How to Build a Web App from Scratch: A Comprehensive 14-Step Guide
Once upon a time, there was an era of website development. Then came the smartphones and the era of mobile applications dawned upon us, and now, we have entered the era of web applications. But what exactly is a web application and why is everyone so eager to have one?
How to build one? What is the right way to proceed? This post delves into these very questions and nudges you in the right direction with its 12-step guide to help you build a web app from scratch.
But, let’s get over the basics first.
What is a Web Application?
A web application is a dynamic form of website and can be considered a hybrid of a website and a mobile app. Like a website, it can operate within a browser but is more interactive than a simple site that simply displays static content.
Web applications are often an integral part of systems that require active interaction with users. Some examples include application forms, data submissions, social media sites, and online banking apps.
Some famous enterprises like Starbucks have also launched their web app to make browsing more engaging for users.
Why Are Businesses Investing in Web Apps?
That’s because as compared to traditional websites, web apps offer more advantages. Another big reason is that not all start-ups are in a position to invest the hefty amount required for mobile app development.
Web apps stand as a great alternative for entrepreneurs who wish to offer their users the comfort of mobile apps at the cost of websites. Other prominent reasons for investing in web apps include:
- Easily accessible and do not need to be installed or downloaded
- Cost-efficient as they require way less budget than traditional mobile apps
- More dynamic, intuitive and more engaging than normal websites
- Easy to maintain and update
The 14-Step Guide to Build a Web App from Scratch
The idea of a web app can be very appealing to businesses. However, developing one requires careful planning and coordination of the right procedures and resources. To help you with this, we have broken down the entire process into twelve steps (or phases).
By following these steps, you can ensure that you start on the right foot and get a good web app built within a reasonable timeframe. So let’s begin.
Step 1: Formulate Your Ideas
The creation of any successful application (mobile or web) begins with solid formulation of feasible ideas and well-defined goals. Make sure that you have proper answers to the following questions:
- What problems are you going to resolve with the app?
- Is there any specific type to your app? For instance, if it’s for healthcare, then is it for telemedicine or simply fitness-related?
- Who is your target audience?
Step 2: Conduct Market Research
Once you have formulated an idea, conduct thorough market research to check whether alternatives already exist for your app idea. Find out everything you can about your major competitors, especially in domains with popular apps.
A thorough analysis of competitors often offers insights for strategic refinement, making this step vital for development. Find out the pain points of your targeted audience and look for ways that can differentiate your web app by addressing audience needs uniquely.
Make proper utilization of search engines, patent databases, trademarks, and Beta List to make your market research more effective.
Step 3: Project Plan
Having a comprehensive project plan is an absolute must for tracking and maintaining development progress. Work on your app’s design, features, and functionalities. Break down the main modules and prioritize them. Come up with a domain name.
In this phase, you will also need to define the scope of the minimum viable product (MVP). You will need to work on user interactions and figure out other things like required data storage, hosting, etc. Precise planning facilitates easier app development and brings more efficiency.
Step 4: Consult Professionals
Whether you’re an experienced developer or an entrepreneur looking to make some useful investment, consulting professionals for detailed information is always a good choice.
Web design and development services have come a long way since its advent and while you may have basic knowledge about a lot of things, there’s a chance that you can miss out on something or make wrong choices, especially in tech-related decisions.
Consulting tech professionals or companies will provide you with the right information on the latest technologies, pricing, and other development choices and advice.
Step 5: Find Your Development Partner
The next phase of app development is finding the right development partner. At this stage, some may advise you to go for UI/UX designing. This, however, is viable when the app is being developed by an experienced designer/developer.
But if you’re an investor, then you first need to find a reliable web application development company. The good thing is that you will find plenty of options for this too but once again, you will need to take care of certain things. Some of the key points while finding your development partner are:
- Checking portfolio along with client reviews and testimonials
- Find out about their hiring models
- Ask about any hidden costs and learn about their infrastructure along with security measures
- Terms and conditions of the agreement (especially confidentiality and data privacy)
Step 6: Design the UI/UX
Once you have found your partner and hired your team, it is time to design the UI. User interface and user experience are two critical factors that make a significant contribution to an app’s success. Proper design elements and their placement, smooth navigation, responsiveness, and loading time — they all matter in shaping user experience. So sit with your team and work things out.
Step 7: Decide Your Tech Stack
Tech stack plays a pivotal role in app development. Depending upon your app’s features and your business requirements, you need to pick the ones that cater to all those without going heavy on your pocket. Your tech stack will consist of technologies for the following development areas:
- Front-end development framework
- Back-end development framework
- Database technology
- Security technologies
- Web hosting options
Step 8: Prototype Development
Once you’re done with deciding your tech stack, you need to go for prototype development because the creation of wireframes has become a necessity in the app development industry.
It not only helps you to cross-check the feasibility of your ideas but also helps you to make changes in the visual representation at the initial stages. Prototype development also depends on the complexity of your web app.
In the case of simple app designs, low-fi wireframes are considered okay, that is, 2D sketches and paper representations. But for more complex ones, hi-fi prototypes are more apt.
Step 9: The Actual Development Phase
Once your prototype is passed, it moves on to the actual development phase. For someone involved in self-development, this phase is the most critical and will require a combination of smart work and hard work.
But for investors, this one is a waiting phase. At the most, you can stay in the loop with your hired dedicated developers and can ask for regular updates.
Step 10: Rigorous Testing
A writing can’t get better without proper editing and an app can never be good without rigorous testing, the immediate phase that follows development. Testing is critical not only for identifying and fixing syntactical errors and functional bugs but also for knowing the overall performance of the app.
It helps understand the team and the investors whether it stands up to the expectations or not. Make sure that different types of testing like unit testing, integration testing, etc. are done to cover all aspects.
Step 11: Deployment
Finally, now it’s time to release the first version of your app to real users. However, you need to remember that since web apps are accessed through browsers, their deployment is different from mobile applications.
A web app can be deployed by hosting it on a web server. Alternatively, you can also use a cloud-based platform and configure the app to function in a production environment and make sure that it is easily accessible for your users.
Step 12: Feedback and Iteration
Feedback and iteration form a crucial aspect of web app development. Once you release your app, you must monitor it properly and pay attention to your users’ feedback.
You can have a rating and review system within your app or you can ask your users to take a survey or fill out a form. Iteration is essential to app improvements and also proves effective in breeding trust among users.
Step 13: Marketing
If your app is meant for sales, then marketing forms another essential part of web app development. You will need strategically designed digital marketing campaigns to make users aware of your app.
Thanks to multiple marketing channels of the modern era, with the right tools like SEO, SEM, and PPC, you can make a strong global presence.
Step 14: Support and Maintenance
Last but not least, we have support and maintenance, the two weapons that help in the successful sustenance of the app. Timely maintenance ensures that your app fixes any functional issues and also removes the problems faced by its users.
With proper technical support, your app gets integrated with modern technologies and stays relevant in the market. It also plays a pivotal role in user retention for no one likes to use an outdated app, no matter how good it looks.
Take Away
Whether you dream of building the next big thing or simply providing an innovative solution to a particular problem, building a web app from scratch can be exciting and rewarding as well.
But, the development of a fully functional web app is a multifaceted process, one that requires meticulous planning, strategic execution, and the right development partner by your side.
The above-mentioned steps give an overview of the major phases involved in the entire process of app development — right from the ideation stage to its maintenance and support. Also, do remember that if you hire web developers, then it must be from a reliable web development company.
