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I don't understand why people think this is a huge friction point. Installing apps is comfortable, familiar, and easy for people. By comparison, finding a mob

I don't understand why people think this is a huge friction point. Installing apps is comfortable, familiar, and easy for people. By comparison, finding a mobile web application in the browser on a phone has significantly more friction.

mikeryan 10y ago
I might of not been clear, but my intent with the comment was to encompass the entirety of friction points involved in getting an app installed on a user's device, from discoverability on down.
- wvenable 10y ago
  True but there's additional friction on the web app side as well. At this exact moment without looking at my browser, I'm not sure how to add an app to the homescreen. How many users actually know how to do that implicitly?
btilly 10y ago
A lot of people in the real world don't want to install apps. Also I disbelieve on how hard it is to find a mobile web application on a phone. Find it once, save a shortcut to a web page on your home screen, and now it is as easy to launch as an app. I actually find this easier to do than it is to install an app.
- wvenable 10y ago
  > A lot of people in the real world don't want to install apps. A lot of just a specific subset of highly technical people? I don't think I've met anyone with an aversion to apps who also used a ton of mobile web apps. > save a shortcut to a web page on your home screen How many people did you lose at this point?
  - return0 10y ago
    - The study in the sibling reply shows 65% of users dont install any apps in a month. I would think technical people actually install more (for testing etc)! - Actually you don't lose anyone because browser history and address bar autocomplete are your friends. I dont think people care to save a shortcut, because they know they will be able to find it later.
    - wvenable 10y ago
      I'm a technical user and I haven't installed an app in a month. I've probably gone a few months without apps. I've used a few mobile websites and zero mobile web apps. I don't think it's fair to say that users who aren't installing any apps are actually going to mobile web apps instead. They're simply using what they already have. At some point I have all the apps I ever need for all the interactions I use my phone for. > Actually you don't lose anyone because browser history and address bar autocomplete are your friends. On the desktop sure, you might have a point, but interacting with a mobile browser to find stuff that way is not a good use experience. You think browser history and autocomplete is a substitute for a home screen icon? I don't know how to respond to that.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
unicornporn 10y ago
> I don't understand why people think this is a huge friction point. Because the numbers seems to indicate that. http://qz.com/253618/most-smartphone-users-download-zero-apps-per-month/ http://qz.com/253618/most-smartphone-users-download-zero-app...
russelluresti 10y ago
Because when you're browsing the web on your phone and you come to a page and you get a giant banner that says "HEY INSTALL OUR APP" what do you do? If you're 90% of the world, you hit the close button on that banner.
- wvenable 10y ago
  That's right. And yet I still have 5-6 pages of apps on my phone. So I don't understand your point.

mikeryan 10y ago

I might of not been clear, but my intent with the comment was to encompass the entirety of friction points involved in getting an app installed on a user's device, from discoverability on down.

wvenable 10y ago
True but there's additional friction on the web app side as well. At this exact moment without looking at my browser, I'm not sure how to add an app to the homescreen. How many users actually know how to do that implicitly?

btilly 10y ago

A lot of people in the real world don't want to install apps. Also I disbelieve on how hard it is to find a mobile web application on a phone. Find it once, save a shortcut to a web page on your home screen, and now it is as easy to launch as an app. I actually find this easier to do than it is to install an app.

wvenable 10y ago
> A lot of people in the real world don't want to install apps. A lot of just a specific subset of highly technical people? I don't think I've met anyone with an aversion to apps who also used a ton of mobile web apps. > save a shortcut to a web page on your home screen How many people did you lose at this point?
- return0 10y ago
  - The study in the sibling reply shows 65% of users dont install any apps in a month. I would think technical people actually install more (for testing etc)! - Actually you don't lose anyone because browser history and address bar autocomplete are your friends. I dont think people care to save a shortcut, because they know they will be able to find it later.
  - wvenable 10y ago
    I'm a technical user and I haven't installed an app in a month. I've probably gone a few months without apps. I've used a few mobile websites and zero mobile web apps. I don't think it's fair to say that users who aren't installing any apps are actually going to mobile web apps instead. They're simply using what they already have. At some point I have all the apps I ever need for all the interactions I use my phone for. > Actually you don't lose anyone because browser history and address bar autocomplete are your friends. On the desktop sure, you might have a point, but interacting with a mobile browser to find stuff that way is not a good use experience. You think browser history and autocomplete is a substitute for a home screen icon? I don't know how to respond to that.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

unicornporn 10y ago

> I don't understand why people think this is a huge friction point. Because the numbers seems to indicate that. http://qz.com/253618/most-smartphone-users-download-zero-apps-per-month/ http://qz.com/253618/most-smartphone-users-download-zero-app...

russelluresti 10y ago

Because when you're browsing the web on your phone and you come to a page and you get a giant banner that says "HEY INSTALL OUR APP" what do you do? If you're 90% of the world, you hit the close button on that banner.

wvenable 10y ago
That's right. And yet I still have 5-6 pages of apps on my phone. So I don't understand your point.