Progressive Web Apps – The Future of Web Development?
At Yellow Cherry, we are always on the look out for upcoming technologies that we can use to provide not only more, but better services to our clients.
One such up and coming technology is “Progressive Web Apps” (PWA). Technically this has been around for years but there has been little interest due to the availability of mobile apps. However, there has been a slight, but noticeable, trend towards them in the past few months as it’s “(re)discovered”. It could become an Industry Standard within the next couple of years so read on and don’t miss out on what could be the next big trend!
So what is it?
A PWA is a web application built using the languages and techniques used in a website. However, the key difference is, you can install a PWA onto a Desktop or phone exactly like an app but there’s no complex or annoying installation. It is literally a single click to install. And it will work regardless of the type of device, since it is essentially just a website using the same languages and features as any other site.
The rule of thumb is: If you can browse the internet on it, then you can install and use a PWA.
What are the benefits?
Well, a properly coded PWA can be available offline by storing cached versions of data. Google Maps would be a great example of this. It would retain a snapshot of the map as it was the last time you had a connection and therefore always be accessible through the PWA until the phone regains connection.
A PWA is also able to use features of a phone much like a normal phone app, such as the camera, location and file storage which can greatly enhance some of a web app’s features. These features can also be leveraged to produce some amazing digital design pieces.
PWA’s are also indexable, which means that they can appear on search engine results. You can feed this into SEO to help boost your overall site by showing how you are embracing the latest web technologies.
PWA’s can also integrate with CMS like WordPress to transform an already existing site into an App.
Is it costly?
This might be the best part about PWAs. They use languages and techniques that most Website Developers and Website Designers are already familiar with. There is no extra language to learn about them so building and implementing them takes about as long as it takes to build a normal website. We could even build both alongside each other as they use the same base to work from.
Using the same base makes them much easier to maintain too. If the website receives an update, then that same change can be rolled out to the PWAs on devices to make sure they stay up to date too.
So you won’t have to spring for the cost of an expensive software developer when hiring a fantastic web designer from Yellow Cherry are perfectly equipped to do the job!
Sounds too good to be true, are there downsides?
Unfortunately, yes, there are a couple of problems with using PWAs at the moment. The biggest of them is that they aren’t yet fully supported on everything.
Apple in particular has a noticeable lack of support for them. Ironic, considering that Steve Jobs endorsed something similar to PWAs before they were developed way back in 2007. Given the massive and widespread adoption of them on other platforms, Apple have started implementing a basic level of support for them on their devices so you can at least use them on Apple devices.
Should I use them?
This depends on your target audience and what you want to achieve. Your entire site doesn’t need to be a web app either, you could just make a small part a PWA. A glass manufacturer. for example, could have a small PWA on their website for quoting prices for measurements of glass.
Another prime example of where this could be useful is in games. Imagine a small game that could be used to promote your business in a fun way. So, a charity promoting nature concerns could make a game for when out hiking around the highlands, such as “Spot that animal”. Great for keeping the young (at heart) entertained out with the confines of the internet connection!
Conclusion
In conclusion, here at Yellow Cherry, we are very excited about this technology and hope to share this excitement with clients to make some amazing web apps, boosting business above and beyond!
Get in touch now to start your adventure into the exciting world of PWA and be at the cutting edge of web technologies.