The Ultimate Guide on How to Build a Web App

Enterprise web apps are designed to tackle complex challenges and streamline business operations, leading to improved organisation, increased efficiency, and accelerated growth. In today’s competitive and fast-paced business environment, these apps are crucial for maintaining flexibility and staying ahead.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a tool that helps you keep track of all your interactions with customers and potential customers. Its main aim is to enhance your relationships with them.

HRMS (Human Resource Management System) is a set of software that companies use to handle all their HR activities. It covers everything from keeping track of employee details to managing payroll, hiring new staff, handling benefits, training, and more. 

SaaS delivers applications over the internet through cloud services. This model allows users to access all software features from any device with an internet connection, without needing to install or maintain the software. This shift has simplified the use of technology in business, enhancing efficiency and facilitating growth.

E-commerce web development is about creating an online store where people can buy things. Since online shopping is very popular among customers, making an e-commerce website can boost your sales and earnings.

Custom web application development involves crafting tailored software solutions designed specifically to meet the unique needs of businesses or organisations. 

CMS web apps allow businesses to create, manage, and publish digital content, such as blog posts, menus, and promotional offers.

• Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Progressive web apps are web applications that offer app-like experiences to users while being accessed through a web browser. PWAs provide enhanced performance, offline capabilities, and push notifications, similar to a mobile app. 

The ideation stage focuses on conducting research, generating ideas, and determining core functionalities to ensure the uniqueness of the application.

• Brainstorm

Begin with a clear idea of what you want to create and why. Identify customer needs and brainstorm solutions with your team. Stay open-minded, attentive to user needs, and focus on developing the most effective product.

In the case of a coffee shop, one should start by identifying the customers’ specific needs.  This could be in terms of menu accessibility, ease of use, personalisation, accessibility features, etc.

• Do Market Research 

Analyse market trends, consumer behaviour, user needs, preferences, and pain points to gain a competitive advantage.

For a coffee shop app, necessary market research includes analysing customer preferences, studying competitors' apps, understanding local coffee culture,  identifying emerging trends in the coffee industry, etc.

• Define the App’s Functionality

Develop a concise list of features to prioritise relevance and effectiveness in addressing the target audience’s needs. Classify these features as essential, desirable, or optional.

Considering our coffee shop app, categorising functionalities such as menu browsing, online ordering, loyalty programmes, and push notifications for promotions is essential. Focus on simplicity and efficiency to create a user-friendly experience that enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Understanding UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) is crucial in web app design. UI focuses on aesthetics - colours, fonts, layout - to create a visually appealing app. UX manages user interactions, focusing on understanding and fulfilling user needs for a smooth experience. Key UX design elements include usefulness, desirability, access, credibility, usability, value, and findability.

• Define User Flow

To deeply understand how a user might interact with the application, it's advisable to learn about similar apps and the user flows they adopt. Combine market research with your unique ideas to design a distinctive and user-friendly flow.

In the case of a coffee shop app, we should consider product selections, checkout flows, and ease of payment. You can get a detailed idea. 
Additionally, you can gather information by trying well-known apps like Starbucks or Costa Coffee.

• Chart the User Journey

Define user journeys from a user’s perspective—how he/she will navigate through the app, mapping the path they will take. These insights address the user's challenges and help define a UI/UX strategy for bypassing them.

For example, a typical user journey might begin with opening the app, browsing the menu, selecting items to order, adding them to the cart, proceeding to checkout, making payment, etc. This process of mapping and refining the user journey ensures that the coffee shop app effectively meets the needs of its users.

• Wireframe and Prototype the Web Application

During this phase, utilise no-code or low-code platforms such as Bubble, Mendix, Webflow, Airtable, etc., to create a digital blueprint or interactive display of the app. Prototyping aids in simplifying app explanation and validation, while wireframing tools like Figma, Balsamiq, and Sketch are available for this purpose.

In summary, wireframing and prototyping the coffee shop app help streamline the development process by providing clear visual representations of its layout, functionality, and user experience.

• Create a Clickable Prototype

Enhance the web app's visual appearance and functionality with clickable prototypes to simulate its user experience and get valuable feedback on design, UX, and functionality before commencing development.

In the case of developing a coffee shop app, incorporate clickable buttons and interactive elements to simulate the app's functionality. Make the prototype interactive by linking the screens together to simulate user navigation. For example, link the homepage to the menu page, allowing users to click on menu categories to view items.

• Visual Design

During this phase, UI designers focus on creating mockups of the web app's visual appearance, incorporating UI elements such as colours, fonts, shapes, icons, buttons, images, proportions, sizes, screen transitions, and animations. However, design decisions prioritise functionality and usability, ensuring a valuable and enjoyable user experience.

While considering the example of the coffee shop app, conveying the brand’s visual identity helps to foster recognition and customer loyalty. Nevertheless, thoughtful design choices improve navigation and usability, making it easier for users to explore the menu, place orders, and interact with loyalty programmes.

• Seek Validation

Gather feedback from representative users by presenting your app idea and design, documenting responses, and discussing solutions with your target market in relevant locations frequented by them.

This validation process helps ensure that the app meets the needs and preferences of its target audience, leading to a more successful and user-friendly final product.

With the app designed and validated, commence the development process, focusing on crucial tech decisions including the choice of technologies, and frameworks, and writing the necessary code for the app.

• Which Tech Stack Will You Pick?

A tech stack encompasses the languages, frameworks, and tech services essential for both the frontend and backend development of a web app.

We have already discussed, how this is experimented with, in the app development in the first half of the blog.

• Design Your Database

A database securely stores and provides access to data as needed. The choice between SQL and NoSQL databases depends on different factors, namely, data structure, scalability, performance, and application use cases.

The choice between SQL and NoSQL databases depends on many factors, including data structure, scalability, and performance requirements.

For instance, a coffee shop app may benefit from a SQL database like PostgreSQL for managing orders and customer data, ensuring efficient data retrieval and transaction processing. Alternatively, a NoSQL database like MongoDB could store user preferences and loyalty programme information, providing flexibility and scalability for future growth.

• Build The Backend and APIs

It serves as the app's core, executing logic and data operations on the server. APIs facilitate communication between the backend, frontend, and database for calculations and logical operations. Backend development requires coding expertise and technical skills, often using frameworks determined by the chosen tech stack.

For example, developing APIs to handle order processing, user authentication, and menu management allows the front-end to interact with the backend seamlessly. This facilitates features like placing orders, updating menu items, and managing user accounts. Additionally, the backend manages databases to store customer information, order histories, and inventory data, ensuring efficient data management and retrieval.

• Build the Front-end

The front end is the user-facing part of your app displayed in browsers, encompassing its visual elements and user interaction. It's constructed using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frameworks like Vue, Angular, Next.js, and React to enhance development efficiency. Designing the front end prioritises the user experience to ensure engagement and appeal. WAC, a web application development company, specialises in front-end technologies to support the creation of compelling apps.

For example, designing a visually appealing menu layout with interactive elements allows customers to easily browse and select items for order. Additionally, implementing features such as real-time updates on order status and seamless checkout processes improves user satisfaction and encourages repeat usage of the app.

• Integrate the Front-end and Back-end APIs

API integration connects backend APIs with the frontend, enabling data exchange essential for app functionality. Failure to link client-side and server-side components renders the app inoperable.

• Test and Troubleshoot

Testing the app is crucial to identify flaws, bugs, and areas for improvement. This can be achieved through running the app or beta testing. Utilise available tools to fix bugs, enhance features, and conduct security and vulnerability testing for optimal performance.

Having learned how to create a web application, now proceed to the final phase of development, which comprises the following two steps:

• Hosting Your Web App

To enable instant access to your web app via the cloud, hosting is essential. Cloud server selection typically aligns with the chosen tech stack, though it can be decided separately. Popular global options include Amazon, Google Cloud, and MS Azure, with choices between public, private, and hybrid hosting configurations available.

• Deploying the Web App

After choosing your hosting service, launch your web app by transferring it to the cloud hosting provider from your computer or source control using tools like Jenkins, Gitlab, or Bitbucket. However, deployment is not the end; following Agile principles, continuously refine the product based on feedback to ensure ongoing relevance and value delivery to users.