7 Common Misconceptions about Mobile Web Development

We live in times when most of web-active people are in possession of a smartphone which gives them the possibility to surf the net whenever they find a minute to spare to indulge in the online world. Mobile web development is a suitable solution that will enable website owners reach more and more users across the large spectrum of Internet-connected devices.

However, many of the website owners still don’t understand the importance of a mobile web presence for their business. Mobile websites are completely different now from what they used to be several years ago.

Nonetheless, there are still some common misconceptions related to field, that we will address here.

Mobile websites are expensive

This is probably the most common misconception that website owners have before deciding to board on the mobile user-friendly quest. This, however, doesn’t have to be this way. If the web page has a responsive design and has been optimized and customized from the start so that it can be easily accessed by mobile users, then the price is not a problem. The prices are higher when the developer has to design it from scratch.

Responsive or adaptive web platform for mobile shoppers?

When it comes to this topic, one will hear often the terms “responsive” and “adaptive”. It is assumed that responsive design is associated with mobile design and that an adaptive site cannot be responsive. From technical viewpoint, responsive is an approach in creating sites with optimal navigation and interaction experience, while adaptive is an approach that adapts to the detected device.

In order to avoid such confusion, the website owner should ask several questions related to the strategy and goal of developing a mobile friendly platform:

• What is the mobile site’s purpose?
• What experience do you want to convey to your users?
• How much control do you want to have over that experience?

Mobile friendliness of a website is not important

This is not the case. Surveys have identified that mobile users are taking control over traditional PC users. This is also due to the large range of mobile devices available on the market. Young people, devouring new technologies and tech trends are the main consumer segment of mobile browsing.



While this group of mobile users increases, it is pertinent to make their browsing experience intuitive and responsive. Plus, search engines are ranking mobile friendly websites higher in their search results. You should bear this in mind when considering your web development for mobile devices decision, as this may cost you customers and make you lose money.

Mobile web designing is a simple process

This is not quite true. When the web designer is challenged with the task of designing a mobile page for your website he has to ensure that the end user will enjoy the same interactive experience as the one present on the traditional online web page.

Features, content, layout and other mobile web development elements must be catered for the users’ needs and expectations and the business’s objectives. Conceptualization of a high-quality mobile website calls for time and expertise.

A small business does not need a mobile presence

This is another largely spread misconception. If your business is at its inception and you want to make yourself heard and seen by many potential customers, you should definitely consider expanding your online presence so that it can be accessed from as many devices as possible.

Too much white space on the screen

White space on a mobile friendly website is even better. It makes the content more readable and does not fatigue the user’s eyes with crowded text. Ensure that you include only the most relevant information that relates to your business’s goals and objectives.

Once the mobile website is developed, the game is over

As with all websites, it requires ongoing maintenance. Trends are changing and improving at the speed of light and your mobile website must keep the pace. Users are always attracted to modern features and functionality and to keep them engaged and coming back for more you should give them what they are looking for.

Conclusion

The era when mobile web development was one more option to be considered by website owners is gone. Now, businesses can make a bigger statement in the online realm if they put on the tray all that is attractive to people, who prefer the convenience of a mobile device. And if you disregard what your customers need, they will simply go somewhere else to find it.

What other mistakes regarding mobile development would you add to our list? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

HTML5 or Flash: which one is the best option for you site?

Currently, everyone is convinced that HTML5 surpasses Flash in many aspects and today we’re going to find out if there is any truth to this statement. Thus, we’ll establish what HTML5 and Flash are and then will move to discussing benefits of each, eventually coming to their comparison.

Both of them are useful and easy to work with technologies, which are used for online content creation and display advertising.

Naturally, HTML5 and  Flash are different and both have advantages and shortcomings that we’ll discuss further.

What is HTML5?

HTML5, which is also known as HyperText Markup Language is a language, used for creation of web content and website development with the help of code. It’s important to remember that HTML5 is not a program or tool, it’s a rather recent language that was finally approved only a year ago - on October 28th, 2015.
It’s value cannot be underestimated, as it has shown itself as a reliable and easy to use language in building online banners ads, embedding animations, videos and other multimedia files in text as well as providing possibilities for scriptable rendering of 2D shapes.

HTML5 allows the creation of striking and appealing websites with the minimum efforts, made by users.

What is the Adobe Flash?

Initially, Adobe Flash was «FutureSplash Animator» that came into being in 1996. Since then it underwent a multitude of updates and variations.

Now, Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform, RIA tool and software for creation of small games, animations, videos and graphics. It’s an ideal technology for video streaming of online content, such as advertisements and videos.

Adobe Flash doesn’t have Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) processing, which is why it works slower on Mac OS X and Linux. Apart from that it cannot work on iOS, which is why it’s not supported by any iOS device (such as iPad or iPhone).

However, it’s a software, used on the majority of desktops, which allows developers to enjoy the possibility to use microphone and webcam for creation of their multimedia files.

Key benefits of HTML5 vs Flash:

1. The first benefit that comes into one’s mind is that HTML5 is FREE. Granted, developers need to be fluent in HTML5 coding to be able to work with it, as well as fluent in javascript and CSS, but it allows creating engaging and interesting web content very easily and quickly.

2. Another benefit is the possibility to render content without installing applications, plugins and so on. Developers can finally forget bout the tiresome installations of players, necessary for smooth work of the majority of RIA.

3. HTML5 is universal and works perfectly on any device, be it desktop, tablet or mobile phone. Moreover, it adapted for any operational system, be it Android or Linux and Mac OS X. It actually works much faster than Adobe Flash, since it doesn’t rely on CPU for quick running and doesn’t overheat the devices it’s used on.

4. HTML5 has responsive design; meaning it’s adapted to the screen of any device it’s used on. It’s an amazing feature, especially seeing that marketologists can use this feature to show their advertisements in a appealing way.

5. Another benefit that is brilliant for marketing campaigns is SEO support, which HTML5 possesses. It provides an tool for getting higher positions in the search engines and correspondingly increasing the overall customers’ turnout and conversion rate.

6. Researches show that people are moving their online searches to mobile devices, which is why HTML5, which already is up-to-date with this trend, will soon become a must for those, who are not willing to be lagging behind.

Flash advantages:

1.First of all it’s worth to mention that Adobe Flash is a ready-to use solution. You need to simply download it and it’s ready for your work. You won’t need to study tutorials and search for solutions

in order to create code that is required for your task.

2. It’s supported by all web browsers for desktop PC. It’s very convenient, however you should keep in mind that it’s not supported by mobile devices, which is why none of the content will be displayed.

3. Flash provides possibilities for creating much more beautiful and qualitative graphics. It also offers built-in visual effects, which is why developers can freely create any animations and video files.

4. Flash has been around for a long time, which is why there are far more people, who are proficient in it, than in HTML. Considering how long it’s been since the first version of it – it’s not surprising that there are heaps of developers, who can easily advice you on creating multimedia content in Flash

5. With flash, designers are at liberty to use sub-pixel definitions for rendering smooth and beautiful scenes. They can also use audio recording and web cam. This is a huge advantage, since it provides multitude of exiting possibilities.

6. Flash is ideal for video streaming, especially live video. This feature remains highly valuable for developers as it opens a wide row of multimedia applications.

Comparison: HTML5 vs Flash

Since Flash appeared a long time ago, it has a well-established developers community, bigger number of available tutorials and people to generally discuss and exchange ideas about Flash with. However, HTML5, which appeared only a year ago is free of charge, which is great if you are fluent in its coding as well as in using javascript and CSS.

When it comes to choosing between HTML5 and Flash, for those people, who aren’t that tech-savvy, Flash will be a better choice.

HTML5 has responsive design, which is a huge plus over Flash, which is not supported on mobile devices at all. However, video streaming and live streaming runs much better on Flash.

But due to the fact that Flash relies heavily on CPU, it quickly overheats devices that its used on. HTML5 doesn’t have such a problem. Therefore, on this point the dilemma HTML5 or Flash has an obvious answer: HTML5.

Conclusion:

Although Flash has a wider reach, a bigger community and provides better possibilities for video rending and streaming, it is limited in many aspects: not supported on mobile devices or iOS and relies on CPU, which slows down its work by up to 40%.

Apart from that, devices it’s used on tend to overheat, which is not a good thing in the world of ever-changing technologies.

Although it won’t disappear as fast as many of us tend to believe, it really is on the decline.

HTML5, on the other hand, possesses all the up-to-date features, such as responsive design, which became a must in the world of modern design and SEO support – crucial for your website’s marketing campaigns.

Moreover, HTML5 is free and that’s a guaranteed ticket to success. So it’s fair to say that in the battle HTML5 vs Flash, the victory would most probably be held by HTML. What do you think on this? Will one of them get primacy or they will continue to be as popular as they are today?