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From social media to video conferencing and collaboration tools, web applications abound. If you are gearing up to create a brand new one, it’s best to be prepared beforehand and learn about common web application development issues. In this post, we will go over typical web application development challenges at various stages of the development process, from launch to development. 

Web application development issues: Launch

Collecting proper requirements

Just like any new software product, the process of web application development starts with gathering and documenting requirements. In general, those should give your dev team an idea about the kind of application you want to build. Not only do well-defined requirements streamline the development process but also they play a crucial role in minimizing disruptions that may appear throughout the entire software development lifecycle.

Generating solid requirements can be the hardest part of web application development, but they are definitely worth investing in your time. Whether you’re planning to develop an app for a corporation or a food delivery app for a local restaurant, your requirements need to contain answers to the following questions: 

1. What are the goals of your web application development venture?
2. What are the needs of your target audience?
3. What are the key features of your app?
4. What are the requirements for user interface (UI) and user experience (UX)?
5. What development tools your team is going to use?
6. What are your preferred timeframes and budget?

 

If your team has answers to these questions, chances are web application development will go smoothly. 

Choosing the right set of tools 

To launch the process of web application development, you need to define a tech stack your team is going to use, which includes various programming languages, frameworks, databases, front-end and back-end tools, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc.

Choosing a tech stack for your web application is a serious step, as it significantly affects the future of your product, especially when it comes to expanding your user base. When the traffic grows, your application needs to be scalable enough to handle the load, and a carefully and professionally selected set of technologies plays a great role in this. Here are some bits of advice you can use when defining your tech stack:

1. Research technologies used in your domain;
2. Focus on a tech stack that will let you add new features with ease;
3. Keep in mind the potential rise in the number of users as your product grows;
4. If your product is going to be small (for example, a blog), you won’t need a variety of tools;
5. Consult an IT consulting company if you don’t have in-house expertise in choosing a tech stack.

 

READ ALSO: The What, Why, and How of IT Consulting Services

Sometimes, opting for web application development services instead of building an in-house web development team is the best solution. The company can provide a team of skilled web developers who will deliver a ready-made solution for you. This can bring a lot of value for companies without internal expertise in web application development. The development process will go forward without your continuous involvement. 

In case you want to set up and manage the development process first-hand, and most importantly have a managerial capability for that, you can use nCube’s web application development services. Our approach allows you to communicate with team members, assign tasks and manage the process as you see fit, whereas we build, host, and retain a remote team for you. 

Lack of skilled developers

Web application development often requires a full-blown team, which is often a hindrance for many companies. It takes a lot of time and effort to build a team with the right combination of skills from the ground up. That’s why lots of tech leaders are tapping into global pools of technology talent, for example, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

We at nCube are here to help you uncover the potential of these zones and source all skills you need for web application development – from seasoned frontend, backend, full-stack developers, and software architects to UX/UI designers and project managers. We have 14+ years of experience in this area and have partnered with multiple businesses worldwide to help them build their remote web application development units. Our partners such as doTerra, CrossEngage, FlightRight, Life360, and Greenpeace, can attest to our profound expertise in sourcing solid web application developers. 

READ ALSO: Why is it Worth Outsourcing to Eastern Europe?

Web application development issues: Design & Development

Poor User Experience (UX)

Unimpressive UX is one of the most common web application development issues. A convoluted or poorly executed User Interface (UI) can deter users from using your web application. Most of the time, this issue can be eliminated during the first steps of web application development. Here is a recap of things that make a great UI you may want to stress with your team:

1. Easily navigated UI;
2. Optimized for viewing on different screens;
3. Interactive visual elements created with the principles of aesthetics in mind;
4. Easy-to-read fonts;
5. Coherent design across all screens;
6. Self-explanatory and filled with hints, as in being easy to achieve a goal.

 

As you can see, a good web application design should prioritize the needs of your target audience.

Low speed and performance 

Another significant web application development issue is ensuring your web app is fast enough and shows high performance at all times. As a business, you cannot afford to lose a single user because of a slowly loading application, which may happen when the number of users grows. You can keep such web application development issues as poor speed and performance at bay by focusing on:

1. Setting up a suitable architecture aiming to enhance speed and performance;
2. Making sure your web application has a properly optimized database;
3. Avoiding poorly-written code at all costs. Make sure you work only with skilled developers. With web application development services (like nCube) you can build a qualified team who will help you avoid this issue;
4. Focusing on testing your web app’s productivity and speed properly. If you build your team with us, we at nCube will have your back by adding skilled Quality Assurance engineers to your team;
5. When building your web application, using the most recent versions of software development tools and environments.

 

The golden rule here is to take into account the speed and performance of your application at every stage of web application development – from planning, through programming and Quality Assurance part.

Scalability 

Inability to scale is among the most serious concerns for those who are facing a rapid growth of their product. When your product becomes popular and your client base expands, your web application needs to serve both – your new and old clients alike. That’s where your users may face troubles using your web application. 

How to resolve a web application development issue like this? Besides choosing the right tech stack, the scalability of a web application depends on many factors, including the choice of database, type of architecture, code quality, and more. Also, you may want to consider the following: 

1. Make sure your web application development team lays the groundwork for adding new features and new services during planning an architecture;
2. Cloud computing is a reliable solution that enables efficient scaling. Full or partial migration to the cloud will address many issues related to scalability and improve the performance of your web application;
3. Consider choosing a microservices architecture over a monolithic one, as it allows more flexibility to add new features;
4. Ask your Quality Assurance team to test performance to make sure the system can handle the growing traffic.

 

Finally, ensure you have the possibility to upgrade your codebase in the future as your business grows. 

Security

This is one of the most acute web app development issues nowadays. Like many web applications out there, yours is probably going to collect and process sensitive client data, for example, payment and contact information, which needs to be protected. So, when planning the process of web application development, be sure your team is aware of the following:

1. Prioritizing secure authentication and authorization;
2. Compliance with security standards ruling in your clients’ countries, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PIPEDA, etc;
3. Integrating SSL certificates, a global security standard that ensures data protection;
4. Immunity to all kinds of attacks, for example, cross-site request forgery, traffic interception, buffer overflow, etc.
5. Choosing the right kind of infrastructure with security features from the get-go is essential.

 

READ ALSO: HIPAA Compliance Checklist for Offshore and Nearshore Companies

When it comes to security, your web application development units must apply a wide range of measures, the most critical of which are choosing a safe development environment and constant monitoring of critical systems. 

In the end, web application development issues will inevitably be part of your product’s journey. A team of skilled web app developers can help you keep them at bay efficiently. Contact us for more information on the web application development services and teams we provide and let’s see if our solution can benefit your business.