Hold the Rope is a mobile-first web experience. We’re focused on removing as many barriers as possible for users. A question we keep asking is, “How can we make it easy?” Wrestling with that question led us away from a native mobile app (at least for now) to a Progressive Web App (PWA).
Everyone with a mobile phone is accustomed to using native mobile apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play. You probably have over one-hundred native apps on your phone now. Some of them you use every day. Others, not so much. And when you learn about a new app, there has to be a compelling reason to search in the store (is it this one?), then download and install the app, which goes to the back of the line and takes five or six screen swipes to find.
This creates a barrier to entry and downgrades the initial user experience.
PWAs can be accessed directly from a URL delivered by a QR code or text prompt. There’s no need to go to the store and download a native app. A PWA uses technologies that run on the browser and allow it to take advantage of both website and native app features. This provides flexibility to developers and a better experience for users.
Like a website, PWAs are mobile-friendly and indexed for SEO. Like a native app, PWAs are installable, available offline, and connected to push notifications. They provide the best of both worlds and make the experience easy to access.
Our focus on the question, “How can we make it easy?” isn’t primarily about technology. It’s about engaging with God’s mission in the world. We want to make it easy for Jesus-followers to “hold the rope” by learning what God is doing among the nations, what still needs to be done, and how anyone can be a part.
If you like to learn more or be part of our early adopter community, click here to let us know.