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Technicalstandard
Should we build our mobile app natively or with a cross-platform framework?
How to approach it
Ask what the app needs: heavy device features and top performance favor native; speed of building for both platforms with a small team favors cross-platform.
How a strong answer opens
“I'd like to know what the app needs. Heavy use of device features and top performance favor native, while shipping on both platforms quickly with a small team favors cross-platform.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- Clarify product needs: performance, device features, design polish
- Native: best performance and platform feel, two codebases
- Cross-platform: one codebase, faster to ship, some limits
- Consider team skills and hiring
- Consider long-term costs of each
- Recommend for this situation and name what would change it
Where this question usually goes wrong
Declaring one approach always better instead of tying the choice to the product's needs and the team's skills.
Learn the method
Technical trade-offs in Module 6, Technical for PMs.
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