Kristin Valette, vice president of PADI marketing and communications, wants to put everything scuba in the palm of your hand. It’s a big ambition, and one that PADI‘s been working on since April when they decided their old app needed a major redesign if they wanted to stay in a state-of-the-art position.
The new app is available now to new users and the update was auto-pushed to the 500,000 people who had the old version. Online logbooks and eCards are the order of the day, and social feeds from PADI‘s Twitter and Facebook accounts. You can also brush up on your hand signals, knot-tying skills, and get access to PADI‘s great travel tools.
Right in step with the digital revolution, they’ve also put all their training content online with a sister app, the PADI Library. Students can access intro sections for free, then purchase a code in-store or online for the full text. Instructors can get onto the PADI pro site to process PICs and upload student photos directly from their phones.
One of the biggest names in dive training worldwide, PADI‘s new app is garnering attention in the programming industry as well. Their designers used Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) technology to such great effect that the folks over at Adobe sat up and took notice, using the innovative PADI app as a case study for their own research and development training.
When I mentioned that SSI‘s Colin Davidson had indulged in a little good-natured boasting about their new app, Kristin refused to rise to the bait. “That’s great,” she said, “I don’t take that as fighting words. If all the industry leaders get in on the mobile [technology] it’s great for the industry, for the consumer.”
— Erin Durbin-Sherer
