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The Growing Popularity of Low-Code Application Development

Before delving into the Canvas vs. Model-Driven Apps debate, it’s crucial to acknowledge the growing popularity of low-code application development. In an era where speed and agility are paramount, low-code platforms have emerged as business game-changers. These platforms empower organizations to develop applications rapidly with minimal hand-coding, significantly reducing development time and costs.

Low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Platform have gained immense traction because they bridge the gap between IT departments and business units. They enable business professionals with little to no coding experience to actively participate in application development, democratizing the creation of digital solutions.

Choosing the Best Fit: A Comprehensive Comparison

When it comes to Power Apps, the choice between Canvas and Model-Driven Apps isn’t one-size-fits-all. It requires carefully evaluating various factors, each crucial in determining the best fit for your organization’s requirements. Here’s a comprehensive comparison, including a table, to help you make an informed decision:

Additional Considerations:

Data Complexity: Model-Driven Apps provide a more structured and organized approach when dealing with complex data relationships and intricate data modeling. However, if your project involves data from multiple sources, Canvas Apps’ flexibility can be advantageous.

User Training: Consider your users’ familiarity with Microsoft apps. If your team is already accustomed to the look and feel of Microsoft tools, Model-Driven Apps may offer a smoother transition.

Customization vs. Standardization: Assess how much customization your project requires. Canvas Apps offer a high degree of customization, allowing you to create a unique user experience. While less customizable, model-driven apps provide a standardized interface consistent with other Microsoft apps.

Mobile Accessibility: If your project requires a mobile application, both Canvas and Model-Driven Apps can be optimized for mobile use. Consider your specific mobile requirements to determine the best approach.

Conclusion: Making the Right Choice for Your Business

Selecting the right Power App for your business is a pivotal decision that can significantly impact your organization’s efficiency, productivity, and overall success. Whether you choose Canvas Apps or Model-Driven Apps, the key is aligning your choice with your unique business vision and objectives.

At Konverge, we understand the importance of making informed decisions in the realm of app development. Our team of experts can guide you through the process, ensuring that your choice resonates with your specific needs. We offer a customer-centric approach, a rigorous quality assurance process, and a commitment to delivering mobile apps that help fulfill your business goals.

Your journey towards more efficient, productive, and digitally empowered operations begins with choosing the right Power App. Let us be your trusted partner in this journey. Contact Konverge today, and let’s explore the possibilities together. 

The post Making the Right Choice: Canvas or Model-Driven Apps? appeared first on Konverge Digital Solutions.

Every software product owner/applications developer wants to create and launch a mobile app that will be successful. If that is the case, here are some of the must have features and characteristics of a successful mobile app.

Simplicity for the User

Have a convenient user interface and simple navigation. This is the main quality of any high ranking mobile application. If your app is a simple one, users will have no reason to look for another similar app. The simpler the functionality that is delivered, the better your app is. This will help your app get a loyal following. Thus, make sure that you pick a team that knows how to design an app well.

Developed for both iOS and Android

This is kind of not a secret, but just in case, we’re adding it here. No good app is designed for just one platform. You want to make sure that your app is developed for cross-platform usability. This will save startup budgets, allow early market entry, successful testing, and will effectively achieve high performance.

High Performance

From the very beginning of the launch, your mobile application should not keep users waiting. The average wait time of a user is three seconds before he or she moves on. The app must be continuously optimized and the high performance should be constantly verified by quality assurance.

Security

This is vital in app development, especially in industries such as healthcare and mobile device management where data confidentiality is imperative. This should be one of the primary requirements discussed with your team of developers and ties in with AI.

Chatbots

If you can get your app to be able to talk to your customer, do it! Chatbots have really been skyrocketing in publicity and good client management and offline interaction are key. That said, better no chatbot than a badly created one.

Integrated Machine Learning

If you want your app to work for you, a well-integrated learning system will learn, predict and help your clients, making their lives easier and faster, and depending on what your app does, a lot more fun.

Offline Work

A lot of apps rely on the availability of an Internet connection, so to gain an advantage over the competition, provide access to features and content when a client is offline. This is especially useful for complex corporate systems.

Routine Updates

For your app to stay consistently popular, you must do an ongoing software product development cycle consisting of regular updates and evolution.

Have a team ready to regularly maintain the server and ensure that your content is up-to-date and relevant to its users. Make sure the app is constantly being fixed, tested, and includes some new useful features every once in a while to hold the interest of your users.

Add a Feedback and a Contact Us Section

You want to be open and available to every user, and what better way to do that than to add a feedback and ‘contact us’ section? Creating a means of mutual communication and direct contact for suggestions, ratings, and reviews builds trust and brand stickiness.

Make it all as quick and simple as possible in the fewest amount of taps on the screen and a minimum text input (i.e. limit with characters).

Search

Have a search system with specific filters. This is essential, especially with apps that deliver complex content. Ensure that every page and every service is easily accessible to the user.

Analytics

This feature is for you. It allows you to track users and get in-depth information on their behavior. This is how your app’s success is measured and how you can make it better for future development purposes. Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) and Application Performance Management (APM) are your best tools.

Conclusion

There is no right or wrong way to build an app, they vary in needs, reasons, and what their everyday tasks are. If you’re a bit overwhelmed, it’s always best to talk to and work with a team of professionals. Konverge is your team of dedicated developers. In touch with your every need and any mobile app developing necessity, we’re more than just a custom software developer.

People first. Tech second.

Request a consultation with us today.

The post Must-Have Features: Essential Elements for Every App appeared first on Konverge Digital Solutions.

What is the number one challenge businesses face today? The answer: keeping up with the increasing speed of change in the way business is done. Businesses rely on available technologies to give them a competitive edge. Custom mobile applications enable businesses to connect with their market and generate revenue. If you’re planning a custom mobile application for your business, it can be a challenge to decide which platform of the big three: Android, iOS or Windows, is the right one for your unique needs.

Below are some of the determining factors when deciding which mobile application platform is better for your business: Android, iOS or Windows.

Market Share

Source Global mobile OS market share in sales to end users from 1st quarter 2009 to 1st quarter 2018

Currently, Android applications own the largest share of the market. Statistics suggest that Android has nearly a global reach of 82.8%. Following Android, iOS shares the second largest share in the market while Windows places third. However, don’t be too quick to discount Windows as irrelevant as it is a growing market. If your target customers are Windows users, it can be a great opportunity to explore and master your app on this OS.

A bigger audience can mean a lot to your business. It invites more potential customers, more traffic and thus a room for more potential conversions. If your target customers involve wider demographics, Android applications can help you reach your niches effectively.

Usability

Simplicity is a key feature of the iOS user experience. Most iOS users maintain loyal to the company because of their easy-to-use design approach and reliable devices. iOS user experiences are uniform for all of their devices whereas Android user experiences vary between devices. Similar to iOS, Windows prioritizes the uniformity of user experiences across all of its devices. While Windows may have a relatively smaller market share, the company strongly believes in mobility experience. This can be a great decisive factor for your business application.

Device Availability

Market research is one of the primary elements of focus when launching any product. The range of devices that your potential customers possess is a key factor in deciding whether Android, iOS or Windows is better for your business. Because Android runs on a varied amount of devices with different settings, screen sizes, and features, it makes it difficult to design an application that serves all Android users at a single time. On the other hand, if your target users are using iOS or Windows, it is easier to create an application to suit all users. iOS applications have one of the most stable and loyal user bases as they stick to products that suit their users’ needs.

Reliability

Customers give priority to reliable solutions over anything else. When you create an application for your business, understand that it will be susceptible to security issues and this will be entirely platform specific. With a large outreach among many devices, Android has been more susceptible to security issues with their apps. Google Play has taken steps to improve the security of their apps, however iOS remains the golden standard. iOS has a limited range of devices and has a firm set of guidelines that restrict bugs or any crawlers in an application. In fact, one of the biggest marketing strategies of iOS lies in the security and reliability of its operating system. The Windows Store’s terms and conditions are quite robust. Windows Store makes use of Digital Signatures. If an application’s code is attacked by malware, the signature of that app will be changed. This alerts Windows and the operating system will block the app from running. It’ll even download a new, clean version from the App Store.

Beta Testing and Publishing

Beta testers are people who review applications before they are released to all users. For application developers, beta testing helps them know about real-time usage bugs and issues with their applications. Android applications are well tested by beta users because they have the widest user base.

Publishing an app in the Google Play store, where Androids are exclusively available, is very easy. You can hit the publish button on Android and pay as less as $25 per year. The Apple store requires more money to list your app and incorporates a lengthier process than Android. Windows lies somewhere in between the two.

Reviews

Since publishing is much easier on Android, it is also easier to get reviews. Google has comparatively less strict guidelines and policies than Apple and Windows, which is why it is successively reaching out to a large number of people, along with other factors. It takes less time to broadcast an app on the play store. iOS applications have longer reviewing process because they focus on design and quality.

B2B Outreach

If you’re developing a B2B application, consider the platform that your B2B businesses are using. Since Windows stands firm as one of the most popular B2B operating systems, it can be a great platform for businesses to develop apps. Microsoft is the prime OS being used for everyday work in businesses as compared to Android and iOS. Launching your business application on Windows platform can be a kick start to your return on investment and popularity.

Revenue

One of the momentous factors of consideration for any business endeavor is the potential ROI. Furthermore, no business wants to miss a chance to earn revenue through their apps. iOS devices are usually more expensive compared to Android and Windows devices. iOS users are more likely to purchase an app when they sense quality. On the other hand, Android application developers earn more from advertisements. Successful Android applications are appealing to advertisers since they reach a large audience. However, revenues primarily depend on your target customers. If your customers prioritize luxury and design, you should be investing your time and energy on iOS devices. In other cases, if Windows has a growing market in your target area, invest in Windows.

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Requirements towards Development

iOS significantly requires fewer lines of code for development of applications. This is the main reason behind the unbreakable build and fewer bugs of the successful apps. Developing apps on Android and Windows platform requires far more lines of code. However, regarding developing technologies, Android and Windows OS are simpler as compared to iOS. Concerning development tools on different platforms, Apple and Android run parallel and give each other a tough competition with new updates and features. Android Studio and Xcode both come free and commit to development. Apart from Google official Android studio, there are plenty of other developer tools for Android.

Conclusion

While the right app platform mostly depends on your target audience and business goals, there are compelling pros and cons between all platforms to keep in mind. If you’re planning to extend your outreach to a wider demographic, with minimum resources, plan for revenue from advertisements, head to Android. If your motive is selling apps and your target audience cares about elements such as design and reliability, reach out to iOS. If you’re planning to introduce innovation and stand yourself apart from businesses or people using Microsoft platforms, launch your app on Windows. There is no such thing as a perfect choice. This guide will help you open up your horizons to the preferable choice for your business requirements. At Konverge we have helped number of leading businesses in Canada and globally. We deliver best-in-class digital solutions inducing mobile apps for B2B and B2C marketing environments. If you are looking for Mobile App or custom software development solution for your business, schedule a free consultation to know how we can deliver the best solution for your business.

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