One of the key questions most web designers and web developers (including some Saudi Arabia website design and web application development companies) struggle to answer is explaining whether an app is superior to a website or vice-versa. The truth is, each medium conveys information and promote brands differently. However, one significant difference is that an app is typically accessed through a smartphone, but a website is usually accessed using a computer. In this article, you will discover five key differences between them:
Websites have a large screen size. While mobile apps are limited to pull-out menus, websites can support fixed navigation bars. Since users can find new sections, they didn't know about previously, the fixed navigation bars are quite useful for discoverability. For example, eBay's mobile app doesn't readily reveal that they sell car parts on their website.
Mobile apps have a small screen size. Since mobile apps have to conserve screen space, only the essential elements must be displayed.
Websites can use cursor-triggered animations, hover text or any other cursor interactivity. Thus, websites can fill an entire screen with pictures while the descriptive texts usually appear when the cursor floats on the image.
Instead of using cursors, mobile apps use gestures. Shaking and swiping are typical examples of gestures in mobile apps. Imagine the boredom you will experience on the Tinder app when you have to click.
Traditionally, desktop contents appear in a multi-column format as it appears in magazines and newspapers. Thus, it is flexible to position UI elements, images or texts and the design of the layouts.
Mobile apps usually use long scrolling once the content reaches a specific length. Since mobile users prefer continuous scrolling, gestures are used on mobile apps to conserve screen space and make the interaction more enjoyable. However, due to the popularity of this technique, it's now a trend that's now incorporated on websites.
Also, on mobile apps, you can switch from portrait to landscape view or turn from landscape view to portrait view at any time.
New evidence suggests that most users use websites for longer and more involved tasks because they have more unique features and more functions. Why? There are only a limited number of functions available at once on mobile screens. Hence, the reason why adobe created a hybrid of the Photoshop mix app rather than creating a complete Photoshop suite for mobile apps. However, for spurts and quick tasks, mobile apps work best. Examples of such tasks include proving your friend wrong about who plays Hound in GoT or performing price comparisons.
Mobile apps compensate for their lack of functionality with ingenuity. You can only implement some features on mobile apps. Such features include magnetic sensors, mobile contact lists, accelerometers and gyro sensors, multiple cameras, augmented reality and virtual reality. Also, new technology is usually tested on mobile before being applied to websites.
As a foremost Saudi Arabia website design and web application development company, we typically send geographically-targeted push notifications using our client's geographical location. Hence, most of our clients use this feature to promote their brands in specific regions. Some brands using this approach are the taxi-hailing apps and food ordering apps.
Since websites and mobile apps serve unique purposes, any brand that chooses one over the other might be losing potential clients unless they make amendments quickly. With more than 3.2 billion internet users, websites and apps will remain an essential part of our lives for the foreseeable future.
For the best Website Design and Web Application Development service in Saudi Arabia, visit: https://sa.go-gulf.com/