HTML5 or Native?... That is the Mobile Question!
Posted by 
"How should I deploy my site or application to mobile?" This is a common question we hear from our clients these days. Unfortunately, the answer is not as straightforward as you might think. One key fact overrides almost every conversation in this space: Just because it's smaller, doesn't mean it's easier to produce. In fact, in many cases, we're seeing the opposite. A simple web application becomes a complex user experience (UX) exercise in making it function appropriately in a mobile context. This is a key point—mobile context. Without focused UX consideration, a mobile solution that is derived from a desktop web solution will fall short of expectations.
As we help our clients wrestle with the technology and financial impacts of this decision, we've compiled a list of three questions that are important to consider in your plans:
Question 1: Do You Understand Your Users?
The metaphors, design patterns, and interaction models used on iOS and Android today are inherently different from their closest cousin, the desktop. Most of these are obvious to us by now. The larger and potentially more impactful point of focus is the context of the mobile experience. What functions in your application will be used when accessed for 30 seconds, 20 times per day? How will your users consume content on a train, in a car, or on a plane when they are not connected to the web? Does motion in the context of use impact a person's ability to effectively touch a screen with accuracy? Are the colors and fonts that are used for your brand easy to read in bright sun on a phone? The use cases can be complex. It's important to follow a disciplined design approach and framework that considers the users at work, play, or otherwise, going about their daily routine.
Question 2: How is Your Data Managed?
An important consideration in your thinking should be around the distribution and management of your data on the server. Is it managed in a content management system? Is it 'locked' into static HTML pages? How often is this data updated? When designing a mobile plan, consider your users and what they most consume. Then consider your investment in your data management. If you are looking to gain the most re-use from a server-side platform that distributes content to simple HTML, you may want to create an adaptive mobile web solution using HTML5 and CSS media switching. If you have a system that leverages messaging components to pull data dynamically, you could build connections to those components in native mobile code or in mobile web templates for HTML5. In either case, you'll need a strategy for offline, or limited bandwidth connectivity. While your researching your users make sure to consider their need to interact with your content while not connected.
Question 3: How Do You Plan to Distribute Your App?
If your mobile application is designed around a business-to-consumer need, you should almost always consider a native approach. The infrastructure and marketing power of the app stores is something that will help you reach customers quickly and efficiently. There are many applications in the app stores, so it's important to focus on the details of your app. Be sure to finely target your customers, their interactions, and their needs. Design and build your app to engage and delight customers with quality experience and graphic design. If you are planning to distribute your app to a limited or private audience, you can build a native application and deploy it to a custom app store for your company, but it is a more complex process. In many cases, a mobile web solution will be easier and more cost effective to maintain.
These are just a few of the details to be considered when navigating this complex, ever-changing, mobile world. Every problem is different. Each solution has many considerations. There is no prescribed approach except due diligence. If you commit to flexibility and focus on your users' needs, you'll create a successful mobile experience for your customers regardless of technology decision.
There are no comments yet. Be the first.