Accessibility is important-Internet or not
PWAs became very popular with the advent of 5g — but will they remain?
Introduction
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are at the forefront of blurring the lines between web and mobile experiences. As a hybrid of traditional web pages and mobile applications, they leverage the latest web technologies to deliver a high-quality user experience. With the ability to work offline, receive push notifications, and load on the home screen, PWAs challenge the dominance of native apps. Yet, the central inquiry remains: Are PWAs a fleeting trend or a transformative force in the landscape of web technology?
What makes up a PWA?
At the heart of every Progressive Web App is a trio of core elements: Service Workers, the Web App Manifest, and an application shell architecture. Service Workers, essentially JavaScript files, operate in the background, separate from the web page, enabling functionality such as push notifications and background syncs. They are pivotal for offline usage, making a PWA feel more like a native app than a traditional website.
The Web App Manifest is a JSON file that controls how the PWA appears to the user. It defines the home screen icons, launch page, orientation, and theme colors, essentially instructing the device on how to treat the web app like a native app.
While these components are revolutionary, they aren’t without criticism. Critics argue that Service Workers, though powerful, introduce complexity that can be daunting for developers new to the PWA landscape. They point out that debugging Service Workers can be a nightmare due to their separate context from the web page and the peculiarities of their lifecycle.
The simplicity and familiarity of building traditional web applications are somewhat lost with PWAs.
“Right now, it’s so much easier to use local storage or a cookie rather than caches.” — Jeremy Keith
In practice, companies like Starbucks and Uber have crafted PWAs that provide robust offline experiences with fast load times. Starbucks’ PWA allows customers to browse the menu, customize orders, and add items to their cart — all without internet access. This not only improves customer experience but also serves as a case study in leveraging PWA technology to enhance business operations.
Yet, it’s not all smooth sailing. Adoption hurdles remain high, and the question of whether these technologies are being embraced as quickly as anticipated is valid. The integration of these components requires a paradigm shift in development practices, one that not all organizations are ready to make.
PWA = better UX?
PWAs have ushered in a new set of user expectations — web applications must be swift, reliable, and engaging. With PWAs, users no longer tolerate the sluggishness of traditional websites. In the era of PWAs, a website that loads in more than three seconds could lose nearly half of its visitors, according to Google’s research.
The shift toward expecting app-like experiences from web pages has been significant.
A PWA like Pinterest has redefined user engagement, resulting in a 60% increase in mobile engagement. After switching to a PWA, Pinterest saw a 44% increase in user-generated ad revenue and a 40% increase in time people spent on their site.
On the flip side, not everyone is convinced that this shift is as revolutionary as it seems.
“the idea that users might want to install websites to their home screens or that they expect push notifications from their favorite brands is still foreign to many.” — Alex Russell, a software engineer at Google
The landscape is changing, but not uniformly. While tech giants and leading brands have the resources to innovate and adapt, smaller businesses struggle to keep up. The expectation for a website to behave like a native app places a burden on developers and businesses to rethink their strategies, often with limited budgets and tight deadlines.
Moreover, the seamless experience promised by PWAs is not always a reality across all platforms.
Apple’s iOS, for example, has been slower to adopt PWA features fully, leading to inconsistent experiences for iPhone and iPad users. This inconsistency creates a fragmented web where the promise of a unified, app-like experience does not always hold.
How can PWAs help business-wise?
The business case for PWAs is compelling. They can dramatically cut development costs, sidestep app store fees, and broaden market reach.
For instance, AliExpress saw a 104% increase in conversion rates for new users after its PWA implementation. This shift is not just about cost-saving; it’s about reaching users where they are, on the web, without the friction of app store downloads.
However, there’s skepticism about whether PWAs can fully replace native apps in terms of performance and feature set. Native apps have direct access to device hardware and operate within ecosystems that users trust and understand.
“A PWA will not replace a mobile game or a highly interactive social media app any time soon,” says Maximiliano Firtman.
Businesses also face challenges in user acquisition with PWAs. The app store is a tried-and-tested discovery platform, whereas PWAs rely on users stumbling across them on the web or through marketing campaigns. This means businesses must work harder to get their PWA in front of potential users.
The investment in a PWA can be substantial, and the return is not always immediate or guaranteed.
Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce site, temporarily pulled back from its PWA, ‘Flipkart Lite’, to reassess its strategy. It shows that even the most successful implementations may need to pivot to align with changing business priorities or user feedback.
Despite these challenges, the potential of PWAs for businesses, especially in terms of reaching users on low-end devices and in areas with poor internet connectivity, is immense. Jumia, Africa’s largest e-commerce platform, leveraged its PWA to double its conversion rates, highlighting the power of this technology in emerging markets.
PWAs are inclusive
PWAs have the potential to democratize internet access, particularly in emerging economies. By requiring less data to install and run efficiently on low-end devices, PWAs can be pivotal in closing the global digital divide.
Twitter Lite, for example, saw a 75% increase in Tweets sent due to its PWA’s lower data consumption, which is crucial in regions with expensive or limited internet access.
But the promise of PWAs to bridge the digital divide is not without its critics.
“The assumption that everyone will use modern browsers that fully support PWA features is flawed” — Jake Archibald
In many areas where the digital divide is most pronounced, older devices and browsers that lack full PWA support are still in widespread use.
Additionally, there’s the question of awareness. In regions where digital literacy is still developing, users may not be aware of how to utilize PWAs to their full potential or even understand the benefits they offer over traditional websites or native apps. This gap in knowledge can negate the advantages PWAs bring to the table.
Despite these challenges, real-world examples highlight the impact of PWAs.
For instance, Ola, the leading cab-hailing service in India, launched a PWA that works seamlessly on 2G networks, allowing users with even the most basic smartphones to book rides.
Moreover, PWAs are often touted as a solution for businesses in emerging markets to overcome app fatigue and the reluctance of users to download multiple apps due to storage constraints.
The success story of Konga, a leading Nigerian e-commerce site, underlines this potential. After adopting a PWA, Konga cut data usage by 92% for the first load, making its service accessible to users with limited data plans
When do PWAs make sense?
Deciding when to adopt a Progressive Web App (PWA) isn’t always clear-cut. While PWAs offer numerous advantages, they’re not universally ideal.
“PWAs are not a silver bullet,” - Alex Komoroske
For businesses targeting users in regions with unreliable internet connectivity, PWAs make perfect sense.
A case in point is Trivago, whose PWA saw a 150% increase in people who add its site to the home screen, leading to a significant boost in offline usage. This scenario illustrates the effectiveness of PWAs in enhancing user engagement in low-bandwidth areas.
However, for applications that require heavy use of a device’s native features like advanced camera controls or Bluetooth, a native app might be more suitable. For example, a sophisticated photo-editing tool or a game with high-end graphics may not achieve optimal performance as a PWA.
“There are scenarios where you simply can’t replicate the native experience in a browser.”
Small businesses or startups with limited resources may also hesitate. The upfront investment in developing a robust PWA can be daunting compared to a simpler, traditional website or a basic native app.
Additionally, the decision to go for a PWA should consider the target audience’s preferences and habits. If a majority of your customers are accustomed to finding and using apps through app stores, bypassing these platforms with a PWA might result in lost opportunities for customer acquisition and engagement.
But what’s on the other side?
The road to adopting PWAs is fraught with technical and practical challenges. Critics argue that the ‘progressive’ in Progressive Web Apps can be a misnomer.
“There’s nothing progressive for users if an app shell loads fast but the content takes forever to load,” says Tim Kadlec.
Developers often face a tough balancing act. They must ensure that the service workers, which enable offline use and background updates, do not become a bottleneck themselves. The complexities of service worker lifecycle and caching strategies can lead to outdated content being served or even the dreaded ‘offline dinosaur’ when not handled with precision.
Interoperability is another stumbling block. Although PWAs are championed for their cross-platform capabilities, the reality is different. Apple’s iOS, for example, supports PWAs but with significant limitations compared to Android. This creates an uneven playing field and complicates the development process.
Native apps still hold the upper hand in several areas, such as advanced device hardware access and performance optimization.
Despite these issues, the success stories are compelling.
For example, Lancôme’s PWA resulted in a 17% increase in conversions and a 51% increase in mobile sessions. However, it’s crucial to recognize that PWAs are not a panacea; they are part of a broader web ecosystem and should be evaluated critically within that context.
PWAs must be included in your digital strategy
Integrating PWAs into an overarching digital strategy is more a marathon than a sprint. It requires aligning with business goals, user needs, and the technological landscape.
“A PWA is not a band-aid for poor performance or engagement — it’s a commitment,” says Dion Almaer, Google Engineering Director.
PWAs need to be part of a holistic approach that encompasses omnichannel marketing, customer journey mapping, and personalization. It’s not just about the technology but how it serves the broader business objectives.
Critics, however, caution against jumping on the PWA bandwagon without a clear strategy.
“Businesses sometimes adopt PWAs because it’s a buzzword, without understanding the nuances,”
Moreover, PWAs must be personalized to cater to the user’s context and preferences. This can mean tailoring content based on the user’s location, usage patterns, or even device capabilities, a strategy that can significantly increase engagement but also adds layers of complexity to development and design.
In the end, a PWA should not be an isolated project; it should be interwoven with the company’s digital presence and marketing initiatives.
When The Washington Post launched its PWA, it wasn’t just about offline reading — it was about faster load times, which translated to a 23% increase in mobile search users who returned within seven days.
Conclusion
PWAs stand at a crossroads of innovation and practicality, offering a glimpse into the future of web technology. They present undeniable benefits for businesses and users, pushing the envelope for what web experiences can be. Yet, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution, and their integration requires thoughtful consideration of a company’s unique digital strategy. For those on the fence, now is the time to evaluate how a PWA can align with your goals, remembering that the journey to a seamless user experience is continuous and always evolving.
Written by: Inchara, Weave design team.
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