Sencha (a division of Idera, Inc.), a provider of cross-platform application developer productivity tools, today announced the results of a global survey of web development professionals, revealing that data visualization is one of the most important capabilities in web application development. Of the 1,345 respondents, 78 percent confirm the need to visualize and analyze complex datasets is expanding.
The survey, conducted by Dimensional Research and sponsored by Sencha, represented a wide range of application development roles, geographies, job levels and experience.
The research also reiterated the importance of web applications for businesses of all sizes and industries. 94 percent said web technologies are critical to their organizations, while 79 percent expect to increase web technology investment in the coming year. In addition, 74 percent believe the criticality of web technologies has increased in the past year, with 44 percent characterizing this evolution as “significantly more critical.”
“These results overwhelmingly confirm web applications are here to stay as a top IT priority for modern business,” said Diane Hagglund, founder and principal of Dimensional Research. “As sophisticated, data-intensive web applications continue to proliferate, developers are seeking capabilities that can organize and analyze complex datasets with greater ease and efficiency.”
According to the study, companies increasingly view smartphone apps as a long-term solution for critical business processes, with 41 percent of respondents saying they are absolutely essential, up from 37 percent last year. There has also been a 20 percent increase in the number of mobile apps with an expected lifespan of more than five years. That said, the desktop apps continue to be the top ranked platform in the category, with 79 percent considering them absolutely essential, a two percent drop from a year ago.
“The results of this survey confirm that web technology is now the backbone of application development for most companies,” said Robert Warmack, director at Sencha. “These apps, distributed across multiple devices and browsers, provide businesses the performance and flexibility they need to meet quickly evolving market realities.”
Summary of key survey findings
Web technologies remain critical to business:
94 percent say web technologies are critical
74 percent believe the criticality of web technologies has increased in the past year
79 percent expect to increase investment in web technologies in the coming year
39 percent view application complexity as their top challenge
Mobile apps are increasing rapidly, but the desktop as a platform remains vital:
79 percent say desktop apps are absolutely essential, down from 81 percent last year
41 percent say smartphone apps are absolutely essential, up from 37 percent last year
There has been a 20 percent increase in the number of smartphone and tablet apps with an expected lifespan of more than five years
The need for data visualization continues to grow dramatically:
78 percent say the need to visualize and analyze complex datasets is expanding
Both D3 and Pivot Grids have seen a 25 percent increase in use within the past year
Demand for data visualization is shifting from back-end issues to user-issues
To access the full Dimensional Research survey report on “Trends in Web Technologies,” visit: http://communications.sencha.com/trends-in-web-technologies-sencha