Browser-based vs desktop app in Figma - Practice Questions

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Key difference between browser-based and desktop BI apps

Which statement best describes a key difference between browser-based and desktop business intelligence applications?

A Browser-based apps have more powerful data processing capabilities than desktop apps.

B Browser-based apps run on any device with a web browser without installation, while desktop apps require installation on a specific device.

C Desktop apps can only be used offline, while browser-based apps always require an internet connection.

D Desktop apps cannot connect to cloud data sources, but browser-based apps can.

💡 Hint

Think about how you access apps on your phone or computer without installing anything.

Browser-based BI apps run inside web browsers and do not need installation, making them accessible on many devices. Desktop apps need to be installed on each device.

🎯 Scenario

intermediate

Choosing between browser-based and desktop BI apps for remote teams

A company has a remote team using different devices and operating systems. They want easy access to BI dashboards without complex setup. Which app type is best?

A Browser-based app, because it works on any device with a browser and no installation is needed.

B Browser-based app, but only if all users have the same operating system.

C Desktop app, because it has more security features by default.

D Desktop app, because it offers better offline access.

💡 Hint

Consider ease of access and device variety for remote users.

Browser-based apps are ideal for remote teams with diverse devices because they require no installation and run on any modern browser.

❓ visualization

advanced

Visualizing performance differences between app types

You want to create a dashboard comparing load times of browser-based vs desktop BI apps across different network speeds. Which visualization best shows this comparison clearly?

A A line chart showing load time on the Y-axis and network speed on the X-axis for both app types.

B A pie chart showing the percentage of users preferring each app type.

C A stacked bar chart showing total users by app type.

D A scatter plot showing user satisfaction scores without network speed data.

💡 Hint

Think about how to show changes over a continuous variable like network speed.

A line chart clearly shows how load times vary with network speed for each app type, making it easy to compare performance trends.

🔧 Formula Fix

advanced

Identifying a problem with desktop app data refresh

A desktop BI app is not showing updated data after the source changes, but the browser-based app updates correctly. What is the most likely cause?

A The browser-based app is not connected to the data source.

B The desktop app has a bug that prevents any data display.

C The data source is offline, so no app can update data.

D The desktop app is caching old data and needs manual refresh or restart.

💡 Hint

Think about how desktop apps handle data caching compared to browser apps.

Desktop apps often cache data locally and may require manual refresh or restart to show updates, unlike browser apps which fetch fresh data on load.

❓ data_modeling

expert

Optimizing data model for browser-based BI app performance

You are designing a data model for a browser-based BI app that must load quickly over slow internet. Which approach best improves performance?

A Load all raw data into the browser and perform calculations client-side for flexibility.

B Use complex joins and calculated columns in the browser app to minimize backend work.

C Use aggregated tables and pre-calculated measures to reduce data volume sent to the browser.

D Avoid any data aggregation and send detailed data to the browser for maximum detail.

💡 Hint

Think about reducing data size and processing before sending data to the browser.

Aggregating data and pre-calculating measures on the server reduces the amount of data transferred and speeds up browser-based BI app performance, especially on slow connections.