Lecture 1

App:

Application

Web App (html 5) – Responsive Web Design – small screens/touch

• Multi-Platform, Web UI/UX, Inferior Performance

Hybrid App – Elements of both native and web apps

• Multi-Platform, Hybrid UI/UX, Requires Coding

Native App – run directly on a mobile device (run in a mobile device) Eg. Photoshop

• Single Platform, Native, Rich UI/UX, Lengthy & Costly

Research shows mobile use is extremely important when dealing with brands/issues.

55% say a poor app experience will lead to a negative effect on the brand.

(Web App) HTML:

Pros:

• A quick option for making existing content available via a mobile device
• Only needs to be built once and would be usable for every device

Cons:

• User experience inferior
• Performance inferior
• It’s an app world

Hybrid:

Pros:

• A mobile app built with HTML5 gives you the ‘space’ on a user’s phone that can be used to bridge some of the gaps between native apps and a mobile website
• HTML5 or hybrid (wrapped) apps attractive for internal teams that have web skills

Cons:

• Low/no bandwidth an issue
• No unique mobile functions

Native:

Pros:

• UI and UX smooth and engaging
• Device capabilities optimised
• Faster load times compared to web apps
• Robust performance in online or offline mode
• Better discoverability and brand image
• Superior security compared to HTML5

Cons:

• Require development for each mobile platform
• Expensive!

6 Basic Apps:

1. Utilities
2. Entertainment
3. Games
4. News
5. Productivity
6. Social Networking

• 

Important elements in app design:

1. Users expect familiar user interface controls
2. Touch input and gesture controls
3. High resolution is key
4. mobiles are used in short bursts
5. The screen red estate is small
6. Context is everything
7. Wire framing is essential 

Summary/Key Notes: This week’s lecture focuses on the importance and the basics of application design. It was great to learn the pros and cons early on in this subject, so that I don’t face these problems later in the semester. Overall, this lecture was great as it refreshed my understanding of the different style of applications such as a web app (html 5), hybrid & native which I learnt last year, and the important elements every app should have.