Ever since the inception of mobile phones, there’s been an incredible improvement in the demand for apps that can cater to the varying needs of the end user. Factors such as increased app fatigue, smaller screen real estate and decreased user adoption rates have been prime reasons of worry for the mobile app developers. Creating an intuitive user experience is something that’s been keeping app developers busy every now and then. Controlling the mobile app’s front-end(mobile UI, elements and screen layouts) using the back-end(server or web application or CMS(Content Management System)) is one of the most overlooked aspects related to app development. If you’re an skilled iPhone App Developer then this is an aspect you must never ignore. In this blog, I’ll be throwing some light on how to use the app’s back-end design for creating a highly customizable front-end customer experience.
Back-end – How to use it for creating a customizable front-end mobile experience?
- Step 1 – As per this step, the back-end( whether its a server or the CMS) identifies the context.
- Step 2 – On the basis of the context, the back-end generates screen element information, followed by selecting the content that needs to be displayed on the app.
- Step 3 – As per the third step, the screen element information along with the content is sent to the front-end i.e. the mobile app.
- Step 4 – Here, the mobile app renders the screen as per the screen element information and app content.
Creating a customizable front-end using back-end design – How will it affect the app’s usage?
Scenario No.1 – In the context of app users
One of the greatest advantages of using the back-end for creating the app front-end experience is that you can easily identify the user groups on the basis of login and display screens. For example, an enterprise iPhone app is used by employees to fill in their time sheets. Post successful login, the back-end identifies the designation of the respective member. In case the logged in user is a manager, the back-end also throws a dashboard that allows the user to view an analysis report as the chart of employees VS time spent on the project. A large group of famed iPhone App Development companies have started paying special heed to the process of developing iOS apps, keeping the users’ perception in mind.
Scenario No.2 – In the context of app data
Here, the back-end identifies the data structure and displays the content accordingly. For example, if the data type is a list, then the same is identified and sent to the mobile app along with the list of contents to be displayed on the app. If the app comprises of a form with many fields, then the fields can be reordered in exactly the same way as the mobile app needs to display them.
Scenario No.3 – In the context of geo location
Talking about the geo location feature, the app users would be able to refresh their smartphone screens with fresh and relevant information pertaining to their location search. The highly intuitive user interface would allow users to access different features of the app with utmost amount of convenience.
Scenario No.4 – In the context of Operating System
When it comes to operating system, using the back-end for creating a customizable front-end is something that can turn to be a real boon. For example, the app could display iOS style buttons if the device is an iPhone or hide the “back” buttons if the device is an Android phone. The true advantage of using the app’s back-end design lies in retaining the original feel of the app, irrespective of the mobile platform its being operated on.
Scenario No.5 – In the context of Input Fields
When dealing with input fields, the approach of using back-end allows you to identify the respective fields in addition to displaying the appropriate attribute fields. For example, an admin can use the CMS for creating a form for students to fill up in their mobile app. This admin user can create a field called Registration Number which would be a text field. Here, the attribute can be specified as a numeric input.
Scenario No.6 – In the context of screen resolution
Here, let’s consider an app that has images coming into it via the web services. Now, the exact count of images would be determined only at the runtime and hence a single image will have to be displayed and centralized on the screen, with multiple images requiring a separate image gallery. Likewise, on larger devices, the images can be displayed as a grid of thumbnail images, allowing the users to pick the one they intend to view on full screen.
Conclusion
As a universally acknowledged truth, its the user experience that actually delights and engages app users. The above explained approach of decoding user scenarios will definitely lead you towards the path of longer user commitment.
About Author:
Emily Heming is an expert content writer for a popular Mobile Application Development Company which offers you the facility to aid Mobile development service by contacting her through:
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