Imagine that you have a web app idea that could disrupt the market and win the users’ hearts. So if you want to turn your vision into a fully functional product, the web application development process should be addressed carefully and can not be neglected.
Web applications have several benefits when compared with other softwares. These include no limitations, more accessible updates, fewer compatibility issues, lower investments, and web apps that can run on multiple platforms. If there is a partnered team to provide web application development services, strategize with them to stay ahead in the market.
This guide highlights the best practices involved in web application development. Whether you just want to enhance your current app development process or like to learn from scratch, this guide will always be helpful.
Idea conceptualization:
This is the first step of development and one of the most important ones. You must know and understand the basic functionalities of the application with a clear scope of work.
This step is about thoroughly understanding the application’s idea. As every idea solves a client’s problem, you must validate the property. Correctly check if the concept can address the issues of its users and think from the users’ perspective to understand the situation better.
Market research:
Once you have a specific idea about what you are targeting, dig deeper into the concerned market niche. Focus on the higher-level problems to completely understand the challenges so you can streamline your tasks accordingly.
There are a couple of areas where you will be focusing. If there is a similar product on the internet, you can understand the competition and devise solutions accordingly. And if there are no competitors, no one is serving in your concerned areas.
Market research is essential as it impacts some areas of high importance, such as promotions, pricing, and web application design.
You can conduct market research in various ways, such as simply googling the idea. Furthermore, you can check your users’ social media or interview the target audience to know more about it.
Kick-off:
Before starting with the actual development of the project, the whole team must gather and organize a project kick-off meeting. This way, the team will be able to learn about their role in the project as well as the roles of others in the group. A team meeting can ensure that everyone is on the same page,
A kick-off call will also help get updated about the communication tools, meeting schedules, and other updates about the development process.
Specify the functionalities:
The functionalities of your web application define what the app does and how it works, making it really important. This part includes everything from the actions and all the interactions of a user. With time, there will be a surge in the inclusion of features. Therefore, you will have to work according to the updates. Do not add many elements in the starting phase, as it will create complications during the development. Those additional features can be added in the future. Some basic functionalities that should be in the web app are the logging feature, user account, referral code, payment feature, and content language.
Wireframes & mockups:
Design is one of the most crucial parts of the development process. The visuals of the application should be highly compelling and must be able to grab the user’s attention. Begin with low-fidelity mockups so that you know if the idea can resonate with the consumer base. Designers start by designing the web app with tools such as Mockitt. Buttons, forms, icons, and branding are some factors to be considered to build a better user interface. The designers should be clear about placing images, videos, and buttons.
If you work with external parties, you will have to double-check the work with the clients to see if you are on the same page.
There can be different versions for the application design to improve the design for enhanced and improved user interfaces.
Development:
When starting with the project’s development phase, developing the most suitable framework to address all your project needs is essential. You can go with the agile framework as it can speed up the process and provide cheaper solutions. One of the most significant advantages of developing your project with the agile approach is that you can deliver value at the same time.
Web development is divided into two parts: the front and back.
Talking about front-end development deals with the client side of the development and includes the elements that the user can see and interact with. To work with the front, one should have a piece of good knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Next, the backend deals with the server-side of the application, and not to mention that it is one of the biggest challenges of the application development process. PHP, Python, and Node js are one of the best programming languages. Express, Flask, Laravel, and Django are some of the most popular frameworks for the back-end development of a web application.
Whether you are working with an in-house development team or an outsourcing agency, the cost amount will increase according to the people involved in the process.
Application testing:
Once your idea gets in good shape after development, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is working correctly. Testing is really important to ensure that the application works in a user-centric and enhanced manner. Moreover, there is no other way than testing to ensure the performance of the application.
There are many types of testing to ensure the performance of the various aspects of an application, such as usability testing, security testing, quality assurance, bug testing, multiple browser testing, compatibility testing, and more. This way, you can also enhance the application and fill up the places that require improvements. With the help of automation testing tools, you can further ease the testing process and speed up the release of a quality product.
Deployment:
The final step will be the deployment of the web application. For that, there is a wide range of tools that help in the deployment of the web application. These include Jenkins, Bitbucket, Beanstalk, Gitlab, etc. With these tools by your side, the application can be quickly deployed to the server and will be ready to use.
Conclusion:
Now you must have understood the process of a web application, and with that completion, support and maintenance should be the next thing to be considered. The most critical step is to choose a web development team with the potential to build the best version of your idea while adhering to the process. So, with all these considerations, you can ensure the place of your web app at the top of the industry.
