Responsive website or store application design

Which one is better when it comes to mobile development? Designing a store application or a responsive website?

Brands and businesses are well aware of the need to adapt to mobile phones. The consumption of users and consequently information and sales resources has changed drastically in recent years.

But despite being aware of this need, the adaptation process can be extremely confusing, this complexity is not only related to business aspects but also includes technical aspects. The technical side of the work becomes more complicated due to unfamiliar literature.

One of the first concerns of startup founders and production managers when faced with mobile phones is that they want to bring their products to screens through web pages or through applications.

First, we will talk about building a responsive application and website, and then we will discuss the applications that need the App Store.

Responsive websites or native applications is the problem?!

It is like asking if traveling by car or motorcycle is better. The answer to this question depends on the needs and tastes of people. Before we continue the discussion, it is necessary to emphasize that choosing between the two is not a black or white decision because there are many opportunities for development in both applications and responsive websites. Mobile software can be designed in both native and hybrid formats. And websites can be implemented in two ways, reactive or adaptive.

For the sake of convenience, we will examine responsive websites and native applications because they are the most complete of their kind, but both have their shortcomings and advantages, which we will discuss further.

Adapting the content of the site to mobile phones has two major advantages: one is saving time and the other is saving money.

And these two are the main factors that every production and institutional manager checks before starting work. Especially if these two factors do not have a direct impact on the technical quality of the work. However, if you look more closely at the problem, you will see that other factors are also effective on the quality and efficiency of production. Let us examine responsive websites and mobile applications more closely.

Responsive websites:

First of all, you may have a question about the difference between responsive websites and mobile web applications. Both words refer to a type of web design that adapts itself to any device in order to perform better.

The inception of responsive websites dates back to the time when businesses realized that how they work with mobile phones can be effective in whether they are chosen or rejected by consumers.

Surely, it has happened to you that when searching for a particular website, the said site is weak in providing services, in such a situation, we usually refine the search results rather than waiting for the said site's response.

Responsive and adaptive websites

As we mentioned earlier, websites are presented in two formats, responsive and adaptive. Responsive websites have the ability to resize depending on the type of screen, while adaptive websites have a default size that they are displayed on.

That is, if you plan to implement your site in an adaptive way, you should consider all possible sizes by default, both the ones that currently exist and the sizes that may be created later. And if your site does not support one of the existing sizes, it will not be displayed well.

Weaknesses and strengths of responsive websites.

Returning to the previous discussion, as mentioned earlier, the two main advantages of responsive websites are saving time and time. The reason responsive websites are cost-effective is that you can load your site on all mobile phones with just one web developer. Plus, your team doesn't have to stick to a specific recipe because their goal is to develop a website that doesn't need a specific app store for distribution.

However, before choosing, it is better to know that responsive sites also have shortcomings. Most of these problems arise from the fact that there are simple solutions for problems that have different aspects. Just like the number of operating systems and tools that exist today.

Bartelotti, the external consultant of TestApp - one of the mobile phone development agencies - describes the shortcomings of responsive sites in this way.

Responsive sites require the Internet and receive information directly from the browser, which means that your products are not available anytime and anywhere.

Another problem of these sites is their poor performance on mobile phones, because the main components of the web, such as images and animations, are heavy and slow down the loading speed of the web.

In addition, users have to wait until the whole page is loaded to see the page. The result of this slowness is the consumption of a large amount of data, battery and time.

Lack of nativeness

UI and UX conventions for Android and iOS and other operating systems are different, their feel and appearance are different, just as the taste and expectations of users are diverse and different.

As a result, if you design an application that is the same on both the web platform and the OS, users will never look at it as a native application.

Lack of notification and other features

Another important aspect is the presence of notifications, which play an effective role in attracting the attention of users and can only be used on applications and cannot be used on responsive sites. In addition, responsive sites do not have the ability to access notifications outside the browser space. The mentioned limitations do not affect the performance of the product, but it limits creativity and freedom in designing the performance of the website.

In addition, technologies such as QR codes, voice recognition, and augmented reality cannot be used in the design of responsive websites. To use these technologies, native applications are needed.

Bertolotti believes that "native development of applications is the most technical solution to the problems of mobile commerce."

Native application is equal to using the best codes, designs and methods to provide the best possible work according to the specific needs of each operating system. Opchar By designing a native store application, it delivers an application that meets the needs of Iranians to you, the owners of the sites.

Positive and negative aspects of native applications

In general, native apps are a better but more expensive option compared to responsive websites.

The development team has to create a unique design and specific code base suitable for each operating system, and this in itself is a costly task. In addition, they have to deal with all kinds of permissions related to different operating systems. This process takes two to 14 days.

However, the application is superior to its web counterpart in terms of speed, quality, and the ability to use various mobile phone features.

You do not need to be connected to the Internet all the time.

Users do not necessarily need the Internet to use the applications. Once the program is downloaded, it is saved exactly on their phone and is available whenever they want.

As Bertolotti says, "Applications work best both offline and online."

Better performance

Applications do not have the problem of loading components because all the elements needed to load by default and compatible with mobile phones are in their memory. These programs are extremely faster and lighter, and the user will be more satisfied with working with them.

In addition, native applications have access to all the functions of the mobile phone because the application is installed and works in conjunction with other devices. This option not only increases user satisfaction, but also makes it easier for you to serve through the application.

User security

Security is another advantage of applications compared to websites.

When users connect to the site through the Internet, they are not only exposed to the site's own trackers, but they are generally being tracked.

And on the contrary, the application has the ability to manage the program without the intervention of a third party, and this itself reduces the possibility of risk.

Accessibility and awareness of the brand

Before paying attention to the advantages of applications, we introduce brand awareness.

When investors and production managers decide to invest in a specific application, which of course costs more than designing a website, they pay attention to the fact that this program gives them the chance to become the user's desktop page and the main part. Raises the mobile phone.

Getting websites recognized is a time-consuming process. The user should recognize your brand, pick up a mobile phone, connect to the Internet, type your domain in the browser, and even worse, Google it and wait for your site's page to load without having access to the site's content. The worst thing is that the user has to go through this algorithm from the beginning every time.

In the photo, with the application, it is enough for them to know you once and for all. After downloading the app, you will be available every time they visit their phone.

Native store application design at a glance

With all these interpretations, the only drawback of the applications is their time and cost. While in exchange for this time and cost, you will get decent quality and countless opportunities for development.

final word

We end our article with a quote from Bertolotti:

The difference between a website and an app is just like the difference between a car and a motorcycle. None of them is superior to the other and the only criterion is your needs and tastes.

If you like the wind to hit your face and reach your destination early, your choice is definitely a motorcycle, and if you plan to travel with your friends and have heavy luggage, a car is a wiser choice.

With these interpretations, if your site is only limited to providing site information and you don't intend to spend a lot of money for it, responsive websites are a better choice.

But if you are looking for an attractive and practical experience and need more interaction with the user, definitely invest in a good store application design.

Designing a store application may be expensive, but today, with the existence of apps such as Appchar, designing a store application can be done at reasonable prices for all businesses.

Below is a picture of one of the businesses that designed their store application through Apchar.

Shop application design

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