{"id":4994,"date":"2020-05-14T14:08:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T14:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techuz.com\/blog\/?p=4994"},"modified":"2024-03-20T10:41:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T10:41:32","slug":"custom-web-application-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techuz.com\/blog\/custom-web-application-development\/","title":{"rendered":"A Complete Guide to Custom Web Application Development"},"content":{"rendered":"

Web apps are everywhere. We\u2019ve been using dozens of them every single day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Just name it \u2014 Gmail, Twitter, Slack, Google Docs, Netflix, Fandango<\/a> \u2014 the list is endless. There\u2019s a web app for everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

This for consumers means convenience. Just type in the URL and they have a solution to their problem \u2014 make bank transactions, book a ticket, or stream shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

While for business, this means a whole new world of possibilities. <\/span><\/p>\n

You have the platform; you have the market; you have the audience \u2014 all you need is to execute your idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more than half a decade, as a\u00a0web development company<\/a>, Techuz has been developing custom web apps for startups and enterprises helping them to improve productivity and solve their users\u2019 problems.\u00a0 So we decided to shed some light on custom web application development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll give you an overview of what exactly web apps are, how they work, web app development process, what makes a good web application, and how to select the right tech stack for your web app. By the end of the article, you’ll have you’ll know pretty much everything you need to develop your own custom web application.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a custom web application<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the early 90s, the web and applications were two separate entities. The web was filled with static HTML text pages while applications were native software installed on operating systems. As new technologies were introduced, the web became more sophisticated, faster, and more productive, with better user experience, and eventually, dynamic web-based applications became the new normal.<\/p>\n

Defining Web Application<\/b><\/h3>\n

To put it simply, web applications are interactive programs that perform tasks over the internet. The users don’t have to install them on the device like native software, instead, they utilize the browsers to interact with the client-side application. The client-side app also known as the frontend <\/span>is powered by a server-side app and database which are part of the backend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suggested Read:\u00a0\u00a0Web Application vs Website – What’s the Difference?<\/a><\/div>\n

Understanding the \u201cCustom\u201d in Custom Web Apps<\/b><\/h3>\n

While all web apps can be made to provide a customized experience to users, custom<\/em> web apps, are focused on serving a certain market, audience, or enterprise needs. Custom web application development focuses on learning the needs, utilizing the technology that best fits them, and developing a tailored solution to address the specific problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this example.<\/span><\/p>\n

Google Docs is a web application. Users can jot down notes, create drafts, share them, invite others to collaborate, and it can be used by anyone in general who wants to create documents \u2014 students, authors, or project managers.<\/p>\n

Now let’s say you want to develop a document editor that serves a particular user base, and provides better options, features, and user experience than Google Docs. It may be for students where they can make notes and create flashcards, or for authors with better formatting options and features for style guides. Now, this web app made to address specific problems is a custom web application.<\/span><\/p>\n

The same goes for custom web apps for enterprises where the app is developed by understanding the particular needs of the company \u2014 their process, activities, and business model. A custom app helps them achieve their business goals way better than any off-the-shelf web application.<\/span><\/p>
<\/br>

Custom web application development process<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Any custom app development can be divided into five stages: ideation, planning, design, development, and test & launch. As your web app passes through each stage you\u2019ll see your idea getting more refined and tangible. Let\u2019s understand each stage in detail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Custom<\/p>\n

1. Ideation stage<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ideation is the stage where you do the homework \u2014\u00a0<\/span>refine your idea, research, and draft requirements<\/b>. It is the first as well as the crucial stage on which the entire development process depends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Refining idea<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Your idea is great, but you need to refine it and have a clear vision of what you expect from the project. This includes clearly defining the problem it will solve,\u00a0 the features and functionalities, the end goals of the project, and expected outcomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Market research<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s essential to perform research about your competitors and users. Check if any similar products exist in the market and get the data to improve your idea. You can perform competitive analysis by googling your idea and go through websites like Betalist<\/a> and Product Hunt<\/a> to find similar web applications.\u00a0 A usual competitive analysis should cover the following points:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Information about the product \u2014 features list, functionalities, pricing, market share, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. User information and demographics<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Information about companies and brands<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    All these will help you collect important data that you can employ to develop a better product with a unique selling proposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

    But what if your idea is completely new and there is no data for competitive analysis?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Even in that case, you need to perform market research. You can conduct surveys, use marketing tools to understand trends, or even develop a minimum-viable product develop a minimum viable product<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Numerous startups have successfully validated their idea using MVP,\u00a0 and it can be as simple as a landing page. In fact, many huge names in the industry began their journey as MVPs. You can go through some popular minimum viable product examples<\/a> and types if you are planning to develop one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Draft requirements<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

    Once you have collected the data, it\u2019s time to document it \u2014 draft an app requirements document<\/a>. An app requirements document or business requirements document is a plan for your web app. It contains the outline, goals, assumptions, functional and non-functional needs, and deliverables. This is used by the development team as a reference during the development process. It is a very important tool that ensures your idea and its requirements are translated exactly as you have envisioned.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/b>2. Planning\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

    You have the idea, you have the data, and know what needs to be developed \u2014it\u2019s now time to create a plan<\/em>. The planning phase includes directions for design, development, and project management. This ensures the smooth execution of the project. General project planning includes selecting the right technology stack, creating milestones and project sprints, allocation of resources, defining the user flow, app architecture, and wireframing & prototyping.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Technology stack<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

    A technology stack<\/a> is a combination of tools, frameworks, programming language, and database. Selecting the right stack has a direct impact on the application\u2019s performance and time to market. Things to consider while selecting a technology stack are performance, scalability, complexity of the project, level of security, budget, development cost, and time to market.\u00a0 The following are s<\/span>ome of the popular technology stacks used for custom web app development.<\/span><\/p>\n