Do I Develop One Complex App or Many Simple Ones?

Many of the developers we work with see how users interface with B2C apps on their phones and tablets and observe, task-oriented, get-in/get-out apps that accomplish quick and simple requests. Get the weather. Find a better price. Find a current stock quote. Get me around the traffic. These simple apps are a far cry from the monolithic desktop apps that corporate developers now need to mobilize.  As a result, enterprise developers are asking, "Do I develop one complex app or many simple ones?"

Gartner Research VP Van Baker just released a report entitled "The Mobile App Dilemma: One App Versus Many." The report offers guidance for application leaders building mobile apps who are struggling with whether to build a single feature-rich business app, or whether to build several smaller, simpler apps that may not all be used.The report aims to show readers how to add mobile app functionality without necessarily adding complexity. His key recommendation:

"...the recommendation for mobile apps is that they should be no more than two clicks deep or four to six screens in total."

• Establishing coordinated teams 
• Producing a minimal viable product 
• Conducting behavioral analytics 

In regard to producing a minimal viable product, Baker explains: "When building mobile apps, the focus should always be on delivering a minimum viable product for the initial version of the app. It is important to start with an app that addresses a few critical features. This is important to ensure that users will actually use the app. Additional features can be added and unused features removed over time."

We believe that mobile apps should be fast to build, easy for end-users to use, and should streamline and simplify everyday business processes. Our recent Alpha Anywhere V4 with mobile optimized forms launch reflects this focus. You can try Alpha Anywhere for free.

To read the full Gartner report, clients can download here.