What Exactly Is Web Development?

“The web” has been around around three decades, but it hasn’t gotten any easier to understand.  It’s still a tangle of buzzwords, bits, and bytes.  Let’s take a look at a the some of the players, and their roles in a development project.

Most people use web browsers every day.  Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge.  You’ve got one on your phone, your laptop, and your tablets.  When you use it to view or interact with something online that you didn’t download from an app store, you’re working with the result of web development and web design.  That includes websites, subscription-based online tools, and enterprise software.

Web development is about making pages, buttons, and all the behind the scenes stuff work, but web designers make it look great.  And though sometimes both parties cross lines in how much they contribute, a designer’s main goal is to make sure it’s usable, productive, and enjoyable for you and all the other visitors–especially on public-facing websites and mobile apps.

What Does Turbine Web Solutions Provide?

We work with you to specify your requirements.  Then we design your web development project and manage it from start to finish.  This includes all the programming involved–including integrations, migrating data from other systems, and launching your project.  We also offer long-term maintenance on an as-needed basis.

If you would like to involve your own web designer for public-facing projects, we’re glad to work with them.  And we can help find a designer if you need one.

If have any outside tech partners, like the IT company that manages your email, industry data providers, project partners, or other agencies, we handle those technical conversations as well.

When Do I Need Web Developers or Designers?

For cases when you just need a basic website, you can put one together through platforms like Wix, GoDaddy, Shopify, or any number of other DIY providers. Their drag-and-drop tools provide the code and the theme, so no outside help would be necessary.  If you have the availability and want to see how it goes, then it can be a great help in working out your idea.

But you’ll need a web development partner if you lack the time, staff, or expertise to build your internal application, startup project, or website.  A web development partner is even more important if you’re working on something unique.  Though not required, a designer should be involved when you need something visually distinct and public that you intend to trademark–especially if investors will be involved in your venture.

How Many Developers Do I Need?

Like any construction project, it depends on the complexity and timeline involved, as well as the skill level of the developers and designers involved.  Advancement in software development has reduced the need for large teams on most projects.  Despite our headcount, we have plenty of capability.  We specialize in custom software, and projects we handle could include complicated dashboards, databases, forms, and reports, yet can be completed in just a few months.  A typical custom website takes us less a month, and often has special features and enhancements you cannot get from plugins.

What Should I Look for In a Web Development Partner?

Experience and skill are hard to assess from a client perspective, so we suggest you ask for referrals, read their reviews, and check out their social media posts to get a sense of their style and specialties.  We find, though, that communication is a vital gauge.  Not just with their account rep, but with whoever will actually be doing the work. In our opinion, it’s important that everyone working on the project understand your requirements and how each of them impacts your goals.
If you are not sure you are being truly understood, they are quick to close the deal, or they get quiet for more than a couple weeks after you hire them, then they are not the right fit for you and your project.

Custom Software That Clicks

Looking for a development partner for the long-term?  Turbine Web Solutions is glad to help.