In 2020, 81% of Quebecers owned a smartphone. This would explain why mobile applications have become such an integral part of our lives.
Valuable assets and growth levers, they’re now an almost indispensable tool for today’s businesses. No wonder the mobile application development market has exploded in Quebec and around the world. In fact, companies are pouring an increasing amount of money into the development of mobile apps.
In this article, we’ll not only revisit the reasons for developing a mobile app but also discuss the complexity surrounding the process. Julie, our Agile Software Manager, sheds light on the 3 main challenges our developers face when creating a mobile application.
The differences between web and mobile applications
Web applications are hosted on a server and accessible from a web browser. They can be developed with a responsive design to enable their use on mobile devices. On the other hand, mobile applications are specifically designed for mobile devices. They’re downloaded and run directly on the device, making it possible to use features native to a specific type of phone and facilitating their use. Interestingly, it’s also possible to develop code in C#, which can be shared between web and mobile applications thanks to the .Net MAUI development platform.
Why should your company consider developing a mobile application?
Although mobile apps are more complex to develop, they offer several undeniable advantages. Today, approximately 73% of internet connections are made from a smartphone. In addition, mobile applications optimize the user experience while helping build client loyalty. The use of the phone’s native features encourages the user to access the mobile application more frequently. Finally, developing a mobile application for your company allows you to improve your image by showcasing your commitment to innovation, accessibility, and attentiveness.
Challenges in mobile application development
At Uzinakod, we’re lucky enough to work with different types of solutions and technologies. We choose the technology that best suits the solution and the needs of our clients. For mobile application development, our go-to is, among others, .Net MAUI because it simplifies and shortens the development time needed to create a multi-platform mobile application (e.g., iOS and Android). That’s not to say that we don’t run into certain issues throughout the process. Here’s what our developers had to say about the top 3 challenges they faced when developing mobile apps:
1) Cross-platform variations
Although .Net MAUI enables common code to be shared across platforms, there’s always some degree of variation depending on the mobile operating system. For this reason, it’s important to deploy the solution on physical phones without delay in order to test real behaviour and visuals.
While it may be tempting to rely on tools that simulate real-life behaviour, nothing beats the real thing. Indeed, these tools can’t give you an exact depiction of how apps perform on physical phones.
When it comes to visuals, Android is, for example, more permissive than iOS for CSS-type applications that haven’t been properly scoped. Here’s another example: a style applied to a parent element could also be applied to a child element on Android but not iOS.
2) Native features
There are also differences in the code surrounding the use of native features, such as push notifications. While .NET MAUI allows most common code to perform well on different platforms, native features may require platform-specific code.
Once again, it’s necessary to verify this aspect on physical phones during development to avoid unpleasant surprises when the final version is published on app stores.
Finally, multi-platform technology requires the development of custom visual components in order to use the maximum number of native visual components offered by each platform provider’s Software Development Kit (SDK).
3) Publication
There’s one last hurdle to overcome when developing a mobile application: store publishing. Publication must be taken into consideration very early in the process to ensure that the solution is suitable and can be deployed to the general public.
In addition, it’s possible to make development-type publications, thus making the application available in beta-testing mode to various stakeholders without publishing it officially. The amount of work required for the publication stage shouldn’t be underestimated, as it certainly increases the complexity and time required to develop a mobile application.
Conclusion
Uzinakod’s proven expertise in mobile application development allows us to turn your large-scale product initiatives into reality by leveraging up-to-date technology that best suits your needs. Looking for a partner to help you bring your mobile application development project to life here in Quebec? Contact our experts for more information!
