MyHeritage allowed the user to upload their genealogical details
only from the desktop systems. The information that was uploaded could be viewed online and
there was no possibility to alter the information. In the year 2006, the application developer
introduced a new feature that included a software of facial recognition, which helps to recognize
the facial features that are stored in the database of photographs so that individual can link be
linked together. And finally in the year 2006, MyHeritage included a software known as Pearl
Street Software that helped to create a family tree for the users. This software created two types
of family trees, one with the Family Tree Legends, and the other with the Family Tree
Submission Site. The infprmation on the application started to increase gradually with 160
million profiles and around 400 million records of public.
The products and the services that MyHeritage provides exist all over the world as mobile
application, web application and a downloadable software. This company gives a freemium
business to all its customers that is a business that is provided for free of charge for using the
application, but charges are required to use additional features of the application. Only the paid

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users can contact other members in that application and the subscribed users can get to view the
details of the other embers as well. There is mobile application for MyHeritage that is available
for android device and the iOS device and provides features that include the ability to view the
family tree, edit the family tree, as well as research the historical database.
Features of the Application
The mobile application of MyHeritage is very easy to use, explore as well as share the
history of family in the application. The application allows the user to capture the photos, share
the photos and also uploads the memories of the user from the mobile itself. The user can update
their family tree in family get together and even invite their family members for contributing in
the family tree.
On downloading the mobile application of MyHeritage shows many icons. The icons that
the mobile application of MyHeritage shows is Family Tree on Mobile, Discoveries on Mobile,
DNA on Mobile, photos on Mobile, Mobile Features and Mobile settings.
The user needs to first sign up by creating an account with the application. After signing
up successfully, the user is taken to the home page where the he can view some photos or view
some details about other people. The user have to enter the details of his/her family background.
The details of mother, father is to be entered as an input. The input the user needs to enter is
mother’s name, father’s name, mother of mother, father or mother, mother of father and father of
mother is to be entered. Or the user can simply skip those details by clicking next. After clicking
next the user will be taken to a page where a family tree is created with all the details that the
user has entered. There is an option of adding family member as well in the family tree.

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The title page shows a title family Tree with the surname of the user. It also shows how
many members are added in the family tree. The menu at the left top corner shows Home button,
Family Tree button, Discoveries, DNA, Photos, Research, Invite members, Inbox, and settings.
The inbox is a newly added feature in the application. By clicking the home button, the user is
redirected to a page where all the icons of the options are shown in the application. The inbox
contains of all the messages from all family members and from others who are connected with
the family tree. The messages that are unread are shown in the inbox.
In the discoveries tab, the user can contact any other members of the family and view
details as well as photos of all the member who are connected with the application. The user can
personal view the details of the family member who is connected to the app, or the user can view
all the details of all users, who upload s their stories in the database of this app.
For accessing the DNA tab, the user needs to be subscribed with the company. Without
subscriptions, the user will not be allowed to use the DNA option. In DNA option, the user can
find other relative using their DNA structure or simple can perform a DNA test for accessing this
option.
In the photo tab, the user will be allowed to add photos of his own or can add any photo
of his family member which he can store in the app and make other to view it. Adding of photos
makes prominent recognition of the family member and helps to get connected very easily. In
this photo tab, the user can as well view photos of others so that they can connect other members.
With all the information above, the family members who are connected with the user are
already contacted. The user can get its family members as well as the members who were not in
contact with the user. In the invite option, the user can invite the member of the family who he

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wants to contact and the user can send them invitation to add that particular member in their
family group.
The new inbox of the application helps to read the messages of other members and also
can helps to send message to other members of the group. The user can compose message from
the inbox option that is added newly in the application of the MyHeritage. Another newly added
feature of the mobile application for MyHeritage is the scanner. The scanner is used to scan the
picture of the user or a family photo and directly uploads it on the web. The high resolution
camera of the user’s phone is generally used by the application. This also helps the user to
preserve the photo in the application.
Impact on Users
The users basically gets many benefit from the application of MyHeritage. The user can
create a family using the features of the application. The application also helps the user to find
out other members of their family who are connected on the web and allows them to inbox or
send invitation to join their family group. There are many other benefits that the user gets while
using the application of MyHeritage. The user can upload photo of his own or his family member
in the application. There is a scanner that helps them to scan the picture automatically and helps
them to upload them on the application. In this way, there is no headache of saving the photo
somewhere else as the application only has photo saved for the user.
Business Process Redevelopment
To make the application of MyHeritage more efficient, the developer has introduced two
new features that makes the application more user friendly. With all other apps, newly added
features on the application is the inbox option and the scanner option. This two options helps to

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improve the family history. The inbox is basically an email based feature of messaging that will
help the user to communicate with all other members of his family group or other members of
the MyHeritage group. The new scanner features helps the user to use the camera of the phone
and helps the user to take a high resolution picture of his own or his family and save them on the
application automatically.
Problem with the Application
The main problem that the users faces using the application of MyHeritage is that without
the subscription the user cannot use all the features of the application. The user needs to
subscribe first to view other members of the group and the photos that are uploaded there.
Another problem that the users actually faced while using the application of MyHeritage is that if
the user faces some problem, the customer support is not always available for the customers. The
customer cannot take the help of the support if he faces a problem related with the application.
But, this issues of not fetching is resolved to some extent in the recent days. The customers can
get support from the support care if they gets stuck in some place or might face problem while
making the payment.

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Bibliography
Faq.myheritage.com. (2018). Family Tree on mobile. [online] Available at:
https://faq.myheritage.com/MyHeritage-App/Family-Tree-on-mobile/ [Accessed 25 May 2018].
Myheritage.com. (2018). MyHeritage. [online] Available at:
https://www.myheritage.com/mobile [Accessed 25 May 2018].
Blog.myheritage.com. (2018). MyHeritage Customer Support is Now Available 24/7. [online]
Available at: https://blog.myheritage.com/2018/03/myheritage-customer-support-is-now-
available-24-7/ [Accessed 25 May 2018].
Myheritage.com. (2018). Family Tree Builder Complaint - Forums - MyHeritage. [online]
Available at: https://www.myheritage.com/support-post-1047881/family-tree-builder-complaint
[Accessed 25 May 2018].