Web App Success
By Dan Zambonini
If you’re thinking about creating a web app, have already started to build one, or want to improve an existing app, this is the book for you.
Most existing web app books cover a specific stage of the development process, such as the technical build or user interface design. For entrepreneurs or project managers who need a complete overview of the web app development lifecycle, little material currently exists.
In this book, balanced, well-researched advice is imparted with the understanding that different situations and organisations require different approaches. It distills the equivalent of multiple books into the vital, practical information you need to create a successful web app, mixing robust resources with narrative explanations.
The opening section sets the stage for your project, with an overview of the current state of the web and who's doing what online. It will guide you through the preparatory stage of your project: what you need to know, do and expect before you dive in.
Every app needs a strategy. A user-centred design approach and early consideration of business models will give your app an advantage over ill-considered competitors, and will set the foundations for long-term viability.
Your strategy will inform the interface of the app, helping you create a usable, beautiful user interface that behaves as your customers expect.
This section doesn't discuss programming in detail, as this broad topic is comprehensively covered in numerous existing books and online resources. Instead, the complexities, considerations, tools and best practice methodologies of technical web development are explained, together with the performance, security and quality of the app.
Once you've developed the first working version of your web app, this final section puts a plan in place to acquire those important first customers, using traditional and modern marketing techniques.
Dan Zambonini has helped hundreds of organisations create web and mobile apps, including the BBC, the National Gallery and the British Computer Society.
He co-founded a number of award-winning web apps that collectively generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue, and also a few apps that didn’t quite make it. This book draws on his extensive experience to set out a practical process for lean web app development, from the spark of an idea to maintaining the growth of a successful product.
“Price your app too low and what appears to be better value could come across as lower quality. ”
Dan Zambonini
