Mobile Web Development Goes Beyond HTML, CSS and JS

When it comes to developing apps for Smartphones, we begin considering the different app development options such as web, native and hybrid. Web apps are created and then deployed to a server, and can be viewed via any device browser. On the other hand, native apps are developed for specific device platforms and can be downloaded via an app store. Lastly, hybrid apps embed web apps inside a native wrapper, and thus combines the best elements of both web apps and native apps. Hybrid apps are also distributed via app stores.

The problem is that while developing mobile apps, we pay attention to the technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript but overlook meeting several other app development goals. In this guest post, you’ll learn about several other key aspects of mobile web development that are essential for building a successful app.

Using a Single Code Base For Apps and Crowd-Sourcing

When it comes to website or web app development for multiple platforms, you’ll probably have to invest a chunk of money. In fact, the app development cost will multiply depending on the enhancements you’ll have to make to the app across various platforms. Fortunately, there are tools like PhoneGap, Appcelerator Titanium SDK etc. that enables you to deliver your app to multiple platforms from a single code base.

Another challenge that you might have to face when developing an app is testing it on multiple devices to resolve errors. This again will require spending truckloads of money into purchasing multiple devices. A better alternative to this problem is crowd-sourcing. According to this concept, developers don’t need to use all the devices at the same time, and rather than purchasing the devices can share them for testing the apps.

There are places where you can go and test your apps on different mobile devices, such as Open Device Labs. Currently, there are 133 Open Device Labs across 31 countries where developers can go and test their apps on multiple devices.

Altering Skill-Set of Traditional Web Designers and Developers

Responsive web design (RWD) has become the de facto standard for creating websites today. And thus, web designers and developers require to perform web development according to the new responsive web design discipline. The purpose behind this discipline is to design sites in a manner that they adjust themselves according to the mobile device screen they’re being viewed on. However, to implement this theory traditional web designers and developers will need to alter their skill-set and learn the basics of designing websites for mobile devices apart from building sites for desktop systems.

While creating responsive designs, web developers will still need to use some standard core technologies like JavaScript, HTML and CSS. However, those technologies feature new libraries and techniques that enable developers to make their web design touch-friendly. For example, developers will have to switch from using primitive JavaScript development discipline to an AngularJS based JS framework.

Moreover, the traditional desktop web developer in their quest to become mobile developers will have to equip themselves with Xcode, Android Studio, latest emulators etc. to develop web-enabled and hybrid web applications. No doubt, learning the right skills to create a positive mobile experience will definitely enable developers to hike their development fees, but for a veteran developer having years of experience as traditional desktop developer, becoming a mobile developer will take time.

Revealing Enterprise’s Infrastructure to User’s Device

As we know, enterprise architectures are usually distributed across different tiers, and each tier is located at a different network. All the tiers have controlled access so that they can be protected and kept secured. For instance, an enterprise may have a separate data tier, services tier and so on. However, since the demand for mobile web development is on a rise, the tiers developed for desktops will now have to accommodate according to the current mobile web development trend.

Let’s Wrap Up!

Have you been involved in mobile web development? Well, then chances are that you would most likely have started using technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript for developing your app. However, mobile web development requires more than just using those technologies. Hopefully, reading this post will help you gain insight on other crucial aspects of mobile web development that you might not be aware of or would have neglected.