Top Practices for Effective Hybrid App Development

When you plan to choose a solution for developing a new mobile app, it is very usual that you come across various options, but are confused about where to start. There is an abundance of concerns in your mind, such as, is an exclusive native solution the right choice for your applications? Or should you look at building a mobile app with web technologies? And how about developing hybrid solutions out there?

Above all, you must be looking for efficient and effective ways to implement ideas in your mobile application. One such technology that provides a cost-effective solution and faster deployment service with high-performance and significant advantages is Hybrid apps. These apps are installed on a mobile device. They possess elements from native apps, applications that are developed for a specific platform, including Android or iOS. Hybrid apps also rely on HTML, CSS, or JavaScript like web apps and are accessed on the Internet via a browser. Hence, Hybrid app development is considered to bring the best of both worlds (naïve apps and web apps) to make your applications perform efficiently on different mobile platforms.

So, let’s get started to find the best practices of developing faster, better, and smarter hybrid applications:

Keep the Code Simpler

One of the best ways to optimize the performance of your hybrid mobile apps and make them load faster is to keep the code file light and simple. Also, make sure to minimize your code to significantly reduce the load time, improve performance, and lower the cost of developing a mobile application. There are various tools available to minify all your CSS, HTML, and JavaScript files. It is imperative to lint the written code and make it harder for decompilers to read & interpret the code, which eventually protects it from malicious intent.

Enhanced UX/UI

Hybrid App Development offers a consistent and flawless user experience across iOS, Android platforms. Hybrid applications are about making I work for mobile by embracing the web. Further, the lightweight hybrid app UI helps in loading content and graphics quickly. The apps adapt faster to different device screens for faster data display and seamless data streaming. The excellent UI experience even improves the chances of the application’s approval at the app store.

Lightweight Hybrid App UI

The success or failure of your mobile app is defined by UX/UI design. An efficient user experience design is crucial for engaging users on your applications. Further, lightweight hybrid app UI helps in loading graphics and content quickly. So, it is recommended to keep a simple design and choose a minimalist approach when working on JavaScript and CSS.

You can also save on bandwidth and eradicate server’s requests to optimize images performance using Sprite Sheet. Also, some additional tips to consider include avoiding showing 404s for images, scaling images in HTML, limit the usage of shadows & gradients, and consider using optimally sized images. Developers must create UI in JavaScript at the client-side instead of generating the UI on the server.

Keep Scripts Local

One of the best hybrid frameworks – Iconic uses local caching extensively to cut down network access and ensures a better user experience. It helps to stores data in the local storage and eventually makes instant access to essential data. Hence, the use of local caching can also help significantly reduce server calls and network requests and make the apps run speedily and smoothly.

Choose External Libraries Cleverly

The use of external libraries makes many repetitive tasks more manageable, but it is always is advisable not to cram too many into your code. The extensive usage of libraries can slow down the working of your app. Also, using third party libraries can risk the security of your app. If you include libraries, it is recommended to test and verify credibility before applying.

Avoid Using Inline Styling

Styling is an essential aspect of mobile app development. If the app requires changes in the future, it will encounter difficulties if performed inline. While building hybrid apps, developers should always make an effort to create a new CSS class and avoid writing styling in an HTML tag.

Automated Testing Approach

Testing is vital for any mobile application. But when it comes to hybrid apps, testing gets even more challenging. So, it is essential to test every phase of design, functionality, performance, speed, usability, compatibility, and more to ensure that the app is ready to release to the market.

Though the debate between hybrid & cross-platform app development goes on, the practices mentioned above will benefit you to reap the benefits of building hybrid mobile applications. Hybrid apps are cost-effective, faster to develop, and offer performance very similar to native apps. If you wish to gain more user engagement, target multiple platforms using a single app, then you should consider developing hybrid mobile apps for your business.