Building new mobile applications can be a daunting endeavor given the variety of platforms, devices, and development languages. IT professionals face a number of mobile development challenges, including:
- Platform development complexity across different mobile operating systems
- Device fragmentation with hundreds of smart phones and tablets
- Security guarantees for all information handled on mobile devices
- Strategy and implementation of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies
- Cost and time of mobile development to support multiple platforms
- Lack of mobile development expertise and limited resources
Download the free whitepaperto learn how Appian's Mobile BPM can help you overcome these common mobile development challenges.
Mobile Development Options
The three common approaches are to create HTML5 web apps, hybrid HTML5 apps (wrapping a HTML5 web app in a native client), or pure native mobile apps designed for the specific mobile operating system. Compared to HTML5 or hybrid HTML5 apps, native mobile applications provide better quality user experience, more responsive performance, and superior security on mobile devices across platforms, but traditionally at a higher cost.
When starting a mobile development project, many companies would opt to go for the faster, more cost-effective approach of HTML5 or hybrid. However, as mobile adoption and frequency of use continue to climb, they realize that strategy does not provide the best mobile experience and performance. Facebook and LinkedIn are just two of the largest software companies that switched to native mobile applications.
Mobile Development in Appian
Instead of taking the inferior HTML5 or hybrid approach, compromising on usability and security, Appian provides pure native mobile applications for all major device platforms. Appian's mobile design approach provides the best of both worlds between HTML5 and native mobile application as part of the integrated Appian BPM Suite:
Appian makes mobile application design simple and powerful through a unique "write-once, deploy anywhere" architecture, powered by Appian SAIL (Self-Assembling Interface Layer). SAIL allows designers to quickly create a single user dynamic interface definition, then deploy to native mobile client applications on all major device platforms and across major web browsers.
Furthermore, application designers can simply drag-and-drop to design mobile process patterns in Appian's Process Modeler based on graphical Business Process Modeling (BPMN). Users can create processes, define and update rules, create forms, test, validate, and publish the new mobile application. Once published, the updated application will be immediately available on Apple iOS, BlackBerry, and Google Android devices with no need to compile code or publish to an app store.
So the answer to go HTML5, Hybrid, or Native Mobile Application Development? Go Appian!If you would liketo learn how Appian's Mobile BPM can help accelerate enterprise performance in your organization,download the free whitepapertoday.
Cindy Cheng
Director of Product Marketing
