The Benefits And Challenges Of Multiplatform App Designing

By Author: Yancy Marry
Total Articles: 184
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The utility of a mobile device cannot be recognized if mobile applications are not installed in it. Irrespective of the operating system running in the device, mobile apps are required for fulfilling the software needs and expectations of users. Mobile app development is a fast evolving industry where changes take place almost everyday. The latest trend in this industry is multiplatform application designing, or developing apps for multiple OS platforms. Under this concept, the same mobile app should be able to function successfully whether installed in an Android, an iOS, or a BlackBerry device. While this is one of the most time and cost effective inventions in the world of mobile app development, cross platform development also has its own set of disadvantages. For instance, it is very difficult for a software designer to write an apt app code for multiplatform applications. Explained below are some of the chief benefits and challenges of multiplatform app designing:

Benefits:

1. Enhanced deployment speed – Research has shown that designing mobile apps using cross platform tools is a faster process as opposed ...
... to creating an app to run on a single operating system. This is because of the fact that the code written for one platform can be reused while designing software for a different platform. Therefore, time is not spent writing multiple codes and the resultant apps are also launched in market quicker. This in turn means that they can be deployed in the users’ mobile devices at a faster rate.

2. Reduction of total development cost – In an inverse proportion, the less time a developer takes to build an app, the less will the development procedure cost him/her. As discussed above, multiplatform app designing is a quicker process, thereby resulting in reducing the total cost of app designing for a software development company. Moreover, separate teams of developers do not have to be appointed for every operating system, further reducing app building costs.

3. Ease of use for web developers – The reason why web developers can easily adapt to cross platform app designing is because scripting languages like CSS, HTML, and JavaScript are used for development of both native and web apps.

4. Supports extensive enterprise and cloud services – Integration with cloud services is an important aspect of modern enterprise mobile apps. Multiplatform designing offers easy and quick integration with these services, so that the apps work on various operating systems without the need for special security methods.

Challenges:

1. Restricted set of tools – Under multiplatform app designing, developers can use only prescribed tools. This means that the software designer has to ignore his/her choice of development tool and also learn the techniques of how to use a new tool, if the situation so demands.

2. The code runs slowly – Though developers have to write a single code for apps running on different platforms, this process gets slower because the render time of codes is long; codes have to be run each time the app is installed in a different operating system.

3. Low support of 3D and graphics – Though gaming apps are the most popular type of mobile applications today, they cannot be built using multiplatform technology. Cross platform designing does not support high resolution graphics and 3D images.

The above are some advantages and limitations of multiplatform designing that app developers should consider while creating cross platform apps.

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