A 15-Step Guide to Creating a Web App
So, how can you create a web app that meets, if not surpasses, user expectations?
Users have high expectations as a result of easy access to technology and increased screen time.
Performance, creativity, flexibility, security, and scalability are desired across all online experiences.
It would be best if you met these expectations as a web application development service provider.
Otherwise, you will remain behind.
So, how can you create a web app that meets, if not surpasses, user expectations?
You can begin with the 15 steps listed below.
But first, let’s clarify what a web app is, how it works, and what its advantages are:
What exactly is a web app?
A web app allows a user to engage with the app through the browser, allowing for the development of a multi-channel app that can interface with multiple target platforms such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, or desktop computers.
Well-designed web apps are also responsive, which means they respond to the screen size and device being used.
Google Docs is a web application. Trello is as well.
The advantages of a web app over a mobile app
- Responsive designs allow you to reach out to people on any device.
- Because web applications are browser-based, you don’t need to download them.
- As a result, web apps do not require device storage.
- less costly to build and maintain with shared code and no need for native app development.
- Reduced development time and the ability to reach Android and Apple users result in a shorter time to market.
- Even though you can use cross-platform development, the apps must be packaged and deployed separately.
- You just have one task to do with a web app.
- Everyone can use a web app once it’s launched.
Web applications are also important in engaging users and generating mobile app downloads — an important step in converting casual users into engaged users.
Web app types
- Static Web Apps: These web apps send pre-rendered, cached content to the user’s browser and don’t allow customization. Some users don’t believe static webpages to be “apps” because of their lack of interactions. A marketing landing page is a similar type.
- Dynamic Web Apps: Dynamic Web Apps generate code in real time using server-side and client-side processing, allowing the page presentation to change each time a page is refreshed or new input is entered. A blog is a popular example.
- eCommerce App: A dynamic web app that allows for browser-based purchasing. An eCommerce web app controls the database of items, orders, and payments. Even companies like Amazon offer both online and mobile purchasing apps.
- A portal online app allows users to log into a secure or gated area for services, unrelated apps, or connections. Google, which provides search, email, and other services, is an example of a website.
- Content Management System Web App A content management system (CMS) enables people to create content without requiring technical skills. CMS examples are WordPress.com (for creating blog content) and Canva (for creating design content).
- Progressive Web App (PWA): A progressive web app (PWA) is a website that looks and behaves like a mobile app. When creating a progressive web app, both mobile app development and web app development approaches are used.
After learning about the benefits of web apps and the many types of web apps accessible, the next step is to learn about the steps of creating an app and launching a strategy that meets the demands of today’s customers.
15 steps to creating a web app in 2023
A. Ideation Stage
The process of creating a new product (NPD) always begins with the transformation of a concept into a useful product.
Staying user-centric, focused, passionate, and flexible during the ideation stage of the product delivery lifecycle may help set the stage for creating the right product and the ideal one.
We will build ideas, study those ideas, and flesh out the basic functionality of what your app will perform and how it will separate itself from the competition throughout the ideation stage.
1. Source an idea
This stage is much more than just coming up with solid concepts that are ready to be used.
Instead, focus on brainstorming sessions in which solving issues take priority, creating fresh and untested ideas that may eventually be selected.
The customer-problem-solving approach to thinking starts with the idea that if you have a problem, others may be having the same issue.
You may explore items to solve this pain point (the problem) if you can identify and explain it.
2. Research your target market and competition.
User research is a vital beginning point for each product.
The team needs an objective and accurate understanding of the user, the user problem, the scale of the issue (how many people face it), and the competition for possible ideas.
During the market research stage, understanding the user and the competitors will help determine the technical direction of the web app.
3. Identify key functionality and features of the web app.
In today’s fast-paced world, speed, but so is designing the appropriate product.
At this point, we want to explore the key question: what does the web app do?
To prioritize key features and functionality of the web app, use the MoSCoW method to identify all of the features (major and minor) that you want:
- Mo — Must-have features
- S — Should have features
- Co — Could have features
- W — Won’t need features
These elements will be used in later planning, for the feedback stage of wireframing and prototyping, and finally for the minimally viable product (MVP).
This lean product has the basic functionality and features needed to get the product into the hands of early users.
B. Designing UX & UI Stage
Understanding user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) — including how they are connected and how they each affect design choices at this stage of web app development — is the first step in designing the web application.
The user interface (UI) is concerned with the look of the web app, covering design issues such as colors, fonts, location, and general design.
The goal of UI design is to create an aesthetically pleasing UI for the user.
User Experience (UX) handles how users interact with an app by identifying what the user wants and how he or she feels.
UX design is open-ended, asking at each step what the user could want, need, or feel and how to make them feel better and reduce pain in the experience.
While trends affect UX and UI (see 2022 UX trends and 2022 UI trends), both involve questions about the user, the user journey, and testing.
4. Create a user journey map.
The user journey map shows the user’s progression across the web app over time.
It tells the story of the user’s experience and puts the user at the forefront of the mind.
By mapping each step of the user (or customer) journey, it is possible to better understand the motivations, demands, and obstacles that users face — and how improved UX design may help them overcome these roadblocks.
5. Wireframe the app.
Wireframes are digital representations of the future app’s visual concepts.
They define the structure, hierarchy, and connection of the product’s components.
Take the wireframe to be the “sketch” or “design” for the app, covering both the front and back ends of how the mobile app will appear and perform.
The wireframe part might include graphically creating the back-end database to offer a lot of imagery for development.
It may also include test code parts to examine how they work.
6. Create a clickable prototype
By adding more interaction to the created wireframes, the completed prototype can look and function like the actual web app.
This possible quality of interactivity and increased UX features simulate the user experience, allowing for useful feedback on functionality, design, and the user experience before the complete development process begins.
7. Graphic design
Visual design is an important way of experiencing design that focuses on the app or website aesthetics.
UI designers design mockups that show how the app would appear at this stage, selecting UI components like fonts, color schemes, icons, shapes, buttons, screen element sizes and proportions, drawings, and more.
This will feature motion design components like animations and screen transitions when suitable.
However, the design is greatly shaped by the “usability and utility” component of UX, aiming for a joyful and beneficial user experience.
C. Development Stage
After design and validation come development, which is the step at which more important technical choices are made about the frameworks and technologies that will support the app and the actual coding of the web app.
8. Pick your software system.
A platform combines the back end (how it works) and the front end (how it looks) of tech services, frameworks, and languages.
- The front end (client side) covers all of the visual aspects, including the use of three programming languages: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- The back-end (server-side) refers to everything that is stored on the server, as well as the workings or backbone of the online application. Back-end technology includes the following:
- Framework: a collection of libraries and general features that may be combined or developed to help development.
- Python, PHP, Ruby, C#, C++, GO, Java, and Perl are server-side languages.
- Databases include MongoDB, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server.
Apache, Nginx, and IIS are examples of web servers. - Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux, and Android are open-source operating systems.
There are a few popular tech platform combos that are ideal for web app development.
The most popular web app tech platforms are LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP / Perl / Python), MEAN (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js), MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js), and Ruby on Rails (a “full stack” language covering the front and back end, with no set stack).
9. Design your database.
The database (sometimes known as a server) is where your online or mobile app code is stored.
The database is also in charge of gathering, storing, analyzing, and managing collected data, as well as enabling safe access.
In this area, the choice is quite simple, with two MySQL practically controlling the database industry, with MongoDB and PostgreSQL as additional options.
After deciding on a database, you design the architecture, which is often based on the model-view-controller (MVC) model.
- Model: the method through which data is saved in the database.
- View: shows the model data to the user or visible components, such as an output or a GUI.
- Controller: the fundamental interaction between the user and the system, helping in the conversion of model output to the display component.
10. Create your front-end
Front-end development is the type of user interface that shows the user the web app in the browser.
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are used to create the front end, with frameworks offering basic templates and components.
Popular front-end frameworks include Bootstrap, Foundation, and JavaScript-only frameworks such as React, Angular, Vue, and Backbone.
11. Build back-end APIs
Backend development includes the database (mentioned above), the server, and the logic of the online application (code).
While several options here, the back end begins with either:
- A basic web application in which a new page is requested from the server to show as data is sent back and forth
- Single Page App (SPA): A single page interacts with the user continually by dynamically modifying the current page rather than loading new pages from a server. Single-page applications, the most common alternative for web apps, require an API-only framework.
Because the back end is so large (as mentioned above), several frameworks can help with development.
The framework choice is influenced mainly by the developer’s decision (if following a popular combination) or the programming languages used.
Ruby on Rails, Node.js, Flask, Django, Laravel, Swift, and Flutter are all popular choices.
12. Connect front-end and back-end APIs
API integration connects the front-end and back-end APIs, allowing data to be transferred.
Think eCommerce: every step of the customer journey requires API connectivity between the front and back for user login, product inventory, and payment processing.
13. Analyze and improve your web app.
Testing is a key characteristic of Agile development, and it should be an integrated and iterative aspect of the development process.
Testing ensures that the app performs as expected (positive testing) and can handle unexpected situations (negative testing).
Testing begins during development with the unit, component, and integration tests and goes through development to the user experience when testing includes specific user input.
D. Launch Stage
The last stage of development is the release of the finished web application, which includes selecting a hosting location and bringing it in front of real users.
14. Host your web app.
Application hosting makes the web application public through the cloud, allowing for rapid access from anywhere on the globe.
Choosing a server might be a result of your tech stack decision or a matter of personal taste.
Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are some of the most popular cloud hosting services.
15. Launch your web app.
This final step entails transferring the web software from source control to the specified cloud hosting provider.
As with many other aspects of development, some tools can assist, such as GitLab, Bitbucket, and Jenkins.
Although deployment is the final aim of any product development, Agile and DevOps concepts indicate that deployment is the beginning of a continuous feedback, improvement, and delivery process to guarantee new features and improvements are regularly published.
Create a powerful web app
Organizations now must provide outstanding 360° online experiences via the web, mobile apps, and social media.
Time-to-market is important, whether you’re designing and building a new web app or converting an existing product into a streamlined web app.
Many IT companies may be able to help you if you want to improve your time to market with an experienced full-stack design and web development service.
They will help you with developing global eCommerce sites, business video portals, and dynamic CMS for companies such as Nike, Sampleboard, and Soaq.
That’s it for now. See you in the next post, and be sure to follow me.
