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Guest Post by D.Ray (A.K.A. – MobileTrendSpot)
The debate between developing an app or mobile website is soon to be a debate no longer.
Out of the 7 billion on the planet, 5.9 billion are now mobile phone users. Given the ubiquitous reach of mobile worldwide, it’s evident more than ever that employers looking to expand their reach can’t and shouldn’t ignore what is happening right under their watch. This is not new territory. In most industry, products that do well are packaged with other products that may not do so well, or are looking for some exposure. Most kids don’t like veggies, but they do like animated characters. Put that yellow sponge on a package of carrots and here we go. Excuse me, is that a salad in your really happy meal? Smart business. I don’t know if I should admit this, but I did not know that TYSON was the supplier for KFC until they mentioned it in a commercial.
I know what you’re thinking: so how is any of this relevant to mobile?
Apply this same logic above to the growing number of smartphone users and what happens? Things paired become commonplace. For example, finding a job using your smartphone may seem novel now, but if companies move to advertising that actually shows someone getting a job using said smartphone, the idea moves from novel to typical. Having a smartphone usually means you enjoy and or look for the fastest or the most efficient way to get things done while on the move. Right now, the language that will allow for the best of both is HTML5. While there are many clear benefits of HTML5, it all boils down to “user experience”. In today’s world a website is standard, but opening up the mobile web marketplace has become the new gold standard. With millions of available mobile apps, competition for attention (and loyalty) remains fierce. If you are an employer and want to design for greater reach, as well as for a truly enhanced mobile experience, then it’s time to think HTML5. In simple terms, the responsive design functionality of HTML5 means your audience will no longer be restricted to a particular platform (or device). HTML5 easily scales your site to fit whatever device being used (e.g., desktop, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, etc.). For mobile users, the clear advantage is that they can finally say good-bye to all the native app downloads and head straight to any mobile site with little effort and seamless connectivity. After all, simple is better-right?
The question: Will HTML5 render smartphone platforms irrelevant?
If HTML5 continues to evolve, I think we’ll have our answer soon enough. As a former job-seeker exploring careers on the mobile device – I am here to tell you that the user experience still matters. Requiring users to download every new employer app is not practical. As advancements in HTML5 continue to improve the overall web browsing experience, the need for mobile app downloads will soon become obsolete. So, Mr. Employer, if you are truly serious about reaching a broader (global) audience and enhancing that “mobile web” experience – consider designing with HTML5. Launch it, then watch your user satisfaction and engagement grow. You can thank me later.
Guest post by D. Ray (A.K.A. – MobileTrendSpot) D. Ray is an avid mobile enthusiast and surveryor of moble trends impacting the world of jobsearch and employment. When he is not surfing the mobile web, you can find him on Twitter @MobileTrendSpot. Questions? Feel free to email him here.
I agree. If you think what you can do with HTML5 there is really very few reasons to build mobile app if your aim is only build a typical mobile career site that is basically only a mobile version from what you already have. However if you wish to do more then that and create candidate experience that is far greater than typical career site, native apps can be the way to go. What I as well see is that there is a huge need for better apps from the candidates perspective to make the job search easier and the whole recruitment process more efficient (http://bit.ly/HCfRba) and there I think mobile and apps will play big role in the future. It is just way better way to create great and fast to use mobile service. And when you go with the native app you can use so much more functionalities from the mobile device that you cannot use if you build web application. http://tnw.co/H94qOTSo yes and no would be my answer.
I just Love html5. It’s open, linkable to QR codes, social media, LBS, online video interview. You can even add your corporate or job related video. So yes, let’s maddle
@twitter-13762142:disqus @c992aa931fff591c99e557f9473f117a:disqus – thanks for your feedback.
@twitter-13762142:disqus – it’s true HTML5 still has limitations and sometimes the user experience is vastly better when using a native app. The challenge of course is that it can sometimes limit the reach of your audience. An iPhone user may not be able to download your app if it only is available to Android or Windows Phone users and vice versa. However, there’s no denying the value of an app given the inherent abilities that are available which are not in HTML5 right now. Long term, we may begin to see that gap diminish as HTML5 improves. While it doesn’t solve all the fragmentation issues we see in the mobile space…it’s a start.