What is PWA

What is a Progressive Web App?

It is a platform that enables web applications to function similar to a desktop or mobile application. Isn’t it the same as a mobile responsive site? No. It’s not. If you open your instagram on desktop, that’s a web application. If you open your facebook, that’s a web application. If you open the starbucks website, that’s a web application. Having these web application being built using PWA allows the web application to function like a native app.

 

I’m pretty sure you’ve seen the “ Add to Home Screen” button on your phone. When you click the button, the application installs itself in the background. What you have now is a mobile app that was downloaded from a web application. But this explanation may not be enough to justify what is a PWA.

Have you ever visited a website and when you close the browser and reopens again, you will need to restart finding the information where you last left off. Having a PWA allows users to continue browsing where they last left off. When you open a PWA, you will be able to browse content even when you do not have internet.

Why do we need a PWA?

I’m not going to ditch the bullet. PWA is pretty cool. As we meet many clients, common question is “can you guys build this on something different from wordpress, magento, etc etc” We get tired answering these question because whichever platform you use, all of them are great. The important element is to focus on which platforms gives the best experience for your user.

No need to download. Having a PWA makes it easier for user to take action and gain valuable information without needing to download an app from the app or play store. Like visiting a website, all you need to do is to enter the url and you can instantly access your pwa.

It is super fast. From the moment you download the app to the moment you start interacting it, you no need wait.

PWA works similar to a native app. As a brand you no need to build an app for iOS or Android. All you need is a PWA and it works like a native app. It works offline. This increases user engagement.

Notification. Similar to a native app. You can send notification to user through PWA.

Examples of PWA

1. Starbucks

Aiming at providing accessible, user-friendly online ordering to all of their customers, Starbucks built a PWA of the ordering system on the web, which delivers a similar experience to their existing native app. In other words, with its capability to run in offline mode, Starbucks PWA allows their customers to browse the menu, customize their orders, and add items to their carts – all without consistent access to the internet. Once online, they can view location-specific pricing and place their food and drinks order.

Source taken from: http://bit.ly/34Em1dZ

2. Uber

As the company expands to new markets, its Uber web was rebuilt from scratch as a PWA to offer a comparable booking experience to the native mobile app. The Uber PWA is designed to make car booking viable on low-speed, 2G networks. Built around the concept of app-like experience which is accessible on all modern browsers, The PWA is great for riders on low-end devices, which may not be compatible with the native Uber app. By bringing the native experience in a super-lightweight web app, Uber has enabled quick ride request regardless of location, network speed, and device. The core app of only 50kB allows it to load within 3 seconds on 2G networks.

Source taken from: http://bit.ly/34Em1dZ

3. Spotify

Your favorite music player is now PWA-powered. Due to some disagreement between Spotify and Apple regarding Apple’s 30% app store commission, Spotify found it a timely opportunity to start developing a PWA version of their app—as many other big brands have. Compared to its native-app counterpart, the PWA version is considerably faster with its own unique and adaptive UI that changes its background as the user progresses through the app. Like many other PWAs, users are also prompted to add Spotify PWA to their home screen, making Spotify PWA more accessible and on-par with its other versions.

Source taken from: http://bit.ly/34Em1dZ

If you are interested with PWA, do email us to faisal@threeclicks.my. We at Three Clicks are able to help and develop your PWA.