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A web application can use a login page,but asking users to type in details using anumeric keypad is undesirable and addsto the time taken to access your service. A client application, however, can store
local conguration and details and offer
one-click login.
How important is speed to your usecase?
To use a web application, a user musttypically launch a browser, access themenu and select a bookmark (or enter
URL). Each of these stages takes time andthen the speed and latency of the network
determines how long the user has to wait. A client application, on the other hand,launches quickly and is usually accessible
from a menu or idle-screen shortcut. Oncerunning, applications also perform much
more quickly than websites on comparabletasks.
The BIG Question:
Website or client application?
How technically sophisticated are your users?
Your target audience might not be as
tech-savvy and fearless as you are. Forsome users, the process of downloading,installing and conguring an application
can be a daunting prospect. Resolving this
issue is a trade-off between easier rst
time access (i.e., through a website) andsuperior user experience in repeat use (i.e.,using a client application).
Does your application or service need toknow who your user is? Does it need tomaintain user history or store personalpreferences?
Mobile network operators are increasingly
preventing third parties from receivingany identifying information about the user
in HTTP requests. Handset numbers areblocked and IP addresses are removed
from the network operator’s proxy server.
You may have discovered that the RuntimeSpace is not only mind-bogglingly big
and bewildering, but also that most of
the things that happen in it are deeplyintertwined with the user experience.
While all questions of the runtime features,
the pros and cons, the cost, the requireddeveloper skills and the market share areto be resolved, one big question stands
out: ‘website or client application?’ That
is, should you use a website or a clientapplication to deliver your services to theend user?
A growing number of entrants to themobile space see the option of buildinga mobile-specic website as a cheaperand more exible alternative to developing
a client application. However, there areadvantages and disadvantages to both
depending on the details of your serviceand, as always, there is a trade-offbetween quality, functionality, speed of
development and cost.
Here are some fundamental argumentsthat are worth bearing in mind before you
stick your thumb out into the Runtime
Space and hitch a lift.
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