Mobile App Development

You would like to make a business process or an offer available as a custom app? Is your company looking for a competent app agency or app developer in Switzerland?

A “mobile app” refers to all applications that are specifically designed for use on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The different types of apps, such as native apps, web apps and hybrid apps, can therefore all be grouped together in the discipline of mobile app development.

For the sake of simplicity, the colloquial term “app” is used here as a proxy for the term “mobile app”, although strictly speaking the term “app” refers to any type of application.

Currently, three types of apps can be categorized: Native apps, web apps and hybrid apps. The following table shows how the types differ from each other.

In the field of native apps, iOS and Android are the two widely known operating systems. Since apps are developed particularly frequently for these operating systems, the terms iOS app and Android app have become established.

You can read more about the specifics of the different types of apps in our blog post Native vs. Web App.

At the beginning of every mobile app development there should be a customer need or employee need. Apps are therefore usually designed and implemented either for internal use (business processes) or for use by customers.

Two possible scenarios for an app for customers in a B2B or B2C business model:

• E-commerce: mapping of an online store.
• Service app: Mapping of online service with added value, e.g. in terms of response time and security.

Two possible scenarios for an app for employees to digitize business processes:

• Sales, Human Resources: Input and query of orders, feedbacks, etc.
• Controlling devices (IoT): managing multiple devices through one app.

Be sure to answer these questions before having an app developed:

Question 1: Performance.

Is it a utility app that solves specific tasks (e.g., performs some measurements or calculations) or a graphics-intensive app (a game or a video editor app)?

This question gives a first indication regarding performance requirements. For a resource-intensive project, such as a mobile game, a Native App is better suited, while a Hybrid App is ideal when an existing website needs to be “packaged” into a mobile format.

Question 2: Target audience

Who is the target audience and what benefits does the app offer to this group of users?

You should know the users of your app. Different groups expect different types of design and are used to different types of UI/UX elements.

Question 3: Marketing

How can the app be communicated and marketed to the target audience?

Should the app be subscription-based, use a one-time payment for lifetime access, or be broken into packages that are purchased separately? The right monetization model can have a big impact on how the app is used by customers.

Question 4: Maintenance and development

Are resources sufficient for both development and maintenance, upkeep, and support of the app?

Apps or mobile apps are created for applications on a smartphone or iPad. A “human centered design” is particularly important for this type of software. It is essential to focus on this usage reality as early as the conception stage. Only when all requirements are clear, soxes can advise you competently regarding the app development.

The app developers at soxes build three different types of professional mobile apps:

1. Native App Development: Native apps are developed for a specific operating system, such as iOS and Android. Native apps offer high performance by directly controlling the hardware of the device. The usability of native apps is also very high, as designs are perfectly adapted to the respective operating system.
2. Web App Development: Web Apps, on the other hand, are websites with the features of Native Apps, such as push notifications or camera access. They are implemented using classic web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript across platforms. Web apps, unlike traditional websites, are equipped with caching mechanisms so that the web app can be accessed even when offline.
3. Hybrid App Development: Hybrid app frameworks like ReactNative have a Native App Container where the app is written using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. The interfaces of the App Container can be used to control the hardware just like a Native App. The big advantage is that, as with the web app, only one code base is needed for all operating systems.

Many well-known clients in Switzerland have had apps developed by soxes over the last 20 years. Our customers appreciate our high quality in the areas of app design and development. Many also rely on the expertise of soxes for the support and maintenance of the app after the initial project has been completed.

Among other things, soxes has developed a practical customer service app for Electrolux AG, with which users can call up thousands of instant help tips for household appliances. This is a native app. Furthermore, soxes is responsible for the development of the Android mobile app for the communication and management solution instaSOLUTION.

You have an idea for an app? As an app agency in Switzerland with many years of experience, soxes provides your company with competent and comprehensive advice when it comes to your next app project. At soxes, you will not only receive professional advice on feasibility and implementation, but also on user experience (UX) and interaction design.