How to Judge the Complexity of Your Web App Project

Now is a great time to create a web application! Businesses and startups have never had more options when it comes to engaging with customers online, but not all options are good options for you specifically. How can you appropriately judge the complexity of your web app project to ensure that it doesn’t become a waste of time, money, and effort for your team?

Because there are so many options, you need a clear picture of what your business’s needs are, so you can pick the right approach to your web app design and development.

If you don’t, you run the risk of creating a wrongly sized project.

Either you’ll sign up for more complex development than you need, which means you pay too much…

Or you’ll underestimate how much custom software development you need, and your project will fail to accomplish your business objectives.

So how can your company get a good understanding of the complexity of its web app — even if your decision makers aren’t technically savvy? Here are 3 key factors to consider:

User Logins

One of the easiest ways to discern whether your web app includes complexity is by asking whether you ask visitors to log in. If so, your site will need back-end capability to manage users and their data.

Some user management systems are pretty basic, if a user logs in to track one kind of data. The more you let users do, the more complex the web application database needs to be to record and track data.

Another factor to consider is user permission levels that allow different types of users have different types of access on your web app.

Many companies have several different types of users, and they want website visitors to be able to do several different types of things, in order to match existing business processes and product offerings. If this is the case for your business, you’ll want to thoroughly vet any partner or web development package to make sure it can deliver the functionality your users want and expect.

E-commerce

E-commerce is another area where complexity can emerge, depending on your product offering. That complexity is not determined by the number of product offerings, as much as by the kinds of product offerings.

A company that offers 1,000 different products can have a relatively simple e-commerce system—maybe even an off-the-shelf solution. Meanwhile, a company that offers 10 products in a variety of sizes, colors, sales tax, and shipping options may need a more custom solution in order to mirror real-world processes.

Another factor to consider with e-commerce systems is product availability and pricing. If you want to make real-time updates available online, then you’ll need to sync your e-commerce system to your ERP software. If your ERP system is old, or if it doesn’t offer easy API access, then this may create additional complexity.

Security

Your business needs to fully understand the security requirements connected to the solution you want to build. Some are legal requirements, like HIPAA guidelines that govern the protection of medical information. Others are best practices, such as PCI compliance for financial transactions or privacy protection measures.

Understanding your security concerns will help you select the right hosting environment for your web application. If you have questions about what kind of hosting you need, ask them before you begin, to ensure your project is designed with a stability and security in mind.

Complexity isn’t a dirty word when it comes to web app development, but it is a factor you need to plan for. If your business can’t decide how to assess the complexity of its project in-house, then it’s time to talk to a trusted partner like Worthwhile. We can help you find the right-size solution for your needs and budget and offer an expert hand in how to judge the complexity of your web app project to give you a clearly defined roadmap for your business’s future in tech. Contact us today to get started.

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