It was the summer of 2008 when the 500-applications Apple App Store debuted.
The App Store has seen more than 10 million downloads of apps in just a week. The tech slang ‘ App ‘ got so popular that it was voted by the American Dialect Society as the ‘ Word of the Year ‘ in 2010.
It illustrates the user’s concern regarding apps after they joined the digital world.
Today, mobile technology developments and the prevalence of high-speed mobile internet have fuelled a whole new level of innovation in the app.
Another such breakthrough is the introduction of a new approach for creating web apps called Progressive Mobile App or PWA in the near future.
Progressive Web Apps introduction –
Who doesn’t like the home screen by clicking on a button to add a website? And even you don’t have internet, search its content?
All this is possible with a radical web app. This lets you install a mobile app without visiting the app store from the browser window. You can now use the app online and offline, as an automated download on your mobile.
Only recently the creation of the web app became the focus of attention, it was soon a common strategy.
PWAs combine the characteristics of mobile and normal web pages and produce mobile-like web apps.
This offers a smooth and mobile app-like experience with features such as background synchronization or pushes notifications.
In order for an application to be a PWA, Google must comply with certain requirements and guidelines.
⦁ Engaging: A PWA offers an enchanting user experience. This uses push notifications to get users interested and keep them informed.
⦁ Reliable: The web app must be secure and available even when the computer has no network connection. To ensure offline access, PWAs use the service workers.
⦁ Integrated: PWA is integrated with the computer of the users and makes use of all its capabilities to render an improved experience.
⦁ Fast: A PWA benefits from fast page loading times, which easily responds to user input.
⦁ Installable: Even without visiting the app store, a radical Web app should be installed. Normally, PWAs are added to the home screen of the users by clicking the ‘ Attach to Home Screen ‘ banner that appears on the windows of the browser.
How to use React Native to create a Progressive Web App?
PWAs have gained rapid popularity because of the advantages they bring to the table. There’s no need to rewrite the entire application to make an app progressive though.
Here we’ll explain the method and minimum requirements of using React Native to develop a progressive web app.
⦁ Stay connected to your network –
HTTPS adoption went from 45% to over 90% when Google started labeling the regular HTTP web pages as insecure. For a PWA it’s an important checklist because it adds protection to your app and builds confidence in your users.
HTTPS comes in handy when using service workers in PWAs and allows home screen updates to be made available.
⦁ Implement the feeling of ‘ Adding to home screen –
You should make sure that the users have an’ Add to Home Screen ‘ option after serving the web app on HTTPS. This increases both the user experience and the conversion rates for products.
You may access this alternative by applying a Web App Manifest or manifest.json file to your radical web application.
⦁ Manifest web app –
Including the manifest.json file in the root directory of the app allows the deployment of your program on mobile devices. It features an app name, description, icons, and a splash screen.
Manifest.json contains the metadata in a public folder and controls your app’s appearance, and how it looks on the home screen of the user. You can either write yourself the manifest file or use a tool to do it for you. Here’s a technology sample.
Below is a short Software analysis:
⦁ Short_name: It is the name of your app when it is added to the user’s home screen (‘ Visor ‘ in this case).
⦁ Icons: It is the app icon displayed on a home screen of a user
⦁ Start_url: It determines the URL the PWA begins from
⦁ Theme_color: It influences the browser’s Toolbar color
⦁ Background_color: Here you can adjust the background color of your splash screen when the program is starting
⦁ Display: This allows you to customize your user experience. You can get the program running on a full screen or a single browser.
Implement a custom splash screen –
The Android shows a white screen when a user opens a PWA until the device is activated. Unless you have a custom splash screen installed, a user can display a static, white screen for longer than necessary.
A custom splash screen allows you to use the PWA with a custom backdrop and symbol, which gives it a native app-like look.
Service Worker –
A service worker is a script that operates in the background and does not interfere with the actual application. This intercepts messages from remote networks and details from the database for offline use. This monitors events such as push notifications, updates, filtering, etc.
Audit the Code with Lighthouse
Lighthouse is Google’s open-source, automatic platform that lets you control your web app’s output.
Lighthouse carries out a series of tests against a web page and generates a report on how well it was carried out. The report created looks like this.
The findings help developers boost their radical Web apps ‘ weak areas. It provides insights into four key areas of the Web application. They are as follows:
⦁ Progressive Web App
⦁ Performance
⦁ Accessibility
⦁ Best Practices
Each section expands into sub-sections, and each sub-section breaks out technologies that can be modified to improve your app’s performance.
In addition to testing your app, Lighthouse also gives you directions on how to fix the problems. Here you can find the Lighthouse plugin and a quick-start guide to using the App monitoring tool.
Are the time and effort worth PWA? –
The new in the United States Mobile App Survey also reported that over half U.S. smartphone users access zero applications a month. This may raise some eyebrows because applications account for 57 percent of the time users spend on digital media.
This could also mean that most people just stick to a handful of applications and delete the ones they don’t need.
Another explanation of why these shocking numbers can be clarified is the repetitive process that requires people to visit the app store or play store so they can access a native device.
Progressive web applications solve this problem by encouraging users to install a device by simply clicking on a button.
In addition to better discoverability and easier installation, PWAs offer numerous other benefits that attract users and businesses. Here is a shortlist of the benefits they offer:
⦁ PWAs are smaller than their native counterparts because they take advantage of web browser capabilities
⦁ These are cross-platform, which cost less than native mobile applications
⦁ They are efficient and dependable irrespective of network quality
⦁ There are no irritating reminders and notifications to enable
⦁ We are accessible online and offline
⦁ The icon in the home screen allows instant access
⦁ Apps such as push notifications guarantee a full user engagement
⦁ We are secure and give a standard user experience
These and many other advantages render PWAs perfect for low-budget companies but want to give their customers an interactive and stimulating experience.
Bottom Line-
If you want to keep pace with the technologies, it’s time you’re considering investing in innovative mobile apps. These are easily discoverable and are less expensive to develop and manage.
Internet giants such as AliExpress and Flipkart used this approach to improve interaction levels and conversion rates. You too can do it with proper research and a successful approach!
Thank you so much for reading!
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