Why businesses prefer custom web application development

Creating a tailor-made product is always a herculean task and this is true in the case of custom web app development too. ‘Getting to the roots’ is the solution to developing such a custom web application though the journey to finally reach the destination is certainly not a bed of roses. However, this is undoubtedly achievable and doable. Understanding the goals and the vision for the application can help in making this process of developing the application a lot easier and clearer. 

Although this used to be a requirement by large enterprises, today even startups and SMEs opt for a custom web application as this will enable them to stand-out from contemporaries and stay unique. 

Another peculiar advantage of custom web applications is that they are easily scalable and highly adaptable to the ever-evolving changes in the marketplace. However, reaching the final goal of getting such an application up and running is a process that involves several unskippable steps. 

Let’s delve into the intricacies of this challenging yet immensely rewarding process and explore some of the key steps involved in this process together.

What are the steps of developing a custom web application

Custom web app development is a process that involves building the application right from scratch or from pure emptiness. While off-the-shelf solutions are easier to execute, custom development is much more tedious and involves meticulous planning, brainstorming, and rigorous testing and refinement. Let’s understand how to work this out.  

Explore the role and scope of the custom web application

This is the very first stage of the custom web application development process where we try to understand the various needs and requirements of the application. Here, the product is literally laid on the table and thoroughly dissected to understand all its nuances. This is an important stage since the application to be built is a custom one and therefore requires a deep and thorough understanding by the experts who will work on making it a reality. Here, the product owner will hold back-to-back discussions about the product so that its final delivery is smooth and as per the requirement. 

Planning the entire course

Planning is inevitable for the success of any business or enterprise. Proper planning has only resulted in world-class products. In the case of a custom web application development too, planning is imminent since the different stages involved here are much more than for building a standardized or off-the-shelf web application. It is at this stage that the various stages of the development process are defined along with the timelines, necessary budgets, and the experts who will work on delivering the project. As for building any custom web application, a multidisciplinary team of experts needs to be identified to execute this kind of project successfully.

Determining the cost of web application development

Fixing a budget is necessary so that you get to be sure of how much you are willing to invest in this particular project. It also helps you avoid or be prepared for any kind of overhead expenses that may occur in the process. Apart from fixing an overall budget, it is necessary to plan out budgets for the different stages of the custom web app development process. 

You may either break down the whole process into smaller components and decide on the budget for each component, or you may plan on a lumpsum amount for the entire process. A clearly defined budget will ward off any unnecessary tensions that may arise from unforeseen costs. 

Go-to-market time of the application

Once the initial discovery and planning phase is completed, it is time to decide on strict timelines within which the product will be delivered to the market. It is crucial to define a clear deadline for the entire process, as it will help in its timely delivery. Defining deadlines can help in avoiding all delays that may negatively affect the planned budget. This may even question the very existence or quality of the product at hand. 

As with the budget, it is also necessary to have clear timelines for every stage of the development process so that the product is delivered on time and all the defined processes stay perfectly under control.

Prototyping and designing the custom web application

This is the first stage where the actual work on the front-end of the application takes place. At this stage, all the key stakeholders involved in creating the application will need to get together to plan the design and prototype of the application. It is at this stage that the actual look and feel of the application is planned and executed. 

Since we are developing a custom web application, a lot of detailing will be required in the process of design so that the app has a logical workflow. It is necessary to make sure that the design of the app is both user-friendly and aesthetically appealing. Considering that we are discussing a customizable web app development process, that design needs to be completely new and fresh catering to the ultimate needs and requirements of the end product and also the target audience. 

This is a long creative process that will require continuous end-to-end meetings with the client and the design team to finally breathe life into the whole design. 

Backend development of a custom web application

Once the design and wireframe of the application have been created, work on the back-end process begins. It is at this stage that the actual product is brought to life. Here, the developers work end-to-end with the designers to make the product a reality. This is a complex process, especially when the application under consideration is a customizable one. This requires in-depth logical skills, and regular communication and brainstorming within the development team to finally create the application.

Testing the web application

This is another crucial process since the product cannot go live without being tested rigorously for potential errors and bugs. Now the product is in a stage where it can be used, but it needs to be tested so that the final user will find the user journey with the product smooth and without any hiccups. Regular feedback and iterations are done so that the product is continuously refined and made ready for the market.

Off for deployment

Usually, it takes multiple rounds of testing and corrections, but once that is done, your custom web application is finally ready to be deployed. At this stage, both the front-end and back-end processes of the product are aligned, and it is ready to be used by the end user. All that is done here is to transfer the application to the live server. 

This is also called the live stage or the production environment, where the concerned application is installed, configured, and made totally operational. For a custom web application, deployment is a tedious process and requires carefully transferring the web application to the production environment, ensuring that there is minimal disruption happening to both users and business operations. Here, the health of the deployed application is monitored continuously and the concerned issues are addressed promptly and instantly to maintain the optimal health of the application.

Building a custom web application with Expeed

The above-discussed steps make the outline for developing a custom web application. Though the steps involved are complex, the result will be a highly scalable application. These applications may take much longer to be developed than off-the-shelf ones due to their complex mode of development. Also, the manpower required to build such applications will need to have a high level of expertise in that particular area. Employing such experts will again mean that the investment is higher.  
At Expeed, we have a great team working to build robust custom web apps for clients across the globe. We have successfully completed our projects in record time by following an Agile methodology with a CI/CD approach. If you’re looking for a reliable tech partner for building out your custom web app solution, get in touch with our experts today!