The term web application has been around for the past few years. Yet there remains a surging debate on where “websites” end, and “web app” begin. Let’s delve more on this.
There are millions of websites around the world and now it’s impossible to imagine life without them. In the past few years, web has brought another exciting and confusing term- “web app”.
But what is “web app” and how it can be differentiated from a website and why does it matter?
Before this app store era, the word “application” was applied to sites that offered advanced user interactions and had capabilities that were earlier possible with the installation of software. Some of the examples of web apps include Google Maps, Webmail and Google Docs. As compared to classic web, i.e. news and blog sites, web applications offered a rich user experience and access to latest web browser capabilities.
These days, one page sites may still be referred to as web apps, but it’s actually more about the task focus than the technology involved.
You can understand web apps better if you think of smartphones or tabs. The main aim of an app is to achieve a specific task, such as checking your mail or making a call, or finding a taxi nearby.
Some might argue that we can also classify websites as being read-only and web apps as being read-write capable. All in all, it’s a fact that websites are mainly for consumption and web apps are meant for creation.
It’s easy for developers to draw the line between web apps and websites if we think of all technical distinctions. Web apps have many defining attributes that bring them close to native counterparts.
App development has become more popular than ever, and now web designers are looking at expanding app market to earn revenues, and give you an opportunity to reach your target audience. Here we provide you few tips that can help bridge the gap between designing for apps and designing for web.
People get wide range of options with websites, but with apps, users can complete just one goal with few taps on their screen.
Though apps can offer extra features but their main priority is to quickly complete their primary task without any fuss. For example, a weather app can include information on local traffic, as this might help users to plan their trip outdoors, but if you offer then merely a weather report, they probably won’t bother to find that extra functionality.
Apps offer clear path to users from top to bottom. You can think of app as a book, you will have to start from beginning and then move from page to page, and you could get back with few clicks of your thumb, or finger.
Today more and more users are connecting to the Internet via their mobile devices, and most websites are still designed with computers in mind. But what if computers don’t have inbuilt GPS, cameras or vibration.
On the other hand, mobile devices come with host of features built into them, allowing users to interact with digital environment beyond just standard point-and-click that computers offer. Tapping into this potential is the best way to provide a more engaging experience to users. It could be as simple as delivering content based on his or her location, using QR codes or GPS.
Both website and web app can boost your online exposure. Web app can make you accessible across mobile devices. So it should be user friendly and smart.
