Today, there’s an app for just about anything; from shopping to news to games, learning and beyond! And there are different types of apps that you can create – native, hybrid, or web.
‘Which of these is the right app type for you?’
We believe the below mentioned factors can help you in selecting the right app type for your learning need. Do note that cost-wise native apps are typically the costliest to create & maintain while web apps are the cheapest.
1. Kind of Learning Material
If you wish to deliver heavy video files as part of your learning content it makes sense to package them into a preloaded app – native or hybrid. A web app may not be suitable for this. However, if it is more of a look-up tool which allows your staff to search for most up-to-date information, a hybrid or web app will suffice.
2. Offline Access
If you are delivering performance support via an app and expect users to access that content when offline, a native or hybrid app which either downloads the content initially by default or allows learner to download it over Wi-Fi for access later, will work best.
3. Leveraging Device Capabilities
If your app needs the inherent capabilities of the device, like the geolocation, camera, microphone, compass and other hardware, then Native app is your best choice.
4. User Experience
Again native apps (with preloaded content) provide the best user experience in terms of speed of functioning, smoothness of animations etc.
5. Target Devices Mix
Catering to devices with different OS makes it challenging. If your organisation provides employees with smartphones/tablets of a particular make, it just makes it easier to go for native apps (assuming it is needed based on other factors as mentioned above). However, in a BYOD environment, where the employees are free to use devices of their choice, Web apps or Hybrid apps are a better choice. If you do need to create native apps for different OS, be prepared for updating apps every time any one of the OS upgrades and if that interferes with the functionality of your app. This makes it costly to maintain native apps.
In conclusion, there is no one formula to choose the app-type; it is a combination of multiple factors as listed above. Hope these help.
Here is a quick look at the key differentiators between Native, Web and Hybrid apps:
