Top Challenges in Web App Development 2021

Technology is evolving at breakneck speed, and it is bringing its fair share of web app challenges and opportunities. Businesses that are now understanding the importance of moving from legacy to a more digitized architecture must be on the lookout for these opportunities and know about the methods of mitigating web app development challenges for 2020 and beyond.

What is a web application?

Let's start the article by giving a brief overview of web applications.

A web application is application software that runs on a web server, unlike computer-based software programs that are stored locally on the Operating System of the device. The user accesses web applications through a web browser with an active internet connection. Wikipedia

To give you more clarity, web applications are software that can be accessed via a web browser.The typical examples are web-based reporting apps, business intelligence tools, e-commerce portals, accounting software, CRM, etc. There is a good chance that you are already using some of these web applications in your business process.

The web app development challenges 2020

The development of web applications has now matched its market demand. Thanks to the curious customer base that visits company websites, apps, and social platforms to discover

• the products
• their value for money
• for other merchandise and company-related details

User-friendly and swift interfaces are the need of the hour, and this demand will increase with the passing time.But like every technology, web app development has faced a lot of challenges, and today we have shortlisted some of them. 89% of all companies have either adopted the digital-first business strategy or are making plans for a successful implementation.

1. UI & UX

Nearly half of all companies say improving customer experience and customer satisfaction were the leading influences to start a digital transformation. - PWC

So let's see what modern businesses plan to move from legacy to a more advanced and digitized architecture to know about web development.

• Demand for simple, intuitive, and user-oriented web applications has now increased. The customer will look somewhere else if their high expectations are not met.
• Developers sometimes fail to pay attention to the navigation of applications.
• Developers need to create applications with intuitive navigation to create a flawless experience for the customers and keep them hooked on your web applications, hence boosting customer loyalty.

Understanding different design patterns and meeting the level of expectations is the biggest challenge for developing applications. Maintaining an excellent user experience along with the ultimate user interface is rare to find out.

2. Framework and platform knowledge

70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on one.

• Frameworks boost development languages.
• They boost performance and offer libraries for coding.
• They help in providing features such as APIs, models, and provide various other elements to develop dynamic web applications.

Selecting the appropriate framework and developing an exceptional product is a big challenge that many developers fail to consider.

3. Performance

"Speed is definitely a ranking factor? YES." John Mueller, Google 

Modern users in the age of faster internet speed are accustomed to "speed," so it will not be a surprise if they abandon a website that doesn't load within three seconds.

• The speed at which your app loads decides if it will keep the users with it, or they will run away faster than your application's loading speed.
• For your business, you should always think about the performance before developing your product.
• You can always have CDN (content distribution network) in place because it balances the server requests, channeling it via different servers.

While developing an application, the developer must remember and avoid poor performance issues such as poorly written codes, traffic spikes, un-optimized databases, etc. for high-performance.

4. Scalability

93% of companies consider innovative technologies as necessary to reach their digital transformation goals. - SAP

Scalability has nothing to do with the proper use of computers and bandwidth, nor it is about performance. It's all about balancing the load on the server.

• Never throw the load on a single server.
• Design the software that can run on a cluster of servers.
• SOA (service-oriented architecture) helps in making the application scalable.
• Cloud computing may help to maintain product scalability.

Developing a highly scalable product for your business will contribute to grab more customers and retain old customers. This is where the competition lies. The developer should know the fact of developing highly scalable web applications.

5. Security (always has been and always will be)

82 percent of vulnerabilities were located in the application code. - Positive Technologies

Below are the security threats that every business faces with less secure applications:

• Cross-Site Scripting
• Shell Injection
• Buffer Overflow
• Session Hijacking
• SQL Injection

Web security is always the biggest challenge in developing the application. No matter what, security should always be included throughout the development lifecycle. Web app developers should take proper measures while coding and make sure that they include appropriate encryptions to safeguard their products against the threats mentioned above.

6. Integration

Let’s just say that you are using a cloud-based CRM system and hosting your website on the cloud with in-house BI tools. How will your thread all this technology together?No doubt, this brings diversity and flexibility to the table, but what about the integration of all your technology? This challenge can easily be handled by creating more indigenous applications and integrating them with other applications.

7. Future-proof applications

What does the future hold in the “web app development trend” department? How will your users interact with your application in the coming five years? Will web standards see another evolution?Who knows!But this cannot be an answer for business owners and top brass executives because they are looking at a growth of 15-20 years, aren’t they?But that is what our next challenge is, the future of web applications and their development. Web applications must be developed with present and future needs in mind. So the question stands, can you develop a web app that won’t become obsolete?Well, the answer lies in the web app development architecture itself.Use the proven technology stacks: Do not build applications using any new entrant in the market until it has proven itself in the market.N-tier Approach: Maintain each tier separately. The advantage of this n-tier approach is that when you can revamp your application’s look and feel without tempering with the entire app code.

Why are web applications important for modern businesses?

55% of startups have adopted a digital business strategy, compared to 38% of traditional companies. - IDGThe top industries for digital-first business strategies are services (95%), financial services (93%), and healthcare (92%).The business world is becoming digital with each passing moment, and every player wants a share of the visitor pie to boost their income exponentially. Hence, user-focused application development is becoming an essential part of the business development strategy.

How does Rapidops fit into the grander schemes?

To answer this question, let us go over some exciting facts first!

• 21% of companies think they've already completed the digital transformation.
• Most digital transformations are driven by growth opportunities, followed by increased competitive pressure and new regulatory standards.
• Executives say the top benefits of digital transformation are improved operational efficiency (40%), faster time to market (36%), and the ability to meet customer expectations (35%).
• Nearly 77% of companies say their relationship with technology is average or above average. 
• Executives say the top benefits of digital transformation are improved operational efficiency (40%), faster time to market (36%), and the ability to meet customer expectations (35%).

Rapidops has been dedicated to developing web applications that have been changing the way businesses work. We like to take advantage of the disruptive technologies that can provide scalability to our clients.Developing a sound and functional web application means you can make the most of modern technologies and benefit financially. There is no denying that the constant influx of money in the form of grand revenues allows you to flourish in this market.A web application embedded with machine learning and AI bots will allow you to stay connected with your users, which is most important seeing the current state the world is functioning due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Rapidops is a digital product development solution provider that has helped various businesses successfully achieve their digital transformation goals.

• Cutting-edge technology for developing future-friendly applications
• Connecting your website with your modern business apps
• Voice-based search in the retail shopping landscape

We take on web app development with a straightforward motto; help you deliver excellent customer experience and personalized experience to your audience.The backbone of digital product development strategy is based on our expertise in the use of AI, ML, and a vision for customer success, retention, and business growth. We guide our customers from the inception of their idea to successful digital product deliveries, with better ROI. Rapidops has been delivering the "real" impact of digital transformation, providing exceptional experiences to millions of customers.If you want to launch next-gen products, platforms & experiences on the web without compromising the quality of customer service and planned budget distribution, let's chat.