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Re: Mobile App vs. Mobile Website

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From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Jul 6, 2011 7:21AM

Thinking about my own use of mobile devices, it seems to me that I have a tendency to use an app to do something rather than use a web site to do something. If there is both an app and a site that allows you to do the same thing, I think I tend to use the app rather than the site--unless the app is not accessible.

I think that might be because accessible apps tend to be easier and quicker to navigate than sites. Most of the time with sites, I end up having to scroll or move by elements--like move through multiple headings to get to the heading I want. On an app, I can just touch the part of the screen that has the information I want or the field I need to fill out and I'm there.

I think that is one of the advantages of a touch screen user interface for the blind. If the UI is consistent, then once you know the app well enough to know where things are placed on the screen, you can just move straight to the piece of the UI you want. At least, it works that way for me.