App Development Becomes More Accessible – What To, and Not to Do
In the world of app development, there are many tricks, shortcuts, pitfalls, and a whole lot of coding. If you’ve set out on a journey to build an app yourself, one of the first things you will have to do is choose the appropriate User Interface Framework. Trust us when we say that this is very important, as there are “tragic” cases, where developers have chosen the wrong framework, and have had to scrap a project they’ve worked a long time. If you will be working on a paid project, this is time you don’t want to waste.
The Type of Framework – Why Hybrid
Although Native-types of frameworks is used for the construction of the most sophisticated apps on the planet, they require intimate knowledge of the programming language they operate on, and a whole lot of working experience. Hybrid Frameworks are considered to be a lot more user-friendly and are the prime choice for projects that need to be completed relatively quickly, but that comes at a price.
When NOT to Choose Hybrid
Some of the popular myths online state that if you create an app with the help of a hybrid framework, it will be slow and less responsive. This isn’t necessarily true, but it does have some merit. If you expect your app to have a lot of background processing, you should avoid hybrid frameworks. The same applies if you’re looking for complex graphics processes and detailed animations. Basically, the rule of thumb states that the more complicated your project app is, the more it requires the use of a native framework.
Different UI Frameworks for Different Systems
After you’ve chosen the type of framework (native or hybrid) you will be looking at a brand of software which will help you build your app. While generally they are the same, you need to determine the software demographic for your potential application. Are you looking forward to releasing it on Android or iOS? Make sure that the brand of UI framework you’re researching is compatible with those systems.
While there are many pros and cons to different developing apps, they mostly revolve around compatibility in general. One feature might be available for app “A” but not be available on app “B” and vice versa. But it isn’t only about the software part as well. Some frameworks will have greater access to a devices hardware functions, while others will not – make sure you always check out the compatibility of a framework with different elements and processes!
Offline Versus Online
In some parts of the world, mobile Internet comes quite pricey, which brings us to our next point. When people download your app, they will want to be able to run it offline as well as online. When you’ve already decided which developing platform you would use, make sure that you’ve properly integrated both online and online functionality. Adding offline compatibility after your software has been completed can prove to be a very difficult endeavor.
Take Time to Do Some Research
If you aren’t contracted to do commercial work and wish to weigh different options at your own pace, try a few frameworks just to see how they would fit your style of work. TouchstoneJS, PhoneGap, Ionic and many others provide a wonderful library of features and elements, that will allow you to experience app building first hand. Creating software is definitely a labor-intensive task, so make sure you calculate your actions prior to implying them. Good luck!