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Use cases: What are some use cases to think about PWA? Native apps are usually recommended for apps that one expects users to return to frequently and a progressive web app delivers during this front. Twitter mobile, Washington Post PWA, Flipboard, FT PWA, 2048 puzzle are well-known examples of progressive web apps.
To decide whether your next app ought to be a cross platform app, a native app or a progressive web app, you wish to first identify your users and their most vital user movements. Since it is progressive it works in all browsers and provides new and enhanced experiences when the browser is updated with improved features and APIs.
Conclusion:
It is evident that PWA are the following to stay and will be adopted widely in the future. They will not replace native or hybrid apps, but provide a creative solution in use cases where you would like to bypass app fatigue and where the web-established experience pushes traffic to devices that aid greater advanced features. For example, AliExpress increased conversion rates for new users by 104%. United eXtra Electronics saw 4x increase in re-engagement and 100% greater sales from users arriving thru web push. Have you built or used Progressive Web Apps? Please share your experience in the comments section below.
Progressive Web Apps are experiences that bring the best of both worlds - the capabilities of the web and the power of apps. They are beneficial to users from the very first visit in a browser tab, and dont require any downloads or installation. Users can progressively build a relationship with the app over a period of time and it becomes greater useful and robust with time. Progressive web apps have fast loading times even over flaky networks. They are accessible from an icon on the home screen and load as a top-level, full-screen experience.
Progressive: This means it works for each user no matter what the browser because progressive enhancement is a core tenet.
Responsive: It suits any form point from desktop to mobile tablet, and whatever technology enables browsing. Connectivity independent: Enhanced with service workers to work offline or on poor quality networks.
App-like: Experience like an app, because the app shell model separates the application functionality from application content.
Fresh: Continuously updated and fresh because of the service worker update process.
Safe: Secure owing to HTTPS that prevents in opposition to snooping and content tampering.
Discoverable: Is clearly recognized as an "application" thanks to W3C manifest and service worker registration scope, allowing search engines to find it.
Re-engageable: You can send push notifications to re-engaged users.
Installable: Lets users add apps they find most relevant to their home screen without the need to access an app store.
Linkable: Allows easy sharing of the app thru URL. It doesnt require installation or obtain.
A Progressive Web App is one that is:
PWA and Cross Platform Technology: PhoneGap recently announced the intention to create compatibility between Apache Cordova and Progressive Web Apps in 2017. This will enable developers to create a PWA app, deploy it on the web, and also compile it for App Store distribution. Developers of PhoneGap are excited with the new possibilities this opens up for them.
Another possibility is to create a mobile lite version wrapped in a native application using any of the several cross platform frameworks like Cordova, React Native etc. This can create an optimal mobile experience across all three platforms mobile web, iOS native and Android native.
Why Progressive Web Apps?
Research shows that an app loses 20% of its users for each step between the users first contact with the app and the user starting to use the app (on a mean). Consider the typical steps in the user journey: discovering the app in the app store, downloading it, installing it and getting on board. The great thing about progressive web apps is that the user can start enjoying it immediately taking out the relaxation of the stages. A progressive web application uses the best of mobile apps characteristics, leading to increased user retention and performance without the hassle of maintaining mobile apps.
If you choose to opt for PWA, then you have got to decide what functionality to offer offline and facilitate the navigation (since there's no back button in standalone mode). PWA works out very well if your website already has an application like interface.
In 2015, Google Chrome engineer Alex Russell and designer Frances Berriman devised the term "Progressive Web Apps" to describe a new generation of apps that leverage trendy features supported by recent browsers. This involves Service Workers and Web Manifests that enable users to upgrade web apps to first-class apps in their native OS
