Part 3 – Ever Wonder What It Takes to Build a Custom App or Software?

Part 3 – The Development Process

For many of us, the process of developing an app might seem a bit like magic – and in some ways it really is!

Communicating with machines isn’t something that comes naturally to people. It takes years of experience to learn how to “talk” to machines. Thankfully, at Proleadsoft our team of engineers knows just how to talk to machines to build amazing software. And we use a reliable, consistent development process to achieve world class results.

1. Tech Selection  ->  2. Automated Unit Testing  ->  3. Database Development ->
4. Front End Development  ->  5. Backend Development

Development starts with developers selecting the appropriate tools for the job. Just like a plumber wouldn’t use a chainsaw to unclog a drain, developers must choose the right tools for the job. We call these tools a tech stack.

A tech stack includes all the programming languages, frameworks, softwares, and libraries that will be used in the development of an app. Some of the most commonly used languages and software tech stacks include:

• Frontend – HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Angular, Vue.js
• Backend – Python, Java, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Node, Laravel 
• Database – MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL
• Testing – Selenium, Jest, JUnit 

At Proleadsoft, we take a technology agnostic approach to each project. That means we won’t shoehorn our clients into using a particular technology if it doesn’t fit the project. We prefer to let the nature of the project itself dictate what tools we use.

For example, for mobile apps, device heavy apps are best built with native mobile development languages, like Swift, Kotlin, and Java. Server-heavy applications might call for a framework like React Native or Flutter.

Testing is a crucial part of app development that ensures products are fully functional and ready for action before they are released.

One of the techniques Proleadsoft uses is called automated unit testing, which automatically tests individual code components throughout the development cycle. Automated unit testing works by independently testing individual units of code. These are the smallest parts of any application that can be tested independently.

Automated testing is a vital part of software development. It helps:

• Quality Control – Ensure that our code is of the highest quality
• Error Resolution – Catch errors early in the development process
• Automate – Reduces the likelihood of human error
• Increase Efficiency – Keeps developers and the QA team from spending time on repetitive tasks

Frontend development is where those beautiful designs we created in phase 2 start to come to life.

The frontend of an app or software includes all the graphic and design elements that the user will see. This includes the user interface (UI) elements, like navigation menus, buttons, as well as the fonts and colors that will be used.

Some of the technologies used in frontend development include:

• HTML – Defines the layout of a screen, including elements like headings, images, and text blocks
• CSS – Controls the styling of HTML elements, such as size and color
• JavaScript – Adds interactivity, animations and more to a web page
• React – A JavaScript library used to create user interfaces

Effective frontend development improves the user experience by creating friendly and intuitive interfaces, that visually connect with your brand identity.

Not only that, but quality frontend development is key to ensuring that your app is responsive on any device, such as mobile phones and tablets.

The backend of development is where the real magic of software development takes place.

You can think of the backend like a restaurant kitchen. It is where the food (all the technical aspects of development) is prepared, before serving the dish to the diner (the frontend of the software).

Popular backend programming languages and frameworks include NodeJS, Laravel, Java, Ruby on Rails, and PHP. Some aspects of backend development include:

• Data Serving – User profiles, product information, API responses, and website content are served from the backend
• Data Processing – Calculations, search requests, and other data tasks are mostly handled on the backend
• Server Management – How the app actually connects to the internet and delivers information to the user

Throughout the entire development process, we take an agile approach that allows us to rapidly deliver software through development sprints. This approach lets us work on multiple stages of development in parallel, so you can quickly see results.