With the omnipresence of mobile phones, several developers are now caught in a specific dilemma. There is a debate among developers about whether they choose the web development path or go for mobile development or both.
As per the data from 2021, the app market size amounted to approximately $188 billion. And it is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% between the forecast 2022 to 2030.
Below you will get an insight into mobile and web development to ensure that you are making the right decision.
The Web Development Overlook
The web development process involves the usage of code to develop and maintain the website’s core structure. The role of the web developer is to build a website that is functional, responsive, and friendly to users. It has to be based on ideas and concepts that are generated by the web designer. Web developers are also responsible to conduct quality assurance testing on their code to detect and eliminate bugs.
There are three categories in web development.
Front end: It focuses on the client side of the website. Everything that the user can see and interact with comes in this category.
Back end: It deals with anything that is going behind the scenes of the website that supports the front end, for example, the servers, applications, and databases.
And full stack: It is basically the combination of the front end and back end both and incorporates the elements of each one.
Job Duties of the Web Developer
- The developer has to work with the stakeholders to understand the website’s purpose and its look.
- Developers create and maintain the servers, APIs, databases, and website architecture.
- Designing the front end of the website and coding the front and backends of the website along with debugging the errors.
- Organizing the UI and UX principles
- Create the UI and navigate the menus plus update maintain and modify when needed.
- Incorporate multimedia, such as audio, video, graphic, and others into the website.
- Ensure access to the website on various platforms and devices including desktops, laptops, tablets, and others.
- Implement the protocol to secure data and test the speed, performance, and usability, of the website and make changes to optimize performance.
- Provide maintenance of the website and enhance it if required.
The Mobile Development Overlook
The main role of mobile app developers is to develop iPhone and Android app and maintain functionality and be user-friendly to use on mobile devices. Mobile app developers are mostly responsible for researching, designing, developing, and testing mobile applications before releasing them in the market.
And once the application has been published in the app store or Apple store, the developers must provide support by evaluating the app and identifying the problematic areas, and making the necessary updates.
Job Duties of the Mobile Developer
- The mobile developer must consult with the project manager or clients to understand the needs and requirements of the mobile applications.
- Develop a plan and collaborate with the teams to produce an app that meets the specification of the clients.
- Coding the app, testing to ensure that it runs smoothly on multiple devices, and eliminating existing bugs.
- Submit the reports to update the progress of the mobile app development process.
- Oversee the project and test the end product to ensure it works as intended and ensure that the mobile app meets the requirement.
- Generate the technical documentation and the tram to determine how to develop and improve future maintenance.
- Assess new and existing apps, identify the weakness, recommend improvements and implement them.
- Communicate with users to better understand their needs and experience.
- Perform maintenance and remain up to date on the development of mobile app trends and practices.
How Web and Mobile Development are Different?
Many people consider that the roles of the web developer and the mobile developers are practically substitutable but that is not the case. It is just a misconception. However, it is partially true that both of them are tech professionals who know how to code and plan and implement projects to meet the needs and wants of the clients but their jobs are not the same.
The whole intention and focus of the web developer are to create websites while on the other hand, mobile developers create applications that can only be used on mobile devices. People must have to download and install the application on their mobile phones or tablet through the app store to use the application. In the contrast, the viewer can see the website on any device that has the access to the internet, such as mobile phones, desktops, tablets, laptops, etc. The main point here is to understand that the internet is necessary to view the website while mobile apps are housed locally on your device if they have an offline facility.
The Outlook for the Web And Mobile Development Jobs
If you are thinking of starting a career, it is the best time whether you want to be a web developer or a mobile application developer. As per the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are going to be 17,900 web development jobs opening up every year from now until 2030 which is equal to the 13% growth rate of the market and significantly higher than the average growth from the other occupation that is assumed to grow not more than 8% in the next decade.
While the job outlook for mobile application development is much better. It is considered as the sub-category of software development which is assumed to grow at the rate of 22% in the upcoming years which will be equivalent to 189,200 jobs becoming available each year.
However, the salaries of web developers and mobile application developers will be based on their location, experience, and area of expertise, but they will tend to be lucrative career choices overall. As per the reports, the annual salary of front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers in the United States tends to range between $100,000 to 115,000. While mobile developers earn slightly more with an average of over $120,000.
Web Development or Mobile App Development? (As a Career)
Web development and mobile app development share a bit of common ground, but both are two separate career paths that appeal the people who have different interests and commands.
Mobile app development often tends to need a wider range of skills if compared to web development. And it makes mobile app development a better career to choose, especially for the ones who enjoy working on a variety of tasks throughout the day. Although the job responsibilities of web developers are much narrower than those of mobile app developers, especially if they are working on the front end and back end instead of working in the multi-faced full stack.
It is a very critical decision to make a choice but there are some things that will help you in understanding which one is best for you.
You can choose mobile app development if;
- You want to work in an exciting field that is expanding rapidly.
- You enjoy learning about the design, user experience, user interface, application programming interfaces, back-end computing, and multiple other varieties of programming languages.
- You are interested in creating a functional and user-friendly application for mobile devices.
If you are not finding yourself fond of the above-mentioned thing, then you can look for the web development career path if;
- You enjoy working on the creative and technical side.
- You want to improve how the users are experiencing a website.
- Or you are interested to create a beautiful, dynamic and functional website for the customers.
What Should You Choose? – Mobile Application Or Web Development (As a Business)
Although creating a website is much cheaper or less expensive than creating an app which makes it a suitable choice for the business, especially those who are in the startup position and have limited resources.
But, a responsive, mobile-friendly website is not able to offer all the features that you could provide the customers through the app. For example, if you want to offer customers access to native functionalities, you should invest in app development instead. Responsive and mobile-friendly websites are much better for businesses that do not require any real-time interaction with customers or those that don’t require any frequent updates.
If you want to build a mobile app rather than a website, then there are some conditions or situations where creating a mobile app will be a great idea.
- When the business or product required real-time interaction with the customers.
- The app can solve real problems for the customers, such as you can make it easier to purchase the product through the app or get customer support.
- If you have money and time to spend on the app creation.
- The app requires access to native mobile OS capabilities.
- The user needs a personalized experience.
Conclusion
The whole discussion above discussed the difference between the mobile app and web development. Whether you want to choose a career in web development of mobile app development, it is based on the skills you have, your expertise, interest, the average salary ration, and its importance and trends in the businesses.
Look out for everything before deciding which one is best for you – mobile app or web development.
