The growing usage of mobile phones
Because more and more people are only using mobile phones to access their services, our client, a leader cyber-administration platform in Switzerland wants to provide mobile app features to its users.
A website with superpowers that looks like an app
Offline and low network capable, push notifications, geolocation, camera, fingerprint authentication, are features frequently used in our favorite mobile apps. Our client requests to benefit from these mobile device features as well on their website! Is that even possible? To figure it out we built a website as a proof of concept that would include all these features. It's called a Progressive Web Application.
Many benefits and much more to come
Based on W3C standards the website we built has mobile app like capabilities. We don't rely on a store like the App Store or the Play Store, this allows us to deploy faster and simpler, the same goes for development where we can spare some costs. Some features are not available to all mobile phones, yet standardization is moving at a high speed and should bring these features to all devices in a near future.
Progressive Web Apps
Launched in 2005 by Google, the progressive web apps (PWA) aim to optimize the user experience of mobile users. They aim to pool the advantages of native applications and traditional websites in terms of user expectations.
For users, PWAs are designed to provide an optimal, smooth, and simplified user experience. The first indisputable advantage is in the path of use. A classic native application must be found in a store, downloaded, installed, and then opened to be used. A Progressive Web App can be used directly on any device with a browser (smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop) and integrating many of the features available historically only on native Apps. Progressive Web Apps are also cross-platform they adapt to both iOS and Android OS.
Progressive Web Apps are similar to native mobile apps in functionality and appearance, making them user-friendly including app-like navigation and interaction. As for native app, the use in offline mode is possible in PWA. The same applies to the possibility to integrate geolocation functionalities, access to device sensors and background processing in service workers in a separate thread is possible as well
The limit is however franker when it comes to using notifications, as they are impossible in PWA in the Apple world (thank you to them!).
PWA are not only user friendly but also SEO Friendly. They can be indexed by Google. Most native apps don't have links to their content, so you can't share them. Meanwhile, in PWA, it is possible to reference and share URLs with everyone, even to google!
In addition, PWA are secure, HTTPS protects data from eavesdropping and identity theft. You don't have to worry about information security.
The Swiss cyber-administrationin a nutshell
The Swiss Confederation, the cantons, and the communes pursue a joint eGovernment strategy. By implementing the strategy, its aim is to achieve the following mission:
"eGovernment is a matter of course: transparent, cost-effective, and seamless electronic government services for the general public, businesses and the administration."
The eGovernment Strategy defined initially in 2007 was revised and the new strategy and adopted by the Confederation, the cantons, and the communes at the end of 2015 and 2019.
The mission statement is therefore: "Digital First".
The goal is for government agencies to offer their information and services electronically, wherever possible adapted for mobile devices. They improve access to their electronic service offerings, ensure that they are barrier-free, and rely on end-to-end electronic processes. However, the right to informational self-determination is safeguarded in the process.
Seven principles act as guidelines for projects under the future strategic implementation plan. They form the framework for implementing the activities to be undertaken in the four areas of action: interaction and participation, basic services and infrastructure, organization and legal framework, and trust and knowledge.
- Services and information tailored to the target audience
- Automated and integrated processes
- Common data management
- Openness and transparency
- Exchange and cooperation
- Standardization and interoperability
- Promoting innovation and monitoring technology
This makes PWA a perfect medium for the cyberadminitration!
