How to Have a Smooth Custom Web Application Development Experience
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Developing a custom web application can be a daunting process. It is generally a big project that requires a serious investment of time and money. If it's done right, it can sustainably help your business and drive growth. If it's not done well, it can be a major waste of your investment.
You want to ensure that your custom web application development experience is a smooth one. You want the process to be as painless as possible, to feel good about both the journey and the destination, and, of course, get a great product in the end.
No single factor will ensure this positive custom web application development experience. However, you can consider a few aspects of the project in advance in order to make the project go smoother from the outset. These are some universal aspects of custom web application development that should make the whole process better for everyone involved. Here is how to have a smooth custom web application development experience.Transparency is key
Transparency is a two-way street when it comes to custom web application development. The more of it there is on both sides, the easier the project will be. On the client-side, it is important to be clear about your goals and expectations.
On the developer side, it is crucial that they offer their client a transparent look at the process. This helps ensure that everyone gets on the same page and stays there throughout the project. Not being open about what you want or being too protective of the process is a recipe for failure.Be flexible
It may seem contradictory to say that you need to set clear goals and expectations and then say that flexibility is important, but it's not. Flexibility and transparency go hand-in-hand during the custom web application development process. Almost no good custom web application development produces exactly what you envision at that first meeting. That's good!
When done right, the project should ebb and flow throughout the process to get the best possible result. This flexibility is important to both sides of the development equation and both the client and the developers should be able to adjust in the name of creating the best outcome.Use Agile development
Two major development methods are often used in a custom web application development project: either the Agile or Waterfall methodology. The main difference is that Waterfall is a step-by-step process where the resulting app is delivered in-full at the end. Agile is a process run in a few-week-long period called sprints. After each sprint, the progress is presented to the client and the project is either finished or another sprint is started.
As Liventus notes here, Agile presents several advantages when executing a custom web application development project. The biggest advantages include offering a more collaborative process and a better final product.Stay on-time and on-budget
The next few points on this list involve the top issues you need to prioritize with your custom web application development project to get a smooth experience. The first of these is taking great care to make sure you stay on-time and at or under budget. Almost nothing makes a project more stressful than experiencing major delays or having the project cost much more than originally anticipated.
One way to improve your odds of staying within your deadlines and budget is to use Agile development. This method significantly reduces the occurrences of projects getting bogged down along the way because each sprint has a set time window and you can reevaluate the situation after each one. Put the user first
Even if most of the custom web application development project goes smoothly, if you get to the test phase and realize that the user experience (UX) design is not right, it will cause you serious stress. Whether the users are internal stakeholders or external target consumers, designing something that works well for the people who will ultimately use the custom web application needs to be the top priority. Every aspect of the project should be considered with the user in mind because, in the end, good UX is good for business. Prioritize security
In 2021, the reality of any custom web application development project is that security must be a top priority. The past decade-plus has seen an ever-growing number of cyberattacks on businesses, culminating in the pandemic-fueled explosion of attacks in 2020. Developers on a project must be familiar with all the latest security best practices.
These practices must be embedded in every aspect of the application from the code to the ability to deliver new security features in the future. Putting out an application that is not as secure as it can be is one of the worst things you can do as a business. Think about the future
A custom web application development project can seemingly go smoothly but retroactively be stressful down the road. How is this possible? The point of a web application is usually to grow your business in some way. If it accomplishes that task, that's great. If it does so and isn't able to scale with the growth, that's not great.
From the earliest stages of development, you and the developer should be forward-thinking about how the application will appear and be used as the business grows. If you are undertaking and investing in another custom web application development project within a year because your old one can't keep up, you won't look back on your project as a smooth experience. Conclusion
A custom web application development project doesn't have to be stressful. When you and the developer go into a project with each having a clear understanding of the desired goals and focus on the same things, there is no reason this can't be an incredibly smooth experience. The keys to this good experience are transparency, flexibility, Agile development, staying on-time and on-budget, prioritizing UX and security, and always keeping one eye on the future.
