Among the many benefits of SaaS products and commercial web services are the ability to see what’s working, what’s not, and to adjust the app accordingly. Of course, the cadence of the updates and the extent of ongoing changes varies from product to product.
Upgrades of B2B productivity applications should usually be rolled out incrementally to avoid confusing and frustrating users who are comfortable with the current version. B2C commerce and information sites necessarily will change frequently – maybe even continuously – and can tolerate more dramatic changes without throwing off users. B2B information sites may fall somewhere in-between.
In every case, the ongoing web app development process is a heartbeat function of the business. But – depending on the velocity and scope of those operations – not every organization may be able to staff as required to maintain a steady, healthy heartbeat, especially when things start heating up.
Here’s how to manage web app dev ops that fit your business and your budget.
Development in Multiple Dimensions
Assuming you’re implementing updates to an existing app (and not bootstrapping a new one), you have to consider what the requirements mean for each layer, the necessary skill sets to code them, the workflows for a successful deployment, and – of course – the schedule. Depending on the requirements, you may also need some outside expertise to solve for challenges in one of the layers.
For example, the data service layer may need to be tweaked in new ways to enable some new business logic. Changes to the presentation layer frequently require UI expertise that may not have been tapped since the app first launched. QA of the resulting code may need to include some UX testing to confirm the product is providing the intended utility.
Each of these requires distinct expertise to ensure they meet both customer needs and business requirements. If you don’t have the necessary capabilities in-house, contractors may be able to jump in. Ideally – if you do have to go outside for help – that resource can also provide complete and easy-to-understand documentation and can be available as necessary to make any post-deployment adjustments. H2: Data-Driven Decision-Making
Data-Driven Decision-Making
It might be inspired by a few negative online reviews, a business shortfall relative to plan, or the release of a superior competitive product. But as soon as you have an indication that your product needs upgrading, the next question is “How can we improve it?”
Whether it’s page views, merchandise turns, or feature engagement, web apps are the best products in the world at telling their makers how users use them. Ecommerce sites live and die by this kind of data. But every web app has insights to share, and can share them in a language everyone understands: numbers. This is the best way to know what your product does well and where it could stand some improvement.
The more granular the data, the better. The more you can analyze users’ paths to their goal – whether that goal is generating a contract or getting the news – the better you can make the experience. Repeated feature engagement in a short time frame can flag user difficulties. Abandoned sessions can indicate a myriad of issues. Several third-party products like Pendo, Adobe Experience Cloud, and Kissmetrics are designed to collect and analyze this kind of data.
Even if there are no signs of trouble, usage data can highlight where a web app has room for improvement. This data can help you prioritize sprints in your web app development. It can enable a drill down into exactly what needs to be done to improve the product. It can even speed your team’s race to a solution.
Every Update as a Test
The surest way to get in front of product upgrades and enhancements is to think of them not as a solution but as a step. No web app is ever “done.” There will always be new business requirements, new market conditions, and evolving user preferences.
Ongoing development should be a deliberate process. Carefully monitor app performance and user behavior after each new version release to ensure it really does represent an upgrade.
Successful ecommerce sites often set the gold standard for this approach. They are constantly tweaking elements of select pages and testing those against the rest of the current site. Successful tests can then be rolled out site-wide. Of course, they may have the advantage of many pages with a high volume of traffic, and the obvious metric of sales to measure the effectiveness of any adjustments.
But this philosophy can be applied to web apps of all kinds. Once all the bugs have been fixed and reviews are positive, look for any chances for improvement. The clues may be in customer support logs, in usage tracking anomalies, or clever tricks your competitors are deploying. If possible, establish a user council to explore concepts with a built-in trial base.
Any way you can get fully-functional potential enhancements in front of users without jeopardizing that relationship, do it. Look for learnings that can be applied throughout the app to improve UX and accelerate a continuous improvement process.
Solvo: Your Enhanced Dev Team
Solvo recruits and trains developers in a range of development languages and tools to speed up development of the highest quality web apps possible. The fact that Solvo is also a significantly cost-effective nearshore resource is a welcome bonus.
Need to extend your web app development capabilities? Get productivity boosts whenever you need them, even full-time. Contact Solvo Global today to explore customized outsourcing solutions tailored to your business needs.
