Responsive Web Design or Mobile App: Which is better for you? Introduction Today developing a mobile application and building a responsive web design both are integral to the growth of a business. With constraints on time, people across the world use their mobile device on the go to conduct business or look for a service. Hence the user consumption in a technologically rich world has come a long way from traditional methods of advertisements or retail store visits. So investing in a mobile application for user engagement or developing web friendly pages that adapt to devices is a not only a strategic decision, but also a technical decision that brings in other considerations.
Both mobile apps and responsive web design development are used interchangeably though both have distinct uses and purpose. So do businesses need both to keep customers engaged and expand the customer base? Since both mobile apps and web sites have certain common aspects and certain unique features that set them apart, while also being high in demand. So it is imperative to have a clear understanding of where it will appropriate to use either or both to invest your bucks. Which is Better for You? A responsive mobile design basically makes your desktop pages adaptable for viewing in mobile. It is housed under a different url. The webpage adapts itself to the device in use. One of the advantages of using responsive design is the investment in time and cost, both of which are comparatively reasonable to deliver and manage. Since mobile responsive design is one of the key skills, resources are usually able to develop and deliver it faster. Practically speaking too, this is comparatively cost friendly as compared to developing an application from scratch. From a functional perspective, they are not as
versatile as a natively built mobile app. In comparison, a mobile application that is built-up from ground offers these cons as an advantage, which is key to user experience and engaging the user with the product. Also the key driving force behind developing mobile apps is efficiency. The loading time is designed to be faster since they do not have to load a number of assets unlike web pages.
Further, by designing a mobile app, the branding and marketing of the product is chiefly addressed. However, developing mobile apps requires excellent development skills or the branding can fall flat. Hence designing and developing native mobile apps from scratch is expensive since companies are willing to invest huge sums for a well-functioning app that will take their branding into the future. So it make business sense to invest in mobile apps, where there is a need for interactivity such as gaming, need for access to offline content is yet another great consideration, as well as the need for developing data driven business requirement.
On the other hand, responsive sites are a great choice for the preliminary brand outreach program and getting the word out there among targeted customers and are designed to work across multiple devices such as iOS and Android. Finally, they have a longer lifetime than mobile apps.