Framework for Designing for Multiple Devices | UX Magazine

Weigh the pros and cons of both the mediums and decide what works best for you.

Mobile Webs

• Reach a larger audience
  The majority of users don’t own a smartphone and don’t access app stores. They are more likely to use a mobile browser and access the Internet from their mobile phones. The barriers to accessing a site via a browser are lower than those to downloading an app, even for Smartphone owners.
• Lower cost and time to market
  The biggest benefit mobile web offers is that you design once and it’ll run on all mobile platforms with minimal tweaking. The fragmented nature of the mobile industry means that porting apps to different platform environments costs money, especially when you include maintenance and marketing costs.
• Instant updates
  Whatever changes you make become available instantly to users.
• No censor
  Mobile web does not censor content and allows you to publish when you want and what you want.
• Low barrier to entry and no revenue share
  Mobile web has no entry costs, and you get to keep 100% of the revenue.

Native Apps

• Connectivity
  Productivity in a browser depends on constant connectivity, and in the real world data connections can be transient. Native apps can be built to interact with users even if offline.
• Device-based caching
  Native apps can cache data persistently, reducing data usage and providing faster access to the data.
• Richer experience
  Native apps can tap into the device’s functions and features, providing richer experience and seamless integration with native features such as camera, address book, etc. Users prefer an app that feels like it belongs on the phone rather than a Web app that seems shoehorned into the device.
• Immersive experiences
  Immersive apps like games need a lot more horsepower to deliver rich, polished experiences, which the native apps can achieve easily.
• Stronger engagement
  Native apps currently present better opportunities for stronger engagement, not only because they offer richer services and experiences, but also because they place the brand icon on the user’s home screen.
• Discoverability
  Native apps can be found easily in an app store. It is easier to build great marketing around apps than around mobile web links.