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10/02/2023
15 mins read

Building Authentic Cross-platform Products With Flutter Web Development

Cross-platform development is a recent trend. Cross-platform has a lot of great benefits for developers, so it's no surprise that they're excited about it. Google has joined this market with its new UI framework, Flutter.

The growing number of smartphone users worldwide has led businesses and start-ups in all sectors to think about robust mobile applications to survive in a highly competitive marketplace. And with the increasing benefits of cross-platform apps, there are a few technical reasons for companies to choose native app or web development.

Since the mobile app development industry has changed and grown so much over the years, there are now many different technologies that can be used to make cross-platform apps. But recently, Google's Flutter has emerged as one of the best options for developers and businesses to start using apps in just a few days.

1. Flutter for Web Development in 2022

Flutter is an effective way to manage teams working on a single code base for products that run on many devices and platforms. Flutter is good for web development when users want to easily access products from mobile or desktop apps.

Have you ever wondered what "flutter" is?

Flutter is a Google UI library that helps programmers make native, powerful, and beautiful apps for mobile devices. However, Flutter's goal is to create user interfaces for all screens, not just mobile apps.

Flutter web support provides the same mobile and web experience. Thanks to the mobility of Dart, the power of the web platform, and the flexibility of the Flutter framework, we can now build apps for the web alongside those for iOS and Android. Since this is the same Flutter framework and the web is another device target for the project, you can turn your existing Flutter code written in Dart into a web experience by compiling it.

And what does Flutter for web development in 2022 mean?

Stability and maturity:

Flutter for web development may not be as mature as Flutter for mobile. suitable for web development and commercially stable. Flutter Web support reached a stable level in March 2021.

Performance:

The app needs to cache, so you may experience a delay the first time you use it. The application is then loaded from the cache and works quickly. Your final app's performance will depend on the quality of your code and the size of your application.

2. What Web Products Can You Build with Flutter

Progressive Web App (PWA)

PWAs are similar to desktop and native applications. They are lightweight, responsive, and behave like normal websites. PWAs can also be used without an internet connection, and they don't have to be downloaded from the Play Store or the App Store.

Single Page App (SPA)

A SPA is a type of web application that loads dynamically updated web documents. Websites typically load new pages as users navigate through them. Due to its fast data rendering time, SPA is suitable for content-driven products.

Other web products that are built with Flutter include the Groupon app, eBay Motors, Hamilton Musical, Philips Hue, etc.

3. The Advantages of Flutter Web Development

Better team management

The biggest advantage of Flutter web development is the ability to share code between mobile, web, and desktop apps.

For example, instead of having two separate teams for native iOS and Android and then a third team for web projects, have only one team working on products for all three platforms.

For example, consider a meeting with only one team. Handle project Developers work more effectively, and resource utilization improves with the help of designers, who ensure that the view of web applications is user-centric through immersion, knowledge sharing, and transmission. It lets you know almost right away how hard it is to add a feature from the backlog to a certain platform.

Expansion of in-house development capabilities

Mobile developers can easily build for the web because the code is reused for web applications. This means that even a team without web development skills can use their experience in mobile app development to create a website using code from mobile products.

Focus on accessibility

Users increasingly expect to be able to access web apps. Ignoring product accessibility can lead to lawsuits. 2021 will see a record 11,400 lawsuits filed under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

With Flutter for Web, developers can write code that is small and quick to help make web apps that anyone can use. This is a growing requirement for government sites. Flutter's documentation details the accessibility features available.

4. Flutter Web App Development Considerations

Differences in screen size and data playback

The first thing to consider when developing a web app in Flutter is the difference in screen size between the desktop and mobile UI.

A desktop website can easily display a lot of content and have a clean, uncluttered layout. When the same amount of information is shown on mobile devices, the user experience is bad. So, the mobile design must change how the same information is shown on smaller screens.

Web apps can hold more information, but this information can also load slower than information on mobile devices. This means you don't have to render everything at once, as it slows down the page. I want filters and lists that scroll independently and only show content if it is visible to the user.

Data display to maintain familiarity

There are considerations for how much data Outpost can store on your desktop and how much can easily fit on your phone. to avoid a mismatch between the two user experiences (a departure from product familiarity). Also, consider her two product roles: website and app. Websites, for example, are data viewers, and apps are products with specific features that are made to do certain tasks.

Target Group Browser Support

Web apps built with Flutter won't run on all browsers, so you need to consider your target audience's browser.

However, Chrome and Edge are the default browsers for Flutter web and app debugging. Officially supported browsers that can run web apps built in Flutter include the following (these are both desktop and mobile browser versions):

  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Edge
  • Firefox

5. Where are the gaps, and how could Flutter Web be improved?

Poor SEO

For some products, a lack of SEO can be a big downside when it comes to marketing and customer acquisition.

More SDK support

Many SDKs have web support for developing better cross-platform products.

The first-time app usage record

You can improve the performance of the app when first using it for a better user experience.

3. Conclusion

In the last chapter of the Flutter Web App Development Guide, you can find a list of everything you need for your next project. Flutter has many built-in benefits for developers and business owners, but it also has some problems that can't be overlooked. Now you can choose to consider developing a Flutter web app or moving to another framework.

If you still have issues related to Flutter web app development that need to be addressed, feel free to contact us. Our team will listen to your concerns with understanding and work with you to address them.

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