web app case study

How to write the perfect web design case study to win more clients

An immersive digital portfolio is the key to landing new clients. Learn how to show off your skills with a winning web design case study.

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A design portfolio without case studies is like a movie with no dialogue — visually present but lacking the substance needed to convey its full meaning.

Dialogue and case studies both communicate meaning. Without dialogue, audiences struggle to understand a film’s plot, characters, and themes, similar to how clients will struggle to understand the problem you solved, your design process, and the impact of your work without a thorough case study.

When you’re competing against other designers for a project or role, a well-written web design case study sets your portfolio apart , showing potential clients what you’ve done and what you’re capable of.

What is a case study?

A case study is an in-depth investigation into a person or group of people, a situation, event, or a product. A web design case study is a visual and textual analysis of a successful web platform, landing page , website design, or other web-based product. These types of case studies can be physical documents, but they’re often digital: PDFs, infographics, blog posts, or videos. Screenshots are an essential component, as are wireframes and mockups. But a robust web design case study also features detailed written explanations.

These visual and written elements work together to create a comprehensive assessment of the design process from start to finish, including the challenges faced, the solutions implemented, and the results achieved.

5 benefits of web design case studies

Now that we’ve touched on how case studies sell prospective clients on your work, here are a few other benefits of adding web design case studies to your portfolio website:

1. Demonstrate expertise

Case studies are a powerful marketing tool for designers to demonstrate their capabilities to potential clients or employers. A good web design case study showcases your skills and expertise in solving complex design problems.

2. Build credibility

In case studies, designers often include the name of the business, client, or project they’ve worked on, building credibility by providing real-world examples of their past work. You can even add testimonials and reviews to highlight positive feedback directly from those you’ve worked with.

3. Inspire future projects

Examining and analyzing your own work can inspire your next website build — maybe you’ll try one of the layouts that was nixed for this project or center the next design around an element you ended up loving. It also provides guidance and best practices for design projects, setting the bar for innovative design.

4. Encourage personal growth

Writing an investigation of your own design portfolio pieces after completing a project provides an excellent avenue for self-reflection. Reflecting on past projects, the struggles you’ve faced working on them, and what you’ve learned from the process will help you identify your strengths as a designer and areas of improvement to work on.

5. Improve communication

Presentations of your own work don’t just communicate the design process, decisions, and outcomes to clients. They also speak to stakeholders, including clients, team members, and management. A well-written case study illustrates a designer’s ability to effectively communicate complex design ideas and concepts, and writing it will improve your communication skills and offer insight into how effectively you work and collaborate with others.

What makes an effective web design case study?

A web design case study describes the process you took to solve a challenge with a particular web design project. A successful case study features a notable client project, a well-written narrative structure, and an engaging visual design.

Think of it as a story with an identifiable beginning, middle, and end. Throughout the story, show clients your approach to successful web design — the problem, the research you did to prepare for the project, the steps and iterations you completed throughout the process, and the final results you delivered. This narrative structure helps clients understand the project’s evolution and details your design process, making it key to an effective case study.

Case study curation and criteria

We’ve covered the basics of what a good case study looks like. But how do you determine which projects to include? If a project meets all the following criteria, it’s a good candidate for a detailed case study.

Is it relevant to the future projects you hope to explore?

If there’s a type of project you’ve completed in the past that you’d like to avoid in the future, that particular portfolio piece might not be a great option for a case study. You’re not just trying to sell yourself to clients — you’re trying to land jobs you actually want to do.

Does it have a defined initial problem?

Web design projects often arise as a result of a problem. These projects are perfect for case studies because the product design goes beyond appearance and functionality. Here are some of the issues your designs might solve:

• Poor user experience: To create a smooth, enjoyable experience for users, user experience (UX) design focuses on identifying and solving issues that cause frustration, confusion, or difficulty while using an app or a website, such as confusing navigation, misleading icons, or slow load times. Addressing these challenges lets you showcase your understanding of your target audience’s needs and demonstrates your ability to apply your creative and technical skills to solve them.
• Low search engine ranking: Redesigning a website with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind will improve its ranking in the search engine results pages, and you’ll have metrics to include in your case study to quantify the claims you’re making.
• Inconsistent branding: Brand design is a massive part of a company’s identity. A lack of alignment between the logo, colors , and other visual elements of a brand’s identity and its digital assets reflects negatively on the company, leaving customers with more questions than answers about who’s behind the brand. Good web design can bring a sense of cohesion to the company’s digital products, an achievement you can speak to in your case studies.

Does the outcome deliver measurable success?

Good design is subjective, but the best projects for case studies have data to show how successful they are. Search engine ranking is one example. You might also highlight impressive metrics for user engagement (bounce rate, time spent on the site), conversion rate (the percentage of visitors who make a purchase or fill out a form), or web traffic (the number of visitors to the website).

Is the project visually suitable for presentation?

When preparing a web design case study, consider the various formats it can be presented in, such as a video, static webpages, or interactive web content.

Selecting projects that fit your chosen presentation format is essential to showcasing your web design skills. As a web designer, it’s a given that whatever you’re presenting to potential clients needs to use thoughtful, aesthetically pleasing designs.

Design for display

There’s no single right way to present a case study. What’s most important is that your case study tells the story of the journey from an initial problem or idea to a finished product that meets the client’s needs.

A minimalist design will help you achieve this goal. But don’t confuse minimalist with boring. You can (and should) get clever with the presentation. Instead of using basic screenshots, for example, consider exhibiting your work in modern frames with immersive features. Or display screenshots of the product in its natural habitat. Webflow designer Karen Huang uses a digital screen in this user experience case study to feature a screenshot of the user interface (UI) on a smartphone screen just as users would experience it:

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How do you structure a case study?

The contents of every web design case study will vary, but they should all follow this basic structure:

1. A challenge

Start your case study with an introduction to your client and the problem your design solved. Include details about the project’s context, goals, and constraints. This section sets the stage for the rest of the case study and ensures the readers clearly understand what the project — and your solution — is all about.

2. A solution

Detail your approach to solving the challenge introduced in the previous section. Include information about your research, its methodology, and the data you gathered to develop your solution. Focus on your skills, not diagnostics — this is the place to showcase your intelligent approach, reasoning, and innovative ideas that ultimately resolve the challenge.

For this section, it’s helpful to break each key resolution into separate paragraphs and introduce images in chronological order to detail your design process. Screenshots of wireframes and strategy phases will paint a vivid picture of the project’s journey.

If you face any challenges or roadblocks while designing your solution, discussing them provides insight into your problem-solving skills and shows potential clients how you overcome difficulties. End this section with multiple pictures of the final product, and be sure to include a direct link to the project for potential clients and employers to peruse.

3. The impact

This section is where you’ll highlight metrics and data that back up the project’s success. Leverage metrics, user feedback, or whatever data is available to illustrate how your solution solved your client’s challenges and achieved the project’s goals. You can also include information about the potential longitudinal impact of your work and future opportunities for the project.

4. Key quotes

A case study is a perfect place to share client testimonials and add quotes from team members to help readers learn what the experts behind the project think about the build. Get creative but use quotes sparingly, sprinkling them throughout the case study to support the image or project stage the quote relates to.

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Discover our works

We have helped successfully launch clients’ projects of different stages: from product idea validation, MVP implementation to scaling, further development and support.

Online domain name trading marketplace platform

Dan is an online marketplace platform that allows you to buy and sell domain names simply and transparently.

Online Service Marketplace

PlanMyKids is a marketplace where parents can plan and book kids activities nearby. The platform offers a simple solution that connects parents with after-school programs and camps.

Multi-vendor e-commerce marketplace platform

This is the first online marketplace in Europe and the UK that allows users to buy and sell their services and products in one place.

Insurance Progressive Web App

Babel Cover is an early stage insurance technology startup. The goal of this project was to bring consumers closer to insurance products, and to enable them to access insurance services from their smartphones with the help of a cross-platform Progressive Web App.

Online marketplace for boats

Trade A Boat is an Australia-based marketplace that helps organize the process of buying and selling new or used boats, and marine equipment.

Fitness Progressive Web Application

Impact is a fitness app that connects trainers and their clients via desktops and smartphones. The application allows for assigning and tracking personal training and nutrition programs.

Time tracking software

TimeBot is a Slack bot in conjunction with the admin panel that serves as the project management tool. It automates monitoring the workflow and evaluation of the performance, boosting the team’s productivity.

Real Estate Portal

The SaaS allows for showing real estate listings with 3D virtual tours. The real estate portal lets users see an apartment on the screen as if they are already there. You can post a listing and change details if needed on the platform.

Online travel marketplace

iExpedition is an Australia-based expedition and adventure travel company that offers polar cruises. The travel marketplace platform allows tourists to search and book Arctic and Antarctic trips.

Online collaboration marketplace

Digital Village is a platform in Australia that brings a job network of digital professionals together to develop software and solve business technology issues.

Intelligent Job Match System

Wowner is an online job search solution for the Netherlands market. It helps people to find new relevant jobs based on their preferences and skills.

Recreational vehicles marketplace platform

TradeRVs is a leading marketplace in Australia where private sellers and dealers can sell or buy new or used caravans, camper trailers, motorhomes, parts and accessories, and other recreational vehicles.

SaaS platform for bakery business

CakerHQ is an Australian website for bakery businesses where cake makers sell flavorful desserts, and customers can book the confectionery easily and quickly.

Online marketplace for selling collectibles

Learn how Codica created a collectible marketplace from scratch. The platform helps appraise and insure collectibles and is a place for social sharing.

Online news portal DUMA™

DUMA™ is the #1 entertainment news website in Africa. It shares articles and real-time news about celebrities, fashion, sports, lifestyle, and more.

Dental Imaging Management System

Ref Dental is a dental imaging management system that allows the imaging center to exchange referral forms and communicate with dental clinics.

Multi-vendor vehicle marketplace

This is the first vehicle marketplace platform in Africa, and it consists of 90+ independent marketplaces, fully localized for each country. The marketplace was initially designed, developed and optimised with focus on mobile experience.

Recruitment Progressive Web Application for RecruitEverywhere

RecruitEverywhere is a product of the Intelligence Group that specializes in talent acquisition and labor markets. The recruiting platform allows hiring specialists all over the world in a couple of clicks.

Accommodation Search Website

This is a world-first service for finding long-term accommodation. The company set out to simplify the relocation process, and help people who move to Australia for work to quickly find new accommodation.

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Software development case studies​

We love to show off examples of web and mobile applications that we’ve developed for our clients. In addition to betting projects (in which we specialize), here you will also find applications from the financial, healthcare, IoT industries and additionally, some solutions for startups. Remember that not all of the software development case studies that we’ve completed are available on this page, some of them are confidential. We encourage you to contact us if you have questions.

All software development case studies

Below you will find all of our case studies. For a better navigation experience, use the filters by dividing them into industries, the scope of work, or the platform. Projects we have carried out in the past are still being developed. We put a lot of work into them and we are very proud of what we do. We’d love to speak with you, so please contact us if you have questions about these projects. If you want to implement your own idea, CrustLab is the partner to help you do it!

CrazyBet – Crypto Casino with Custom Frontend & Social Features

Delve into the genesis of a standalone crypto casino platform infused with immersive gaming aspects and vibrant social interactions.

BETFAN – Sportsbook Web & Mobile UI

Innovative sportsbook UI that transforms betting on web and mobile platforms into an exceptional experience. Delivered for one of the top legal bookmakers in Poland.

Slot Games Aggregator

Industry-acclaimed one-stop software for online casino operators, now expanded with even more attractive gaming options.

White-label Casino Apps for a Global Audience

Uncover the intricacies of cutting-edge custom casino mobile apps. Confronting considerable technical challenges, rigorous timelines, and strict regulatory constraints, we redefined industry standards.

White-label Mobile Sportsbook Apps

The genesis of custom mobile sportsbook apps reshaping the US and Canadian iGaming landscape through customization and cross-state functionality.

STAY STRONG – A Next-level App Elevating Tennis Club Engagement

Discover how Fame Sport Club, a VIP-centric tennis and badminton hub in Krakow, harnessed cutting-edge technology to elevate player experiences and boost profitability.

AI-boosted Flutter mobile app supporting soccer clubs in training young soccer players

Cross-platform Flutter mobile app created for professional soccer clubs. AI-boosted Duolingo for young adepts of soccer and a complete back office for professional coaches.

BetMakers – the next generation online betting platform

Creation of a next generation multi-tenant Horse Racing betting system hosted by one of the biggest players in the betting industry.

TMS Brokers – Online currency exchange office

Expansion of an online currency exchange office’s functionalities including dedicated panels for users, administrators, and traders.

PelviFly – Healthcare cross-platform mobile app development

Creation of a cross-platform mobile app for end-users and a custom web application for coaches and administrators. The system introduces the gaming experience into a professional medical treatment to start training pelvic floor muscles for women of all ages.

Offender tracking system – an AI-supported IoT application for Public Safety

Development of the personal unit tracking system and native mobile applications to supervise and monitor their activity.

Leeroy – A White-label Restaurant Management App

The transformation of a groundbreaking all-in-one platform designed to streamline restaurant management across Scandinavia.

Case study – fixed pool betting system

Improvements and refreshments to a fixed-pool betting system. Fixed performance bottlenecks, implemented several new technical solutions and custom features, improved the user experience, and added more business conversion points to the web application.

DreamPicks – Online sports betting platform MVP design

Complete design project of the MVP version for an online sports betting platform intended for the US market.

Zowie – a mobile chat widget SDK

Creation of the SDK for a mobile chat widget for Android, iOS, and Flutter.

SoyDigi – business management as a service web app MVP

Creation of the web app MVP version of a business as a service application for a Polish-Columbian startup in the early stages of growth.

Pick24 – social betting mobile apps development

Development of social betting iOS and Android mobile applications for simulated gambling.

WorkInn – Web application and recruitment marketplace for the HoReCa industry

A web application from the event and catering industry that connects event organizers and employees such as cooks, waiters, bartenders, and more.

Smooth Remote – An AWS-based web remote job board

An extended AWS-based web remote job board with an admin panel, Content Management System, and payment integrations.

The Central House of Technology – Content Management System development

Development of a Content Management System to manage the knowledge base and integration with the cdt.pl web portal.

Solver e-learning platform

Creation of an e-learning platform that targets two types of users: providers who offer services and audiences who want to learn.

ICEO – Android widget application

Development of Android widget application which allows the user to follow the cryptocurrency rates in real-time.

BLNK – design of iOS mobile application

An iOS mobile application supporting the maintenance of healthy eyesight.

Pretta – A new level of project management

An iOS application designed to optimize project management processes.

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CrustLab consistently adds value to our organization in many ways. We’ve received very positively feedback on the system CrustLab has delivered. Our customers regard it as an excellent product. Our experience working with them has far exceeded those of other vendors.

The team provided professional services that added value to the core functions of the business. They were fast and felt like our internal IT department, working during the night when we were deploying important features. That was fantastic, and I’m happy they’ve worked with me.

CrustLab’s implementation of our solutions has almost doubled our revenues. All aspects of cooperation were very good. I felt that we were treated as very important clients because we received a very high standard of service. The team delivered the results at the time and budget.

We finished an MVP in 3 weeks. It was very valuable that CrustLab was able to evaluate the feasibility of our solution and estimated the effort and cost that was required to request the funding. CrustLab can be a business partner in addition to an excellent software development agency.

CrustLab successfully delivered a product that was able to maintain its performance despite some sudden surges in the site’s traffic. Thanks to their experience and ability to predict problems, we found solutions and built the project on time.

We take advantage of CrustLab’s experience in the field of payments, new functionalities, and user-friendly design. The development process itself ran smoothly and according to plan. It was important for us to complete the project on time, so I cannot imagine a better partner for this project.

We hired CrustLab to introduce several modifications to improve one of the Pocco Finance apps and integrate it with the new version of the SDK. The project was completed on time and in line with the planned budget. I strongly recommend CrustLab as a software partner.

This team is hungry, sharp, “on it” and very customer-focused. I had no idea that I could find such great help from the other side of the world – especially a firm that could understand our product requirements even though I’m not a tech product manager.

We are really satisfied with the cooperation with CrustLab. Very good technical skillset, good communication, and work done on time! After creating a customizable widget, we entrusted them with redefine of another application, and the results are splendid.

Our cooperation with CrustLab concerned body leasing. They offered us highly skilled and experienced Android developers. I am fully satisfied with the ease of contact, the speed of completing the formalities, but most of all of the man they recommended to us.

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Flipkart triples time-on-site with Progressive Web App

Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce site, decided to combine their web presence and native app into a Progressive Web Application that has resulted in a 70% increase in conversions.

In 2015, Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce site, adopted an app-only strategy and temporarily shut down their mobile website. The company found it harder and harder to provide a user experience that was as fast and engaging as that of their mobile app. But then, Flipkart decided to rethink their development approach. They were drawn back to the mobile web by the introduction of features that made the mobile web run instantly, work offline, and re-engage users.

Key insights

• Users time on site with Flipkart lite vs. previous mobile experience: 3.5 minutes vs 70 seconds .
• 3x more time spent on site
• 40% higher re-engagement rate
• 70% greater conversion rate among those arriving via Add to Homescreen
• 3x lower data usage

Download PDF Case study

Flipkart Lite

They soon began building Flipkart Lite, a Progressive Web App that combines the best of the web and the best of the Flipkart native app. It leverages new, open web APIs to offer a mobile web experience that loads fast, uses less data than before, and re-engages users in multiple ways. Users visit via their browser and find a fast app-like user experience. When they come back, it loads nearly instantly, even on flaky networks. Users can choose to add the site to their homescreen with just two taps, making it easier for them to come back. Amar Nagaram, an Engineering Director at Flipkart shares, "We know that everyone needs to build mobile-first experiences. With Flipkart Lite, we've developed a powerful, technically-advanced web app that performs as well as our native app. We now feel we have the best of both worlds."

A fast and streamlined site

With 63% of Flipkart Lite users reaching the site via a 2G network, a fast user experience was essential. To decrease load times, Flipkart added service workers and streamlined the site to help consumers quickly reach the product they are looking for. Users can even continue to browse categories, review previous searches, and view product pages—all while offline.

Taking advantage of the web's low friction

Reaching a broad set of users is important for Flipkart. With Flipkart Lite, users are one click away from accessing content and many new users are first-time internet users. In addition to easy access, Flipkart Lite requires less data. A key metric for Flipkart is tracking data usage to complete first transaction: when comparing Flipkart Lite to the native app, Flipkart Lite uses 3x less data. Nagaram continues, "Having a strong and engaging mobile website means we’re no longer turning away potential shoppers who don’t want to use data or space to download an app."

Bringing users back with home screen icon

Flipkart wanted to be able to re-engage with mobile web users just as they would with mobile app users.

The company implemented an "Add to Home Screen" prompt. Now, 60% of all visits to Flipkart Lite come from people launching the site from the homescreen icon. Add to Home Screen also delivers high-quality visits, with customers converting 70% more than average users.

These two activities alone resulted in engagement numbers that were 40% higher than before.

Building for future success for the evolving online shopper

Flipkart will continue using progressive web technology to reach their evolving online shoppers. Nagaram concludes, "Flipkart Lite has enabled us to find some of our highest-value customers. We will continue to expand progressive web app technology across all of our platforms, investing significant resources to maximize the potential scale. We truly believe that this is a new way to experience mobile and we’re just getting started."

Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies . Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Last updated 2016-03-28 UTC.

• Shawn Jansepar
• Feb 10, 2016

Building A First-Class App That Leverages Your Website: A Case Study

• 16 min read
• Mobile , Techniques , Apps
• Share on Twitter ,  LinkedIn

About The Author

Shawn is an Engineering Manager on the Product and Customer Success Teams at Mobify. He loves to hack both on the front-end and back-end, with a heavy focus on … More about Shawn ↬

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Mark Zuckerberg once said, “The biggest mistake that we made, as a company, is betting too much on HTML5 as opposed to native… because it just wasn’t there. And it’s not that HTML5 is bad. I’m actually, long term, really excited about it.” And who wouldn’t be excited by the prospect of a single code base that works across multiple platforms ?

Unfortunately, Facebook felt that HTML5 didn’t offer the experience it was looking to build, and that’s what it’s really about: the experience. I believe what Mark was really trying to say was that their biggest mistake was making a technology-driven decision instead of a user experience-driven decision. At the end of the day, we should be making decisions that deliver value to our customers , and sticking to a particular technology is generally not the best way to achieve that.

For our client Beyond the Rack , an online-only e-commerce retailer, our primary goal was to build an app with a great user experience. Like Zuckerberg, we also wanted to take the HTML5 route — the “write once, run everywhere” approach to apps that are written in HTML5 web interfaces is extremely attractive. But in today’s world, where apps are becoming the primary way that users interact with your product, performance isn’t just a nice to have — it’s a competitive advantage .

It’s almost never the case, however, that all features of your app need to be built with completely native interfaces. For example, while it might be hard to make navigation animations feel native on the web, a web page that contains little to no complex animation could easily be used in the app while still feeling native. This is all that really matters to the user. What’s required then is a “maybe write once, maybe run everywhere — it really depends on the feature…” strategy.

In short, don’t choose between native and web interfaces . Use both.

In this piece, I’ll guide you through our experience in building an app for Beyond the Rack in which we mix native and web content to create an app that “feels” native.

Case Study: Building An App For Beyond The Rack

Obviously it was important to determine what problems Beyond the Rack was looking to solve for itself and its customers with its app. The choice of whether to go native or web for each feature would come naturally from that.

We realized that to build a great app, we needed to do a great job with all three of the following things:

• Shopping interface Beyond the Rack is an online-only retailer; so, having a great interface for browsing sales and making purchases is crucial. Because we were building a native app, we had an opportunity to go above and beyond what the web experience can offer.
• Shareability Because a large revenue driver for Beyond the Rack is customers sharing various sales items with friends, we needed to make sure that sharing between iOS, Android and the browser is as seamless as possible.
• Discoverability Beyond the Rack provides limited-time sales to its users; so, being able to reach out to users quickly is very important. Push messaging offers the best way to engage those loyal customers, and it was ultimately the biggest driver in the decision to build the app.

Let’s dive right into how we built some of the most important features of our Beyond the Rack iOS and Android apps: which features of the app were built using web technology, which features are fully native, and how they all work together.

The Shopping Interface

The native bits.

We had built a responsive website for Beyond the Rack on tablet and mobile — one that we were proud of. But it wasn’t enough to simply throw the website into a web view and call it a day; the website by itself does not feel like a native app. A big reason for that is navigation. In a browser, you have back and forward buttons and a URL bar. In iOS and Android apps, users have very different expectations of how to navigate, and we wanted to match those expectations so that our app feels consistent with each platform.

We made a prototype that dynamically loads content via AJAX and manages the navigation and transitions in web languages, but we could not get it to feel as silky smooth as the transitions you see in native apps. The navigation animations on iOS and Android are quite difficult to match using web technology, and any jank in navigation would make our app feel less native . If your app isn’t running at 60 frames per second, users will notice.

We came up with an approach that we felt combines the best of both worlds: load the main content from the web, but use native navigation elements:

On iOS, implementing this was really quite simple. We leveraged the navigation controller , which manages a stack of views, as well as a navigation bar for controlling navigation between each view. In our case, the stack of views is really just a stack of web views — any time a navigation occurs, rather than navigating to it in the web view itself, we instantiate a new web view, push it to our UINavigationController and navigate to the new destination. Using stacks of web views also means that whenever the user goes back, they do not have to wait for the page to reload, which is great for their experience. If in the future we decide to replace a feature with a native view, we would simply push a native view onto the stack, rather than the web view version of that feature.

On Android, the equivalent of the navigation controller would be to use stacks of activities . We decided not to use multiple activities and fragments, because they both call for extremely complex lifecycle management. We ended up managing our own stack of web views for the app and writing custom native animations to transition between each view.

A number of other apps leverage native navigation elements to conform to OS design patterns. Check out this image of Basecamp’s Android app, which leverages a native navigation bar:

Also, compare Amazon’s app to its mobile website:

With this approach, we found our sweet spot of having an experience that feels familiar to the platform , while still leveraging a great core shopping experience from the web.

This might be a surprise to many, but the developers of the Facebook app are also constantly finding the sweet spot, leveraging native or web when it makes sense for each feature. According to an article written by a Facebook engineer : “For areas within the app where we anticipate making changes more often, we will continue to utilize HTML5 code, as we can push updates server side without requiring people to download a new version of the app.” It seems as though Facebook is taking the same approach advocated for here: Choose the technology for each feature based on performance, the development effort required and how fast you need to get it out the door.

For your app, consider case by case whether building a feature natively or leveraging web content makes more sense. Given the difficulty of building navigation that feels native, it probably makes sense to at least build that using native components.

The Web Bits

Today, almost everyone agrees that it’s a good idea to progressively enhance websites : Use one markup base for the lowest common denominator of browsers, and layer that with functionality and enhancements using JavaScript and CSS, depending on the context — no separate code bases or templates for different devices required. Just like how it doesn’t make sense to create separate templates for the mobile and desktop web, we wanted to use the live website templates within the app itself. The app is just another context.

I call this building “app-aware” responsive websites . By building our website with the app’s context and performance in mind, we’ll be ready to ship to all of our users across various platforms sooner than later.

Websites need to be able to detect the app context in three places: CSS, JavaScript and the server. We created an app class to write conditional CSS and an isRunningInApp method to write conditional JavaScript, and we appended App to the user agent for conditional server-side logic.

An example of where we used progressive enhancement within the app is on our product display page. We optimized it by adding a fixed-position “Add to cart” button only for apps:

We could have added a fixed-position “Add to bag” button in the browser, too, but we didn’t because, in Safari, clicking near the bottom will actually open Safari’s navigation bar. Having this bar accidentally open when the user attempts to add a product to their cart would be an unacceptable usability flaw, despite the advantages of having a persistent “Add to cart” button at the bottom of the page:

Another area where we made app-specific tweaks to the website is in the shopping cart. Cart logic is typically one of the trickiest aspects of any e-commerce website, and because we were quite pleased with the cart experience on mobile, we decided to reuse it in the app, although with a slightly modified look and feel:

Shareability

The ability to share links and to open shared links is a critical feature that has to work well for Beyond the Rack. We wanted sharing to be seamless. If someone shares a link from their desktop, and their friend opens it in the app, the link needs to open correctly; likewise, if someone shares a product from the app, it has to open correctly on the desktop; and if the friend is on mobile but doesn’t have the app installed, it should open in the browser. We were determined to make this an awesome experience because this is typically something that apps are weak at.

Making content shareable between web and app can be difficult . To do it successfully, you’ll need to map your app links and web links. This was painful in the pre-responsive days, when opening a desktop URL would take you to the home page of a mobile URL, due to redirects and such. We are seeing the exact same problem today with apps — banners in Safari and Chrome ask you to open a link in an app, only for the app not to show what you were looking for, leaving you to search for it all over again. Fortunately, handling web links in Beyond the Rack’s app is a breeze, because all we need to do is load that URL in a web view. We just have to make sure that web links take users to the app instead of the browser.

On Android, opening a URL in an app is simple. You just need to set up an intent filter to load the app whenever a user attempts to load the specified URL (in our case, www.beyondtherack.com ). Once the app is installed, users will be given the option to open the URL in the app or in the browser:

iOS has had a slightly rockier road to enabling web URLs to open directly in apps. Previously, iOS only allowed you to register an app schema for each app (for example, beyondtherack:// ). Because it was impossible to know which apps were installed, the only choice was to open a given link in Safari and, from there, attempt to open that link in the app. This came with a minor annoyance: If the app wasn’t installed, the user would get an annoying error message, “Safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid.” Thankfully, a hack allows you to suppress that error using iframes . If you want to support deep linking on iOS 8, this is the best option.

After the release of the app, we wanted to compare its performance to the browser experience. Directly comparing their analytics wasn’t enough, because in our experience, anyone who had installed the app was likely a more loyal customer and, thus, would likely convert better. To avoid selection bias, we set up an A/B test; half of the users were kept in the app and half were kicked over to the browser, which ensured that the only participants in the experiment were users who had the app installed (the more loyal users).

• Transactions per unique visitor were 76% higher with the app experience than with the web.
• Unique daily users of the app were 20% more likely to convert .
• App users spent 63% more time browsing than web users .

Quick Performance Wins

Making an app that loads web content and feels native doesn’t come out of the box on iOS or Android. Here are a couple of the performance challenges we faced that are worth sharing:

• On iOS, the scrolling momentum in a web view does not the match scrolling momentum in a native scroll view. This was uncovered in user testing. Here is a one liner to resolve that: webview.scrollView.decelerationRate = UIScrollViewDecelerationRateNormal;
• Be careful when resizing web views . We ran into issues where resizing them caused entire repaints, which killed scroll performance on older devices.
• Dealing with hundreds of different web view implementations on Android can be painful. The most painful issue we ran into is a known web view bug in Android 4.4.2 , which throws a fatal exception in Chromium that causes the app to crash. Removing transform: translate3d in that Android version seems to do the trick. Alternatively, you can use Crosswalk to ship your own compiled web runtime with your app (we didn’t do this, but we plan to for future projects).
• Use FastClick , not only because it removes the 300-millisecond click delay , but also because it fixes a web view click bug introduced in iOS 8.4.1 . For us, the bug manifested itself by not allowing the page to change if the click was too slow.
• Do everything you can to make scrolling feel amazing. You can debounce scroll events , avoid unnecessary repaints and more . If scrolling isn’t running at 60 frames per second, users will notice, even more so in an app than on the web.
• Do everything you can to make pages load in under 1000 milliseconds .

Tools To Build An App Leveraging Your Website

You have a number of options for building an app that leverages your existing website. The approach we’ve taken is to build the app specific to each platform (using Xcode and Android Studio), leveraging web views or native views whenever necessary.

When loading a web view for a particular feature, we recommend integrating the Cordova web view , rather than directly using the web view libraries provided by iOS and Android. This will give your web views a number of features that you would otherwise have to build yourself, such as a web-to-native bridge to communicate from JavaScript to native code and vice versa, the ability to access lifecycle events, as well as access to a wealth of Cordova plugins. Alternatively, a few other web-to-native bridges are available for the various platforms if you want to avoid depending on Cordova.

A few frameworks are out there to help you build apps in this way, such as Supersonic and Astro, a native app framework we’re building to make it easier to manage the complexity of building apps using both native and web interfaces.

With Beyond the Rack, we set out to build an app in which we could easily ship value to users without sacrificing the experience. By following an approach that puts technology in the back seat , allowing us to use the right technology for the task, we believe we have achieved just that. With any change to or introduction of a feature, we will always ask ourselves, “What experience do we want to design here that will best solve the user’s problem? Does that experience require the use of advanced performance or animations?”

The answer to that question will determine whether we build the feature with web technology and reuse it in the browser and on Android and iOS or build it custom for each platform.

Ultimately, I believe that this is how apps should be built. But it’s going to take a shift in mindset. Instead of trying to determine whether the web will triumph over native or become a relic of the past, we should embrace the best of both. We should recognize their respective advantages and disadvantages and use the technology that makes the most sense for the given feature.

Further Reading

• A Beginner’s Guide To Progressive Web Apps
• The Building Blocks Of Progressive Web Apps
• Creating A Complete Web App In Foundation For Apps
• Accessible Target Sizes Cheatsheet

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A 5-step process to design an amazing web app

It’s tricky to create a web application that’s highly interactive, works seamlessly across multiple devices, and offers users all the features they need without overwhelming them with options.

But by using a flexible design process that keeps user needs front and center, anyone can build a web app that creates customer delight.

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Use our 5-step process to streamline your web app design workflow and prioritize the design decisions that will create an amazing product experience for your users. We’ll also show you how to adapt our flexible process to your unique business needs. Let’s go!

Improve your web app design process with user insights

Hotjar’s tools help you keep your web app design process laser-focused on your users.

What is web app design?

Web app design is the process of creating a website application that delivers a seamless user experience (UX) and meets users’ core needs with a clear, compelling user interface (UI). 

Think of Airbnb realizing users wanted a dynamic way of searching for holiday rentals based on different factors like price and location. They created an interactive web app that includes sophisticated filters and a clickable map function—all wrapped up in a minimalist UI.

Web app design vs website design

Web applications and websites have a lot in common: both are accessed from browsers and prioritize strong UI and UX design to engage users and provide them with an intuitive navigation experience and access from different devices. Unlike native mobile apps, web apps and websites don’t require users to install a program on their device.

So what are the key differences between websites and web applications? 

Websites are primarily informative and content-driven: they provide information that encourages users to take certain actions. They include static pages and they have an open user flow where visitors click around in any order depending on what information they want next. Think of a website advertising a SaaS product: the product itself may be interactive, but the website mainly gives information about the product and team.

Web apps, in contrast, are dynamic online applications that let the user perform tasks and manipulate elements in a highly interactive way. Users follow particular paths based on the tasks they want to complete.

"Think of the main differences this way: a website displays information and content to visitors and usually stays the same and static. But a web app both displays information and allows users to interact dynamically. Programming-wise, websites are mainly made with HTML or CSS, while web apps can be made with a plethora of programming languages."

Many aspects of web app design overlap with website design. But web app design requires a much sharper focus on responsive site elements, performance across multiple devices, and a streamlined user journey . 

Web apps are more complex than websites to design and develop, and web app design teams need to consider additional factors—like whether they’ll offer some offline functionality so users can complete certain tasks without a solid internet connection—Google Docs, for example, gives users the option to edit offline.

While web apps were once the province of large companies with several different designers and developers on hand, with a clear design process and the right support, any business can now create an effective web app.

A 5-step web app design process that responds to user needs

Follow these five steps to structure your web app design—adapting the process to your particular team, organization, and customers—so it’s as clear and effective as possible for you to satisfy user needs . Web app design is a circular process: repeat steps and move back and forth in line with workflow constraints, as well as the user insights you discover. 

Here’s how to get started: 

1. Discover key user and market needs

Begin by understanding your users and product market. Ask yourself key web app design questions to guide your research, including: 

Who will use this web app? 

What goals do our users have?

What are our main organizational goals with this web app? 

How will our web app stand out from the competition?

Pinpoint exactly what problems your web app will solve and the user needs it will meet. Spend time researching your competitors—make sure you crawl app stores and search engines for keywords relevant to your web app ideas to see what others are doing—but focus your main efforts on deeply understanding your users and their jobs to be done . 

Start by talking to your users. Organize interviews with potential users and deploy Hotjar Ask tools like Surveys and Feedback widgets to ask open-ended questions. Focus on learning more about who your users are, what their key pain points and struggles are, and what solutions your web app can provide them.

2. Define your solutions

Once you’ve conducted user and market discovery research, synthesize your key learnings by creating user personas , defining problem statements, and mapping out an ideal customer journey .

Next, generate ideas to solve the key user problems you’ve identified. Use brainstorming techniques to ideate web app features and elements that will address your users’ most urgent needs. 

You’ll likely come up with several different potential solutions. Use prioritization techniques like the 'MoSCoW approach,' where you divide ideas into must have/should have/could have/won’t need categories. This will help you decide where to focus your resources for the rest of the design process. 

3. Create a backlog for your web app design and collaborate

Once you’ve defined the solutions your web app will offer, and have a clear sense of your priorities, you can plan out the web app design process by creating a backlog —a list of ideas for new design features, updates to existing features, bug fixes, and infrastructure optimizations. Include a plan for the next stages of the product design process, including development, testing, and further user discovery. 

The best backlogs are structured but also flexible. You don’t want to get too fixated on every single web app element or concrete timelines for every single step here.

The backlog should be collaborative: involve people with different roles across your team and organization in creating the backlog. Getting input from different perspectives will strengthen your web app solutions and plan to realize them.  

Pro tip: clear, organization-wide communication is key to a successful web app design process. Hotjar Highlights and Slack integrations can help you communicate user insights and make sure the right information reaches the right department. For example, when a trial user leaves negative feedback, automate an alert to be sent to team members in design, development, and customer support roles so they can quickly respond.

Hotjar’s automated Slack notifications keep relevant team members in the loop on key survey insights

4. Build and iterate

Next, focus on developing solutions you can test and roll out with real users. Start with  mockups, wireframes, and prototypes  that model the basic web abb navigation architecture and UX elements. Then, test these with current or potential users and incorporate their feedback into future iterations. 

At later stages of development, shift your business team's focus to UI design and branding elements as well as navigation tools so you can get user feedback on these aspects. 

"Web app design processes include user research, wireframing or prototyping, user testing, and, finally, UI mockup design. User testing of wireframes is an especially important phase since it helps ensure usability of the future design at the earliest stage possible, allowing for the cheapest and fastest tweaks and corrections."

5. Launch and test

Launching your web app or new features is an opportunity to further test and refine your design. 

You may want to consider a soft launch, where you roll out to a small group of users first so you can fix bugs and make changes before releasing a feature full-scale. 

Developing a continuous discovery mindset is key to successful design. By constantly seeking out user feedback, you can improve your design, prioritize brilliantly, and delight your users with each iteration. 

At this stage, you should run different checks to get a full picture of how well your web app is working. Make sure you: 

Test key website monitoring metrics

Monitoring your web app’s performance is key to satisfying your users. Web app users come with a mission—to get things done—so it’s important you ensure that your application offers fast loading speed and quick response time, and limits downtime crashes. 

Observe user behavior to improve engagement  

By understanding how users behave on your web app, you can identify product blockers and opportunities to improve your design. Insights on user behavior help you to fill in the blanks between what users tell you and what they actually do when navigating.

for example, digital banner company Bannersnack used Hotjar Heatmaps and Recordings to visualize how users engaged with key web app elements. They discovered users weren’t engaging with their timeline feature because the call-to-action (CTA) wasn’t clear. So with a quick UI tweak, they boosted usage of the tool by 12%.

Why you need a web app design process

A great web app design process helps you:

Solve the most pressing user problems

Stay relevant in an evolving market

Offer excellent usability and clear navigation hierarchies that let users achieve what they came to do

Keep users engaged with an attractive and intuitive experience 

Increase conversions and user satisfaction

Get your whole team aligned around your design backlog

Get buy-in from stakeholders on your ideas

Without a clear process for web app design, you may end up investing resources into ideas that haven’t been validated, creating confusion and misalignment in your team, or missing opportunities to provide key user solutions and get ahead of potential blockers .

"A key challenge in web app design is when stakeholders don't have clarity with the end objective. They ask designers to replicate the competitor’s app or just come up with something. But without proper market research and documentation, your web app design will go through multiple rounds of revisions and painful delays in development and launch. With a clear process, project brief, and research you’ll save time and bring everyone together."

Put user needs center stage with your web app design process 

With a structured but flexible web app design process, you can make sure every step is driven by user needs. A user-centric design process also helps everyone on your team understand exactly why they’re working to improve your web app and feel motivated to make the end product as effective as possible. 

Tailor your design process to user needs to light a fire under your team, keep everyone aligned, and provide a brilliant web app experience that will make you stand out online.

FAQs about the web app design process:

What’s the difference between a web app and a website.

Websites are primarily informative and content-driven. They provide information that encourages users to take action. They include static pages and they have an open user flow: visitors click around in any order depending on what information they want next. Think of a website advertising a SaaS product: the product itself may be interactive, but the website mainly gives information about the product and team.

Web apps, in contrast, are dynamic online applications that let users perform tasks and manipulate elements in a highly interactive way. Users follow particular user paths based on the tasks they want to complete.

Web app design is the process of creating a website application that delivers a seamless user experience (UX) and meets users’ core needs. The web app design process involves learning about your users and market; defining design decisions based on your main business and user objectives; and planning, executing, and testing your design to ensure your web app works seamlessly for your users and offers a clear, compelling user interface (UI). 

Think of Airbnb realizing users wanted a dynamic way of searching for holiday rentals based on a range of factors like price and location. They created an interactive web app that includes sophisticated filters and a clickable map function, all wrapped up in a clear, minimalist UI. The most inspiring examples of web app design respond to urgent user needs .

What’s the best web app design process to follow?

There’s no one single web app design process that will work for all organizational and user needs. But you can adapt the following 5-step web app design process to fit your workflow and users: 

Discover key user and market needs through interviews and surveys

Define the solutions your web app offers

Create a backlog for your web app

Build and iterate your web app

Launch, test, and test again

Case Studies

We develop applications and digital tools that help diverse organizations improve their processes. Our ability to understand complex information and data systems makes us an essential partner in the development and implementation of custom digital solutions – from an event management platform to an award-winning ICT4D solution for monitoring deforestation in Cambodia.

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NGO Beneficiary Management System

IoT School System for NGO

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Design, UI, UX , Inspiration

15 excellent ux case studies every creative should read.

• By Sandra Boicheva
• October 21st, 2021

In a previous article, we talked about UX portfolios and how they carefully craft a story of how designers work. Interestingly enough, recruiters decide if a UX freelance designer or an agency is a good match within 5 minutes into the portfolio . In order to persuade these recruiters, the portfolio needs to present an appealing story that showcases the skill, the thought process, and the choices taken for key parts of the designs. With this in mind, today we’ll talk about UX case studies and give 15 excellent examples of case studies with compelling stories.

The Storytelling Approach in UX Case Studies

An essential part of the portfolio of a UX designer is the case studies that pack a showcase of the designer’s skills, way of thinking, insights in the form of compelling stories. These case studies are often the selling point as recruiters look for freelancers and agencies who can communicate their ideas through design and explain themselves in a clear and appealing way. So how does this work?

Photography by Alvaro Reyes

Just like with every other story, UX case studies also start with an introduction, have a middle, and end with a conclusion .

• Introduction: This UX case study example starts with a design brief and presents the main challenges and requirements. In short, the UX designer presents the problem, their solution, and their role.
• Middle: The actual story of the case study example explains the design process and the techniques used. This usually starts with obstacles, design thinking, research, and unexpected challenges. All these elements lead to the best part of the story: the action part. It is where the story unveils the designer’s insights, ideas, choices, testing, and decisions.
• Conclusion: The final reveal shows the results and gives space for reflection where the designer explains what they’ve learned, and what they’ve achieved.

Now as we gave you the introduction, let’s get to the main storyline and enjoy 15 UX case studies that tell a compelling story.

1. Car Dealer Website for Mercedes-Benz Ukraine by Fulcrum

This case study is a pure pleasure to read. It’s well-structured, easy to read, and still features all the relevant information one needs to understand the project. As the previous client’s website was based on the official Mercedes Benz template, Fulcrum had to develop an appealing and functional website that would require less time to maintain, be more user-friendly, and increase user trust.

• Intro: Starts with a summary of the task.
• Problem: Lists the reasons why the website needs a redesign.
• Project Goals: Lists the 4 main goals with quick summaries.
• Project: Showcases different elements of the website with desktop and mobile comparison.
• Functionality: Explains how the website functionality helps clients to find, and order spare parts within minutes.
• Admin Panel: Lists how the new admin panel helps the client customize without external help.
• Elements: Grid, fonts, colors.
• Tech Stack: Shows the tools used for the backend, mobile, admin panel, and cloud.
• Client review: The case study ends with a 5-star review by the marketing director of Mercedes Benz Ukraine, Olga Belova.

This case study is an example of a detailed but easy to scan and read story from top to bottom, featuring all relevant information and ending on the highest note: the client’s review.

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2. Galaxy Z Flips 5G Website by DFY

This is a big project that covers every aspect of the website, including the UX strategy. The creative studio aimed to fully illustrate and demonstrate the significant upgrades over previous models and to enable two-way communication with the customers through an interactive experience.

• Intro: Summary of the project and roles.
• Interactive Experience: The main project goal.
• Demonstration: Explains the decision to feature 360-degree views and hands-on videos instead of technical terms.
• Screens: Includes high-quality screenshots of significant pages and features.
• Ecosystem: Highlight a page with easy navigation across different products as a marketing decision that makes cross-selling seamless.
• Essentials: Showcases a slider of all products with key features that provide ample information.
• Showroom: Interactive experience that helps the user “play around” with the product.
• Credits: As a conclusion, DFY features the stakeholders involved.

A strong presentation of a very ambitious project. It keeps the case study visual while still providing enough insight into the thought process and the most important decisions.

3. Jambb Social Platform by Finna Wang

Here we have a beautiful case study for a platform that aims to help creators grow their communities by recognizing and rewarding their base of supporters. It tackles a curious problem that 99% of fans who contribute in non-monetary ways don’t get the same content, access, and recognition they deserve. This means the creators need a way to identify their fans across all social platforms to grow their business and give recognition. To get a clear picture of what the design has to accomplish, Finna Wang conducted stakeholder interviews with the majority of the client’s team.

• Intro: Listing roles, dates, team, and used tools.
• Project Overview: The main concept and the reasons behind it.
• Exploration: What problem will the platform solve, preliminary research, and conclusions from the research.  The section includes the project scope and problem statement.
• Design Process: A thorough explanation of the discoveries and the exact steps.
• User Flows:  3 user flows based on common tasks that the target user/fan would do on the site.
• Design Studio: Visualization process with wireframes, sitemap, prototypes.
• Design Iterations: The designer highlights the iterations they were primary behind.
• Style Guide: Typography, colors, visual elements breakdown.
• Usability Testing: Beta site vs Figma prototype; usertesting.com, revised problem statement.
• Prototype: Features an accessible high fidelity prototype in Figma you can view.
• Takeaways: Conclusions.

An extremely detailed professionally made and well-structured UX case study. It goes a step further by listing specific conclusions from the conducted research and featuring an accessible Figma prototype.

4. Memento Media by Masha Keyhani

This case study is dedicated to a very interesting project for saving family stories. It aims to help users capture and record memories from their past. To do so, the design team performed user research and competitive analysis. The entire project took a 6-week sprint.

• Overview: Introducing the client and the purpose of the app.
• My Role: Explaining the roles of the designer and their team.
• Design Process: A brief introduction of the design process and the design toolkit
• Home: The purpose of the Homepage and the thought process behind it.
• Question Selection: The decision behind this screen.
• Recording Process: Building the recording feature and the decisions behind it.
• User research: a thorough guide with the main focuses, strategies, and competitor analysts, including interviews.
• Research Objectives: The designer gives the intent of their research, the demographics, synthesis, and usability testing insights.
• Propositions: Challenges and solutions
• User Flow: Altering the user flow based on testing and feedback.
• Wireframes: Sketches, Lo-Fi wireframing.
• Design System: Typography, colors, iconography, design elements.
• The Prototype: It shows a preview of the final screens.

This UX study case is very valuable for the insights it presents. The design features a detailed explanation of the thinking process, the research phase, analysts, and testing which could help other creatives take some good advice from it for their future research.

5. Perfect Recipes App by Tubik

Here we have a UX case study for designing a simple mobile app for cooking, recipes, and food shopping. It aims to step away from traditional recipe apps by creating something more universal for users who love cooking with extended functionality. The best idea behind it is finding recipes based on what supplies the user currently has at home.

• Intro: Introducing the concept and the team behind it.
•  Project: What they wanted to make and what features would make the app different than the competitors.
• UI design: The decisions behind the design.
• Personalization: Explaining how the app gives the user room for personalization and customizing the features according to their personal preferences.
• Recipe Cards and Engaging Photos: The decisions behind the visuals.
• Cook Now feature: Explaining the feature.
• Shopping List: Explaining the feature.
• Pantry feature:  The idea to sync up the app with AmazonGo services. This case study section features a video.
• Bottom Line: What the team learned.

This UX case study is a good example of how to present your concept if you have your own idea for an app. You could also check the interactive preview of the app here .

6. SAM App by Mike Wilson

The client is the Seattle Art Museum while the challenge is to provide engaging multimedia content for users as well as self-guided tours. Mile Wilson has to create an experience that will encourage repeat visits and increase events and exhibition attendance.

• Intro: Listing time for the project, team members, and roles.
• The Client: A brief introduction of Seattle Art Museum
• The Challenge: What the app needs to accomplish.
• Research and Planning: Explaining the process for gathering insights, distributing surveys, interviews, and identifying specific ways to streamline the museum experience.
• Sloane: Creating the primary persona. This includes age, bio, goals, skills, and frustrations.
• Designing the Solution: Here the case study features the results of their research, information architecture, user flows, early sketching, paper prototypes, and wireframes.
• Conclusion: Explaining the outcome, what the team would have done differently, what’s next, and the key takeaways.

What we can take as a valuable insight aside from the detailed research analysis, is the structure of the conclusion. Usually, most case studies give the outcome and preview screens. However, here we have a showcase of what the designer has learned from the project, what they would do differently, and how they can improve from the experience.

7. Elmenus Case Study

This is a case study by UX designers Marwa Kamaleldin, Mario Maged, Nehal Nehad, and Abanoub Yacoub for redesigning a platform with over 6K restaurants. It aims to help users on the territory of Egypt to find delivery and dine-out restaurants.

• Overview: What is the platform, why the platform is getting redesigned, what is the target audience. This section also includes the 6 steps of the team’s design process.
• User Journey Map: A scheme of user scenarios and expectations with all phases and actions.
• Heuristic Evaluation: Principles, issues, recommendations, and severity of the issues of the old design.
• First Usability Testing: Goals, audience, and tasks with new user scenarios and actions based on the heuristic evaluation. It features a smaller section that lists the most severe issues from usability for the old design.
• Business Strategy: A comprehensive scheme that links problems, objectives, customer segment, measurements of success, and KPIs.
• Solutions: Ideas to solve all 4 issues.
• Wireframes: 4 directions of wireframes.
• Styleguide: Colors, fonts, typeface, components, iconography, spacing method.
• Design: Screens of the different screens and interactions.
• Second Usability Testing: Updated personas, scenarios, and goals. The section also features before-and-after screenshots.
• Outcome: Did the team solve the problem or not.

A highly visual and perfectly structured plan and process for redesigning a website. The case study shows how the team discovers the issues with the old design and what decisions they made to fix these issues.

8. LinkedIn Recruiter Tool by Evelynma

A fresh weekend project exploring the recruiting space of LinkedIn to find a way to help make it easier for recruiters to connect with ideal candidates.

• Background Info: What made the designer do the project.
• Problem and Solution: A good analysis of the problem followed by the designer’s solution.
• Process: This section includes an analysis of interviewing 7 passive candidates, 1 active candidate, 3 recruiters, and 1 hiring manager. The designer also includes their journey map of the recruiting experience, a sketch of creating personas, and the final 3 personas.
• Storyboard and User Flow Diagrams: The winning scenario for Laura’s persona and user flow diagram.
• Sketches and Paper Prototypes: Sticky notes for paper prototypes for the mobile experience.
• Visual Design: Web and mobile final design following the original LinkedIn pattern.
• Outcome: Explaining the opportunity.

This is an excellent UX case study when it comes to personal UX design projects. creating a solution to a client’s problem aside, personal project concepts is definitely something future recruiters would love to see as it showcases the creativity of the designers even further.

9. Turbofan Engine Diagnostics by Havana Nguyen

The UX designer and their team had to redesign some legacy diagnostics software to modernize the software, facilitate data transfers from new hardware, and improve usability. They built the desktop and mobile app for iOS and Android.

• Problem: The case study explain the main problem and what the team had to do to solve it.
• My Role: As a lead UX designer on a complicated 18-month project, Havana Nguyen had a lot of work to do, summarized in a list of 5 main tasks.
• Unique Challenges: This section includes 4 main challenges that made the project so complex. ( Btw, there’s a photo of sketched wireframes literally written on the wall.)
• My Process: The section includes a description of the UX design process highlighted into 5 comprehensive points.
• Final Thoughts: What the designer has learned for 18 months.

The most impressive thing about this case study is that it manages to summarize and explain well an extremely complex project. There are no prototypes and app screens since it’s an exclusive app for the clients to use.

10. Databox by FireArt

A very interesting project for Firearts’s team to solve the real AL & ML challenges across a variety of different industries. The Databox project is about building scalable data pipeline infrastructure & deploy machine learning and artificial intelligence models.

• Overview: The introduction of the case study narrows down the project goal, the great challenge ahead, and the solution.
• How We Start: The necessary phases of the design process to get an understanding of a product.
• User Flow: The entire scheme from the entry point through a set of steps towards the final action of the product.
• Wireframes: A small selection of wireframe previews after testing different scenarios.
• Styleguide: Typography, colors, components.
• Visual Design: Screenshots in light and dark mode.

A short visual case study that summarizes the huge amount of work into a few sections.

11. Travel and Training by Nikitin Team

Here’s another short and sweet case study for an app with a complete and up-to-date directory of fitness organizations in detailed maps of world cities.

• Overview: Explaining the project.
• Map Screen : Outlining the search feature by categories.
• Profiles: Profile customization section.
• Fitness Clubs: Explaining the feature.
• Icons: A preview of the icons for the app.
• App in Action: A video of the user experience.

This case study has fewer sections, however, it’s very easy to read and comprehend.

12. Carna by Ozmo

Ozmo provides a highly visual case study for a mobile application and passing various complexities of courses. The main goal for the UX designer is to develop a design and recognizable visual corporate identity with elaborate illustrations.

• Intro: A visual project preview with a brief description of the goal and role.
• Identity: Colors, fonts, and logo.
• Wireframes: The thinking process.
• Interactions: Showcase of the main interactions with animated visuals.
• Conclusion: Preview of the final screens.

The case study is short and highly visual, easy to scan and comprehend. Even without enough insight and text copy, we can clearly understand the thought process behind and what the designer was working to accomplish.

13. An Approach to Digitization in Education by Moritz Oesterlau

This case study is for an online platform for challenge-based learning. The designer’s role was to create an entire product design from research to conception, visualization, and testing. It’s a very in-depth UX case study extremely valuable for creatives in terms of how to structure the works in their portfolio.

• Intro: Introducing the client, project time, sector, and the designer’s role.
• Competitive Analysis: the case study starts off with the process of creating competitive profiles. It explains the opportunities and challenges of e-learning that were taken into consideration.
• Interviews and Surveys: Listing the goals of these surveys as well as the valuable insights they found.
• Building Empathy: The process and defining the three target profiles and how will the project cater to their needs. This section includes a PDF of the user personas.
• Structure of the Course Curriculum: Again with the attached PDF files, you can see the schemes of the task model and customer experience map.
• Information Architecture: The defined and evaluated sitemap for TINIA
• Wireframing, Prototyping, and Usability Testing :  An exploration of the work process with paper and clickable prototypes.
• Visual Design: Styleguide preview and detailed PDF.
• A/B and Click Tests: Reviewing the usability assumptions.
• Conclusion: A detailed reflection about the importance of the project, what the designer learned, and what the outcome was.

This is a very important case study and there’s a lot to take from it. First, the project was too ambitious and the goal was too big and vague. Although the result is rather an approximation and, above all, at the conceptual level requires further work, the case study is incredibly insightful, informative, and insightful.

14. In-class Review Game by Elizabeth Lin

This project was never realized but the case study remains and it’s worth checking out. Elizabeth Lin takes on how to create an engaging in-class review game with a lot of research, brainstorming, and a well-structured detailed process.

• Intro: What makes the project special.
• Research: Explaining how they approached the research and what they’ve learned.
• Brainstorming: the process and narrowing all How Might We questions to one final question: How might we create an engaging in-class math review game.
• Game Loop and Storyboarding: Sketch of the core game loop and the general flow of the game.
• Prototyping: Outlining basic game mechanics and rounds in detail.
• Future Explorations: The case study goes further with explorations showing how the product could look if we expanded upon the idea even further.
• What Happened?:  The outcome of the project.

This case study tells the story of the project in detail and expands on it with great ideas for future development.

15. Virtual Makeup Studio by Zara Dei

And for our last example, this is a case study that tells the story of an app-free shippable makeover experience integrated with the Covergirl website. The team has to find a way to improve conversion by supporting customers in their purchase decisions as well as to increase basket size by encouraging them to buy complementary products.

• Intro: Introducing the project and the main challenges.
• Discovery and Research: Using existing product information on the website to improve the experience.
• Onboarding and Perceived Performance: Avoiding compatibility issues and the barrier of a user having to download an app. The section explains the ideas for features that will keep users engaged, such as a camera with face scan animation.
• Fallback Experience and Error States: Providing clear error messaging along with troubleshooting instructions.
• Interactions: explaining the main interactions and the decisions behind them.
• Shared Design Language: Explaining the decision to provide links on each product page so users could be directed to their preferred retailer to place their order. Including recommended products to provide users with alternatives.
• Outcome and Learning: The good ending.
• Project Information: Listing all stakeholders, the UX designer’s role in a bullet list, and design tools.

In Conclusion

These were the 15 UX case studies we wanted to share with you as they all tell their story differently. If we can take something valuable about what are the best practices for making an outstanding case study, it will be something like this.

Just like with literature, storytelling isn’t a blueprint: you can write short stories, long in-depth analyses, or create a visual novel to show your story rather than tell. The detailed in-depth UX case studies with lots of insights aren’t superior to the shorter visual ones or vice versa. What’s important is for a case study to give a comprehensive view of the process, challenges, decisions, and design thinking behind the completed project .

In conclusion, a UX case study should always include a summary; the challenges; the personas; roles and responsibilities; the process; as well as the outcomes, and lessons learned.

Video Recap

Take a look at the special video we’ve made to visualize and discuss the most interesting and creative ideas implemented in the case studies.

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Magento 2 Hyva Theme vs. PWA Theme: Which Is Better?

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Progressive Web Apps (PWA): Top 3 Case Studies

Table of contents

Imagine that you have just launched your start-up and your website looks awesome, but you don’t have enough budget to develop a mobile app, which may be important to your business strategy. However, it is very expensive and a bit risky. You will also have to spend a lot of time building a  native app , but nobody knows your brand well. Will people trust your application​ enough to download it from the App Store or Google Play Store?

What’s more – will your customers/readers be determined enough to take some additional steps like closing your website, opening Google Play or the App Store and then patiently wait till the app has installed?

Remember that people are much more demanding these days. In other words, they are also very impatient – they expect fast solutions . Downloading such an app from an external store doesn’t sound like a very quick operation and native apps are not very accessible for every user. From the User Experience point of view, there are many obstacles for the customer before he achieves his (and your) goal.

And another thing – are you sure that your clients will have enough internal storage space to download your app?

So you will invest a lot of money in building a mobile app (both for IOS and Android) and you can’t be sure that people will actually use it. Ahh… and don’t forget about all these huge amounts of your marketing budget that you will need to spend on advertising and promotion!

But wait, don’t be panic, fortunately, you are living in 2019, when   Progressive Web Apps ​are​ becoming a common solution when it comes to creating mobile apps!

Have you ever heard about  Progressive Web Apps ​? If not, now is your chance to catch​ up on this latest technology trend or you will be left behind! We have already written  a​ comprehensive article ​ explaining  what they are and why it’s worth choosing this option. ​

Today we would like to give you some inspiration and introduce success stories of brands that have already built  Progressive Web Apps .

Trivago acquires a good reputation for hotel search engine that is available in 33 different languages. On the base of hotel’s information, pictures, ratings, reviews, filters, and other features, Trivago helps their users to find the best offer.

The problem is Trivago have noticed a significant increase in mobile users in recent years. The brand realized that the mobile experience is getting more and more important for their clients.

However, creating mobile solutions is not a piece of cake and this means making difficult choices. Specifically, the company wasn’t sure whether people would accept the cost of downloading a mobile app, just to check if it fits their expectations. They also noticed that many people have problems with a quality mobile connection . Due to these reasons, Trivago was​ looking for different opportunities than a native app.

Finally, they discovered  Progressive Web Apps ​, whose features seemed to be perfect for​ their needs. At that time, they were looking for a solution that would provide them with  push ​  notifications , ​ offline mode ,​ and ​ home screen shortcuts ​. And the most important factor for Trivago​ was  the accessibility ​ to this app ​ through a standard mobile browser ​.​

This PWA solution helped them to build an app without having to involve big teams of software developers. They focused on the most important features in the beginning, like push notifications, offline access and  the possibility to add the app to the home screen ​. Of course, there were difficulties at first. They said​ that one of the biggest challenges was to create an intuitive User Interface because designing a mobile appearance is much more different than that on standard websites. According to Laura Oades, designer for the PWA:

“On mobile, you have the additional problem of crafting a UI that is platform agnostic and not confusing” and “PWA is largely unchartered territory in design, and a real opportunity for creative problem solvers to stretch themselves to define a new standard.”

The results

• The Trivago mobile website is available in 33 languages, across 55 countries.
• More than 500 000 people added a Trivago shortcut to their home screen and their engagement increased by 150% .
• Compared to previous mobile websites, Progressive Web App attracted far more users. Before PWA, only 0,8% repeat visits were recorded, now this number increased to an average of 2%.
• Push notifications turned out to be a perfect means of communication – they helped to increase conversion – the number of clicks in the PWA on hotel offers increased by 97%.

Pinterest  is a social network that allows users to visually share, and discover new interests by posting (known as ‘pinning’ on  Pinterest ) images or videos to their own or others’ boards (i.e. a collection of ‘pins,’ usually with a common theme) and browsing what other users have pinned

After analyzing usage for unauthenticated mobile web users, they realized that their old, slow web experience only managed to convert 1% of users into sign-ups, logins or native app installs. The opportunity to improve this conversation rate was huge, leading them to an investment in the PWA.

The Pinterest PWA started because they were focused on international growth, which led them to the mobile web.

Over  3 months , Pinterest rebuilt their mobile web experience using React, Redux and webpack. Their mobile web rewrite led to several positive improvements in core business metrics .

Their mobile web rewrite led to several improvements in performance.

Time spent is up by  40%  compared to the old mobile web experience, user-generated ad revenue is up  44%  and core engagements are up  60% :

Pinterest’s old mobile web experience was a monolith — it included large bundles of CPU-heavy JavaScript that pushed out how quickly Pin pages could load and get interactive.

Their new mobile web experience is a drastic improvement.

Not only did they break-up & shave hundreds of KB off their JavaScript, taking down the size of their core bundle from 650KB to 150KB but they also improved on key performance metrics. First Meaningful Paint was down from 4.2s to 1.8s and Time To Interactive reduced from 23s to 5.6s.

Although Pinterest vend iOS & Android apps, they were able to deliver the same core home feed experience these apps do on the web in a fraction of the upfront download cost — just ~150KB minified & gzipped. This contrasts with the 9.6MB required to deliver this experience for Android and 56MB for iOS

As you’ve already known, Twitter is a social media platform, where people post short messages called tweets. It was created in March 2006. Now it has more than 335 million active users (July 2018).

Twitter noticed that users had to overcome many obstacles while using their mobile website.

Some of them were on  slow mobile networks ​ and ​had  little space on mobile devices storage .​ As a result, visitors were reluctant to spend time on Twitter’s website or engage in posting and commenting more. Twitter wanted to find an attractive alternative for people who don’t use their native app or don’t have enough space for downloading this.

Twitter decided to build a  Progressive Web App ​ because it seemed to be the best​ combination of a modern website and native features. Instant loading, lower data consumption, and large accessibility were features that Twitter was looking for.

The outcomes turned out to be very impressive – the numbers speak for themselves:

• 20% drop in bounce rate,
• 65% rise in pages per session,
• 75% rise in Tweets sent.

As in previous success stories, the “ add to home screen ​” prompt and ​ push ​  notifications increased the user’s engagement significantly . As it is reported in ​ thi​s Case Study,​  Twitter noticed that  250 000 ​  unique daily users  run Twitter Lite from the​ home screen 4 times a day on average. What’s more, they’re sending  more than 10M push ​  notifications  per day.​

According to Twitter intentions, the PWA takes  much less space ​ (only 600 KB) than the​ native Android app (23,5 MB), so there’s a bigger possibility that people will have enough space in their internal storage to save it.

What’s more, Twitter added a  data saver mode ​, that helps users to control the amount of​ mobile data used. Thanks to this option, you can choose which images or videos you want to fully load, and which may remain just as a preview.

Embrace the Future of Websites

PWA is the future of mobile applications. There’s a possibility that they will replace native applications with time, becoming a perfect combination of native app and website.  In a world where the speed to adopt new technology is a competitive edge, businesses that manage to embrace the PWA moment earlier, can significantly drive revenue, increase user engagement while staying ahead of the competition.

In the past, Apple had some limitations for Progressive Web Applications, however, they are now being more and more supportive to PWAs . For online merchants looking for an all-around perfect PWA for Magento eCommerce websites, here at SimiCart we offer a complete package for you and your store.

Designer and Content writer. Love food and Robert Downey Junior. Be a gardener when growing older.

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Wow! These case studies https://writtent.com/blog/stats-post-formula/ really showcase the power of PWAs. Feeling inspired to implement similar strategies for my projects now. Thanks for sharing!

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Category: Case Study blogs

Date: December 15, 2023

Laravel Case Study Inspirations for Modern Web Applications

The Laravel Case Study Inspirations for Modern Web Applications Development exemplify how Laravel can serve as a powerful framework for constructing cutting-edge web applications.

Laravel is an open-source PHP web framework, that adheres to the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern. 

With its emotive and elegant syntax, coupled with a vast ecosystem of libraries and tools, Laravel stands out as a robust framework for building web applications.

Imagine you’re a chef tasked with creating a delicious web application dish. You have all the ingredients and tools at your disposal, but you need a recipe that brings everything together seamlessly. That’s where Laravel comes in as the head chef, wearing a tall white hat and carrying a spatula, ready to whip up a fantastic meal!

First, Laravel acts as your trusty recipe book, guiding you through the development process with its clear and organized structure. Just like a recipe book with its chapters and sections, Laravel follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern, ensuring that your code is neatly organized and easy to understand. Next, its extensive ecosystem of libraries and tools provides ready-made solutions for everyday web development tasks. It’s like having a sous chef who can chop vegetables, whisk sauces, and handle other repetitive tasks, saving you valuable time and effort.

Also, Laravel’s expressive and elegant syntax is like having an engaging and charming waiter who effortlessly communicates with your customers (users). Just as a charismatic waiter enhances the dining experience, Laravel’s syntax makes coding a breeze, allowing you to write clean and readable code.

Laravel’s Common Features Needed by All Modern Web Applications 

• Authentication
• Authorization
• Eloquent ORM
• Database Migrations
• Notifications & Mail
• File Storage
• Task Scheduling
• Events & WebSockets

The Laravel case studies presented below shed light on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the versatility and power of Laravel as a framework for modern web application development. Whether it’s building SaaS products, creating customized admin panels, deploying serverless applications, performing automated browser testing, or managing job queues, Laravel offers a comprehensive set of tools and features.Businesses that require dependable and competent web application development services should consider Laravel as an ideal solution for their varied development needs.

Emsona approached Curious Minds for a reporting application to analyze user analytics data. The project encompassed planning, discovery, implementation, deployment, and testing, all compressed within a tight 14-week timeframe.

Curious Minds needed a framework that could handle application logic, and user interfaces, and provide essential functions such as authentication, file downloads, and API calls. They chose the battle-tested Laravel framework, which allowed them to quickly implement these features and ensure the success of the project. Deploying an application to production is a distinct step from completing its development. To expedite the deployment process, they utilized Laravel’s Forge, a solution that facilitated the creation and provisioning of a Digital Ocean instance. With Forge, they seamlessly installed the application, implemented encryption, and migrated the database.

They accomplished Emsona’s project goals by leveraging a top-notch application framework and a cloud-based hosting stack. The application was developed, deployed, and tested within a few weeks, and it continues to play a crucial role in Emsona’s reporting infrastructure today.

Bagisto is a versatile and modular open-source e-commerce platform developed on the Laravel PHP framework and Vue.js. It empowers businesses to build dynamic online stores and e-commerce applications with ease by offering a wide array of features and functionalities.

Being an open-source solution, Bagisto allows developers to access and modify its source code, facilitating high levels of customization and adaptability. Moreover, it boasts an active community of developers who contribute to its continual enhancement, addressing bugs, and introducing new features.

At Bagisto, customer feedback catalyzes product improvement. Regularly, they make numerous small improvements, driven by valuable insights from their users. This commitment to refining the platform ensures that Bagisto remains at the forefront of innovation, consistently meeting the evolving needs of businesses in the e-commerce landscape.

Key Features of Bagisto

• Modular and Extensible
• Multi-Store and Multi-Channel Support
• Mobile-Friendly and Responsive
• Product Management
• Order and Customer Management
• Marketing and Promotions
• SEO-Friendly
• Payment and Shipping Integrations

Snipe-IT is an open-source asset management software built with Laravel. It allows businesses to track and manage their physical assets, such as computers, equipment, and software licenses. Laravel’s MVC architecture, routing system, database migrations, and ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) provides a structured and efficient way to develop the asset management system.

Snipe-IT Asset Management provides budget-friendly hosting packages that include server set-up, installation, ongoing maintenance, and upgrades. Also, their priority support ensures prompt service with any potential concerns. Alternatively, if you prefer to host it independently, their support plans simplify the process of receiving necessary assistance.

SNIPE-IT ASSET MANAGEMENT Features

• Admin Dashboard
• Asset Management
• License Management
• Email Notifications
• Integrations & Robust JSON REST API
• Mobile-friendly for asset updates on the go
• Compatible with Linux, Windows, and Mac web servers
• Offering extensive security measures for robust data protection
• One-click (or cron) backups
• Google Secure LDAP user sync

Laracasts is an educational platform that offers video tutorials and screencasts focused on Laravel and related web development technologies. It provides a diverse catalog of courses, regularly updated content, and a community forum for learners to engage with experts and fellow developers. Laracasts is highly regarded within the Laravel community as a valuable resource for improving skills and staying up to date with best practices in Laravel development.

It is built using the Laravel framework, which is known for its elegance, simplicity, and extensive ecosystem. The platform leverages the features and capabilities of Laravel to provide a seamless and efficient learning experience for developers.

Features of Laracasts

• Extensive Course Library
• Video Tutorials and Screencasts
• Beginner-Friendly Content
• Advanced Topics and Techniques
• Regularly Updated Content
• Community Forum
• Downloadable Course Files
• Mobile and Offline Access
• Concise and Focused Lessons

Local Lens is a vacation photography service that connects travelers with local photographers in 200+ locations worldwide. They sought a partner to develop a custom application to support their business model. The application had to cater to vacationer clients, streamline photographer onboarding, and manage deliverables.

Curious Minds collaborated with LocalLens to analyze their online business process, identifying areas for optimization. Through a comprehensive assessment, they created an improved user interface that captured the ideal process flow. Multiple iterations and client feedback were incorporated to fine-tune the user interface and perfect the process.

They implemented a Kanban-style task flow for photographer interfaces, connected to live to push notifications for real-time updates. Their support developers collaborate with the Local Lens team regularly to maintain the application and integrate new features and enhancements, ensuring long-term success.

Wrapping Up

This Laravel case study has hit the nail on the head by providing valuable inspiration for modern web application development. Laravel’s elegance, simplicity, and extensive ecosystem make it a force to be reckoned with. The real-world examples have shown its mettle in terms of robustness and scalability. With its user-friendly syntax, feature-rich nature, and strong community backing, Laravel continues to be the cream of the crop for developers. This case study is a wake-up call, reminding us of the boundless possibilities Laravel brings to the table, propelling innovation in web development and making it the premier web application development company .

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About the Author - Nandhini

I'm an artistic copywriter & SEO analyst at ColorWhistle. As a copywriter, I write academic, professional, journalistic, or technical-related, innovative and recreational content using my SEO knowledge. I am an electronics and communication engineer by degree and a copywriter by passion. I flawlessly use my research and adaptability skills while writing. When I'm not writing you'll find me wandering through music, pencil drawings, gardening, and bike rides. I'm also a lover of dogs, cats, a sky full of stars, and an empty road.

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Web App Building 101: A Simple Guide For Beginners

Ready to build your first web app but not sure how to begin? Our guide has you covered. In clear, simple terms, we guide you through the basics.

💡 KEY INSIGHTS

• Picking the best tools and languages helps your web app grow smoothly and makes it easier to keep up later.
• Talking to users early on makes your app more user-friendly and liked.
• Starting with strong safety steps keeps users' information safe and makes them trust your app more.
• Good planning and organization speeds up making your app and uses resources wisely.

If you're interested in how websites with advanced features are created or have considered making one yourself, this guide is for you.

It's meant for beginners or those with technical knowledge who want to learn more . Creating a website with advanced features might seem difficult at first, but don't worry .

This guide will cover all the steps you need to know, from coming up with an idea and designing it to writing the code, testing to ensure it works, and finally, sharing it with the world. So, prepare your coffee and start learning about making your own website.

How Do You Plan & Run Your Web App Project?

Web development stacks, enterprise web app design, the building blocks of web development, the server side, database web applications, the role of apis in web app development, web application testing types, how to deploy your websites & apps, web app maintenance, frequently asked questions.

Important disclosure: we're proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra). For more information, read our affiliate disclosure.

• Setting Your Goals and Project Scope: Begin by clarifying the objectives and boundaries of your web app project. Ask yourself: What issue does this solve? Who's it for? What features are vital? How will you gauge its success?

A great way to control scope is to break up a project in separate engagements. I have often found that having a separate Audit, Definition, Implementation and Launch Support phases will allow for better alignment and lower risk of overruns. Leveraging Agile practices, each engagement has its own goals, scope and corresponding  SOW, that is informed by the outcome of the previous engagement.

Shannon Medlin

Senior Technical Project Manager Unleashed

Source: LinkedIn

• Selecting Your Tech Stack: Your tech stack includes your web app's tools, languages, and frameworks. This might mean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the front end, Node.js and Express at the back end, and MongoDB for data.

Shannon Medlin necessitates:

In the past 10 or so years, tech stacks have been replaced with comprehensive frameworks and platforms as parts of larger ecosystems. For instance, a decoupled Drupal backend + React frontend, leveraging AWS as the CDN for media assets, coupled with a robust DevOps solution.

• Designing Your App's Architecture: Now, outline your web app's architecture. This structural plan shows how its parts interact and connect with other systems. You might opt for an MVC (Model-View-Controller) approach or a microservices architecture.
• Building and Testing Your App: Start coding using your tools and frameworks. Stick to coding standards for clarity and consistency. Test your app extensively with various methods like unit, integration, functional, and user testing. This ensures high quality and user-friendliness.
• Launching and Monitoring Your App: When ready, deploy your app using a suitable hosting or cloud service. Set up for optimal security, performance, and availability with encryption, caching, and backup strategies.

Shannon Medlin goes on to say:

This is where partnering with a good hosting provider is key. Your solution should include support for multiple environments, deploymemt triggers, load balancing and monitoring as a service. Point being that it is usually not as efficient to fully staff and manage your own servers.

• Maintaining and Updating Your App: Keep your app current and secure by regularly adding features, fixing bugs, boosting performance, and updating security. Gather user feedback through surveys, reviews, and analytics. Regular updates and maintenance enhance the app's value, functionality, and user satisfaction.

What Is a Web Development Stack?

A web development stack combines programming languages, tools, and frameworks to build and manage web applications. It's the core of web development, adapting to project demands. Picking the right stack is vital, as it directly affects a web app's features, scalability, and speed. 

Web stacks are crafted to match project needs, developer skills, and scaling goals, with each layer serving a distinct purpose.

Components of a Web Development Stack

A technology stack, often called a 'tech stack,' encompasses the technologies used to build and run a web application. It includes an operating system, a database, a server, and programming languages. The stack's composition evolves with technology advancements, offering flexibility to tailor it to specific project needs.

The Two Sides of Web Development

Client-side Development: Frontend Web Development Stacks

Web development involves frontend and backend aspects. Frontend development, focused on user interfaces, uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks like React.js, Angular, or Vue.js.

Server-side Development: Backend Web Development Stacks

Backend development, crucial for web apps, handles server hosting, databases, and server logic using Python, Ruby, Java, and Node.js. Frameworks like the MEAN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js) underscore its importance for dynamic web applications.

Click the buttons to navigate through the slides!

Choosing the Right Technology Stack

Choosing the right tech stack is essential for efficient, scalable, and secure web apps. Assess the project's needs, language requirements, scalability, and evolving architecture. Full-stack development, handling both frontend and backend, is becoming more prevalent and demands a versatile grasp of languages and frameworks.

How to Choose the Right Stack?

Choosing the right technology stack involves understanding programming languages and frameworks. Ruby on Rails and Django are efficient for rapid development while considering scalability and maintainability, which are crucial.

This is where Toptal comes in as an ideal solution.

Known for connecting businesses with the top 3% of software engineers and developers, Toptal offers a pool of seasoned professionals skilled in various technologies. Their experts can help you navigate the technology selection, ensuring your project is built on a robust and future-proof foundation. 

With Toptal, you can access a network of top-tier talent ready to tailor their advice and solutions to your project’s needs.

Chris Holtzhauer , CEO of HootRecruit , revels in Toptal’s capabilities:

So, how does it work?

• Visit  Toptal's website .
• Use the search function to pinpoint the freelancer role you're after, whether a Developer, an Engineer, or any other specialized professional. Browse through the profiles of top-tier candidates presented.
• Once you've found your potential match, click the  "Hire"  button.
• You'll then be prompted to answer questions regarding your business and the tasks you wish the freelancer to undertake.

And just like that, you're on your way to harnessing the best freelance talent for your project!

Here's a short walkthrough:

Common Challenges and Pitfalls

Selecting the right technology stack comes with its fair share of difficulties. One frequent mistake is leaning too heavily on general-purpose programming languages without considering their suitability for specific project needs.

While these languages are versatile, there may be better choices for certain web applications. For instance, a language excellent at data analysis might not be the best fit for real-time applications.

Here are some key issues to watch out for:

The Significance of Making Informed Choices

Emphasizing the importance of well-informed decisions is crucial in today's dynamic full-stack development landscape. Choices made now will impact the project's viability and success in the future.

Here are some additional factors to consider:

• Keeping Pace with Rapid Changes: Full-stack development evolves rapidly, and staying informed about the latest trends and technologies is essential to ensure the stack remains relevant and practical.
• Role of Freelance Developers: Freelance developers are essential players in the industry. They must be proficient in a wide range of technologies and capable of making quick, informed decisions about technology stacks encompassing current and emerging technologies.
• Risk of Obsolescence: Technology stacks can quickly become outdated. Selecting a stack without considering its future viability can lead to significant refactoring or even complete rewrites.
• Integration Complexity: Ensuring smooth integration of various technologies and tools in the stack can be challenging, especially when incorporating newer technologies with existing systems.
• Resource Availability: Some technology stacks have more robust community support and resources than others. Opting for a stack with limited resources can present challenges in problem-solving and learning.
• Budget and Time Constraints: Balancing budget and time constraints while selecting the most effective technology stack is crucial, particularly for individual freelance developers. This often entails making trade-offs between cost, time-to-market, and functionality.

Current Trends in Web Development

The world of contemporary web development is constantly changing, with new technologies and practices emerging regularly.

One trend to note is the increasing use of frameworks like Django. Django is known for its simplicity and effectiveness in building complex, data-driven websites. It's written in Python, a versatile programming language often praised as a one-stop solution for various development needs.

This exemplifies the modern shift in web development towards more efficient and scalable solutions.

For example, here's a simple Django view :

Another ongoing trend is the enduring relevance of the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl) . This stack has been a cornerstone of web development for years, known for its reliability and adaptability.

Using Linux as the operating system, Apache as the web server, MySQL as the database, and PHP as the scripting language remains a strong and popular choice.

Here's a straightforward PHP script in a LAMP stack :

The use of Microsoft SQL Server in web development stacks has also grown, especially in enterprise environments. Its compatibility with various programming languages and robust feature set make it a strong contender for managing databases in web applications.

For example, here's a SQL query in Microsoft SQL Server :

Is Full Stack Development Still in Demand?

Full-stack development is still in high demand, mainly because of the versatility and wide range of skills that full-stack developers possess. One significant trend in this field is the increasing importance of web servers in the development process.

Web servers, the foundation of any web application, have seen significant advancements. Developers now have numerous options, each offering unique features and performance improvements.

For instance, Apache and Nginx have been reliable choices, but newer servers like Node.js are gaining popularity due to their speed and efficiency in handling asynchronous requests.

Here's an example of a simple web server using Node.js :

These servers handle requests and responses and play a crucial role in application security, performance optimization, and load balancing. The choice of a web server can significantly impact the scalability and efficiency of a web application.

The core principles remain consistent while web development tools and technologies continue to evolve.

Modern web development is about selecting the right tools for the job, whether it's a comprehensive framework like Django, a reliable stack like LAMP, or a robust database system like Microsoft SQL Server.

Moreover, the role of web servers has become increasingly vital, emphasizing the need for full-stack developers who can handle both client-side and server-side development to create efficient, secure, and scalable web applications.

Case Studies

Within the world of web development, we encounter inspiring tales of achievement and innovation, often revolving around the strategic utilization of technology stacks.

A critical component in many of these triumphs lies in the careful selection and application of web servers, which play a pivotal role in ensuring the dependability and performance of web applications.

Case Study 1: Transforming an E-commerce Platform

A leading ecommerce company enhanced its web infrastructure by integrating Apache and Nginx servers, leveraging Apache's robustness and Nginx's ability to handle high traffic. This strategic combination improved load times and user experience, boosting sales and customer satisfaction.

Case Study 2: Scaling a Startup's Web Solution

An AI analytics startup upgraded from a single server to a cluster of specialized web servers, combining Nginx and Node.js, to handle growing demands. This shift resulted in a scalable, robust system capable of managing complex data and expanding user needs efficiently.

The primary objective of your web application is to enhance accessibility for your customers while streamlining internal business processes and improving productivity. It's crucial to understand that the focus should extend beyond the aesthetics of your web application.

Why, you ask?

The answer is straightforward. If users find your web app challenging, they will quickly seek alternatives on other websites. Even if you're creating a web app to automate internal operations, it's essential to ensure its accessibility for your employees.

Now, let's explore ten critical principles of enterprise web design that can significantly enhance usability:

• Accessibility:

An effective web app is one that users can easily navigate. Recall the frustration of encountering an inaccessible website that refused to load or function correctly. Such issues are detrimental to your online presence and business success as an enterprise.

Inaccessibility not only annoys users but also poses risks to your business. Poor accessibility leads to a subpar user experience, directly impacting your bottom line.

• Avoid Reinventing Design Patterns:

Creating a web app with unfamiliar design patterns can perplex users. There are established design patterns that users are already accustomed to, which can save designers time and enhance user experience.

Consider how modern mobile operating systems consistently use icons for app access. Deviating from such patterns and introducing new ones can confuse users and lead to frustration.

For instance, Facebook consistently places the "forward" button on the right-hand side, providing users with a familiar and intuitive experience.

• Strive for Clarity:

Clarity is fundamental for a user-friendly web interface. Visitors come to your web app with specific goals in mind. If the design could be clearer and more precise, it could impede their ability to find what they seek.

To achieve a clear and usable design, prioritize the following:

• Simplicity: A simple design keeps the focus on what's important and avoids distracting visitors.
• Familiarity: Stick to established design conventions and patterns that users already know.
• Consistency: Maintain a consistent user experience across your website, minimizing surprises.
• Immediate Feedback: Provide feedback to users as they interact with your website, indicating the success or failure of their actions.
• Provide Visual Cues:

Visual cues are effective tools for directing users' attention to important areas of your web application. Use images, symbols, colors, and layouts to enhance the user experience. However, using visual cues subtly is essential to avoid overwhelming users.

• Establish Credibility:

Credibility is crucial to your website as it conveys trustworthiness to your visitors. Your website is often the first point of contact for prospective customers, and it can influence their perception of your business.

To build credibility, consider the following steps:

6. Group-Related Elements:

Effective UI design relies on proximity, grouping related elements, and separating unrelated ones. Grouping elements enhances users' ability to locate controls or information intuitively.

Users need to be clearer and recognize the failure to group related elements, particularly in responsive designs. Consider how features like profile settings, log out, and switch accounts are typically grouped for convenience.

7. Provide Unobtrusive Help:

A user-friendly web application should be as intuitive as possible, but users may sometimes require guidance. Offering unobtrusive help, such as walkthroughs or product tours, allows users to learn independently and seek assistance only when needed.

• Ensure Easy Navigation:

Efficient navigation is essential for helping users find information on your website effortlessly. Ideal navigation allows visitors to access content without the need for extensive searching.

Consider the following tips for effective navigation design:

• Keep primary navigation simple and intuitive.
• Include navigation options in the footer.
• Implement breadcrumbs for easy navigation tracking.
• Place a search bar prominently for keyword-based searches.
• Avoid overwhelming users with too many navigation options per page.

Hubspot's website offers a simple and effective navigation structure, including essential search, login, customer support, and pricing options. Breadcrumbs and a prominent search bar further enhance the user experience.

• Maintain Consistency in Design:

Consistency in your website's overall look and feel is crucial for user engagement. Inconsistent design elements can slow down navigation, leading to user disinterest and abandonment.

Consistency also offers time- and cost-saving benefits, allowing web developers to create reusable templates and reducing development time and expenses.

Elements of consistent design include:

• Load Quickly:

Most users expect a regular website to load within two seconds or less, with anything longer considered slow. While web developers play a significant role in website load times, web designers can also contribute to faster loading speeds.

Consider the following practices to improve website load times:

• Avoid using uncommon fonts.
• Limit social media buttons, as too many can slow down the website.
• Optimize image sizes to reduce load times.
• Engage users during loading with engaging animations.

Developing a website is vital to today's business and organizational landscape.

It revolves around three fundamental technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

HTML lays the groundwork, defining the web page's structure and content. CSS adds visual flair, much like cosmetics and clothing enhance one's appearance. JavaScript acts as the brain, delivering interactivity and functionality, allowing the website to respond to user interactions.

HTML's Role:

CSS's Role:

JavaScript's Role:

Understanding Browser Functionality

When a user's web browser requests a website like https://www.linkedin.com , it sends a message to the server hosting the site. The server processes this request, sending back the necessary HTML, CSS, JavaScript files, and other resources like images or videos.

For new website developers, complete mastery of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript isn't initially required. Start with a solid understanding of HTML (around 80% ), enough to build basic web pages. A 40-60% grasp of CSS is sufficient for basic styling, while 50-70% knowledge of JavaScript allows for functional page elements.

As you gain experience, explore JavaScript frameworks and libraries to enhance your skills, remembering that practical experience and experimentation are key to growth in web development.

Prominent websites often use server-side coding to display data dynamically, typically pulled from a server database and presented through languages like HTML and JavaScript.

This approach allows for personalization, tailoring content to user preferences and behaviors, and enhancing user experience by remembering details like credit card information. It also enables interactive features, such as sending notifications and updates, fostering user engagement.

Server-side development is a critical skill in today's web development field.

What is server-side website programming?

Web browsers interact with servers using HTTP. When you click a link or submit a form, your browser sends an HTTP request with a URL and an action method (like retrieve or delete). This can include URL parameters, POST data, or cookies.

Servers process these requests and reply with an HTTP response, indicating success or failure (like "HTTP/1.1 200 OK" ). A successful response contains the requested resource, like a web page or image, for the browser to display.

Static Sites

The diagram below illustrates a basic web server architecture for a static site that consistently returns the same hardcoded content from the server whenever a particular resource is requested. When a user intends to navigate to a page, the browser dispatches an HTTP "GET" request specifying the URL.

The server retrieves the requested document from its file system and responds with an HTTP response containing the document and a success status (usually 200 OK ). If, for any reason, the file cannot be retrieved, an error status is returned (refer to client error responses and server error responses).

Dynamic Sites

Dynamic websites generate content in real-time, using server-side programming to insert data from databases into HTML templates. This method efficiently handles large content volumes and allows for customized responses based on user inputs or preferences, including operations like sending notifications.

The server hosts most of the code, processing HTTP requests from browsers and delivering appropriate responses. The diagram below outlines this process in a simple, dynamic website architecture.

Requests for static resources (CSS, JavaScript, images, etc.) are handled like in static sites. Meanwhile, dynamic requests go to server-side code, where the server processes the request, fetches data from the database, merges it with HTML templates, and sends back the generated HTML.

Are server-side and client-side programming the same?

Unlike client-side code, server-side code can fully interact with the server's operating system, and developers use web frameworks to enhance client and server-side development. Client-side frameworks focus on layout and presentation, while server-side frameworks handle user management and database access functions.

While simpler UIs may not need client-side frameworks, server-side development often requires them, especially in complex languages like Python, where frameworks like Django provide crucial features for efficient development.

What can you achieve on the server side?

Server-side programming is crucial for delivering personalized user experiences, as seen in Amazon's customized recommendations and streamlined purchasing processes.

Banks use it for secure transaction handling, while platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Wikipedia rely on it to manage and personalize content access efficiently.

Efficient Storage and Delivery of Information

Server-side programming offers a practical solution for handling vast content like Amazon's products or Facebook's posts, where creating individual static pages is impractical. It dynamically constructs and serves various file types and formats, such as HTML, PDFs, and images, and even returns data in JSON or XML for client-side frameworks.

This approach eases the server's load and allows content customization for different devices. Moreover, it facilitates seamless data sharing and synchronization with business systems, ensuring real-time updates, such as inventory changes from online and physical store sales.

Customized User Experience

Servers storing client data enhance user experiences by personalizing services. Websites often save credit card details for quicker transactions, while platforms like Google Maps use location data for tailored route suggestions and local search results.

Controlled Access to Content

Server-side programming empowers websites to restrict access to authorized users, delivering only the content accessible to a given user.

Prominent examples include social networking sites that enable users to control who can view their posted content and dictate whose content appears in their feed.

Storing Session/State Information

Server-side programming enables developers to leverage sessions—a mechanism that permits a server to retain information associated with the current user of a site and generate different responses based on this data.

This functionality enables a site to recognize when a user has previously logged in and display links to their emails or order history. It also allows for preserving the state of a simple game, allowing users to resume their progress when revisiting the site.

Notifications and Communication

Servers can dispatch general and user-specific notifications through the website or via email, SMS, instant messaging, video calls, and other communication services.

Examples include:

Data Analysis

Websites can accumulate substantial user data, including search queries, purchase history, recommendations, and time spent on each page. Server-side programming can analyze this data to refine responses.

For example, Amazon and Google display product recommendations based on previous searches and purchases.

Additionally, pay attention to the ads you encounter—they may relate to items you've browsed on other websites. Facebook's algorithm for content prioritization and advertising is intricate but incorporates user preferences and browsing habits.

Your web apps boast a user-friendly interface, but software development requires more than that. Database web applications are crucial, ensuring data security, speed, and storage capacity.

Choosing the right database is challenging due to various options in the market. Orient can guide you to the top databases for web apps.

Database Functions

• Data storage: Manage and store large data volumes systematically.
• Data retrieval: Easily extract information with tools like SQL queries.
• Data integrity: Ensure data consistency and accuracy.
• Data security: Protect sensitive information with backup and recovery.
• Data scalability: Add hardware resources easily during development.
• Data sharing: Facilitate sharing across departments and systems for better collaboration.

The push for smoother integration and better user experiences is constant in web app development. APIs are essential, linking software systems and expanding developer possibilities.

APIs in Web App Development

APIs enable communication between software systems in web app development. They serve as bridges, connecting web apps with external services, data sources, and functionalities. APIs offer standardized rules, protocols, and tools for smooth data exchange among different applications.

Types of APIs in Web App Development

Web APIs ( HTTP or RESTful APIs ) facilitate communication between web apps and external systems using HTTP. They define rules for client-server interactions, supporting operations like data retrieval, submission, updating, and deletion. They commonly use JSON or XML to exchange data.

The Role of APIs in Web App Development

APIs not only integrate but also boost functionality and development efficiency. They offer access to external features, streamline development, support scalability, enable data integration, encourage collaboration, and adapt to changing technologies. APIs have transformed web app development, fostering innovative solutions and improved user experiences.

Web application testing is crucial for delivering a high-quality user experience in software development. It's an essential step in ensuring security, usability, and functionality and plays a vital role in a digital world filled with software applications.

Without it, websites risk facing live errors, security vulnerabilities, and damage to the company's reputation. Broken links and malfunctioning buttons can hinder functionality and impact customer choices. Comprehensive testing is essential to ensure websites work as intended.

Now, let's delve into the specific types of web application testing:

• Functional Testing: Testing evaluates web applications against specifications to ensure they meet functional requirements. This phase checks compatibility, link types, and input/output analysis.
• Usability Testing: Usability testing involves assessing a web application's user interface and navigation, differentiating it from user acceptance testing. It includes prototyping, user trials, and iterative improvements based on feedback.
• Interface Testing: This process examines the interaction and data exchange between software components, focusing on server communication and error handling across web, application, and database servers.
• Compatibility Testing: Testing ensures web applications work across browsers, operating systems, and devices, maintaining design consistency and functionality.
• Performance Testing: Performance testing evaluates how a web application behaves under stress, including load limits, speed variations, and various performance metrics to guarantee stability and responsiveness.
• Security Testing: Security testing aims to protect a web application from threats through vulnerability assessments and ethical hacking and ensures secure access and data protection.
• Database Testing: Database testing verifies query execution, data integrity, and performance in web applications, focusing on database reliability and effectiveness.
• Beta and Continuous Testing: This includes real-world testing phases like alpha (pre-production) and beta (pre-release) testing and ongoing automated tests throughout development for efficiency and early issue detection.

Launching your app is a critical milestone in its development, shifting from just being on your computer to being accessible online. The trick is to pick a hosting and deployment method that’s effective and easy to use.

This decision becomes easier once you're clear about your app's goal, whether a basic website, a single-page application, or something leveraging serverless or cloud technology. Understanding this will help streamline the entire deployment.

Considerations When Choosing a Hosting Platform

Several factors warrant contemplation when opting for a hosting platform:

Significance of Application Deployment

The deployment of an application holds numerous merits, such as:

Advantages of a User-Friendly Deployment Approach

Opting for a user-friendly deployment method delivers substantial benefits:

• Regular Updates: Keep your web app up-to-date by updating software components and dependencies like the server, database, and plugins. This ensures bug fixes, security patches, and performance optimization.
• Monitor Performance: Consistently monitor your web app's speed and efficiency. Use metrics like load time, uptime, and page speed to promptly identify and address performance issues.
• Test Functionality: Thoroughly test your web app's functionality to prevent user frustration. Use methods like unit testing, integration testing, and usability testing, and maintain a continuous testing process.

Automate QA whenever possible. Write unit tests and create automated tests using tools such as Selenium, Puppeteer, or any other tool you choose. Integrate automated tests into your development process. This will enable you to save a significant amount of time and catch issues at early stages of development.

Vyacheslav Benedichuk

Product Owner/Software Architect Medialogia

• Secure Data: Protect sensitive data within your web app using encryption, authentication, and regular backup and recovery procedures to prevent data breaches and ensure user trust.
• Collect Feedback: Seek user feedback through surveys, reviews, and analytics to enhance your web app's quality, design, and usability.
• Continuous Learning: Stay updated in the rapidly evolving field of web development by acquiring new skills, tools, and knowledge and connecting with fellow developers for inspiration and growth.
• What are the stages of web app development?
• Idea Validation: Understanding the market and potential audience.
• Designing UX & UI: Focusing on user interface and experience.
• User Journey Mapping: Visualizing how users interact with the app.
• Wireframing: Creating a basic structure of the app.
• Developing a Clickable Prototype: Adding interactivity to wireframes.
• Choosing a Tech Stack: Selecting technologies for the front and back end.
• Database Architecture: Designing the data storage.
• Front-end Development: Designing the user-facing part.
• Back-end API Development: Building server-side logic.
• Testing and Refinement: Ensuring the app functions correctly.
• Hosting and Deployment: Making the app available to users.

How to differentiate between website development, web application development, and mobile application development?

• Website development focuses on designing, building, programming, and managing websites.
• Web application development creates applications on remote servers delivered over the web.
• Mobile application development involves designing apps for specific platforms or devices, including native and hybrid apps

What are some key considerations in validating a mobile app idea?

• Understanding the target market and audience preferences.
• Check trending topics and the timing of the app launch.
• Creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test the app concept.
• Setting up a launch page with a unique value proposition.

What is the importance of website maintenance?

Regular maintenance includes bug fixes, SEO optimization, performance tuning, and ensuring the website's overall health.

Manual vs. Automated Testing: Which is better?

The choice depends on the project's size and complexity. Automated testing suits large projects with extensive content, while manual testing can be more cost-effective for smaller projects.

How do you make a website or mobile app successful?

It involves a combination of idea validation, design considerations, audience understanding, and regular updates based on user feedback and analytics.

As we end our guide, remember that the journey of creating a web app is both exciting and challenging. We've covered the basics, from understanding the core technologies to planning, designing, and deploying your application. But the learning doesn't stop here.

If you need professional assistance or want to collaborate with top-tier developers, consider platforms like Toptal. They connect you with a vast network of experienced web developers who can help bring your web app ideas to life with their expertise and insights.

Remember, building a web app is a continuous process of learning and growing. Whether you choose to go it alone or seek support from experts like those at Toptal, the key is to keep experimenting, exploring, and enjoying the journey of web app development!

Continue Learning About Web App Building With These Guides

• Building Dynamic Web Applications With Vue.js And GraphQL
• PHP Files: The Building Blocks Of Web Applications
• Integrating Symfony WebSocket For Real-Time Web Applications
• Optimizing Your Web Application: Essential Tips For Symfony Config
• Creating Custom Web Applications With PHP Frameworks

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