You already know that since more and more people of all demographic groups seek out and look at information about your company or organization via a handheld device, having just a simple website that you have been so proud of in the past doesn’t quite make the cut to success any longer.
While a mobile version of a website used to be the way to go, even that is now frowned upon by many a user, as the very question on the screen “Would you like to switch to the mobile version?” is an extra step in the process that wastes time and adds no value to the experience. Responsive web design, which ensures that the website looks the same on a computer, a tablet, a smartphone, even a simple cell phone, quickly became the approach of choice for many developers of web applications and their clients. At the same time, rapid growth in the number of smartphone users means rapid growth in the level of familiarity with mobile applications, apps that are made specifically for smartphone and tablet technology. Such a dedicated way to cater to one’s clients and followers is definitely appealing as well - so which one should you specifically choose, mobile app development or responsive web design?
Responsive web design features
Web applications built following responsive web design parameters are built once for all the devices. You are confident that the information would be presented in the same way across all platforms, which the responsive web design paradigm will determine and adjust to as needed. As the technology has been around for some time, such an approach is not as costly as apps, but it also does not make full use of the interactive features opened up by smartphone development, and requires a constant online connection in order to work.
Mobile app development features
Mobile applications are somewhat or a lot more expensive to produce, but they do take into account the opportunity to use various smartphone features such as the camera, GPS and so on and so forth from the get go. Your mobile app is something you have in addition to your website (which can be a responsive web design website), but it needs to be downloaded on the device, after which, notably, it may have a certain degree of functionality without any need for an Internet connection. This last point makes it faster and more interactive than any website could be.
How to make the choice
Above you will see both the positive and the negative features of both responsive web design and mobile applications. The choice is yours to make based on your budget, your needs, your idea for how to make your apps or websites more interactive etc.
We invite you to get in touch with a member of the Thoransoft team to discuss this choice in more detail - our experts look forward to helping you find the solution that works the best for you.