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Enabling Mobility
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The New Design Trend: Build a Website; Enable Self-optimization Across All Mobile Devices
The continuous evolution of smart phones, regular release of newer mobile OS versions, availability of a huge variety of mobile applications from different app stores and high speed internet connections have completely transformed the way consumers use their mobile devices.
According to mobile industry reports, 7.12% of all website traffic worldwide came from handheld devices in 2011. In 2012, that figure rose to 11.78%.1 According to eMarketer (a leading digital media market research firm), more than 58% of American adults will be regular mobile web users by the end of 2016. Tablets and smartphones are becoming the default choice for connecting to the internet. The web has become an essential part of our lives, and users are connected to their internet devices from anywhere and all the time. This revolution is influencing many companies to shift towards a Mobile First, Desktop Second strategy for their business. However, the shift from desktop to mobile requires web designers to refocus - not completely away from desktop design, but certainly with an inclination towards mobile. There are several ways to approach a mobile web presence, such as implementing a separate mobile site or a mobile web app. The most recent and popular approach seems to be Responsive Web Design. This paper explains the difference between Mobile Web App and Responsive Web Design, and provides a framework for resolving some of the key questions decision makers have. These include what factors to consider when choosing between Responsive Web Design and Mobile Web App, and what type of industry Responsive Web Design is most suitable for. The paper examines the pros and cons of each approach, and presents a sample scenario from the retail industry as well as a case study. As the paper guides you in how to make the right choice, it draws upon RapidValues experience helping enterprises succeed in the complex and evolving mobile ecosystem.
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Here are three main scenarios where Responsive Web Design would be most applicable:
1. Corporate Websites/Blog Sites
The website first and mobile second is usually the business need. For corporate websites, the need for rich images is lesser, device-agnostic solutions is higher, and target audience is a huge factor. And for blog sites, extensive user input is not required and images required are minimal. For these types of sites, brand consistency is primary. With one website that works on both desktop and mobile screens, you will find it much easier to keep a consistent brand identity. Also, no style guides are required to communicate between multiple vendors such as different entities responsible for the desktop and mobile versions of your site.
WhitePaper by RapidValue Solutions Dec 2012
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2. Media/News Sites
In these types of sites, users are more accustomed to scrolling from top to bottom using their mobile. Responsive Web Design works well here. These sites are more text-heavy, and sections such as breaking news require real-time content updates which add to maintenance cost if different mobile technology options are used for the design.
3. Location-based Services
Maps and direction finder services are generally image heavy. In these types of services, to view the routes closely and to get better clarity zooming and re-sizing the screen with fingers become necessary. Auto-adjustment becomes essential, which is supported in Responsive Web Design.
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Comparison Summary
Due to differences in underlying technology, each approach has inherent advantages and drawbacks, development frameworks, and appropriate use cases. Careful analysis is required to ensure that your mobile solution is built using the right approach to meet your requirements. The following table summarizes the strengths and weakness of each approach. Criteria
Versions
Higher. Cost increases with increase in number of elements in the website Longer development cycle. Development complexity increases as the website map gets more complex Requires specialized knowledge of this new approach Slightly lower user experience since the app is designed for a website and optimized across mobile devices Navigation enabled from top to bottom by default. Left to right navigation requires additional customization and modification in layout and code
Medium
Less time if you know the exact features you need and you have planned your roadmap well Straightforward if you know the exact features and functionality you need in your mobile solution Better user experience, specifically designed for mobile phone and improving further with HTML5 technology Left to right navigation enabled to support carousel navigation
Design Approach
User Experience
Performance
Potential bandwidth issues when server sends larger media than needed and text-heavy images Lower maintenance cost and effort Single version to maintain for the website and across a wide range of mobile devices Provides control and flexibility to make changes in website, which are reflected across all mobile devices
Ongoing Maintenance
Medium Separate for website version and mobile web app version Requires changes to be made separately in website and mobile web app versions
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Responsive Web Design is a great way to give an enterprise a mobile presence. But it shouldnt be considered the only mobile approach. Before making a decision, an enterprise should evaluate both options Responsive Web Design and Mobile Web App, and select the technology option which best suits your business requirements.
Rinish Nalini,
How to Choose the Right Option for Your Business Retail Industry Example
A high quality user experience has always been the primary requirement for consumers, a fact that mobile service providers now recognize. The mobile service should be simple to use, easy to navigate and provide seamless transactions, especially when it comes to online shopping. Retailers can choose either design approach to build a mobile service for their consumer. Your business requirements will determine the right technology option. Here is one scenario: you are a retailer and you already have a website. You now need a mobile solution which has an attractive user interface, can be launched in 6-8 weeks and is cost effective. Before making a decision, you need to consider a few additional parameters which are important for your retail mobile service:
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The mobile web experience is different from the desktop experience. For retailers, where quality of experience is critical, a separate layout and experience for the mobile web is strongly recommended. This is because: Retail consumers with mobile devices are usually accustomed to scrolling from left to right for viewing the product catalog (especially phones with touch screens) In a desktop website, multiple filters may be present on a single page, but in mobile web, due to lack of real estate, these filters are placed on different pages, accessed sequentially and hence the same structure may not work
Both of these capabilities are supported in Responsive Web Design as well as Mobile Web App, but enabling them using the Responsive Web approach takes more work.
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RapidValue launched a Mobile web-based mCommerce solution for the world's largest online retailer of street-wear. The solution allows consumers to shop online using their mobile devices. The client wanted to add a new mobile channel for their consumers. To meet client requirements RapidValue had to identify the optimum solution (Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile Web App). The main requirements were a cost effective solution, fast implementation time, ongoing maintenance and support, and a high-quality user experience. The client already had an existing website as well as Android and iPhone native applications.
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For this client, it was important to select the Mobile Web option instead of Responsive Web Design, for the following reasons: To reach the largest number of consumers while providing service across multiple device types Native apps are not SEO-friendly Converting the existing website to Responsive Web would take more time and effort
RapidValue designed the complete user interface, built the mobile service and deployed the solution, all within 3 months.
Conclusion
Responsive Web Design is an emerging trend that involves designing websites and applications for optimal viewing across multiple devices and screen sizes using a single code base. But will it meet web application challenges in today's mobile world? The answer depends on what you are trying to achieve with your website or mobile app. The advantages of Responsive Web Design include a single code base that provides easy and low maintenance along with a single version of the website that improves SEO. Mobile Web App provides a better user experience, lower risk of performance issues and faster implementation time for your mobile service if you know your exact requirements. The design of your website and mobile service should be based on your target audience. Building a site using either approach requires thorough planning and a good understanding of the users roadmap through the site on every type of device. Therefore, if you want a solution thats easy to maintain, makes use of existing skills and that you can control, then Responsive Web Design is the approach for you. If you want a high quality user experience, better performance, faster implementation and seamless transactions, then you should select Mobile Web App for your business.
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About RapidValue
RapidValue is a leading provider of mobility solutions to enterprises worldwide. Armed with a team of 150+ experts in mobility consulting and application development, along with experience delivering over 200 mobility projects, we offer a range of mobility services across industry verticals. RapidValue delivers its services to the worlds top brands and Fortune 1000 companies, and has offices in the United States and India.
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RapidValue
Enabling Mobility