Custom application development: A brief walkthrough

In the 21st-century business landscape, technology has become an integral part of operations for organizations of all sizes. Businesses are increasingly recognizing the potential of technology and are implementing digital solutions to address specific challenges.

However, when setting out on this digital transformation journey, a critical choice arises: to adopt commercially available, off-the-shelf software or to invest in custom application development.

Off-the-shelf software solutions, while convenient, often struggle to meet the unique requirements of companies. While they provide basic functionalities that meet the needs of a broad audience, when it doesn't offer the level of customization necessary for many businesses to optimize their operations.

Custom application development is the solution to this issue. Developing custom apps tailored to your unique business needs streamlines workflows and boosts efficiency.

As Gartner highlights, enterprises are rapidly looking to build new products and engage with custom software development service providers, to build customized products.

By investing in custom app development, businesses not only simplify their processes but also stay ahead of the curve in today's competitive market. Customized software allows organizations to align technology with their goals and workflows, improving productivity.

What are custom applications?

Custom apps, also known as custom software, are digital solutions developed to meet the unique needs and challenges faced by organizations. These bespoke applications provide specialized tools for every industry, ensuring they're not limited to just one particular function and are flexible enough to serve many purposes.

What is custom app development?

Custom app development is the journey of building a software application from scratch.
This process of developing a custom app, often referred to as the software development life cycle, involves a series of steps.

Let's look at each step to understand the process of custom app development in more detail:

Analyzing

The initial step in developing a custom app involves a thorough analysis of the problems the business is encountering, as well as the needs and objectives of the company. This analysis is crucial, as it provides a deeper understanding of the requirements, clarifying what is truly necessary and shedding light on the features the application needs to streamline processes effectively.

Planning

Before the development phase kicks off, a prototype is created. This prototype serves as a visual representation of how the app should function. Seeing the prototype in action helps stakeholders and developers visualize the application's workflows, ensuring they align with business goals.

Developing

This is where the action happens. When it comes to developing custom applications, there are several avenues to consider. Custom development of applications was traditionally done in-house or by outsourcing, before the rise of no-code and low-code platforms.

With the in-house development approach, organizations create custom applications with the help of an app developer on their team or in the IT department. Alternatively, outsourcing to a custom app development company is another common approach.

However, the conventional way of developing applications has its drawbacks. These include longer development cycles that are time-consuming, less cost-effective, and demand heavy reliance on coding and technical expertise.

According to a recent survey, 87% of enterprise developers use low-code development platforms for at least some of their work. Thanks to low-code and no-code platforms, custom app development has been revolutionized. These platforms have significantly reduced the dependency on traditional backend development and the demand for development teams.

Testing

After application development is completed, the app is sent for testing. This step ensures that the app functions within designated workflows, is free from bugs, and provides a seamless user experience. The testing phase not only offers a chance to gather valuable feedback but also allows for iterations to eliminate errors, ensuring the application functions is of good quality.

Deploying

Once the application has undergone thorough testing, it is all set to go live.
The deployment process is notably simpler with low-code and no-code platforms, compared to conventional development methods. Many of these tools come equipped with built-in deployment features, allowing the application to be published to different environments in just a few clicks.

Maintaining

Even after the application is live and the end users start to use it, the process isn't over. The application must be regularly updated and modified to ensure it continues to perform optimally. This ongoing maintenance is crucial for all existing applications, to ensure they meet evolving business needs and comply with industry standards.

Types of custom app development

Custom application development offers a variety of options for specific business objectives, from web application development to mobile apps and enterprise applications.

Let's now explore some of the different types of app development:

Web application development

The development of software applications that run on web servers and can be accessed over the internet is known as web app development. These applications are delivered over the internet instead of needing to be installed.

A few examples of web applications are social media platforms, e-commerce websites, webmail services, and more.

Enterprise application development

Enterprise app development involves creating applications that assist larger-scale organizations or businesses in meeting their specific requirements. These applications are complex and handle important or critical processes within the company.

Most common examples include customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM) and human resource management systems (HRMS).

Mobile application development

Custom mobile application development is a set of processes that are carried out to create applications that can run on devices like smartphones and other mobile devices.

As technology evolves, the possibilities to develop custom mobile applications are limitless. These apps have become an essential part of our daily routines, from staying connected with loved ones on social media platforms like Instagram to playing a quick game of Candy Crush or browsing deals on apps like Amazon.

Cross-platform development

Cross-platform development involves building software applications or custom mobile applications that can work on various operating systems or platforms. Rather than building separate versions of an application for iOS and Android platforms, cross-platform development allows deployment across various platforms, saving time and effort.

Benefits of custom application development

Building custom apps has a lot of advantages as they are built to address unique business problems to run things more smoothly. Here's how:

Tailored solutions: Custom apps are built specifically for the company's challenges, which means no more workarounds or trying to fit into a generic mold.

Competitive edge: Advanced features and functionalities give a competitive advantage, solidifying market position.

Efficiency: The use of custom apps automates business workflows and processes, boosting productivity.

Scalability and flexibility: Most importantly, custom apps grow alongside the business, and provide greater flexibility to cater to new needs and requirements with ease.

Build custom apps with low-code platforms!

As Forbes states, "citizen development empowers any employee—even those without software development skills—to design and develop apps that automate simple tasks using low-code development tools."

Custom app development has now become easier with low-code and no-code platforms. These user-friendly platforms empower individuals across organizations, regardless of their coding experience, to create and customize applications to meet their needs.

One such powerful low-code platform is Zoho Creator. Creator empowers users to build efficient and effective applications, without the complexity of traditional development.

Explore low-code development with Zoho Creator and see how it can transform your business today!