Defining TTM and Backend-Driven UI
In business, as in life, timing is everything, especially in the hyper-competitive world of mobile apps. Shortening time to market (TTM) can mean the difference between becoming the industry standard or a marginal copycat. TTM is the critical period between a product’s initial ideation and its availability for the public to download or purchase. And while it may seem most crucial for market disruptors or category creators, any serious launch should strategize on–and typically seek to minimize–TTM. It’s a simple way to reduce costs, particularly on labor, in the pre-launch phase while also making sure that your product doesn’t miss its critical window for widespread adoption into the mainstream.
One of the newly popular ways to reduce TTM as a mobile app developer is to implement Backend-Driven UI (BD UI), also known as Backend-Driven Development or Server-Driven UI.
Without getting into too much detail, this term refers to the development of frontend applications with dynamic navigations and behaviors based on server responses. This style of development helps to facilitate easier A/B testing, minimize waiting on App Store releases, and lower the dependence between core models and views. Taken in conjunction, these and other benefits of implementing BD UI can speed up TTM for many mobile app developers. It's especially valuable for project scenarios with a high frequency of UI changes, where user personalization is crucial and real-time interface updates are essential to the user experience.
Content Overview
- Section I: Traditional Frontend-Backend Model
- Section II: Backend-Driven UI Explained
- Section III: Limitations to BD UI
- Section IV: Effects on TTM
Section I: Traditional Frontend-Backend Model
As we know, frontend development focuses on the visual & interactive components of an app that users experience, while backend development creates the app’s overall structure, system, data, and logic.
Traditionally, these roles were strictly separate, each with its own specialist working in a silo on their own half, and this separation of roles and powers in the creative process can have a serious impact on TTM. Frequently, frontend is referred to as “client-side,” with the underlying assumption that the more technical, behind-the-scenes backend must accommodate and cater to the needs of the public-facing user interface and experience.
When we say that frontend development focuses on the interactive elements of a page or app, we might more specifically refer to the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). These design elements make up your app's visual look and feel, including but not limited to layouts, colors, buttons, and other interactive touchpoints.
A well-crafted frontend is the public face of your product, enhancing both user engagement and satisfaction.
On the other side of the proverbial coin, backend development deals with the server-side logic, databases, and APIs that make the app function and connect with the wider web. The backend could include data processing, authentication, and managing user accounts. When the backend and frontend teams do not collaborate effectively, a multitude of issues can arise. For example, APIs may not be meeting frontend requirements, leading to compatibility problems and extending development timelines.
As explained, the consideration of visual and structural harmony is critical.
If the frontend development team is not strategically aligned with the backend developers, it can result in design elements that are challenging or even impossible to implement. In turn, the need to rework and make changes to the design or underlying elements on both sides causes delays and limits the ability to make changes or do A/B testing.
Disconnects between frontend and backend can be attributed to miscommunication, differences in technical understanding, or changes to the project’s scope. These disconnects often result in a cycle of revisions, where the frontend team must adjust their designs to accommodate backend limitations, and backend developers must make changes to accommodate frontend expectations. This back-and-forth can be time-consuming and frustrating, ultimately lengthening the TTM for a new product or a software update.
Section II: Backend-Driven UI Explained
Let’s take a closer look now at how BD UI works. BD UI involves not only the transfer of data from backend to frontend, but also crucial information about how this information should be rendered, its relationship to the data layer, and information about how the interface responds to user actions.
In the BD UI model, the client-side app typically consists of a basic UI framework that can render elements dynamically based on data received from the backend server. These flexible UI elements can include menus, forms, buttons, lists, and more.
When using the backend-driven approach, all UI rendering and logic is handled on the server side. In turn, this reduces the complexity of the client-side code and makes it both simpler, lighter, and more responsive. Because the server can tailor the UI elements and content based on user profiles and preferences using real-time data, BD UI also allows for a more dynamic customization and personalization of the UX.
When we compare this system to the traditional frontend-backend model, some key differences should be immediately apparent
For one, the traditional model relies on predefined UI structures that are not dynamic based on user behavior. Thus, changes to the UI require client-side code modifications, updates, and then redeployment. BD UI is more flexible in allowing for changes to the UI without the requirement for any client-side code updates.
Additionally, A/B testing is more challenging in the traditional development model, and may once again require client-side code modifications and redeployment. Another key difference to note in these models is the handling of security measures. Client-driven UI, as the name implies, implements security measures on the client-side, thus requiring extra effort from the organization to stop threats of hacking or tampering. With BD UI, there is centralized control on the backend over UI logic and security, reducing the risk of client-side tampering.
When choosing which approach is right for your organization, it is also key to remember where your development resources lie.
A BD UI approach requires a more robust investment into backend development.
This would include fully designing APIs, server-side UI generation, and real-time capabilities. Frontend development could then proceed in parallel once API contracts are defined. In the client-driven method, frontend and backend development can proceed more independently while requiring coordination for UI updates. As previously mentioned, any changes to the UI often involve coding adjustments to both frontend and backend.
Section III: Limitations to BD UI
Though BD UI does offer some benefits, this working model is not right for everyone.
Given that more work is necessary on the backend, startup costs are higher, which accordingly means a higher financial risk for investors. In general, BD UI demands a more robust backend infrastructure with higher data processing capabilities. This can in turn lead to an excess of burden being placed on backend engineers to solve issues that might otherwise be solved collaboratively under the traditional frontend-backend system.
Just as importantly, BD UI can limit creativity and flexibility in design. As all elements must already be present in the backend architecture, making unforeseen changes a challenge down the line. In a similar vein, the universality of BD UI across different platforms (i.e. desktop, tablet, and mobile) can also be a drawback, as some interface elements and functions are truly limited to mobile devices and require special attention.
When your server only has properties that work across all platforms, your business might miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of features unique to different devices. When BD UI is first being implemented, it can also be challenging to establish in a contract with the backend developers precisely what will be necessary. Components, interdependent elements, nesting, styles, formatting… all these elements have to be determined and set from the backend.
One of its most significant drawbacks is that data and user interface are combined in a single response when using BD UI. This means that when viewing a listing screen, the user interface must be fetched, and the user sees a blank screen while they wait for the server to load the UI and data. This is a step backward from the traditional approach where the UI is already embedded into the app and does not need to be loaded.
Section IV: Effects on TTM
So how exactly does BD UI shorten TTM? Examining all the information we’ve seen thus far, the effect can mainly be attributed to increased responsiveness, eliminating bottlenecks in the development process, and increasing scalability solutions.
As we know, BD UI allows for dynamic customization and personalization of the UX, meaning that the server can tailor the UI elements and content based on user profiles, preferences, and real-time data.
Additionally, BD UI offers the significant advantage of being able to make real-time updates to the UI. For example, new images or buttons can be dynamically added to the thread without requiring a user to close or refresh the app. These capabilities lead to a simpler and more responsive client-side code, given that much of the UI logic and rendering is handled from the server side.
When applied to a startup, using the BD UI method means that your company can focus more on developing and optimizing the client-facing elements of your product without needing to spend so much time coordinating with the backend.
Another way that BD UI can eliminate some of the typical bottlenecks in development is by allowing for cross-platform consistency. BD UI works consistently across all different platforms (web, mobile, and desktop) because the logic for UI rendering resides on the server. Therefore, any changes or updates can be deployed universally without the need to change client-side code for each individual platform. Once again, this shaves considerable time in launching a product or change to the market.
A final key consideration in using BD UI for your business is scalability. Because the backend is managing UI generation in this system, an organization can scale horizontally and effectively handle higher user loads by simply adding more servers.
Section V: Competitive Market Dynamics
Clearly, implementing BD UI does offer some advantages in shortening TTM for mobile apps.
But why is this so important? The tech industry moves exceptionally fast, and the competition is fiercer than ever. It’s no secret that being the first to launch a new product or feature typically provides a significant advantage.
Being first allows a company to establish dominance in the market, gaining market share and potentially dominating their sector.
In tech, the longer your organization takes to release a product, the greater the risk of changes in market conditions, competitors, or even trends. And as mentioned previously, a prolonged development cycle can lead to increased costs on personnel and infrastructure. More rapid development and release–aided by BD UI–can help to ease these risks for your business.
But beyond mitigating risk, it’s also about creating a competitive advantage through brand positioning and market validation. Technology consumers want access to the latest features and updates as quickly as possible, and a shorter TTM allows companies to iterate and improve their products more frequently, staying ahead of ever-evolving user wants and needs.
A quicker launch provides the opportunity for market validation, allowing the team to test its assumptions and gather real-world feedback based on actual user experiences.
Additionally, investment opportunities are often tied to tight timelines, and a strong TTM track record is considered essential when exploring new funding sources.
Consider implementing BD UI–it could be the choice that skyrockets your business to success.