Mobile apps are much like people. Though they are all bound by some universal qualities in their layout, each individual app tosses in its own spice of authenticity to make it stand out from the rest of the crowd. The trickiest task for deciding on which framework you want to partner with is evaluating its caliber of adaptability to your design and rhythm whilst assembling a mobile app. Here are some variables that you may want to mull over while working on your app project.

Programming Languages

The language of a program is what embroiders the fabric of the project ahead. Without a recognizable coding sequence, you might as well use pebbles and stones to construct your framework. Using in-house designers and programmers is one way to develop an app. Those designers and programmers will already have an established preference for designs and programs. Choosing a framework that uses the tools and languages your programmers know is of utmost importance if time is of the essence. Consider the degree of difficulty for app modifications and upgrades as you execute your design and programming.

User Interface (UI) and Themes

These are both design considerations that will need your input throughout the design process. A theme is a design element that is carried out throughout the application on every screen of the application. User interface and user experience are often plastered together and they consider both the effectiveness of format and the smoothness of the experience. Both themes and UI/UX ultimately serve to appease the end user, your customer, in his/her interaction with the app framework. Like a grand architectural design, UI lays out the blueprint of the structure and secures its stability, UX carves and colors the exterior of the structure, and a theme is produced when the end product has been reached.

Responsiveness

We don’t live in the dial-up era anymore. The speed at which mobile

apps load and process information is accelerating at a tremendous rate. One constant factor in all this are the consumers that you will try to reach out to. People have always been, are, and always will be busy. They need everything snip-snap. Without a responsive design that quickly produces answers and scrolls smoothly and swiftly within a page, the app will run your business into a costly rut.

Extensibility and tools

This is a pesky topic when dealing with framework. Extensibility and tools are scattered all over the internet. Some are more mainstream than others and some serve as better utility than others as well. Publicity and functionality are not mutually exclusive and thus can overlap. Using a framework that can be easily applied to give your application the next new widget or viral look should be considered. A framework that grants you tools which allow the user to add plug-ins or gives other developers application program interfaces (API’s) to apply your application to their needs should also be weighed in. API’s can be purchased or licensed to give you a new revenue stream on your application.

Documentation

A framework is only as good as the documentation that it embodies. Consider all the upgrade and modification possibilities for the app in a future date. The ease of upgrading the app and the usability of the framework will surely be a daunting undertaking for your team if the documentation does not indicate what you can do with it.

Community Development

Two heads are better than one. A framework that revolves around a large community of developers will obviously have more potential that a smaller one because the larger community will harbor more effort and input. Moreover, the large community will outlive the small community because the latter is more likely to dwindle and fade away. Participating in large community developments enhances the probability of getting your questions answered, access to tools in demand, and makes your application more secure and extensible as updates and upgrades get pushed out.

What is the Best Framework for a Mobile App?

Before you contemplate the best framework for a mobile app, you will need fundamental knowledge of the goal of your app and how it goes about in executing it. Frameworks’ compatibility with certain types of applications range from shopping front-ends at an online store to music recording and editing to communications between people or businesses. No matter what kind of application you have there is a looming framework that will best suit its purpose. Before selecting a framework you need to piece together the variables above, but you may also need to look at other available frameworks to see if one fits your application. Below are some of today’s most popular titles:

Ionic: Used to develop beautiful open-source front-ends using a hybrid mobile and web technology with HTML5.

Mobile Angular UI: Helps you create interactive mobile applications with responsive media queries, overlays and sidebars that are often overlooked in a framework, and AngularJS directives that create awesome mobile user experiences.

Intel XDK: A cross platform framework for Linux, Windows, and Mac developers. They include a number of templates and UI frameworks to get you started. They may have an easier drag and drop approach but this method leaves a lot of unused code lying about.

Appcelerator Titanium: Gives you the ability to create a transformative mobile application using an open source application framework for creating apps for several platforms at one time.

Sencha Touch: Another HTLML5 application framework for developing apps for multiple platforms. If you want the same look and feel across platforms then this is the framework to use.

Finding a mobile application framework for your situation may be the hardest stage of the game when it comes to your new application. The application and customer will tell you some of what you need in the path of user interface, user experience, and overall design. Narrow your options by considering the future of your application, who will be upgrading and providing fixes, whether it needs to have an API, and how extensible you want the app to be for your customers. Remember that if you want to enjoy the view of your new house, you will have to size out your windows, curtains, and blinds first.