Are you looking for a mobile app for your Washington, DC business? Now is the time to consider LaunchDM’s mobile application development services, whether you want to transform how you win and retain customers or help your employees become more efficient.
To be effective, mobile apps need to be simple, fast and capable of delivering the information people need. They can be native apps, which are built for a specific platform (iOS or Android) like those you download from the App Store or Google Play, or they can be hybrid apps that are basically Web apps hidden behind a native app shell. They are optimized for cross-platform use, so you won’t have to develop two different versions for iOS and Android.
Regardless of the size of your business, LaunchDM can provide design, UI/UX, and development resources to build a beautiful mobile app to meet your needs. Our expert teams work hand-in-hand with clients to turn ideas into results.
The type of app you choose for your business will depend on how you plan to use it and on your future plans. Each type of application has its own advantages.
Native Apps
- Native applications don’t necessarily require Internet access. Hybrid apps, however, are usually accessed by entering a URL address into a browser, which is less convenient than just clicking on an icon.
- If you’re developing an app for consumers, new users will often discover your native app on their own in online app marketplaces and give it a try. You’ll probably have to do some extra advertising and marketing of a hybrid app so that customers who don’t currently do business with you can find it.
- Native apps feel natural for their users, and you’ll have total control over how the app looks and functions. Hybrid apps are often slower to load and less responsive.
- Native applications make better use of the device’s hardware capabilities (GPS, microphones, cameras, etc., while hybrid apps have only a limited access to them.
- Native apps generally offer security and privacy advantages that are hard to match with hybrid apps.
Hybrid Apps
- Hybrid apps generally don’t have to be downloaded and installed, and they take up very little (if any) disk space on your computer or device.
- Whether you use Windows, Linux or Mac OS you can run hybrid applications without any problem, however, their interfaces may be less sophisticated than those of native apps.
- With hybrid apps, most of the data and content is stored on a secure server somewhere and not on the device itself, so users can access it from any computer or mobile device as long as they have internet or intranet access.
- Hybrid applications are usually faster and less expensive to develop and maintain compared to native apps because they can be built in one source code.
If your company uses Salesforce and has sales people in the field, we developed a native iPad app for C.H. Briggs Company, one of the largest independently-owned distributors of specialty building materials on the east coast, that may interest you. It works as a sales aid, syncing with and pulling assets dynamically from their Salesforce.com Content library. It improves productivity and allows the sales team to deliver a consistent message in the field.
The primary factor to consider as you decide between types of mobile apps is user experience. Hybrid apps may be a good choice if you need a simple app and don’t plan to add complex functionality in the future. Opting for a hybrid app will ensure that your app is cross-platform ready quickly with a limited budget. Native apps, on the other hand, may help you provide a better overall user experience.
To transform your business processes and/or attract new customers, contact LaunchDM for mobile application development in Washington, DC. We’re ready to help you find the ideal mobile solution for your business!
