I know what you're thinking. "Ben, you just told us all about the joys of responsive design. So why do we still need an app?"

I know what you're thinking.

"Ben, you just told us all about the joys of responsive design. We just launched our new site and it looks great on my phone. So why do we still need an app?" 

Or maybe it's, "Man, it would be cool to have an app, but it's another expense and one more mouth to feed."

These are valid observations which we've heard from clients and friends, and I'd like to respond to these two concepts in particular: "need" and "cost."

What is the justification for building an app for your church or organization?
While we don't feel that a mobile app is a necessity to church communication (yet), there are some good reasons to consider having one, even if you already have a mobile friendly website:

  • Expand your reach: Offering your content in the iTunes App Store or the Android Marketplace is a way to broaden your audience. You're providing a resource to people in an environment that is already capturing their attention and time.

  • Narrow your message: Often, an app will have a much narrower or more specific functionality than that of an entire website. Use an app to streamline the most important or most popular content straight to your users, from sermon videos to event registration.

How can I afford an app? And who will manage the content?
Certainly, developing an app for its native device (iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows phones are the most common) can be expensive, although there can also be benefits to this approach. However, with the rapid advance in mobile technology, many smart phones already have much of the same ability and processing power of a desktop computer. This has opened the way for a new approach to mobile content, referred to as the "hybrid app." 

Hybrid apps combine some of the features of a mobile website with some of the features of a "native" app, in an approach that is increasingly flexible and affordable. Here is a quick chart that helps outline some of the differences between these concepts:

Mobile App Development: Native vs. Hybrid vs. Web apps[Image Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/50805466/Native-Web-or-Hybrid-Mobile-App-Development]

Two things stand out from this chart: the hybrid app has a "reasonable" development cost compared to a native app, and it's available in the App Store (unlike a mobile site or web app). 

  • Development cost: The cost to build a hybrid app is lower because the content can be created in the same way a website is built. In fact, many hybrid apps can be built to interface with the same database that stores your site content, eliminating or reducing the need for someone to provide unique or duplicate content for the app.

  • Availability: One of the reasons for the name hybrid is because these apps are essentially "packaged" in a shell that acts like a native app. This allows the developer to publish the app to the App Store for installation on a phone or tablet.

We want to hear from you! Do you have an app for your church or organization, or are you considering one? What are your reasons, questions or concerns about developing content for mobile devices? How will an app complement your existing online strategy?

FURTHER READING

Mobile applications: native v Web apps – what are the pros and cons?
http://mobithinking.com/native-or-web-app

Mobile Web App vs. Native App? It's Complicated
http://www.forbes.com/sites/fredcavazza/2011/09/27/mobile-web-app-vs-native-app-its-complicated/

Native, web or hybrid mobile-app development (IBM white paper. Requires email registration, but excellent article) 
https://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/iwm/web/signup.do?source=sw-app&S_PKG=mobile_appdev_wp&S_TACT=109KA5TW&S_CMP=web_ibm_ws_mobile_hr_worklight