Cross-Platform or Progressive Web Application? New Application or Existing Solution Migration? Choose the Right Scenario

Cross-platform apps

Cross-platform apps are a good solution if you want to deliver an interesting mobile app quickly on a limited budget. Regardless of whether you’re at the beginning of your mobile journey, about to create your company’s first app, or just want to make changes to an existing system, cross-platform technologies provide flexibility, speed of implementation and low production and maintenance costs.

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The main advantage of cross-platform solutions is the optimization of creation, maintenance and development costs. One common code enables a single implementation on both mobile platforms (iOS and Android), reducing modification time by 50% and keeping all operations within one team. This not only lowers costs, but also prevents possible communication and data-related issues. Some examples of cross-platform apps are Amazon App Store, Evernote, Twitter, Apple App store, Gmail, Uber and Instagram.

Cross-platform apps are the right choice for your business if:

• you need to roll out the app within a very short time frame
• your budget is limited
• you want to release the app to both platforms at once
• you need a solution that is easy to maintain and that makes changes easy to implement.

Progressive web applications – PWA

Progressive web applications, known as PWA, are highly elastic solutions for internet applications. They can be used on every mobile device regardless of the platform – iOS lub Android – but also in desktop applications. Additional advantages of PWAs are:

• no need to install from AppStore or Google Play. It’s enough to just click the plus icon on the address tab in browser or after expanding the browser menu and select the “Install app” option (like in the case of Google Chrome),
• no update requirement – the version remains constantly current with ongoing changes
• working in offline mode when without coverage.

A webpage in the PWA system is the recommended solution when your business operates in markets where internet connections are expensive and/or speeds are slow. It will serve well as tool to present at trade shows and conferences, where wi-fi often fails. If you do online sales, PWA is an important tool in the fight against abandoned baskets – your clients won’t lose their baskets’ contents just because of dropped coverage (e.g. in a lift or the subway). This is possible thanks to the design of a particular feature that enables all data to be loaded simultaneously when connected to the Internet, so as not to lose the data when manually reloading the webpage or when the connection is lost. This makes it smoother to wait out a temporary connection interruption without losing your agenda or conference map.

Studies by Google show that PWA applications are installed 5-6 times more often than native apps. Importantly, more than half of users don’t follow the installation process to the end of the classic path, while the PWA installation process is easy and infallible – all you do is save a shortcut to the application on the mobile phone’s desktop. This shortens the user’s installation path and doesn’t take time to download, which then increases the probability of conversion.

Progressive web applications are the right choice if:

• your app is not overly complicated
• You don’t want the sales and payment process to be interrupted by bad Internet connections
• your company’s webpage is a promotional tool used at trade shows and conferences.

Redesign & application migration

For companies which have already implemented mobile solutions, an interesting possibility is the redesign or migration and further development of an existing system. Consider such a scenario if:

• you aren’t satisfied with your current solution’s efficiency
• your mobile app was implemented years ago and its maintenance isn’t compliant with current iOS and Android requirements
• you’ve got a new idea for your app and you want to implement significant changes
• you want to connect the data flow between the app and your company’s internal systems.

If an existing application’s efficiency is an issue, there are two possible options:

• to update the code, or
• to create a new version in selected framework.

The choice should be preceded by a workshop, brainstorming and analysis of your business goals and needs. The objective is to make your mobile strategy coherent and successful. Do your research with the right partner, who will provide you with a tailored project, and the proposed solution should lead to your company’s goals and development path being met.

As part of a redesign of an existing system or migration to another, you can invent the application’s functions, add new ones, and connect the data flow between the application and your company’s internal systems. This is a comprehensive solution that enables significant flexibility and speec in introducing successive changes during the application maintenance phase.

Cross-platform, progressive web application or redesign?

When analyzing your needs and taking steps towards new, better and more effective mobile solutions, don’t forget about selecting your contractor. Listening to your problems and grasping your vision is a key aspect of choosing a new solution or making changes to an existing one. And a mobile application is one of the most important advertising media for your company.

According to global reports, mobile users check their phones up to 80 billion times every day. In this case, your priority is to create an application that will be the reason your client is reaching for the phone. To develop an interesting, engaging application that will also contribute to the growth of your company, you need to select the right contractor. Only a properly vetted business partner will be able to assist you in making the optimal solution for your company.

There are five things a good contractor should provide for your next mobile application:

• conducting a thorough analysis of your company and its needs, setting business goals and matching them to the right solution
• planning and conducting a workshop with your team to gather information and understand your vision, to make your mobile strategy coherent and give you the greatest chance of success
• designing and testing a user-oriented solution while maintaining close cooperation with your team
• ensuring reliable application integration with your systems (e.g. CRM, ERP, WMS)
• solution maintenance.