Apps, mobile sites and responsive websites; spot the difference.

We've been exploring growth of mobile web for some time now, and in the past couple of blogs we've introduced you to the wonderful new world of responsive web design. But what about apps? Is there still a place for mobile apps in a post-responsive world? And where do mobile sites (m.sites) fit in? In fact, what's the difference between all of these anyway? 

The answer is that responsive websites, apps and m.sites are all different from each other, and each has their own special place in delivering quality user experiences on mobile devices. The trick is understanding what these differences are, what they mean for the experience you deliver, and therefore which is the best option to achieve your specific goals.

Let's start with a quick recap of responsive web design. This approach allows you to deliver the exact same content as your normal website (in fact, it is your normal website) but in a way that responds fluidly to the device size of the viewer, so the layout automatically changes to present the site in a more usable way for laptops, tablets and smartphones as required. What doesn't change with responsive is the depth and breadth of content, it just presents your entire website in a more usable way for the device.

Responsive websites are great for when there aren't any task specific actions required through your website, just a means of creating a more user friendly browsing experience. A few great responsive examples that Captovate has delivered include Fitzgerald Coast, Coordinate, Wilderness School and NipTuck Magazine.

Ok, so if responsive sites are so great, why have an m.site?

An m.site is basically a cut down version of your normal website (usually prefixed with an 'm.' in the URL, hence the name) which has a different design, to fit within the dimensions and navigation patterns of a small smartphone screen. It's different to a responsive site, because it only draws specific content from your flagship website and structures it exclusively for mobile devices.

An m.site is great when your users will only access your website on their smartphone to perform context-specific tasks. Classic examples are m.sites for airlines like Jetstar, and banking, like the one we created for TIO. These m.sites allow the business to display content from the main website (so no extra work in updating two sets of content), but limits the actions and navigation to only those that are mobile relevant, such as checking in online or logging in to online banking, plus a few other key features.

But if m.sites are designed for mobile task-specific purposes, why create an app?

Well, the official technical difference between an m.site and an app is that an app has 'native' (whether that's native to apple (iOS), android or windows devices) features that actually utilises the interactions and technology that's ­built-in to that specific device. For example, if you create an app for iPhones or iPads, it must make use of features that are unique to Apple, like the 'swipe' or 'pinch' gesture interactions, the camera, accelerometer or GPS functionality. The aim being that interaction with a native app is far superior to a standard browsing experience, delivering a much faster, smoother and more intuitive experience to users on that particular device.

A great example of a native apps we created is the SecureNT app that utilises inbuilt GPS functionality to show local emergency shelters and other key information at times when power cuts make the mobile phone a critical source of updates and advice. Also, our Darwin International Airport app lets users quickly navigate through key information they need while in the terminal, such as live arrivals and departures updates.

Spend some time checking out the examples we've mentioned here, and you'll quickly get a feel for how different technology platforms deliver different user experience, and each has different management and business implications behind it. So now the only question left to ask, is which one is right for you?