An easy guide for non-developers
A study earlier this year by Oracle found that more than half (55%) of users said a poor experience would put them off using a company’s products or services. This goes to show the increasing importance that mobile experience is having on consumers and how they view and interact with a brand.
A key part of this mobile experience for brands is centred around the development of the app itself. When we are talking about apps running on smartphones, there are usually a few ways it can run. Either as a native app that runs for each platform specifically or as a HTML5 app that can be run across any OS system.
So which ones better?
This all depends on what you value most as a business. If your business is based around finding as many users as possible while not splashing out too much cash on development then HTML5 may be the option for you. However, if you are wanting to create an app for your customers that is built around performance and can utilise the specific hardware on your phone then you might want to consider native.
The case for HTML 5
HTML5 apps are portable across different OS’ and device types, these apps written with responsive design methods are able to scale appropriately to any device. On the other hand, native apps are unique to each OS. This means that each OS update must be created and tested independently of each other.
This is part of the reason why HTML5 apps are cheaper to develop than native apps, since native apps for OS developers usually require a specialised developer for each OS. They can also be cheaper and easier to create as Javascript (which is used alongside HTML5) is an industry standard that lots of developers already know.
“So, HTML5 is the one then! Thank yo…”
..Wait! Native apps also have awesome features. They are almost always faster and more efficient than their HTML5 counterparts, which simply can’t execute at the same speed as a native app with the same functionality. Native apps can also interact with a wide range of the hardware on the device including location, camera, speakers, screen etc… HTML5 apps lack the ability to interact with hardware on the same level, and this can prove a major difficulty dependent on what value you are looking to bring to your customers via your app.
For example, Facebook used to run their app on HTML5 as it was more cross-platform compatible. But because of this the performance wasn’t great and the app was dismissed as something of a failure. Facebook recognised this and switched to a native approach, and reviews improved dramatically.
Is there a way I can get the best of both worlds?
Well, there is also the hybrid method which tries to fuse both native and HTML5. They are built using a language framework that is then wrapped with a native specific code for each OS. For example, if you built an app the HTML5 way, you would then generate a wrap around for each OS, yet it still appears like a native app for each platform. However, they tend to share a single code base meaning the app is still either one from Google or Apple. This means it won’t easily work on all platforms and still suffers from having developers, testers, and product managers test it frequently across multiple platforms. The hybrid element also adds an extra layer to where bugs in your app may exist.
And the winner is….?
No-one **round of applause**. Huh? Well, that answer is down to you. Yes, you! It boils down to what you want to do with your app. If you want something that is graphic-intensive with lots of media you will want to go native as it will cope better than HTML5. However, if you want something that is easily portable across devices then you may want to go HTML5. But before you can decide you need to know what you want to create for your customers.
- Do you want an app that creates value for them through rich content or do you want a simple interface that plugs them into new and exciting developments in your business?
- How interactive do you want it to be?
- How will it be used?
- What problem is the app solving?
- Is it providing what the user really wants?
You need to be extremely thoughtful about the experience you are delivering. Once you’ve nailed your user journey then you will be able to make an informed decision on which method of development will provide the experience you want to give to your customers.
Don’t let your business get left behind in the mobile age. To find out how to ace your customers mobile journey, sign up to ‘The Mobile App Masterclass’ led by Senior UX Designer Ben Sauer and powered by Yniche here.
Originally published at blog.yniche.com on December 3, 2015.
