Mobile websites and apps can look very similar at first-glance. Determining which route to take is not always easy. To help guide your organization in the right direction, you must take a look at a number of factors including target audience, budget, intended purpose, features, who will build it, and more. This deck discusses the difference between the two options where you can then establish whether an app or a mobile website might be the right fit for your organization's needs.
4. Mobile – We’ve Come A Long Way
• 4 billion people with mobile devices today
– 1.08BN are Smartphones
– 490M units in 4Q 2011 alone (IDC, Jan 2011)
• 46% of North American population has
Smartphone as of 4Q 2011 (Nielsen, 4Q 2011)
– 21% have iPhone (19M)
• Average website is accessed by up to 1,000
different devices (CMSWire, Feb 2011)
• Sales of Smartphones will exceed those of
PCs in 2012 (Morgan Stanley)
• Mobile use will eclipse desktop by 2014
5. All Types, Shapes and Sizes
• Hardware
– Smartphone vs. “dumbphone”
– Don’t forget tablets
– Screen sizes & resolutions are all over the
place
• Operating Systems du jour
– iOS (Apple)
– Windows Mobile (Microsoft)
– Android (Google)
– Blackberry (RIM)
– Palm – remember them?
9. Smartphone Users
• 89% use Smartphone throughout
the day
• Average user has 65 apps on their
phone (Flurry)
• One in four smartphone apps
downloaded are never used again
(Localytics, 2011)
• 85% of mobile usage is in the home
• One half of all local searches are
done on mobile devices
• 47%-53% Female to Male skew
Source: Nate Steiner
14. What Are Your Options?
• Apps used by 50.2% of US mobile
subscribers vs. 49% for browsers (ComScore, Apr
2012)
– Facebook is major contributor to this (Flurry,
2011)
• Four Major Options
– “Native” Web Apps
• iOS, Android, etc.
– Mobile Browser -Based Sites
• HTML 5, CCS & JavaScript
– Hybrid Approach
– Mobile Middleware
Source: Wireless Week
15. Mobile (“Native”) Apps
• Purpose driven drivers
• Better User Experiences (UX) generally
• Better performance than HTML/JavaScript
• Apps tend to operate better when off-line
• Harness unique capabilities of a device’s
hardware
• App store dependent
– Can be a good thing (e.g. payment is usually
easier, ad serving as part of monetization
strategy)
– Marketing & Awareness
• Greater costs – maintenance, development
and distribution
– “Expect 150% - 210% higher than reasonably
expected” (Forrester Research, 2011)
– Continual install and update cycles Source: GameFAQs.com
16. App Stores Overview
• Apple – App store
– 585,000 apps (Wikipedia, Mar 2012)
– 378M iPhone downloads in April 2012 (USA)
• 79M iPad downloads in April 2012 (USA)
– Higher rejection rate
• Google – Google Play
– 450,00 apps (AppBrain, Jun 2012)
– 674M downloads in April 2012 (USA)
– Lower rejection rate
• Microsoft – Windows Phone Marketplace
– 100,000 apps (AllAbout WindowsPhone, Jun 2012)
– 12M downloads in April 2012 (USA)
– In the middle rejection rate
17. Mobile Web site via Browser
• Content delivered via existing sources and/
or refitted
• HTML 5, CSS & JavaScript
• No downloads or updates required
– Build once, support all platforms
– Be wary; there are still costs to support
multiple platforms - 20-25% (Forrester)
• Ability to replicate many app-like features
– Icon on the desktop, Auto-scroll, etc.
• Detect & optimize content by device
• More nimble to make changes
• You control your content (i.e., monetization
strategy)
• Easier to find people/agency with the right
experience/skills
18. A Note About Responsive Design
• Optimal User Experience regardless
of device
• Next evolution of design, but not
quite there yet
• Requires simplified design efforts
– Establish breakpoints
Source: Adobe
19. Hybrid, Anyone?
• Best of Both Worlds?
– Code with HTML 5, CSS & JavaScript
– Wrap it in native code
• Tools like Titanium & PhoneGap
(Adobe) enable deployment across
many platforms
• Ability to access on-device resources,
tools and programs (e.g. camera,
compass, etc.)
• Still need to submit to the respective
Store processes
Source: PhoneGap
20. Mobile Middleware
• A 4th and final solution, even
– Mostly mid to enterprise class solution
– Enables more efficient delivery to multiple
devices and operating systems
• Write once, deploy everywhere
• Greater coverage of device types
• Trading labor costs for capital costs
Source: Red Hat Magazine
22. Do Your Homework
• Get Some Background Data
– Start with your Analytics, surveys, etc.
• People
– Who will be using the app/site? Basic audience
profiles/personas
– Demographic data (e.g. what type of equipment will they
likely be using)
– Likely user stories
• Objectives
– What are your goals?
– What does the consumer want to accomplish? When,
where, how, etc.
• Strategy
– What platforms - App, Browser, Hybrid
– What devices to support?
– What tactics will promote it
• Technology
– What Technology do you have in place already?
– With these in place – THEN choose the technology
– And who will build it Source: Forrester Research
23. Process, Timeline & Costs
• Typical Build & Timeline for Moderately
Complex App/Site
– Architecture & Planning: 2-3 weeks
– Visual Design: 3 weeks
– Development: 4-8 weeks
– QA/UAT: 1-3 weeks
– Launch
• Mobile Browser : immediate
• App Stores: 1-2+ weeks
• Cost
– One Milllllllion Dolllllllars (not really)
– Sorry to cop-out, but it depends
Source: Dr. Evil
24. Some Parting Tips
• For most, starting with Browser based solution
makes the most sense
• If you go app, think what purpose it serves that
makes it different from your website
– Including monetization strategy
• Start small and iterate
• Have a plan to promote it
– If you build it, they may not come without one
• Plan for extensive testing (and likely a few
obscure complaints)
– And no, you don’t have to buy 6,00 smartphones
to do it
• Set up tracking to assess how people are really
using it
• If you don’t have skills in-house, find a qualified
partner
Source: Garymarsh
26. About Delphic Sage
• Full Service Digital Agency
– Focused solely on Interactive
– Creative, aggressive, vendor agnostic
approach to technology
– Data-centric decision making
• Middle Market to Enterprise Clients
– Industry vertical focus
– Online ecosystems are critical
• Strong Track Record
– Founded in 1995
– 4.25 customer satisfaction
– Award-winning
• Contact Info
– Mark Patten, Principal
– mpatten@delphicsage.com
215-508-1800, x105
– www.delphicsage.com
