As more and more enterprises move from desktops and laptops to mobile devices, there is an undeniable surge in the demand for mobile application development. Enterprise apps require a lot of planning as they need to be integrated with the existing systems and cater to the ‘anytime-anywhere’ access requirements of the users. Well, developing mobile apps for large enterprises is clearly quite a task.
There are a number of challenges that developers face – here are a few:
Fragmentation of devices and operating systems
The mobile market is highly volatile and there are a number of devices of various makes and models available. Every other day there are new devices introduced and the old ones get outdated in a flash. Well, it’s a real challenge to keep up with the number of devices in the market. The other challenge is that the Operating system on these devices is also not standard – meaning some devices work on Android while some others on Windows. Well, the Apple devices work only on iOS. So, creating an app that will support all these operating systems so that a larger customer base is covered is not easy. Creating apps that are compatible with all these devices is something that developers need to focus on. This not only includes the functional compatibility, but they also need to include the preferences of the clients.
Development technology
When it comes to mobile apps, you need to consider whether you need a native app, a web app or a hybrid app. Native apps are those that are built for a specific platform such as iOS, Android, Blackberry or Windows. They have a superior user experience and performance as they use the local resources of the mobile device and live within the operating system. Hybrid mobile apps are developed using HTML5 and can be installed and used on any mobile device without too many compatibility issues. On the flip side, hybrid apps may have some performance issues and may lack some features that use the core features of the mobile device such as camera or GPS.
User interaction and experience
The user experiences and interactions with your mobile app impact their impressions about your business. The very essence of a mobile app is to interact with potential clients or customers. With the varying screen sizes, resolutions and technologies, it is quite a challenge to provide exemplary user experiences across all devices of all form factors.
Content management
Mobile application content management has greater demand in today technology driven world. Mobile apps demand changes in images, videos, animation, texts and lots more. Along with the ability to easily manage and upload content, the other major concern is – security. These security configurations are significantly different from one enterprise to another as each organization has its own set norms and guidelines for security.
Application performance is one of the other areas of concern. Each mobile device has its limitations when it comes to physical resources available for the app to utilize. The performance of web apps also depends upon the strength of the carrier networks and internet speeds.
Well, enterprise application development surely requires quite some planning!
