By Ambika Sharma, Founder & Managing Director of Instappy
Despite several cultural differences, geographical locations, and every other parameter that we choose as a differentiator to set ourselves apart from everyone else, there will remain one binding element that will always unite the entire human civilisation, i.e. technology. Woven into our day-to-day lifestyle in the form of technological platforms, from banking to shopping, and even socialising, very few of us have been able to avoid the fold of technology. In one or the other form, be it through ATM machines or feature phones, tech has ensconced many of us in its intriguing and addictive web.
The advent of smartphones has in addition extended the scope of the direct technological intervention and has further increased the interconnectivity as well as ‘we as a society’ experience. With their user-friendly interface and larger-than-life features, smartphones are most distinctly known for the comfort and convenience that they offer to their users. From hailing a cab to booking a movie ticket, from ordering food online to making payments for the same, a smartphone offers seamless services to its users at the single touch of a button.
Why are smartphone apps useful?
A mobile device, which was once used to perform basic mobile functions that were limited to voice calling, text messaging, basic multimedia messages, reminders, simple calculators, and mobile games such as Snakes, today can be seen executing functions that are well beyond the limits of yesteryear’s desktop computers.
Today, smartphones have emerged as the perfect alternative for gaming consoles, navigation systems, televisions, wrist watches, and even personal computers. Additionally, the all-time availability of a smartphone device with its user has a multipoint advantage. It significantly increases the functionality as well as the productivity of the user.
Why are smartphone apps gaining more traction?
A recent survey by eMarketer.com has revealed that app usage time has swelled to 85.7 percent of the overall smartphone usage, whereas, the mobile web time of the sample size accounted for only 14.3 percent. Smartphone applications are developed with a purpose to deliver an evolved consumer experience to its users. Let us try to understand the variables that are driving this change:
1. Smartphone applications are faster than mobile websites:
The smartphone applications operate with essential features preloaded on the device, whereas the mobile website retrieves relevant data from its web server. This creates an opportunity for a well-designed application to save time that was previously wasted in processing recurring data and to perform tasks more swiftly as compared to the mobile website. This, therefore, helps the app to provide a faster browsing experience and reduce the web data usage of the user.
2. User Experience:
The mobile websites have to operate within the elementary functions offered by the mobile web browser. On the other hand, the smartphone application offers its users a more personalised browsing experience that meets their exacting demands perfectly. Applications facilitate easier on-boarding of the user and moreover enable the user to customise the application as per their convenience. This in turn, offers an evolved and seamless service delivery to the user base and significantly affects its overall browsing experience.
3. Higher Engagement:
A smartphone application can perform tasks that offer a more immersive user experience to the end user with integration of inputs from accelerometer, gyro sensors, proximity sensor, GPS, etc., whereas limited constraints that mobile websites operate within further restrict their capability to deliver in terms of user engagement in a similar fashion. One of the most successful mobile applications in the recent past, Pokémon GO was able to offer an unmatched user engagement through the amalgamation of such features that eventually led to its phenomenal commercial success. User experience of this magnitude can simply not be executed through the mobile web.
4. Ability to work offline:
Many smartphone applications have the ability to work offline. From applications developed for tax calculations to maps and transit, the mobile applications have the ability to perform actions that earlier required internet connection. The offline availability of such services are not restricted to basic mobile applications, but are now also being developed for technically more complex operations such as offline P2P payment services that can even be availed with low or zero internet connectivity.
In view of the above, it is amply clear that in the war between mobile apps and mobile websites, applications have emerged as a clear winner. Mobile apps offer a more curated and mobile-friendly experience to the end user. They have been created for the specific purpose of the mobile platform they operate on and are sure to become the ultimate way through which consumers connect with their preferred brands.
Ambika Sharma, is Founder & Managing Director of Instappy a cloud-based Mobile app creation platform, allows users to build intuitive, fully native applications for iOS and Android instantly.
For a few days we have a video in out TechVideo spot on the home page on how to create apps with Instappy
November 10 2016