Most of the time when clients come to us requesting application development, they have already done their research and decided an app is the best fit for their business objectives. In other cases, clients ask Outside Source Design to help them make a decision about how to accomplish their goal.
Some of the questions they’re considering:
- Is it worth the investment to build a native app (an application designed to run on a certain operating system such as iOS or Android)?
- Or can the business goal be accomplished through a web app (a software application that runs through the device browser)?
- If building a native app, should they build separate apps for Android, iOS and Windows? Or perhaps just focus on one? I should note that when building native apps, there is a range of approaches to development itself – each with its own caveats.
If you’re trying to choose between native app and web app, the first – and perhaps most important – consideration is whether you want to access the hardware capability of the device (for example, GPS location services or the camera). If the answer is yes, an app is the way to go. If the answer is no, you have some flexibility in what you choose to do. Here are four questions to help you make that choice:
- Who will use the app? Before you can consider anything else, you need to know your target. Certain employees? The general population? A subset of the population such as sports fans or on-the-go moms? Determining this will help you think through the next three questions.
- What types of devices do those people use? If you’re targeting a very specific population, you’re likely to have a clear picture. For instance, if you are developing an app for your sales reps, you most likely know whether they have company-issued iPads or Android tablets; therefore, you won’t have the added expense of developing apps for multiple operating systems. If you’re targeting a broad population, you can’t assume they’re using just one OS; therefore, you might need to build multiple apps – which might make a single web app more cost-effective.
- How will they use the app? In particular, will the user always have access to an Internet connection? If the answer is no, a native app is likely the better choice. If yes, a web app is a possibility. For example, one of our clients recently developed an app for their technicians. When these technicians are at consumers’ homes, they don’t always have access to the Internet. In that situation, an app that can do its job with no wifi or cellular data service was a natural choice.
- How much do you want to control the user experience? Typically you’ll have the most customized, immersive user experience (UX) in a native app. That’s because a native app allows you to utilize all of the device’s native capabilities. With a web app, you’re more limited in what you can do.
Of course, sometimes it just comes down to personal judgment. In your gut, what makes the most sense for your business? You can’t go wrong if you simply consider how people will use the tools you create so you can supply the best tools for them.
