1. Why MicroApps are an emerging development trend to watch in 2017
1/30/2017 3:10:42 PM
Why MicroApps are an emerging development trend to watch in 2017
Messenger Apps,Microapps,Rapid App Development
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App Developer Magazine
Enterprise

Why MicroApps are an emerging development trend to watch in 2017


Monday, January 30, 2017

Paul Swaddle Paul Swaddle

With SMEs(Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) emerging every day, the apps world has seen a swift growth in the enterprise apps category. MicroApps help users restructure, streamline, and in turn manage a crucial business processes. MicroApps provide a highly focused, task-based functionality that let users access the app, interact and then close the app all with maximum efficiency.

The new wave of MicroApps that is emerging can be both intelligent and context-aware. The platforms that support MicroApps can range from interactive Slack and Facebook Messenger bots to Google’s interactive answer boxes, such as weather and flight apps as well as traditional mobile OS. Although the MicroApps are typically single purpose, they use a combination of straightforward user interfaces and context.

App developers are tasked with delivering enterprise applications to mobile users as well as being challenged with delivering a mobile app that suits the enterprise’s functionality requests in a limited time span and delivering the mobile apps with the highest quality user experience. Micro services can also be easily integrated into multiple systems, MicroApps can present them as easily consumed user interfaces, and the system flows allow users to complete tasks simply and quickly

Enterprise companies are the biggest adopters of MicroApps, as components to integrate and interweave in a single installable application to fulfill workstream-level needs for employees is seen as the most beneficial solution. The end goal should be to deliver full-scale competitive applications that enable a user to be more effective and more productive, incentivizing them to use these applications instead of other apps that are not guaranteed to follow security requirements. MicroApps offer the perfect balance: enterprises can build dozens of niche solutions, from backend services all the way to a crafted front-end UI, and integrate them together to build full-scale solutions for their users as they would think of doing with micro services.

MicroApps are commonly based on HTML and load dynamically and they typically bypass app stores and loading directly into existing communication tools, like the aforementioned Slack and Facebook Messenger. However, HTML is not the only app development tool worth considering in 2017. Telerik and Xamarin are both used as frameworks that are focused on enabling developers to create cross-platform mobile applications with native UI and shared, common code across all platforms offering a speedy and lower cost route for rapid deployment.

The popularity in mobile apps is not lessening and therefore enterprises need to find new, innovative methods to test and learn quickly what will make an impact for their business and MicroApps are a way forward for enterprises to get success out of the mobile strategy.
 
The ability to quickly download interactive micro apps directly into messengers and even search results is quickly gaining traction, and is definitely one of the trends to watch out for in 2017. Due to MicroApps having the capability to do one thing, exceptionally well, enterprises should consider MicroApps as the way forward for 2017.

This content is made possible by a guest author, or sponsor; it is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of App Developer Magazine's editorial staff.

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