Progressive App Development
Devices come in all shapes and sizes
One additional complexity app developers face today is the plethora of device form factors. From enormous kiosk-based screens, to hand-held tablets, to tiny wristwatches, applications often need to be built to target a variety of these displays. Besides the visual aspect, applications can be controlled in different ways on these device sizes as well–touch-based input targets must have different sizes on a small phone than a tablet, for example, and a stylus or mouse+keyboard could also potentially be used for input. In order to look (and function) effectively, a high degree of skill is required on the app developer’s part to keep these different device styles in mind, as well as recognize the opportunities future form factors could provide as a benefit to the application.
New applications should always be progressive
By targeting multiple screen sizes and input types from the very beginning of a project, the solution can be made more “future proof” and able to adapt to changes in the ecosystem. A public-facing application could be exposed to new devices immediately, while B2B or corporate intranet applications would see phased adoption according to company needs. By designing any web application to be viewed on multiple form factors from the very beginning, the end-user can be empowered to choose their device based on their own needs, and not be limited by the application’s viewport constraints.
Converting existing apps
If a legacy application has already been designed for one device size, and needs to be adapted for new ones, the approach must be balanced. A complete rewrite could introduce new issues along the way and could snowball into a bigger project than required, and big projects can fail if not properly managed. A more streamlined approach would be to evolve the existing application’s presentation layer to make it possible to be rendered and used on multiple device sizes. This is a common dilemma for legacy websites which were originally designed for desktop, but now need first-class mobile support. We have solved this problem numerous times with targeted approaches that keep in mind existing functionality, future device capabilities, high-quality design, and the performance users demand.