Web/Mobile Based application on Mendix Platform.

Table Content

1. Objective.
2. Why Low code?
3. Why Mendix?
- PhoneGap and Cordova.
4. Mobile/Web Based App development client Questionnaire
- Technical Questions.
5. Website development requirements Brief.
6. Mobile app development Brief.
7. How Do Mendix Web Apps Work?
8. Medix Tool version for Web/Mobile application Development.
9. Hybrid Mobile App Development flow in Mendix

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Objective

Build Web/Mobile based application on the Mendix Platform.

Why Low-code?

- Low-code abstracts away a lot of the hard coding that can be time-consuming and often
redundant.
- The right low-code development platform can also take away the pain of integrating with other
systems and third-party software, which is crucial when you’re building complex multi-modality,
multi-touchpoint digital customer experiences.
- The right low-code platform also allows you to extend applications with custom code too, so
you’re able to build out robust, feature-rich applications more quickly.
- The right low-code platform also allows you to build both cloud-native and native mobile, so
that deployment is streamlined and creating mobile experiences across devices isn’t an
Android/iOS nightmare.

Why Mendix ?
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 - Mendix is a low-code platform that enables enterprises to build mobile apps once and deploy
them anywhere, easily employ native device features, deliver rich native user experiences and
leverage the latest mobile technologies, such as Beacons and Touch ID.

- The platform supports the whole application lifecycle from ideate to develop, and from deploy
to monitor. With Mendix, developers can quickly build rich mobile apps with no code, from a
single model, and with a single platform. This allows companies to create mobile apps without
extensive technical knowledge.

- Mendix apps are traditionally web-based apps where the front-end is based on JavaScript,
HTML and CSS. Mendix apps can be packaged and published as mobile apps via the popular
framework PhoneGap. With this approach, existing widgets and styling can be reused, which
increases the speed of development and lowers the costs.

- PhoneGap hybrid mobile apps can be generated for multiple platforms like Android and iOS,
published to the app stores, and installed on phones and tablets. Mendix supports the two
largest platforms, Android and iOS.

PhoneGap and Cordova

- Mendix uses PhoneGap, which is a mobile application development framework, based on the
open source Apache Cordova project. It allows you to build mobile apps based on HTML, CSS
and JavaScript, and then deploy them to a wide range of mobile devices without losing the
features of a native app.
- Mendix also leverages PhoneGap Build, a cloud-based service built on top of the PhoneGap
framework. PhoneGap Build allows you to easily build those same mobile apps in the cloud
without the need to install development tools locally. It also allows you to share and download
the app easily.

Mobile/Web Based App development client Questionnaire

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1. What goals do you have for users to accomplish in your mobile app?
2. What will be the primary purpose of your mobile app?
3. Do you have an existing app and looking for a team to update the current version?
4. Do you have wireframes or app designs (PSD/AI les) ready for the application? Or would you like
to avail our services on App Design?
5. Are you developing the apps for internal or public use?
6. Do you have any reference app(s) which works similar to your requirement? Please list the ones
you found closest. [This can be even your competitor apps].
7. Please list some of your competitors.
8. Would you provide us with detailed functional specications for us to estimate the project? If you
do not have a Functional Spec, would you like to avail services of our Business Analyst?
9. Do you have an internal development team (Graphic Designers/ Developers) to collaborate on this
project?
10. Would you like to avail services of a Test Engineer (QA)?
11. Would you like to avail assistance in iTunes/ Google Play submission?
12. What are the features or functionalities you’re looking to integrate into your mobile app? Please
explain as detailed as possible
13. Is the proposed application expected to integrate with one or more of your existing applications?
If yes, please provide a technical brief of these existing applications
14. Are there any functionalities or features you’re considering to incorporate in future releases?
15. Would you like to have a CMS for the app? (CMS is a system which lets you add content and make
day-to-day updates on your mobile app) [This is important as we’ll have to leave a framework
considering the future additions while coding the app]
16. Who will be the audience of your app?
17. Who are your target customers? What is their geography, gender & age group?
18. Does the app have many user types/roles with own associated features? (A di-erent app for each
user type?)
19. Are you considering the app to be multilingual and available in other stores?
20. Would you like us to design & develop a companion website for the app?
21. Is there a target launch date for this product?
22. Is there any content restriction outside of the US?

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23. Are there any domain or region specic standards /regulations to comply with? (For example,
related to security, documentation, design, etc.)
24. Will the solution require in-app purchase, payment gateway integration, multi-currency support,
etc?
25. Does the app require mobile analytics integration for app usage tracking?
26. Does the app require mobile app advertising management tools integration?
27. Please specify the type of app: B2B, B2C or B2E.

Technical Questions

1. How would you want the app to be developed? Do you prefer using Cross Platform technologies or
developing the apps natively across each platform?
2. What are the desired compatible devices & OS versions? Please provide required platform and OS
versions. (Eg: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows) [It is recommended to develop apps in the latest
OS versions.]
3. Is the app expected to work in both Portrait and Landscape orientation?
4. What languages does the app need to support?
5. Would you like to have the app listed as free or paid?
6. Can the app be used oine (without internet connection)?
7. If the solution is expected to have a web based backend, should it be developed in HTML 5 / be
mobile responsive?
8. Would you need push notications for your application?
9. If you’re providing us with web services, please indicate the API format which it’ll be provided. An
API guide would be highly appreciated.
10. Would you like to integrate or use any third party API services for your application? ( For Eg:
Foursquare, Social network authentication such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
11. Would you give an (approximate) idea of how many users are expected to access the app, create
accounts, etc. (if applicable), especially concurrent users of internal enterprise app?
12. Would you give an (approximate) idea of the size of the les, number of les stored on the app at a
given point of time (if applicable, that is, if the app deals with document, image, video/audio les).

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Website development requirements (brief)

1. Company industry specifics. It will define the key elements to be included in your interface. For
example, when you imagine a traveling website, there will probably be pictures of places and
transport, as well as booking functionality.
2. Product purpose. You need to outline what you are going to achieve with your website: to spread
the word about yourself, to sell your product, to invite your visitors to an event, etc. If you ask for a
redesign, explain what you didn’t like in your previous website, for example, outdated styles or low
conversions.
3. Target audience. Draw a typical image of the people you expect to see as your website visitors:
define their age, gender, region, and other parameters. You probably came face-to-face with a
typical portrait of your customer while outlining your marketing strategy. However, in this case, it
determines not only content but also its form. 
4. Competitors. You must have analyzed your business rivals hundreds of times to discover why they
succeed or fail. One of the main factors is their online presence, namely their websites; review
them, watch their demos or get inspiration from platforms like Dribbble or Awwwards.
5. Content and navigation. Think through the content you would like to add or update. What’s the
best way to organize sections and lead your customers to the content they search for? How should
the elements be named and positioned? If you have any corporate images, videos, fonts, logos, or
other branded content, make sure you demonstrate them to your design team.
6. Layout. A web design brief doesn’t require you to define the margins of your site or what the
elements, parameters, or alignment. That’s where a design professional comes into play. However,
you can express your wishes about the header, footer, and sidebar positioning in the requirements-
gathering form.
7. Visual style. Let us know your preferences when it comes to styles and colors. Do you want it to be
informal, official, classic, modern, conservative, or luxurious? As for the colors, two or three are
enough for a start, and make sure they conform with your corporate styles and branding. If there
are any colors to avoid, please mention that as well. Points of focus. If you need to emphasize
something, indicate it exactly in a project brief. The focus can be achieved with color changes, size
changes, animation, etc.
8. Technical requirements. For example, if you create a website for online courses, you should bear in
mind content regulations. Analyze existing frameworks, web servers, databases. Estimate the
integrations that may be needed and the number of language versions your website should have.

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Mobile app development requirements (brief)

 Project purpose. An app project brief should explicitly state whether you are planning a new
product or are willing to update the existing one. Write down the business goals it will help you
achieve.
 Application type. Give an idea of the product you want to launch. It can be a corporate app, an
online store app (usually as a part of an advertising campaign), a content app, and an online service
(like hotel booking). You may even want a mixture of several types.
 Devices. Let us know the devices of users who interact with the app. Is it an app for smartphones,
tablets or other devices (for example, smartwatch or smart TV)?
 Platforms. The brief should make clear the platforms (iOS, Android, Cross-platform) that the app
will run. 
 Service and/or product description. It helps to develop a clear understanding of your business in
general, and business objectives. This information helps the design and development team to
deliver custom suggestions taking into consideration your business specifics.
 Mobile app structure. Here you describe the main sections your mobile app should have and give
its map. Mention your main top-level and secondary sections. Describe their purpose.
 Style. Your app project brief should also involve any UI requirements you have developed
beforehand. That means mobile app style (informal/ official/ classic/ conservative/luxurious, etc.)
and brand guidelines. Let us know if you have a brand book with color palettes, fonts, logo usage,
and images.
 Color scheme. This can involve a color scheme from your brand identity guidelines or one you
simply like and would like to see in your app (warm/ cold/ flat/ monochromatic, etc.) Let us know if
there are colors that should be avoided. 
 Examples. Give us examples of similar products (if they are any) and share what you like and dislike
about them: three to five examples each of the apps you like and don’t like.
 Technical specification. These are mostly non-functional requirements that will play a great role in
the final product: the number of language versions, the types of content you’d like to add to the
app (video/ animation/ RSS), third-party integrations, mobile devices, and OS versions the app
should be compatible with, whether you need a responsive design for tablets. 
 Required services. Using the brief, you can request other services that we provide: full-cycle mobile
development, logo design, unique content creation, website development, any additional services
(you can write them down).

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How Do Mendix Web Apps Work?

- The Mendix Client is responsible for rendering web apps, which are rich single-page applications
(SPA) based on JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3.

- Using the WYSIWYG page editor in Mendix Studio and Mendix Studio Pro, users can model
pages and interactions that can run locally or be deployed directly from Mendix Studio and
Mendix Studio Pro. When running locally, the changes are made visible directly. This is done
with our instant update feature that instantly reloads the UI while preserving the current state,
making testing and previewing apps a breeze.

- When an app is deployed to the cloud, the static resources (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) are deployed
on a front-facing server that caches and efficiently serves the resources. The main entry is
the index.html page, which loads the Mendix Client, renders the page, and starts handling
events. If authentication is needed, the end-user is redirected to either the login page or an
identity provider.

- Mendix makes sure that there are no caching issues when deploying new versions by applying a
cache-busting mechanism.

- The Mendix JavaScript Client renders the UI, handles actions in the browser, and communicates
through APIs via HTTPS with the Mendix Runtime.

- The rich client can perform many actions without the need to call the server, thus minimizing
the number of (costly) server round-trips. Combined with our client-side functionality and the
fact that Mendix apps support browsers’ back/forward functionality while complying with
accessibility guidelines, you can efficiently model web apps that have excellent performance.

Medix Tool for Web/Mobile application Development.

- Studio Pro 9

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Hybrid Mobile app flow in Mendix