Cross-Platform Application Development: how to make the right choice?

In today’s market mobile device and desktop users have a wide choice of operating systems. They’ll run Android and iOS and choose between Windows, MacOS and Linux, but not matter what they choose, they’ll still demand that your application run on their device.

In the past supporting a user base with diverse tastes in device and OS might mean hiring a development team to build a native application for every use case. Mobile application firms would hire and resource an iOS development team and then, as their application gained steam, hire an Android team, too. On the desktop developers might start by developing their application for the small but lucrative MacOS market before expanding to target the larger enterprise and consumer markets using Microsoft Windows. There was a lot of duplicated work, inefficiency reigned, and costs rose as teams kept native application releases in sync across platforms.

More recently, though, the possibility to embrace a cross-platform application development strategy has allowed app developers to reduce their costs and lift their efficiency, and all while maintaining a consistent user interface and experience across platforms. As interest in cross-platform development rises, what should you consider before adopting a cross-platform development approach? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, and what app development framework should be on your radar?

Read on for Witekio’s short introduction to making the right cross-platform application development choice for your company.

Native vs. Cross-Platform Application Development

However, there are some significant drawbacks to selecting a native application development approach, too.

1/ First and foremost, every operating system demands its own software development team. For mobile users this would normally mean at least one Android and one iOS team, while for desktop applications it might mean separate Windows, MacOS, and Linux teams, depending on the application and its intended user base.

2/ Second, developers building native applications in parallel will necessarily be duplicating their work. Every feature, design update, and every user test will need to be duplicated to ensure that the parallel native apps are working as designed.

As a result, this concurrent development model is automatically more expensive for the company. Instead of employing a single, cross-platform development team, the company needs to employ two teams, budget adequate resources to support both, and expend twice the time and money they would otherwise need to.

In the face of such costs and after weighing the pros and cons, it’s little surprise that most application development teams are concluding that choosing the cross-platform alternative is their preferred application development model.

Cross-Platform Development Frameworks

There are several cross-platform development frameworks available to companies seeking to build applications ready to deploy on every device and operating system. Both React Native and Flutter have fans, as do older cross-platform frameworks like Phone Gap. A couple, stand out from the others for their wide support and active development community.

The Witekio Process

With extensive experience in cross-platform application development, Witekio applies a four-step process to ensure customer needs are understood and expectations are met

1/ The first point of contact is generally a member of the Sales Team. In this first step the client explains the general outline of their project and the Witekio Salesperson asks initial screening questions to connect the client with the most appropriate architect.

2/ The second step involves the Software Architect connecting with the client in order to align on three key areas. First, to fully understand the needs of the client and the use case for the application. Second, to understand the client’s own expertise, in-house development experience, budgets and constraints. Third and finally, the Architect advises the client on the best framework for their project based on their needs, desires, and the eventual use case.

3/ The third step involves the Architect working in collaboration with Witekio’s UX Designers to develop a project price estimate for the development of the cross-platform application. This is delivered to the client and, upon agreement.

4/ The fourth stage – development of the cross-platform application itself – is begun.