Wondering how to build a web app?
Let’s move one step ahead from just wondering.
In this post, we will be talking about the sound benefits of using web applications and a step-by-step procedure for how to build a web app.
So before you scroll down, let us save the hustle. Here is a procedure of how to build a web app:
Stage 1 – Ideation stage: The sole motive of this stage is to find a valuable idea.
- Sourcing an idea.
- Competitive Analysis / Research Your Competition.
- Identify Functionalities.
Stage 2 – Designing stage: The sole purpose is to design amazing UI and UX.
- Follow the golden rules of UI Design.
- Creating a wireframe.
- Designing a prototype.
Stage 3 – Development stage: Choose a tech stack
- LAMP
- Python-Django
- MEAN
- MERN
Then you’ll move to the 4th and final stage of how to build a web app, which is the deployment of your web app.
Stage 4 – Deployment stage: Deploying your web app
Here are 4 cloud hosting services. Choose as per your preference and deploy your web app so everyone around the world can use it!
- Google Cloud Web Hosting.
- HostGator Cloud Hosting.
- Amazon Web Services.
- Alibaba Cloud.
Now that you have been given highlights of how to build a web app process, we’ll start by discussing three practically sound benefits of using web applications.
If you want your web application to stand the test of time without going through all the details below, you can directly send us a message, get a free 30-minute consultation call, and let’s discuss your ideas!
Also, be sure to check this out if you’re looking for Mobile App Developers in the United States by DesignRush
3 Sound Benefits Of Using Web Applications
If you are serious about learning how to build a web app, then let’s start with the benefits of a web application first.
1. Web Apps Are Easily Accessed Without Installations
Web applications help users enjoy using applications without installing the application on their mobile or other respective devices.
This is one of the amazing benefits of web app programming. Marketing Study conducted by Heady highlights that some users don’t complete the transactions that require them to install an app.
So the first thing we need to know in how to build a web app lesson is to avoid requiring users to download the app.
77.9% of Mobile Users showed their distaste for such applications. They said that the mandatory app installation to complete their transaction made them abandon their transaction at least once.
However, internet applications or web apps eliminate this problem because they do not require users to download them. Instead, they are easily accessible through any device having an internet connection, easily letting users complete their transactions.
Helpful Reading: 91% Of Us Hate Being Forced To Install Apps To Do Business
Bottom Line: Make your web app easily useable and don’t require people to download it. It’s the first thing we should understand in how to build a web app. To further understand this clearly, let’s look at some apps that let you complete the transaction without any downloads and installations.
5 E-Commerce Progressive Web Application Examples | Easily Complete Transaction Without Installing The App
Helpful Resource: 10 Progressive Web Apps For E-Commerce 2022
2. Web Apps Are Better Than Native Apps
…So if you are searching for how to build a web app, you are on the right track!
This was long predicted when Pew Research Center published an article named Future of Apps and Web. It was written by Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie on 23rd March 2012.
In the article, they quoted Hal Varian, chief economist at Google as saying “HTML5 is going to make the web very attractive. ” to which, Nokia‘s Cheif Technology Officer Rob Scott added, “Once HTML5 browsers and fully capable Web runtimes are in place on the common Kindle through iPhone, the Web app will begin replacing native apps.”
But the more important question is, did that turn out to be true? Well, yes. On the 5th of April 2019, Victoria Gollins (now the former contributor at Forbes) wrote the article The Decline Of The Native App And The Rise Of The Web App.
In the article, she refers to Lancome, an American Cosmetics company that launched its Progressive Web Application and Won.
It was in the Summer of 2016 when Lancome launched their PWA and drove massive traffic.
Although Lancome was receiving much traffic on mobile their conversion rate was only 15% and 38% on desktop.
After it launched its Progressive Web Application, its conversion rate went up by 17% whereas its Bounce Rates decreased by 35% Year-on-Year. Plus, its average order went up by 11%.
3. Web Apps Have Cheap Development Costs
Yes. That means that you can learn how to build a web app but earn more money by building native applications.
Mobile applications have high development costs. It is more costly to develop a native application than it is to create a web application.
It can take up to about $5,000 to create a web application. On the other hand, Mobile apps can cost around $40,000. The prices go higher with the complexity of the application.
While web app development usually costs too much for many businesses to afford, Quanrio is committed to offering Web Design & Development services at a competitive price that lets you enjoy the absolute bang for your buck. Try requesting a quote using our Contact Us page.
How To Build A Web App? A Step-By-Step Guide
step#1 in how to build a web app is ideation. There are many ideation techniques that you can use to find a sparkling idea. Just be sure to give your best, don’t shy away, and don’t hold back anything.
Helpful Resource: Take a comprehensive look at Ideation
How To Build A Web App Stage 1: Ideation
Behind every successful product, there is a comprehensive ideation stage.
The ideation stage is where the application’s concept gets evaluated. It involves critical assessment with the aim to find the right idea. The idea that actually works.
There are many ideation techniques that are used to develop processes that work. Ideation helps developers execute in a very defined direction. Therefore, the use of ideation is central to building a web app.
Here is a list of ideation techniques that can help you find the right idea, which is the core idea of how to build a web app.
10 Ideation Techniques | Indeed
- Brainstorming
- Worst Possible Idea
- Storyboarding
- Mind mapping
- Brainwriting
- Questioning assumptions
- Sketching
- Analogies
- S.C.A.M.P.E.R. (substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse)
- Bodystorm
Sourcing An Idea
Sourcing an idea is crucial for learning how to build a web app. But, what comes to your mind when you read “Source An Idea”?
It is all about spilling all that your brain is thinking about the task at hand. What do you think are the client’s requirements? What do you think the project will be about. There are tons of brainstorming techniques that you can try, including brainwriting and brainwalking.
Also, don’t forget to come up with the worst possible ideas too. It’s a useful brainstorming technique as it lets people communicate an idea that they think can be the worst, but it doesn’t mean that it really is.
Remember, A comprehensive brainstorming session is a must for how to build a web app.
Now once you complete the first step of ideation, it’s time for the next step in how to develop a web app process, which is researching what the competition has for you.
Competition Research
It is highly important to research the current competition.
First of all, you will get an insight into how valuable your idea can be for your target audience. Plus, competitive analyses will also help you understand the taste and preferences of your target audience. Ultimately, it will help you understand how to build a web app that would appeal to your target audience.
But more importantly, do you know why ideation and market research are so important?
Because…
“It’s not the customer’s job to know what they want”
– Steve Jobs
So…
“Whoever gets closer to the customer, wins”
– Bernadette Jiwa
Bottom Line: Conduct thorough market research and see what the competitors are up to. Do they have better web apps?
Well, it might be because they know how to make web apps better than everybody else in the market.
So, how do you plan to outperform them?
P.S. You might find yourself jumping back and forth between the first two steps of how to build a web app.
Once you get an idea, you do the market research.
But then you find out that your idea does not serve the purpose or it lacks features of importance.
In both cases, you go back to the ideation process and come back with something more valuable.
Then you do a little bit of market research again to explore something much better or equally important.
Formulating Functionalities
Developed the idea and it’s validated too? Well, don’t rush in champ. We have got some work to do.
Let’s talk about functionalities. It’s because that’s how to build a web app that’s functional.
It’s time to lay out all the possible functionalities that you think will be helpful in your application.
Remember, it’s the third stage of your brainstorming process. Therefore, Identify the following:
- What will be the core features of your web application?
- What are some of the features that will be nice to have?
- Figure features that could possibly add value to your web application?
- Figure out features that are a complete waste of time and you shouldn’t spend time worrying about them.
If you have answers to these questions, then you have figured out how to build a web app that is functional.
Once you formulate the functionalities of your web app correctly, it will become easier for you to develop something of value. Something that will really pull in the visitors and keep them engaged with the product.
Here are the Characteristics of Modern Web Applications
How To Build A Web App Stage 2: Designing The App
According to UX Statistics put together by Truelist, the Return-On-Investment on UX Investments is estimated to be around 9,900%. On the other hand, a well-designed User Interface raises a website’s conversion rate by as much as 200%.
That just tells us how important it is to create a good Web App Design. That’s because 90% of the visitors will bounce off of the website just because of the ad design.
Remember, putting together a sound User Interface & Experience is how to build a web app that lures in visitors and converts them into users.
That said, here are 4 Golden Rules of UI Design that are put together by Adobe XD.
1. Let Users Control The Interface
- Make actions reversible.
- Make User Interface easily navigable.
- Add visual clues such as a dialogue box & step-by-step guide tours
- Try to make the entire process as predictable as possible.
- Make your app interactive. Let the user know that their action has been acknowledged.
- Keep your user updated with the app’s status: Let them know how long it’ll take to upload the file, or why the system is not working at the moment.
- Make it inclusive: Your app should have instructions, demos, tutorials, and much more to make your app for people with all skill levels.
Bottom Line: Let users take control of the interface. That’s how to build a web app that serves the purpose of all the information and CTA’s that are laid out in your web app.
2. Make your web app comfortable for use.
- Remove unnecessary elements.
- Don’t ask your user to repeat the steps they’ve already taken. For example: Repeatedly asking to insert the information that they previously entered.
- Use simple language. Make it easy to understand.
- Use Fitt’s law to design interactive elements. Create big buttons. They are easier to interact with. (Read more about it on Adobe XD’s Blog Post: 4 Golden Rules Of UI Design
- Be inclusive of people with disabilities as well. For example, don’t use colors as the only means to convey the info. And when you do, also add some text or cues. It’ll help the color blin people follow the instructions as well.
- Be sure to use real-world representations for clear communication. For example: If you have a storage-cleaning app, then a user should see things like files being thrown into a trash can when they touch the “Clear Storage” button.
- There will be some errors. But if you communicate them well, visitors will smile and convert. Learn how to compose user-friendly messages.
- Protect your user’s efforts. Google Docs has tackled the problem like no other. The autosave feature helps you when you suffer from a power outage.
Bottom Line: Do everything it takes to deliver a smooth experience to the end-user, that’s how to build a web app that befriends the user.
3. Keep your web application easy-to-understand
- Break down complex pieces of information: If you are using numbers, then break them down into chunks, just like you write down a phone number.
- Keep the process short. Don’t make it hard for your audience to go down a long road to take an action. If they want to make a transaction, keep it to 4 steps ideally.
- Keep your actions recognizable. Pair Icons and designs along with the text so they clearly communicate their purpose.
- Let your designs and content breath. Use Grid systems to ensure visual clarity.
Bottom Line: Use easy words, break down complex pieces of info, and keep the process short. Those are some important pieces of info to note when learning how to build a web app.
4. Keep Web App’s User Interface Uniform
- Make sure to keep all elements of your app consistent, having the same colors and other properties.
- Keep your app’s functionality the same as well. Otherwise, it frustrates the user and results in an increased bounce rate or uninstallation of the app.
- Stick to conventions when you are designing and using terms.
When we are talking about how to build a web app, it is important to remember the technicalities involved in the process.
So for now, we are going to be looking at two things:
- How to create a wireframe.
- How to build a clickable prototype.
Let’s see how you can create a wireframe.
Now let’s see what the clickable prototype looks like.
How To Build A Web App Stage 3: Development
You started off with the ideation stage.
You designed the User Interface and User Experience.
Now, it’s time to move toward the development stage. This is a crucial stage in how to build a web app process. It’s where the big decisions are made.
First of all, let’s briefly discuss the two most important concepts used when learning how to build a web app.
Client-Side: Client simply means the user of the application. It has nothing to do with business concepts or commerce’s terminologies.
Server’s Side: It is also called the back-end. It relates to the parts of the code that aren’t and can’t be used by a user. This is where the data is stored in a scattered form.
When a user inserts a query, all the relevant pieces of data are put together and displayed on the client-side or screen.
Now that we have got two core concepts involved in how to build a web app covered, let’s take a look at some tech stacks.
How To Build A Web App? 8 Tech Stacks You Need To Build A Web Application.
Choose a tech stack. There are multiple tech stacks to choose from.
LAMP
L = Linux / Windows / MacOS (operating system)
A = Apache (HTTP Server)
M = MySQL (Relational Databse Management)
P = PHP / Perl / Python (programming language)
Python-Django
Python (programming language)
Django (web app framework)
Apache (webserver)
MySQL (database)
MEAN stack
M = MongoDB (Database)
E = Express.js (back-end web app framework)
A = Angular.js (front-end web framework)
N = Node.js (JavaScript Runtime Environment, developed on Chrome’s V8 Javascript Engine)
MERN Stack
M = MongoDB (Database)
E = Express.js (back-end web app framework)
R = React.js (front-end JavaScript Library)
N = Node.js (JavaScript Runtime Environment, developed on Chrome’s V8 Javascript Engine)
How to build a web app is a subject that can be expanded upon for days. There is a lot of technology to talk about, tips, and tricks to cover.
We are touching on every important step but briefly. Stay tuned to catch the topic-specific posts.
How To Build A Web App Stage 4: Deploying Your Website Application
Now comes the final stage of building a web app.
The first step is to find an application hosting. Finding a good server cloud will help your website app run smoothly.
Below are some cloud hosting services to choose from:
After choosing a hosting platform, deploy your website application to the cloud server.