Today, I’d like to continue my discussion of the top concerns when moving an application to the web. If you haven’t already read Part 1 of this post, here’s a link to get you up to speed.
There are two more issues that, while important for desktop apps, tend to require much more effort for web apps: security and loading times. Security is usually going to be a greater concern in web apps than desktop because of the greater accessibility of the application, the many known vulnerabilities of anything on the web, and the multitude of different browsers that exist. Load times are a similar situation: with desktop apps, it’s much easier to make something load quickly than it is on a web app; some things that you commonly do on desktop apps may simply not be viable in a web app. Both of these issues will undoubtedly impact testing.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the elephant in the room: mobile devices, tablets and other touch screens. While you may simply not support these devices with your application today, if you are, it suffices to say that you will have a whole new set of issues compounding the transition from desktop application to web. These will stem from the smaller screen sizes, their touchscreen interfaces, and the many different models of the various devices, each of which may have its own unique system quirks.
Even if you are not designing for mobile, however, you will want to keep it in mind when making your application, for two reasons. First, your users may, at some point in the future, want the application to be mobile-friendly. If you take this into account during your initial designs, you can save yourself a lot of time and money down the line by not choosing designs that will have to be totally scrapped and rebuilt for mobile. Second, users will inevitably attempt to access your application on a mobile device, regardless of the devices for which it was designed. While you may not officially support it, ensuring these devices have at least a usable experience may well be worth your time; you will make your users very happy when there is an emergency that they have to handle and they are nowhere near a traditional computer.
Ultimately, most of your issues when transitioning from a desktop application to a web app will boil down to the differences in user expectations and user experience. Users in desktop applications are used to being more controlled, and are more accepting of restrictions on usability. Browsers, however, give the user a much greater degree of freedom, and if you attempt to take it away, even if it is possible, your users will resist it – and that includes your users wanting to use your application in their browser of choice. The existence of mobile devices also adds an additional wrinkle to your design, whether you explicitly support them or not. If you pay close attention to the differences in user expectations and user experience when planning your transition, you’ll be one step closer to making a successful jump to the web.