At Ardent, our mobile app developers have worked on a vast variety of mobile app technologies to build innovative, secure and cutting edge mobile apps to meet the needs of our clients. Therefore, we understand how important it is to get the technology right. Our engineers recommend you carry out research and get advice from experts as choosing the framework will have long term impact in terms of the costs, the time required and the functionality of the app. Here we will explore both cross-platform and native app development frameworks in terms of the benefits they offer and the limitations they have.

Cross-platform mobile app development framework

Cross-platform mobile apps have a single base code that is used across different platforms such as Android and iOS to build the app. Cross-platform apps have become increasingly popular as they allow businesses to save both time and costs during the development process. However, as the code is used across all platforms the apps may not perform and function at the optimal level as their Native counterpart. This type of framework can be game-changing for businesses that are looking for a speedy go-to-market, especially startups.

The pros and cons of cross-platform mobile apps

• There are a number of pros to consider for cross-platforms and they are:
• Reduced development time
• Save costs due to the less time and resources required to build the app
• Speed up go to market
• Only one base code required enabling code reusability
• Hassle-free integration  

On the other hand, there are a few cons to consider and they are:

• Limited functionality due to the same code being used across platforms
• May perform slower due to the abstraction layer
• UX (User experience) may be affected as you can not tailor it to each platform
• Lack of flexibility in customisation

When you should consider a cross-platform app

It may be the case that a cross-platform framework may be a better fit for your app in certain situations and they are:

• If you are looking for a speedy development process
• If you are looking to target users on key OS (Operating system) such as Android and iOS
• You are building an app that is not complex and does not require platform-specific features and customisation
• You have a limited budget and time constraints

Cross-platform mobile app development technologies

Several technologies have enabled the success and popularity of cross platforms and they include React Native, Xamarin and Flutter. Ardent’s software engineers have worked with a variety of these technologies to develop cross-platform apps for clients.

Read our success story on a cross-platform app we have built for a market research client.

Native mobile development framework

Native mobile apps are apps that are built specifically for one operating system. Developers use platform-specific tools and programming languages to build these apps. For example, to build an app for the Android platform, developers may use Android Studios whereas for iOS they may opt for XCode. Native mobile apps are still by far the most popular due to the number of benefits they offer.

The pros and cons of native mobile apps

• Native apps offer several benefits and they include:
• Improved and overall better UX due to the apps being built for specific platforms
• High performance
• Highly scalable
• Platform-specific technologies offer broader functionalities

Some cons to consider are:

• Time-consuming and longer development time
• Requires more resources than cross-platform apps
• Higher costs due to time and resources needed
• High maintenance

When you should consider a native app

A native app framework may be the better fit for your business, project. Here is when you should consider a native app for your business:

• You require advanced functionality
• You want to provide seamless UX
• You are not limited by budget or time
• If you are looking to scale your app up or down

Native mobile app development technologies

The most popular native mobile app development technologies are those that are specific for Android and iOS. For Android, it is the likes of Android Studio or IntelliJ IDEA, whereas for iOS it’s mainly XCode and AppCode. Some of the biggest mobile apps in the world are built on the native framework and they include the likes of Google Maps and Spotify.  

Cross-platform VS native mobile apps

Overall there are clear benefits of both types of frameworks for mobile app development. When deciding between cross-platform or native mobile apps there are a number of factors to consider and they include, budgets, times, maintenance, resources, long term costs, user experience, functionality and flexibility.

Ardent’s mobile apps

Ardent’s experienced mobile developers have worked on several projects building both native and cross-platform apps. If you require advice about which platform will be most suitable for your business, then get in touch and we can help you navigate your journey to creating a great mobile app. 

The post Cross-Platform Vs Native Mobile Apps – Selecting the right mobile app development approach appeared first on Ardent.

Difficulty finding talent

Finding those exceptionally skilled software engineers has always been an ongoing challenge. Just take a look at almost any agency or tech company in and around the capital and you would notice what seems to be an endless round of vacancies for developers, testers, analysts etc. This shortage has been escalated by Brexit and COVID, with the surge in job vacancies and a significant decrease in applications per job compared to pre-pandemic. According to Reuters, there were 1 million job vacancies in August of 2021, which was at an all-time high.

With a very limited local talent pool, some companies have been recruiting and sponsoring talented engineers from abroad. In addition; Google, Facebook and makers of Snapchat, Snap Inc. have recently announced the expansion of their UK (London) operations with the creation of 3,500 new jobs. We would have to assume a fair few of those would be tech jobs, further increasing competition in an already crowded space. 

This could all be a major boon for contractors, freelancers and off-shoring, all of which have their positives and negatives. 

Outsourcing certainly does present the greater rewards through bigger returns on investment, more stability and the greater potential to scale up based on needs in the longer term. It also has the biggest challenge, especially if you are a start-up or SME who may not be in a position to work with the larger (and potentially safer) managed services providers of this world.

What to look out for when outsourcing a software development provider
Quality

How much control do you have over the skills and experience of the developers? Are you involved in the recruitment process? Will you retain the same resource and skill level throughout the contract? What allowances are made for training and continuous professional development?

Security

With GDPR in place, fines up to €20 million or 4% of a company’s global annual turnover, if you are not compliant, data security needs to be a priority. You must be particularly vigilant of processes in place to support quality and always look to companies who have accreditation such as ISO 27001 to credit claims about data security.

Communication

How easy is it to communicate directly with your developer? Software development is usually an iterative process with changes and refinements made throughout the project delivery process. The ability to communicate directly with your development team is vitally important. What processes are in place for feedback and meetings? Are you able to (remotely) join stand-ups?

Timezone

Dependent on your requirements, you will definitely need to have as much of your working day crossed over with your chosen supplier. There are obvious advantages to working with companies in a different timezone. For example, batch tests can be done on a daily bases and reports will be ready and waiting when your local team arrives. On the other hand, support technicians can come online when your local team clock off. 

Legal recourse

If things go catastrophically wrong, what are your options? We recommend where possible, choosing a supplier with an established local presence.

Talk to us

Ardent are an ISO 27001 accredited data and software solutions company, headquartered and established in the UK since 2008. We have the flexibility to deliver a full service or complement and support your internal resources with a full-time extended team. We serve a range of clients from well-funded start-ups to large enterprises.

If you are looking to resolve your data engineering or software development challenges, please get in touch.

The post Finding skilled, experienced software developers appeared first on Ardent.

Most organisations will not have the expertise in-house to build and develop their software. It can be difficult to find a partner that can provide you with the right people, the right experience and the right skills and expertise. However, taking into consideration key factors and asking the right questions will help you choose the right software development provider.

Technical skills

You need to make sure that you work with a software development provider that has the right technical skills to bring your vision to life. You need to get a good understanding of the technical expertise the company has to offer. For example, you may require technical skills in a specific programming language such as C# or Python, or a combination of other technologies. Does the company you may potentially partner with have a variety of skills and expertise on offer? For example, at Ardent, our team of software development engineers are trained and experienced in using world-leading, innovative technologies such as AWS, Microsoft and more.  

More on our technology partners.

Communication

Communication is vital for the success of a project. You need to work with a software development provider that has set up communication channels that will enable you to get in touch as and when needed and get a quick response. It’s also important to have various contact points, for example, at Ardent we have two contact points for all projects, a dedicated business manager and a technical account manager. The business manager ensures that client requirements are been fulfilled and the technical account manager makes sure that the day to day functionalities and delivery of services are in line with agreed terms. Another thing to take into consideration is language barriers, are the contact points fluent in your language? Some questions to ask potential software development providers if you are looking to work with them are: 

• What is the best mode of communication?
• Who are the contact points throughout the project?
• How quick is the response time?
• Is there any time differences that we need to take into consideration? 
• What are the escalation points if things go wrong

You may also want to consider if you require local contact points when working with a technology partner. For example, Ardent have offices based in the UK, US and India, offering clients local contact points to give them peace of mind.

Business culture

The business culture of the company you are looking to work with is also key. Do they have a culture and teams that match yours, are your views and ethos along the same lines? If a company inhabits a similar sort of culture, it will enable and facilitate a collaborative environment between your team and the software developers. As technology is always evolving and new technologies emerge all the time, you may want to find out how the software development company is keeping up with the changes. Do they ensure regular training for their developers? Do they invest in accreditations? At Ardent, ongoing training and development are at the core of our company culture, we provide a learning environment that enables our developers to improve and increase their skills.

Get to know Ardent.

Experience in successful projects

If you are working with a new partner, it’s important to note the experience they have and how many successful projects they have delivered. If a software development provider has experience dealing with a wide variety of clients, then they will likely be able to cater to your needs. Experience in projects and years in the industry will provide peace of mind and reassurance when it comes to choosing the right software development provider. For example, you may want to ask about client success stories to find out about the type of clients the company has worked with.

Read our client success stories.

Certifications and accreditations

A company will invest with a software development provider so they should validate any claims made on skills and experience. You may want to ask the software development company for any certifications and accreditation they have acquired. For example, Ardent has certifications in Microsoft and AWS. This solidifies any claims made by software development companies and developers because to acquire industry level certifications and accreditations the developers have to pass rigorous exams to earn their certifications.  

Security

Security is a concern for organisations across the globe and you will need to work with an organisation that places security as a priority. Your software needs to be built with robust security measures in place to prevent any data leaks that could occur. It is worth asking the software company about any experience working with sensitive data or the type of technologies they used to build secure software. Also, ask about any security certifications, for example at Ardent is an ISO 27001 certified company as well as acquiring and certification in Cyber Essentials.

Support and maintenance

You got a great piece of software, now what? Does the company offer post-project support? Will they be able to add any features or expand the software in the future if you require it? Companies that value your relationship and offer long term partnership opportunities are more likely to be able to provide you with any additional support required.

Ardent software development services

At Ardent we have worked with a wide variety of organisations across the globe, from local start-ups to internationally established companies. We have been providing bespoke, tailored solutions to help business face their challenges and achieve their objectives for over a decade. If you are looking for a trusted, credible and reliable software development provider, then get in touch to set up a discovery call. 

The post How to choose the right software development provider appeared first on Ardent.

Ardent mobile app developers have worked with both technologies to build a variety of cross-platform apps for our clients. From our longstanding experience, we have found that they both provide a number of benefits and come with certain limitations, which we will explore further in this article. Here is the breakdown of Flutter Vs Xamarin that will help you decide how to choose the right technology for your mobile app project.

Benefits of using Flutter

There are several benefits of Flutter that make it increasingly popular with developers and they include:

• Cross-platform development – create apps for multiple platforms with a single code base, saving both time and cost.
• Easy to use programming language – The app development framework is based on Dart which is a simple programming language. Developers will find it straightforward, especially if they have had a good experience working with Java.
• High performance – Dart is considered to be a high performing language because it can compile into code for Android and iOS. Paired with its ability to reduce communication between the app and the mobile platform via widgets making it incredibly high performing for a cross-platform app.
• Hot reload – changes can be seen within seconds, almost in real-time which increases efficiency and reduces time spent making changes.
• Backed by Google – The SDK (Software Development Kit) is created by one of the biggest companies in the world, therefore, you can expect continued growth and investment into the technology.
• Strong community support – the community of Flutter developers is growing and there is strong community support for developers.
• Clear documentation – Flutter provides very clear accessible documentation.

Limitations of using Flutter

There are also some limitations to Flutter, that both developers and businesses need to take into consideration.

• UX (user experiencer) compared to native apps – cross-platforms offer many benefits making them popular, however, the UX cannot match those of native apps.
• Young technology – Flutter has been around since 2017, which makes it a relatively young technology, it is in the early stages of development when it comes to advanced features to compete with native apps.
• Large apps – Usually apps created on Flutter will be large, therefore, they will take up more space and will take longer downloading and updating.

Benefits of using Xamarin

Over time Xamarin has established itself as one of the leading cross-platform technologies and this is due to the number of benefits it offers.

• Cross-platform technology – Xamarin is a well-established cross-platform technology that offers the key benefits of reducing the time during development and ultimately reducing overall costs.
• Well-known programming languages – Xamarin uses both C# and .Net which are some of the most widely known programming languages, making it easy for even beginners to develop apps on Xamarin. They both are powerful technologies that offer flexibility to developers.
• Established technology – Xamarin is a veteran cross-platform technology that is well established and has been used for over a decade by developers across the world.
• Speedy development and testing – The ability to test on over 2,000 devices, enabling a speedy development and testing of the apps.
• High performance – The technology offers native API access to developers allowing them to create a high performing app.
• Microsoft support – Having been backed by of the leading technology companies in the world, Microsoft offers robust support with Xamarin, from the Xamarin test cloud to an up to date platform.
• UI (User Interface) – Although it may not match native standards, Xamarin.Forms enable you to create UI’s that comply with platform-specific guidelines in order to create apps to compete with native app UI’s.

Limitations of using Xamarin

There are also some limitations of using Xamarin that you need to take into consideration.

• High costs – Although Xamarin is an open-source free framework, if it is being used commercially then it will require the license and purchase of Microsoft Visual Studio IDE which can be costly.
• Smaller community – The community is much smaller than its counterpart, as research found that only 11% of apps were built with Xamarin compared to the 42% of Flutter.
• Large apps – Similar to Flutter, the apps created with Xamarin will typically be larger and will use more space and take more time when downloading and updating.
• Updates take time – Developers will face lagging because API updates take time when new packages are released.

Flutter Vs Xamarin

Both Flutter and Xamarin are globally used cross-platform technologies and provide unparalleled benefits, however, in recent years, Flutter has faced a huge surge in popularity. Although it’s a fairly new platform, with Google backing it, developers can expect to see further developments and benefits to come in the upcoming years. Our mobile app developers have expertise in both and have found over the years that each technology provides unique advantages to specific customer requirements. Therefore, we continue to use both technologies to meet our client’s unique needs and goals.  

More on our technology partners

Ardents cross-platform mobile app development expertise

Ardent’s highly experienced mobile app developers have used both Flutter and Xamarin to build user-friendly, secure, scalable apps for a wide variety of our clients ranging from a research-focused highly engaging app for a pharmaceutical company to a logistics app for a technology company. If you are looking to build an app for your organisation, then get in touch to find out how our highly skilled mobile app developers can help

The post Flutter or Xamarin – what cross-platform technology is right for you appeared first on Ardent.