Step 1 – Get an idea
Choose an idea
Before creating a web application, you must first understand what you are going to create, and more importantly, why?
The process of creating an idea is the most difficult part for many.
Your idea should stem from solving someone’s problem. Ideally, your own problem.
It is important to choose an idea that you are interested in. Interest is the key to stimulating motivation, which is crucial when creating a web application. Creating web apps takes effort and it is important that you have fun during the process.
Ask yourself:
How much time do I have to create this application?
What am I interested in?
What applications do I like to use?
What do I like about these apps?
How much time/money will this app save or bring me (as a user)?
How much will it improve my life?
Step 2 – Market research
Conduct market research
Once you have chosen your idea(s), it is important to research the market to see:
If a similar product exists
If the market exists
The number 1 reason why startups fail is because they do not meet the market requirements.
Marc Andreessen defined the term product-market fit as follows:
“Product/market fit means being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market”.
To quickly find out if a similar web application exists, use the following tools to search for your idea:
Google
Patent and trademark search
Betalist
Product hunt
If a similar product exists, don’t worry. This may be a sign that there is a market for your idea. Your future competitors have laid the groundwork, educated the market. It’s time for you to rush in and steal the thunder.
If no similar product exists, you may be in luck – you are a master innovator.
On the other hand, maybe someone has gone down this path before and reached a dead end.
No one wants to experience that, so it’s important to dive deep into the market and get a fountain of wisdom:
Your web app’s target market – share your web app idea on forums related to your target market. If you know someone who works in your target market, explain your idea to them. The more you talk and get validation from your target market, the better.
Google Trends . A quick search for your web app idea will reveal relevant trends.
SEO tool – I would recommend MOZ/Ahrefs. Google keyword planner will suffice. Write a list of keywords related to your web program. If it is “OKR tool”, use the tools to search for “OKR tool”, “OKR application” and “software for goals and key results”. If an SEO tool indicates that many people are searching for your keywords, that’s a good indication that you have a target market.
Social media – go to Twitter/Facebook groups and present your idea to the target market.
Events. If there is a local event in your area that attracts people from your target market, attend it. Share your idea and record the feedback.
After completing the above steps, you should have enough information to understand if there is a market for your product.
If there is a market for your product and there is also established competition, it is important to research them.
Step 3. Define the functions of web applications
Define the functionality
You got your idea, you’ve checked the market, now it’s time to list everything you want your app to do.
A common mistake here is getting carried away.
Your web app is NOT a Swiss Army knife. It won’t have all the features and functions of Salesforce, and it doesn’t have to.
I repeat, don’t get carried away. The more functionality you add, the more time it will take to build your web app. Quite often the longer it takes to develop a web application, the more frustration you feel.
One of the most important aspects of building a web application is to have fun, enjoy the journey and celebrate the small victories.
Define only those features that solve the problems of your target markets.
I promise that I am not here to kill your dreams. Remember that your web app is still in development and the first goal is version 1. It will still have interesting features and will captivate your users, but you have to keep things simple.
Move on.
For orientation, I have included a list of basic features needed for a simple CRM application.
- Users can create an account
- Users can recover lost passwords
- Users can change their passwords
- Users can create new contacts
- Users can upload new contacts
- Users can assign values to contacts
- Users can write notes under contacts
- Users can mark a contact as a prospect, customer or partner
- Users can filter contacts by prospect, customer or partner
- Users can view the total value of leads, customers and partners