As has been the case with the broader transformation in software development, so has come a revolution in enterprise needs and challenges. Client-enterprise interactions have shifted from desktop to mobile devices, undeniably leading to an increased need for suitable mobile apps for enterprises. But developing well-designed, successful enterprise mobile apps is no easy task. Here, we discuss enterprises’ changing and challenging needs and how app developers can better cater to them.
Challenge 1: Fragmentation of Devices and Operating Systems
There’s significant device and operating system fragmentation in the marketplace. So, as an enterprise mobile app developer, your first challenge is choosing between the three most common platforms (iOS, Android, and Windows) when making an app for your client who needs to reach their clients.
As a developer, you want to develop an app with configurations and capabilities compatible with relevant vendors. On the other hand, you have to keep your client’s needs in mind. Not only do they want to reach their customers with the app, but they also want to turn a profit in the process… Therefore, it’s not enough to merely consider the functional compatibility of the app; you also need to know the preferences of your enterprise’s targeted clients.
Challenge 2: Development Technology
Mobile app development is mainly classified into two types:
1) Native app development, and
Native apps are purposely built for a specific platform (like Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Windows’s Windows Phone, or Blackberry). Native apps are generally characterized by a better user experience and superior application performance, given they are designed, developed, and live within an operating system, as opposed to the web. What is the primary disadvantage of native apps? You have to build apps for each platform, which is time-consuming and not cost-effective.
Hybrid mobile apps are usually developed using HTML5 and can be installed on any mobile device, but they run via a web browser. As a result, hybrid mobile application developments reduce the time to build and market apps across multiple platforms. On the flip side, though, hybrid apps can lag in performance, and you might have to sacrifice some key features.
When choosing the right option, consider that the wrong choice may lead to poor app performance, user experience, and needless expenses. That’s why it’s essential to understand the client’s target audience and preferred mobile vendors (as well as any third-party vendors in the mix). By doing so, you’ll better understand which development technology to use.
Challenge 3: User interactivity and experience
For obvious reasons, UI/UE are major concerns for mobile app developers. Your first challenge is creating the best possible client experience. However, another concern is clients’ fickleness regarding mobile app functionalities and constantly changing aesthetic preferences. As an enterprise app developer, another challenge is the variability of the different platforms depending on screen sizes, resolutions, and technologies.
Failing to consider any of these may result in an unintuitive and cumbersome client experience, leading to low adoption in the market. To overcome this challenge, you’ll need to consider the different OS requirements, fix bugs frequently, and use icons and overriding hardware buttons (like “home” or “menu”) to make your app more intuitive. In addition, make your app usable across multiple platforms and bring in more interactive options such as shaking, tilting, and flipping.
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Challenge 4: Content management and security
The need for mobile app content is ever-growing and increasingly dynamic. In addition to text, there’s a demand for images, video, and animation within app content. The challenge is bundling all these into monolithic expansion files, which is necessary for some app stores. Several mobile content management solutions are out there, so experiment with a few. Besides content management, the other major concern for enterprise developers is the security of such content.
The ability to access app content usually brings immense opportunities for both enterprises and their clients. However, these opportunities also bring a fear of information misuse. This is why some enterprises lock their apps with mobile device management solutions, which, when wrongly used, lead to a poor client experience. On the other hand, employees dislike too much control over company networks and their own devices.
You can see the problem.
As an enterprise mobile app developer, your app should develop proper authentication plans, server-side validation, and encryption of essential data to overcome these security issues. Your security must be flexible and sufficiently different from one enterprise to another. For instance, the level of security and authentication you need for a banking app is completely different from that for an online display shop.
Challenge 5: Application performance vs. battery life
One challenge for enterprise mobile app developers is ensuring the app performs well. In addition to performance, the app should be bug-free and able to operate at minimum battery power. It’s also possible the app might work well on newer handsets but not so well when used with older versions. Usually, when good performance is not guaranteed with low battery consumption, clients will download the app but end up deleting it because they want their devices to keep enough charge to use for a full day without charging.
To overcome this, make sure the development team is part of the prototyping efforts. Set up a better version to test cases with test users to avoid any performance trouble in the final version. Do you want to create a strong mobile strategy for your organization? Partner with the leader in mobile application development. Contact us today to start the conversation.
