An Overview Of PWA

24 / May / 2017 by Amit Rai 0 comments

What is PWA?

Progressive Web App (PWA) is a web app, developed with features which give it an app like experience while browsing. PWA improves the user experience to the extent that users can feel the same as they do while using native apps.

Why PWA?

Progressive web app combines the features of both web and app thereby giving a pleasant experience during usage. We do not need any installation for PWA. User experience continues to improve each time a user visits PWA site because of its powerful features such as load-time for slow networks, push notifications, and add to home screen icon.

Key Features of a Powerful PWA:

  1. PWAs are not browsers. However, they are dependent on device and screen sizes. The site responds to all the combinations of the same experience.
  2. An app-like experience comes into picture the moment we start browsing it. We don’t need additional installations and downloads to start using a PWA. 
  3. PWA is installable as well. It allows a user to add the app on the homes creen with just a single click, thus making it readily available.
  4. Another dominant feature of PWA is offline usage. Browsing PWAs offline ensures that users get the same experience as they do online. This feature enriches the user experience profoundly.
  5. PWA is safe to use while browsing or performing transactions. It achieves this security by using ‘https’ as the communication protocol. 

Some points for Checking PWA properties:

  1. Website Schema verification: It is done using a structured data testing tool which helps in validating pictures, titles descriptions, etc. on the website.
    Browse the site on various devices with different screen sizes to ensure that it is responsive irrespective of devices or browsers.Add to Homescreen popup verification. Also, ensure that the popup does not appear at a time when the user is engaged in some activity. It can be done when the user visits the website for the first time; a popup can be prompted to add it to home screen.

  2. Offline usage verification: Verify the PWA after turning the network off to deliver the same experience as that of online. This step shows that PWAs cache data regularly and provides a better experience offline.

  3. Lighthouse Tool: A chrome extension which can quickly test the PWA and provide with performance results for the developed PWA. The tool also provides improvements which can be done to enhance the score of PWA.

As an end user, the experience of using a PWA is exceptional, and there is no need of installing an app to get an app-like experience. Just browse the site and get an amazing experience of a native app!


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