Application development has seen an astounding evolution through the years and with the popularity of native apps and a new frontier of progressive apps on the rise, which one to choose for your app development is the question.
Mobile users need applications for all types of tasks like shopping, communicating, music, etc. Designers need to make sure that the design of the applications is according to the needs and requirements of the consumers. Mobile experiences today need to be fast, installable, reliable and engaging for the consumers. These applications should be able to operate in a secure and accessible environment.
The majority of time spent on mobile apps is on native apps, which is about 80% and the time spent on the web is about 20%. Thus, there is no doubt to the fact that native apps have made their mark as fas applications are concerned.
Mobile Web and Native Apps:The importance of a mobile web presence cannot be overstated for any enterprise and with consumers frequently turning to mobile websites to research and explore their options, it is, In fact, a vital fact that mobile websites are the primary method of discovery.
Though consumers use mobile websites for exploration and discovery, yet, they prefer native apps for their greater ease of use. Native apps are created on the basis of mobile-first strategy from the start and are considered as an approach that leads to better design and a smoother experience.
Native apps are often designed for specific tasks and deliver only the most important features. Native apps often allow users to store payment details, account information, or settings and preferences, making purchasing an easier and quicker experience and thus inducing a personalized experience.
But, native apps lack cross-platform functionality and this is where lies the biggest limitation of native apps. Native apps provide all the features pertaining to a particular platform and do not support cross-platform capabilities.
One more important factor that differentiates the native apps from other apps is that it benefits from mobile web integration, and technologies like Trusted Web Activities available for Android, which allows you to achieve this seamlessly, delivering an experience that has a consistent look and feel.
Progressive Web Apps(PWA):Progressive Web Apps are those websites, which use modern technologies to convert websites into a mobile experience like native apps i.e delivery management software for restaurant chain business . You can hire mobile app developers that can design PWA using the website. Through a link on the home screen, users can enjoy features like accessing content offline, receiving notifications from preferred brands, adding favorites to the home screen without the challenges faced on the web.
PWAs can help improve user engagement and enable seamless conversions for enterprises, whether they are e-commerce, productivity, publishing, games, or media.
Progressive Web Apps can be encapsulated into three basic characteristics:
Fast:Progressive apps must be fast and highly responsive to the first interaction with the user.
Installable:A progressive app is installed like any other app and is available on the home screen and does not need a browser.
Engaging:PWAs provide excellent UI and UX, despite the lack of mobile and platform capabilities. The experience though may be limited, but, it never asks a user to go upgrade ort go online.
Steps to devise a website for PWAs:Step 1:The first step towards building an effective PWA is to devise your website for the PWA functionality. It should be designed for responsiveness and be as lite as possible.
The experience should be smooth and fast. As the progressive apps are written using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, like any other website and there is no need to install a development environment.
Step 2:The second step is to create a website manifest. It should be a JSON file that describes your PWAs with the inclusion of PWA’s name.
Other important features that should be included are:-
It should not vary in landscape or portrait mode of the screen.
Define the access it needs to the device
its description, screenshots, and icons should be included.
Identification of PWAs for capable browsers and the definition of the user interface.
Click and install provided through a link of the PWA.
Step 3:The third step is to set the Service Worker. It is a Javascript solution that runs in the background while the user accesses the PWAs. It defines what data is to be stored and what data should be reloaded when the user comes online. It allows the developers to decide when and what type of notification will be sent to the users and lets you know how to update the app?
Fundamental considerations for developing the PWAs:Responsiveness:Ensure highly responsive performance across all the devices, whether, they are mobile, tablets or computers.
User Interface: Keep the user interface more like native apps and design them without considering the website user interface to uncover any issues with the design.
Network Capabilities:Design your PWAs to offer enhanced performance through various states like low network, no network, spooky network, slow content loading and failed content loading.
Look of the app:Design the icon of the app considering different OS and platforms.
Mobile Permissions:keep the installation influence to be natural and don’t be pushy about adding the PWA to the user’s home screen.
Geolocation:Design your apps to use geolocation of the device with minimal hindrance to the user interactions.
Best Practices for PWAs to get maximum UX:CTAs:In order to improve the Click Through Rate(CTR) on your PWAs, try to include Call To Action(CTA) that can ensure user engagement.
Consistent Design:Keep the design minimalistic and consistent with images, media, and content.
Navigation:Keep the navigation through the application simple and make all the content accessible to users.
Performance Perception:Use skeleton screens and using transition animations to let the user know that they’re making progress, which will help reduce the bounce rate and encourage users to wait for the content.
Push Notifications:Add real value to your PWAs through timely and uniquely designed push notifications.
Conclusion:Websites are perceived to be an old generation of technology and yet progressive apps have made it more refined and competitive for most of the native apps. Native applications do have their own advantage and are fit for a certain type of business and technologies.
But, progressive apps can be an efficient option for enterprises and businesses, especially in the banking and retail sectors.
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