Web application development in San Francisco

For an interface with interactive dashboards and settings, we build with TypeScript across the front end, back end, database and APIs, using a stack such as Next.js, React, Node.js and PostgreSQL. Keeping to one language across the front and back end suits a product with a rich interface. Laravel, Rails or Django are alternatives worth considering when your existing team already works in PHP, Ruby or Python.

Hosting is another decision. Managed platforms such as Vercel, Supabase and Firebase reduce setup and server upkeep. Running directly on AWS or Google Cloud gives you more control and can cost less at scale, although someone needs to handle more operations work.

For a product serving several companies, a shared database is simpler to run. A separate database for each customer suits enterprise buyers with strict isolation or data-location requirements, but changes how the product is operated. Discuss those customer requirements before choosing the database arrangement; they affect the flexibility you need from the build.

For a business open to the public, US guidance says the ADA covers services offered on the web and identifies WCAG as helpful guidance. We design onboarding, dashboard and settings screens with that guidance in view, so accessibility is considered as those flows are shaped.

For subscriptions, businesses in the United States can sign up to accept payments with Stripe. We use a proven billing service such as Stripe Billing where it fits the pricing model, avoiding a custom build for billing edge cases.

Think about the personal or sensitive data the product will hold, who your customers are and any security reviews they will request.

• List the tools or competitors your users currently piece together, and what is missing from each.
• Bring a view on pricingper seat, per usage or flat plans affect billing and permissions.
• Gather existing designs, prototypes, repositories, domain and hosting details, with admin access to the accounts.
• Write down the features you think the first version needs.
• Consider what a new user needs to see first, including useful sample data and empty states.

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  Leaving customer data separation until later

  Design it into the first version of a multi-customer product. Adding it afterwards can force a risky rewrite.

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  Releasing without staging or tested backups

  Keep a staging environment and test your backups. Otherwise, a release mistake can become a live incident.

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  Launching without product analytics

  Track sign-ups, activation steps and feature use from the first release, so you have evidence of where users get stuck.