Introduction to App Design

What is an app?

App or Application is a software program that is designed to perform a specific function directly for the user or in some cases for another application program.

There are 3 types of apps:

Web App HTML 5, Hybrid, Native

Web app involves user interface or user experience, responsive web design that can be made to make a web application whether a conventional website or single-page application viewable on small screens or touch screens, stored on remote server delivered over Internet on a browser interface.

Hybrid is combined elements of both native and web applications, 

Native runs directly on a mobile device. Think IOS or android, it is a single platform only.

HTML5 vs Native

HTML is much cheaper and easier to use compared to native, so therefore HTML wins.

Web App HTML

It is important to have a well designed and functioning app because research takers state that more than 50 percent of the time-poor experience of an app would put them off using the companies service or product.

Mobile Website or Web App?

Pros and Cons

HTML5

Pros:

• A quick option for making existing content available via a mobile device
• Only needs to be built once and would be usable for every device

Cons:

• User experiences inferior
• Performance inferior
• We live in an app world

Hybrid:

Pros: A mobile app built with HTML5 gives you the “space” or phones that can be used to bridge some of the gaps between native apps and a mobile website.

Cons:

• Low/No bandwidth an issue
• No unique mobile functions

Native:

Pros: 

– UI and UX smooth and engaging

– Devices capabilities optimized

– Faster load times compared to web apps

– Robust performances in online or offline mode

– Better discoverability ad brand image

– Superior security compares to HTMLS5

Cons:

• Requires development for each mobile platform 
• Expensive

What types of apps are there?

Apps are sorted into categories, there are 20 app categories on the app store.

Games, business and education are the most popular categories.

More than a hundred billion apps were downloaded on the app store.

App categories can be reduced to six basic types, these include utilities, entertainment, games, news, productivity, and social networking.

The more people you can affect and improve their lives the more successful your app will be.

As designers, what do we need to know about app design, now that we have some web design experience?

1. users expect familiar user interface (UI) controls
2. Touch input – Gestures change everything 
3. High res is taking over
4. Time is short
5. The real estate is tiny
6. Context is everything
7. Wireframing is essential

What did I learn

I learned what types of apps there are and how they compare with each other. It is crucial to know these types of apps because it is basic knowledge and helpful to me as a designer if I choose a path that relates to a website or app design. I found the 7 points on app design very helpful as it shows me the importance and amount of work there needs to be delivered in app design.