Mobile Development

One of the first decisions you have to make when creating a mobile app, is which development approach you’re going to use. This involves choosing between the development of a native or a hybrid app. Both approaches have their pros and cons.

But with Leap Forward, you can be sure about one thing: we design mobile apps with and for the user. You can learn more about how we do this by delving into our KMSKA case, where we co-created a unique app for all kinds of visitors or you can take a look at the mobile app we created for Stad Antwerpen.

Native applications are created for specific platforms such as iOS or Android. A native app has better access to the platform’s available hardware. This ensures a smooth customer experience and makes your app future-proof: when new functionalities become available on the platform, it’s easier to integrate them into your application. However, because both platforms are using a different code language, you’ll have to develop two different apps, which costs extra time and resources.

Hybrid apps are basically webapp-like applications wrapped up in a native "shell", which makes them behave like native apps. It’s a good choice if you want to save time and trouble, because you’ll only have to create one app that works the same for multiple platforms. Using this approach, you’ll be dependent on a browser, which can have an impact on your app’s performance. For example, the app needs to have an internet connection in order to function.

At Leap Forward, we’re convinced that web technology has a lot of benefits: it’s open source and cross platform. Technologies like Capacitor and Ionic make web apps feel like native apps and gain big on efficiency.

The choice between native and hybrid apps all depends on your project, budget and business needs. Through user tests, research and co-creation we can find the right solution for your business.

Consumer-centred: we build apps from scratch, using intuitive design patterns and making sure every user can easily understand how to use it.

More happy customers: creating a customer-friendly app will make your clients happy and more likely to convert.

Accessibility: choosing the right framework for your app and offering a smooth mobile app experience will make it accessible for all kinds of users.