I am currently looking for a developer for a personal project that would require building both a new website and an application.
The application will allow users working from full sized PC’s and laptops to help troubleshoot the problems of other users working in the field from mobile devices. The application and the website will therefore, at least initially, share identical functionality which is simply given a different user interface depending on the device.
Later stages of the project will focus on greatly expanding the website, but only making relatively minor updates to the application. In terms of approaching the project I would be really grateful for recommendations and answers on the following:
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When developing apps that have shared functionality with a website does the website functionality need to be built first and then ‘fit’ onto the mobile platform, vice versa, or does each platform require its own development from the ground up?
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Would the website and the app both require their own individual developers, or is it acceptable to have a single developer do both?
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Are both the above completely subjective depending on what the project?
Have you considered building a web app?
A web app is essentially an HTML/Javascript web site which can be loaded on a phone an behaves like an app. Thus, you can have a “mobile version” of your website without the need of building a bespoke app (and saving money). Users can even save shortcuts to your website on their phones, so they can load it as any other app (you can even configure the website in such a way that whilst viewing it you get rid of the address bar and toolbar).
There are a lot of things that you can access via a web app, including:
Therefore usually there is no need to create a bespoke iOS app, unless you need to access such things like the microphone, video-camera or store things on the phone.
This would mean that you can have one developer (or one developer team) who would build the website and its mobile, “web-app” version.