feature _________________________________________________ 85s thewaitfora solutionthat
combinesthediscoverabilityand
frictionless entry of the web with app-like
performance and user engagement finally over? For many
years, native apps have had the edge when it comes to
delivering well-performing, engaging user experiences.
Yet app stores present a barrier to entry that fails to match
the much broader reach of a search-driven mobile web.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and Single Page Apps (SPAs) give
developers the technical capability to elevate web performance,
while Performant Design principles give designers the tools to craft
engaging app-like user experiences that exceed all expectations of
what’s possible on today’s web.
The web has a number of key advantages that line up with the
shortfalls of native apps, one being the capability of search engines
to search content rather than simply the name of the brand as in
the App Stores. But even with its frictionless barrier to entry, the
web has traditionally found it difficult to rival native apps in terms
of where users like to spend their time.
Evidenceofa swingawayfromnative
towardsthewebis poppingupalloverthe digital
landscape (pwastats.com). Major brands are recognising a
need to improve their mobile offering and face a decision on
whether to invest more in their native app or to concentrate their
efforts on either improving their responsive site or opting for a
hybrid web app solution like PWAs. Flipkart (.flipkart.com) saw a
need to reach potential customers in cities where less phone storage
is not unusual. In removing the requirement to download an app, 60
per cent of customers who had previously uninstalled the app
returned to use the Flipkart PWA (bit.ly/2vOsG53).
Brands choosing to invest in the mobile web are also seeing a
positive increase in metrics of user interaction and engagement.
Tinder’s PWA saw load times cut in half (bit.ly/2pTSw7R)
compared to its native app, resulting in longer session times, more
messages and more swiping.
So what is it about PWA and Single Page Apps that has seen them
enjoy such gains in the realm of performance and user engagement,
compared to native apps and responsive web design?