Web Application Development Guide

A Web Applications is an application software that runs on the web browser. It is created with the help of programming languages such as Java script, HTML and CSS etc. Web Application Development can often become complex for many people unless you have a strategic plan, development process and launch and review steps are followed according to process.

A Web Application Development process is the steps to be taken from the start of the project to the end of the project to be followed to complete a web design development process. Here are four simple and effective steps to build a powerful web application.

1. Planning and design

The planning stage is the step when the purpose, goals and target audience of the web application is decided. At this stage we need to know what we are planning to design, how we are planning to design and to whom we are targeting this application. Planning stage is the most important step in this process, hence it requires attention to detail.

Planning and Design

A quick checklist of your design plan:

• Purpose : Emphasize on the purpose of your web application.

• Goals : Define what do you want to accomplish from the website? Whether your goal is money, fame, branding...?

• Target Audience : The target audience that you want to reach out to with your website. 

• Site Map : It is a list of pages of  website accessible to crawlers or users.

• Content : The kind of information you are putting up in your website.

2. Development

The next important step in your web application development guide. The planning and design of the website is conceptualized. Developing a webpage requires lot of programming, it is better to have a organized and strategic approach for developing the web application. The content that you want the users of the website to view should be gathered and added in the development process.

Website Development Stage

Development plan:

• Building a development framework : The basic of your development process can be implemented using technologies like HTML, CSS, CGI, Java script, PHP and databases.

• Code templates for each page : Creating your own templates for various pages of your website is a good practice.

• Develop and Test special features and interactivity : This step is very interesting where you get to play around with all the fancy interactive customized stuff.

• Gather and create content : The text, images, videos and other information that the viewer finds on your page is called the content. A good high quality content get people engaged in the content and gets shared to various other channels. So add relevant high quality content. Their are various content management systems to help manage all your data in one place in  a organized manner.

• Test functionality of the site : It is an crucial step to be followed throughout the building process. The web pages that you are adding should be previewed periodically.

3. Launch

The launch phase prepares the website for public viewing. Small improvements should be made to make smooth running to site. Loading the website on the main server from where the website will be online and can be viewed by users all over the internet.Testing in the production environment is important because different servers can have different features and unexpected behavior.

Launch

Launch plan :

• Polishing : You should identify parts of the website where you can make improvements and get them changes to them to give a complete professional look to your website.

• Loading the website on the main server : This is time when you are going live with your website on the world wide web. So its a sensitive time, pay attention to detail, inform your partners/clients about this stage and time of uploading.

• Testing the website :Run the website through various test. Some common tests are: code validators, broken-link checkers, website health checks and spell-checker. 

• Testing the website with various web browsers : Have a cross check with various browsers to see if your site is working fine in all kinds of web browsers.

4. Post Launch 

You should take care of all the little tasks related to the closing of the project. packaging source files, providing instructions for use and any required trainning. If maintence charges haven't been stated then establish them now.

• Hand over the Website to the client : After all the testing is done you can hand over the project website to the client and train him on how to maintain his website.
• Provide the documentation and source files : After handing over the project hand over soft copy of the site map, framework and languages used.
• Project close, final documentation : Get the client to sign off on the last checks, provide your contact information for support and officially close the project.
• Maintenence : Post launch help the client with any maintenence work or any new features he wants to add to his website.

Post Launch

These are the steps to be followed while on the road to web application development. But remember, always " Measure, Analyze, Optimize and Repeat". your work to build leaner, faster and better web applications.

Written by : Debashish Boruah/KriationZ

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