Product
Website, web app, or mobile app: where to start
TechnAre6 min read
TechnAre builds websites, custom software, and mobile apps. Clients often ask for all three in the first email. The more useful question is where the user already is, and how painful it is if that first version is not in their pocket.
Start with a website when the job is to be found and understood
If people need to read, enquire, or buy something straightforward, a fast website is the right first product. It is indexed, it works on a phone browser, and it does not ask anyone to install software. Most company sites, campaigns, and simple catalogues belong here.
Start with a web app when staff log in every day
Portals, dashboards, ERP, and CRM tools are web applications. People sign in, the data is shared, and the screen is part of the working day. A browser is usually the right place for that, especially when the same team sits in more than one country. Install friction is the enemy of internal tools.
Start with mobile when the work happens away from a desk
Field teams, frequent consumer habits, cameras, and notifications are the usual reasons to build a Flutter app for iOS and Android. If the person is at a counter or in a truck, a responsive website will feel like a compromise every single day. If they are not, the app can wait until the product has proved itself.
Design still comes first
Whichever surface you choose, UI and UX decide whether people complete the task. TechnAre can design the interface on its own or as part of the build. The expensive mistake is designing a phone app, a portal, and a marketing site as three unrelated products when they are one service.
If you are unsure, describe the user and the hour of day they would open it. We will tell you which of the three we would build first, and what we would leave for later.