7 Ways to Future-Proof Your Software Development Process
Daria Lymanska
CEO & Founder
June 26, 2024
2
min read
Most likely, you would like to make your digital product highly competitive, get guarantees on its relevance, and avoid its costly rework even if its life cycle exceeds the unspoken five-year limit, right? Then, in today's changing tech environment, endowing it with long-distance growth prospects will be not just another strategy you may follow or not – it will be a necessity.
What Is Future-Proofing?
No one would dispute that guaranteeing long-term stability adds confidence to the development process. Based on this, you may have a question: “What is the future-proofing?”. Now, we will explain the future-proofing meaning.
In short, it is the creation of several applications, websites, and services that retain their functionality even after a long time. For example, in the context of mobile application development, it predicts the occurrence of potential changes in the operating systems of gadgets so that these applications remain practical and relevant. By considering possible technological advancements, likely competitors, and requests from the target audience, the need for large-scale updating is minimized.
This process consists of analyzing a number of technological trends, considering potential risks, and integrating adaptive solutions to market trends. But do not close your eyes to some problems and challenges of future-proofing. There may not be a specific update date, and the implementation of flexible solutions may require both additional time and additional money. You should be sure that the tools and methods you use guarantee high quality and a high level of reliability of the product so that the process of its development is productive and relatively simple.
In addition, an equally important aspect of the above-mentioned approach is the study of potential changes that may occur in the needs and behaviors of the target audience of your product. This will make you ready to overcome obstacles. Let’s take a concrete example, if you integrate software with cloud services (using self-testing and scaling architecture).
The Benefits of Future-Proofing Software
It is worth considering the most striking advantages of this software to make sure it is appropriate:
Flexibility in a dynamic technology environment: This helps to adapt existing products to new requirements.
The real prospects for the future: The more long-term prospects are taken into account during the future-proof development of the digital solution, the longer it is guaranteed to be stable.
Optimization of financial costs: If the potential upgrade of the review is done immediately at the development stage, it minimizes the possibility of costly disposal of the product itself.
Superiority over competitors: Service providers that offer better protection of their decisions, respectively, are much more efficient and faster to respond to constant changes in the market and the needs of their target audience.
Future-Proofing Methods
You should also pay attention to the most popular ways to improve your digital products in the long term:
Quality Assurance: Stable support of high-quality standards is a direct path to product reliability.
Modularity: Modular architecture simplifies processes such as updating and modifying specific required components, minimizing any impact on the entire system.
Documentation: Detailed documentation that is regularly updated to facilitate further support and streamlining.
Implementation of modern standards: Strict adherence to the latest quality standards increases the adaptability of your products to innovative technologies several times.
7 Ways to Future-Proof Software
Let's dwell on the seven most essential methods for reliably protecting your software from upcoming challenges and guaranteeing its stable operation for many years.
Implementation of automated tests
Automated tests allow you to quickly detect and correct errors that occur when making changes to the code. This dramatically reduces the risk that new features or updates will break existing functionality. In addition, automated testing increases development efficiency, reducing the time for manual QA procedures.
Using containerization
Containers provide software flexibility and portability, making it easier to deploy across platforms. They isolate the application and all its dependencies, which avoids problems with environment compatibility. Containers also simplify application management in several environments at once.
Expanding of architecture
Planning the architecture for possible load increases makes it easy to scale the system. Using a microservice architecture, a design pattern that structures an application as a collection of small, loosely coupled services, for example, enables the scale of individual components independently, increasing the system's overall performance and reliability.
Integration with cloud services
Cloud solutions provide flexibility and the ability to adapt to new requirements quickly. They allow you to store and process data on remote servers, reducing infrastructure costs and achieving higher availability and service reliability.
Regular updates and patches
Constant software update allows you to maintain its relevance and reliability. Regularly fixing vulnerabilities and adding new features helps to avoid obsolescence and ensures it meets modern security standards.
Using open standards and APIs
Open standards are publicly available specifications that facilitate interoperability. APIs are sets of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate with each other, be compatible with other systems, and simplify integration. These make it easy to connect new services and expand the existing functionality without significant changes in its architecture.
Investing in team training
Investing in team training and focusing on long-term planning is crucial to preparing to embrace new technologies and methodologies. This ongoing evolution of skills and knowledge not only enhances employees' current abilities but also prepares them to adapt to fluctuations in the tech market.
Conclusion
Future-proofing your software, through robust security measures such as encryption and regular vulnerability assessments provides you with long-term stability and high competitiveness. At the same time, you get a significant reduction in the cost of service and increased flexibility and speed of adaptation to a number of new requirements and conditions, which in the complex creates the conditions for the adaptability of the entire team. In this way, your software will always be efficient and reliable despite the changing technology environment.
It's crucial to note that the strategic approach to software protection and development is not just about the technology but also the people behind it. This approach stimulates the development team's performance, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness through process standardization and the introduction of the latest technologies. By empowering your team to implement new features and optimizations, this approach makes them feel valued and integral to the process, thereby increasing performance.
How does future-proofing provide a competitive edge?
Future-proofing ensures the software can adapt quickly to market changes and user needs, keeping it ahead of competitors who may struggle with outdated systems.
Why should software be integrated with cloud services?
Integrating with cloud services allows software to be more adaptable to new requirements, with the ability to store and process data on remote servers, enhancing flexibility and reducing costs.
How does automated testing help in future-proofing software?
Automated testing quickly identifies and fixes errors when changes are made to the code, reducing the risk of new updates breaking existing features. This boosts development efficiency and reliability.
What are the main challenges of future-proofing software?
Common challenges include accurately predicting technological changes, ensuring the product remains relevant to user needs, and balancing the initial cost and time investment required to implement adaptive solutions.
In 2024 alone, the medical imaging software market size reached $8.11B. By 2029, it is projected to grow to $11.83B and up to 7.84% at a CAGR. This is a fairly predictable trend due to the development of AI. Especially since big data, cloud technologies, and other advancements are already significantly speeding up the accuracy of diagnostics.
If you are considering custom development of medical image analysis software, now is the most favorable time. Below, we will reveal the specifics of creating such solutions and describe the requirements and the challenges you may face.
What is the definition of medical imaging software?
Medical imaging software — it's the digital tool doctors use to examine medical images. Think X-rays, MRI and CT scans, ultrasounds, PET, and other radiology scans. Basically, it helps to see the details of every complex illness and make informed decisions about patient care.
To maximize efficiency, medical imaging software integrates a range of advanced technologies. These include AI for anomaly detection, ML for image segmentation, and methods for filtering, contrast enhancement, and noise reduction to improve image quality.
Also, 3D reconstruction technologies create volumetric models of organs and tissues. Developers also rely on the DICOM standard for medical images as it allows seamless transfer. They also use cloud tech to access data, integrated medical records, and VR and AR to visualize data and create interactive interfaces.
As a result, with medical image analysis software, healthcare organizations reduce the workload of their doctors and researchers and minimize the likelihood of misdiagnosis.
Examples of medical imaging software
To better grasp how these solutions work, we suggest you look at several medical imaging software examples that have gained worldwide recognition.
RadiAnt DICOM viewer
It is a high-performance medical imaging software that processes DICOM images. Due to its rich functionality, both doctors and researchers use it in their work. It has smart multimodality tools for 3D and 2D visualization and MPR (multiplanar reconstruction). Moreover, developers made the interface very user-friendly, so this software is also a great choice for users with low technical skills.
OsiriX MD
Specifically designed for macOS, OsiriX MD is a powerful DICOM platform that meets the needs of radiologists. Its advanced capabilities support 3D and 4D image analysis, hybrid imaging with PET-CT and PET-MRI, and integration with PACS servers. Crucially, it is FDA- and CE-certified for clinical use.
Horos
Horos is a free OsiriX-based DICOM viewer available on macOS. It has rich customization options for analyzing volumetric data, such as 3D reconstruction, and is especially useful for students and researchers.
GE Healthcare Centricity PACS
GE Healthcare Centricity PACS is a proprietary enterprise medical image analysis software that analyzes medical images. It has EHR and EMR integration, real-time collaboration, advanced AI analysis, DICOM standards, and format support. It can be a full-fledged assistant for doctors and researchers.
Philips IntelliSpace Portal
Tailored for large clinical institutions, Philips IntelliSpace Portal excels in medical image analysis and visualization. It integrates AI-driven automation and tools for multiparametric imaging in cardiology, neurology, and oncology; this medical imaging software supports multi-user collaboration.
Key features of medical image processing software
This section explores the key functionalities typically found in standard medical imaging software.
Tools for viewing and processing medical images
Ensure your medical imaging software works with various input data (CT scans, MRI scans, X-rays, ultrasounds, and hybrid studies like PET-CT and PET-MRI). Usually, this is done by supporting the DICOM format. In addition, you will need tools to scale, rotate, and adjust image contrast. So, optionally, develop a panel for 3D and 4D visualization, including multiplanar reconstruction.
AI-driven image analysis
AI is key in automating the detection of anomalies in medical scans. It can identify cancerous tumors, blood clots, and fractures early, with a high degree of independence. Also, AI in your medical imaging software can classify pathologies using trained models. It can segment organs and tissues on scans and analyze multiparametric data.
Diagnostic and treatment planning tools
This includes tools for creating 3D models, surgical planning, and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment. You should also consider integrating your medical imaging software with robotic surgical systems.
Medical data management tools
To implement effective medical data management, you will probably need to integrate your medical imaging software with PACS (for storing and transmitting data), EHRs (for centralized access to personal patient information), and cloud solutions (for unimpeded access to images from anywhere in the world where there is an Internet connection).
Collaboration tools
It's mainly for remote access so doctors and specialists can chat and comment on each other's actions. It also involves integrating telemedicine platforms to discuss complex cases and hold educational seminars.
What types of organizations need medical image analysis software development?
A wide range of organizations can benefit from medical image analysis software development. Now, let's find out which areas of healthcare benefit from medical imaging software the most.
Cardiology.
In this field, medical imaging software is mostly used to analyze CT and MRI of the heart and angiography. In addition, it monitors treatment effectiveness, plans operations, and predicts cardiovascular disease risks.
Dentistry.
Inevitable for 3D scanning when planning dental implants, diagnosing jaw diseases, visualizing root canals, etc.
Oncology. Here, medical imaging software detects and classifies tumors, tracks their growth, and assesses treatment effectiveness.
Neurology.
In this sector, medical image analysis software analyzes brain MRIs and CTs and provides 3D visualizations to assess the spine and nerves.
Orthopedics.
Orthopedics studies thrive on precise X-ray analysis, which includes 3D joint modeling and spinal disease diagnostics.
Mammology.
Medical imaging software can detect microcalcifications and early breast cancer through comparative analysis of changes in mammary gland tissue.
Urology.
In this industry, medical imaging software helps diagnose kidney and bladder diseases. It does this by analyzing CT and ultrasound images. Additionally, the software can help plan operations and monitor patients with chronic diseases.
Pulmonology.
Industry specialists can use such software to diagnose lung diseases, analyze chest CT data, and assess COVID-19 damage.
Gynecology.
In most cases, medical image analysis software is used to perform pregnancy ultrasounds. It helps monitor the fetus, find pelvic tumors, and analyze the endometrium and other tissues.
Traumatology and emergency medicine.
In traumatology, 3D medical imaging software can quickly diagnose fractures and internal injuries. It can also visualize organs for urgent decisions.
Still, deciding on the right healthcare sector for your medical imaging project? Contact us and discuss the possibilities of its practical implementation with Darly Solutions' experienced developers.
Medical imaging software development: Steps to follow
Custom development must follow clearly defined stages that most teams use. But, it can still be approached in various ways. Below, we outline how healthcare software development services are delivered in our company.
Concept formation
Start your medical imaging software project with market analysis. Define the target audience, prioritize tasks the software should solve, and research competitors (to identify their strengths and weaknesses). Based on the insights, our medical imaging software development team assesses the functional requirements and evaluates the need for specific technologies to handle image processing. This ensures that the chosen solutions align with the project's technical needs and optimize the processing of healthcare-related images.
Planning
Once we agree on the conditions with all stakeholders, we will write a technical specification for your medical imaging software. This document will describe its functionality, interface, API, security, and integration requirements. We will also approve the tech stack and necessary integrations. Finally, we create a roadmap that defines the milestones and deliverables for each medical imaging software development project stage.
Prototyping
Now that everything is ready, we can begin creating user stories. They include handling DICOM file uploads and 3D models, among other key tasks. For UX/UI best practices of safe data, we follow the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. They ensure accessibility for users with varying technical skills. We also test prototypes with focus groups to see feedback on complex features, which is helpful for future design improvement. Finally, after the edits are done, we develop a full-fledged design.
Coding
The frontend has algorithms to process and analyze medical images. The backend ensures secure data transfer between the medical imaging software and storage. It also encrypts data and protects against vulnerabilities like SQL injections. These involve writing database queries for smooth software interactions and data storage interactions. And last but not least — we also integrate with your healthcare org's existing systems and services (if any).
Testing
Once the code for your medical imaging software is ready and all components have passed unit tests, we run complete test cases. We check for load, functional, non-functional, security, and usability issues.
Deployment
At this stage, we are choosing hosting for your medical imaging software (usually either cloud or local servers), setting up CI/CD, and training end users, for example, by providing them with documentation, training materials, or live courses. Once we've done it, we deploy the solution (first in the test environment and then — in the actual usage environment).
Support and updates
Finally, after the medical imaging software is deployed, we set up monitoring systems to track its performance and detect errors, fix post-release bugs, optimize it according to user feedback, and add new features if required.
Key tech specifications for medical imaging software development
Such software development can be complex, especially in its early stages. Basically, there is often no clear way to turn an abstract idea into actual requirements.
So, let's examine all the key tech specifications that are usually implemented in medical imaging software apps:
Support for common medical image formats such as DICOM (including DICOM tags for metadata) and standards for storing, transmitting, and processing medical images (such as C-STORE, C-FIND, and C-MOVE).
Compatibility with various devices (CT, MRI, ultrasound, etc.).
Image processing can improve images by adjusting contrast brightness and applying filters. It can also segment them to highlight organs and tissues. Lastly, it can register them to compare scans over time.
2D and 3D visualization, including volume rendering (CT/MRI), support for iso-sections and reconstructions, and interactivity (e.g., rotation, zoom, and pan).
Data security, including HIPAA and GDPR compliance, support for TLS (for data transfer) and AES-256 (for image and metadata storage) encryption standards, as well as access control with role-based authorization and two-factor authentication.
PACS and EHR/EMR integration (e.g., via HL7/FHIR).
Annotation (adding labels, arrows, and text comments) and providing real-time collaboration tools.
PDF report generation and image export.
Scalability (including horizontal scaling via the cloud), multi-threading, and hardware acceleration.
WCAG 2.1 compliance and user interface customization.
Logging and monitoring events (including loading, processing, and exporting scans), auditing user access, tracking system performance, and setting up failure notifications.
Local deployment of software on physical servers (most likely, this will require ensuring compatibility with Linux and Windows OS).
Setting up regular data backups and automatic recovery after system failures.
Of course, this is just a basic list of specifications. In practice, your project team will expand and refine the list of features while specifying the tools and technologies for the project's unique needs.
Medical imaging software development cost
When it comes to the development cost of medical image analysis software it depends on its complexity and the technologies used. Without data and business needs — it's hard to define the precise price, but on average, basic DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) typically ranges from $30K to $300K. A customized version of Basic DICOM may cost $30K to $50K. Advanced customizations could cost $70K to $150K.
Implementation costs differ based on the size of the practice:
Small practices typically cost $5K to $10K and take 1 to 2 weeks.
Medium facilities cost $20K to $50K and take 1 to 3 months.
Large enterprises may cost $100K to $200K and take 3 to 6 months.
Please complete this form to calculate the precise budget for your medical imaging software development idea. We will contact you shortly.
Challenges in medical imaging software development
Let's examine the main challenges encountered when developing medical imaging software.
Regulatory compliance. Software handling sensitive data, like patient information, must comply with HIPAA, GDPR, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, and CE Marking regulations. Key security measures include code audits, RBAC, 2FA, and strong encryption (e.g., AES-256, TLS). To avoid fines, consult a local lawyer on medical standards.
Integration with existing systems. Integrating PACS, EHRs, and other systems requires DICOM, HL7, and FHIR support. Also, medical organizations have very different established IT infrastructures, which makes it hard to unify their software. If you create a universal solution, you must provide some middleware. It will help users adapt to various services and systems.
High performance and scalability.
Medical images, especially CT and MRI, are large. This can slow their processing and increase resource needs. In this regard, you may need to implement lossless compression mechanisms for images and multithreading and parallel data processing algorithms. By the way, a common fix is to move your software to a cloud solution designed for healthcare businesses.
The complexity of big data management.
Storing and processing massive data, like images and metadata, require a careful choice of databases and storage. In particular, this implies a preference for distributed databases and object storage. For even greater reliability, do not forget to provide backup and auto-recovery.
Risks associated with cyber attacks.
Cyber attacks that leak medical data are a serious problem for healthcare software. To solve it, you must implement constant monitoring. Also, set up regular security updates, including patches and OS updates. Finally, train your staff on social engineering. It can reduce the risks of phishing attacks. Providing a user-friendly interface. Interfaces for doctors and medical personnel should be user-friendly and intuitive, requiring minimal technical training to operate efficiently. To achieve this goal, you must test hi-fi prototypes on the real target audience and perform subsequent optimizations. Also, do not forget to ensure your interface is created under the WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
The future of medical imaging software
Medical imaging software development will advance by adopting the newest technologies, process optimization, and increased integration with other medical systems.
So, here are the core areas in which medical imaging software can be optimized:
Speeding up diagnostic.
Increasing image recognition accuracy.
Costs reduction.
Improving user experience.
This can be achieved through the implementation and development of the following technologies:
Artificial intelligence and machine learning.
For highly accurate and automatic analysis of medical images and accelerated diagnostics.
Cloud computing.
To provide quick access to medical images from anywhere in the world, process large amounts of data without the need to upgrade local infrastructure, and implement remote collaboration between healthcare specialists.
VR/AR.
Medical imaging software development allows anatomy and pathologies to be studied using interactive 3D models and visualize the patient's anatomy before surgery.
Quantum computing.
While most quantum computers are not yet available for widespread use, they will speed up processing large datasets and training neural networks for image recognition in a few years.
Blockchain.
To guarantee the immutability and protection of data from medical imaging software while providing patients with comprehensive control over their medical information.
Our experience in medical imaging software development
This section covers the development of the PrismaORM brain scanner. This platform was crafted for chiropractors, neurologists, and neurosurgeons to monitor brain activity and brainwaves before, during, and after chiropractic treatments.
First, we assembled a team of eight experts to bring this vision to life. They worked closely with two external teams of medical imaging software engineers. We've pointed out a tech stack based on PostgreSQL, Typescript, React Native, Nest.js, Expo, Three.js, and SQLite. This tech of choice lets us build a platform that processes real-time data from brain activity helmets. The BLE protocol transmits this data. A tablet interface visualizes it. A key to the project's success was optimizing the user experience. This included better platform performance and integrating 3D models.
As a result — we've made a powerful tool that empowers medical professionals to conduct more precise diagnostics and offer more effective treatment recommendations.
Now that you understand the specifics of medical image analysis software development, you can begin searching for a team to bring your project to life. We are a reliable provider of custom healthtech solutions, ensuring a smooth, transparent, and predictable collaboration. Simply fill out the form, and we'll get in touch as soon as possible to discuss your medical imaging software project in detail.
Perhaps you are one of those people who believe that any experienced software engineer can be involved in any project. But in reality, it doesn’t work like that: depending on your task, you may need different expertise from the core members of your development team. Below, we will highlight existing types of software development and briefly consider their specifics.
Types of Software Development
The division of software development into types primarily depends on the platforms for which the created project is intended, that is, the user environment where it will be deployed. This could be a web browser, cloud, mobile, desktop, IoT, or embedded operating system. There are also platform-independent solutions that can be run on several operating systems without any restrictions.
Ultimately, the deployment environment turns out to be one of the main factors influencing the choice of the project’s technology stack, and, therefore, the developers themselves, who have the appropriate expertise.
Web Development
Web development involves creating different types of software – web applications and websites – that run through an Internet browser. Along with this, you have to understand that to implement your web solution, you will need several specialists at once whose scope of work will be concentrated within the following subtypes of web development.
Frontend Development
Frontend development concerns the creation of that part of the project with which the end user directly interacts. In particular, this consists of creating a user interface as well as functionality that is performed without the participation of a server and database.
Backend Development
Backend development lies in the implementation of the business logic of the project and its connections with the database/databases. This is its server part, which is hidden from the eyes of end users.
Full-Stack Development
Full-stack development involves a combination of frontend and backend development, but unlike them, it requires the participation of more general specialists who are well-versed in both server and browser technologies.
Mobile App Development
Mobile app development is aimed at the implementation of projects for mobile operating systems – usually iOS and Android. At the same time, there are also cross-platform projects that work equally well regardless of what OS is installed on the end user’s device.
iOS App Development
iOS app development involves creating applications completely tailored to work on the iOS operating system. Such projects require developers to have knowledge of Objective-C, Swift, and Java programming languages, as well as platform-native technologies and tools.
Android App Development
Similarly, Android app development is aimed at projects tailored to the specs of the Android mobile OS. To do this, developers need to have strong programming skills in Java and Kotlin, and be able to work with the Android Toolkit.
Cross-Platform App Development
Cross-platform development allows developers to cover several mobile platforms at once. In this case, they create a universal code base based on a single technology stack, regardless of which OS will run on user devices. From a business perspective, cross-platform projects allow you to achieve faster launch and lower budget since instead of several separate applications and teams that will work on them, you can hire just one that will create a software solution that can be simultaneously deployed on numerous platforms.
Embedded Software Development
Embedded software development involves creating solutions to control machines or devices that are more primitive than computers, called embedded systems. This software development model is completely tailored to the specific hardware on which the software solution runs and has significant restrictions on the consumption of its resources.
Desktop Application Development
Desktop application software development consists of creating applications that are used to work offline on user PCs and laptops. Instead of applying the computing power of servers on the hosting provider's side, they rely entirely on the resources of the user device on which they are installed.
DevOps and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
DevOps is a set of interaction practices between developers, testers, and other IT specialists in a project team needed to increase their performance and improve the quality of the work results. Typically, DevOps is applied to launch new versions of software regularly. In turn, CI/CD is one of the DeOps techniques, which consists of automating the software development process to ensure a recurrent development life cycle with a continuous delivery of the program code.
IoT (Internet of Things) Development
IoT development, also called M2M development, is aimed at creating software for systems where devices exchange data with each other without human intervention. These could be physical security systems, smart home and smart city solutions, logistics systems, and so on.
Cloud Development
Cloud development involves creating software that is run on a remote web server using a subscription-based delivery model. From the point of view of end users, this approach ensures the high availability of such software products since they only need to have access to the Internet.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Development
While the development of augmented reality solutions involves using the camera of a smartphone or tablet on the user's device (this is necessary to overlay digital objects in the user's real environment), virtual reality solutions also need the use of special wearable devices, such as VR glasses.
Blockchain Software Development
Blockchain software development involves the creation of decentralized platforms, consensus protocols, smart contracts, and other blockchain-related solutions. Although this type of development became popular thanks to crypto projects, today, it covers a long list of niches, from logistics and healthcare to insurance and finances.
API Development
API development is the creation of software tools that allow independent software components to interact with each other using a set of definitions and protocols. Typically, APIs are used to integrate systems, services, and applications to ensure seamless and secure data exchange between them.
Choosing the Right Development Type
At the very beginning of the article, we already indicated that the deployment environment is the main factor influencing the types of software products that you should focus on creating. However, there are also a number of other aspects that will help you make the correct choice. These may include the following:
Project needs and objectives – they will help your team to define not only the tech stack but also the most suitable software development methodologies (usually, they are related to Agile)
Your business niche – it can be finance, healthcare, entertainment, e-commerce, industrial, education, logistics and supply chain, or something else
The resources you have – the specialists you’ve already hired, the project budget, access to data that will operate your software solution, etc.
As for small projects, they are usually dedicated to web development, mobile development, or desktop development — in such software development types, the talent pool is usually wide, and you will be able to choose specialists with the optimal ratio between expertise and rates. However, don't forget that choosing development services that are too cheap may mean you end up having to redo the project from scratch because it doesn't meet your expectations.
Trends in Software Development
Finally, let's take a brief look at the technologies that will be trending in the coming years and which ultimately can provide a strong competitive advantage to your project:
Artificial intelligence and machine learning – today, these technologies find a wide variety of applications, from personalized search results and chatbots to smart analytics and forecasting
Augmented and virtual reality – we have already mentioned these two trends above, so we would like to emphasize that their implementation becomes more and more affordable to project owners
Internet of Things – we also talked about this trend above; its relevance is explained by the possibility of on-site data collection from devices to which the user does not have physical access
Personalized user experience – in general, it can be achieved not only with the help of machine learning but also through predefined algorithms
Blockchain – it’s needless to say that the number of blockchain software development projects is growing every day, and currently, they cover not only the crypto industry
Conclusion
Now, after reading this article, you will be able to understand what type of project you can classify as and what specialists you will need in your project team. At the same time, whichever of the above-described examples of software development you choose, you can always contact us, and we are guaranteed to implement your business idea according to your requirements.
Single-page applications (SPAs) have earned a strong position in demand long ago. Such apps have one page where most information remains unchanged, and only its parts are updated when a user interacts with them.
Maybe, you don’t know precisely what they are. However, you probably use them daily. Most social media, Gmail, and other programs are single-page apps. They are quickly adopted thanks to their fast load times and user-friendliness.
As for React, it is quite a favored instrument for SPA web development. Programmers can build SPA’s components with React to ensure their scalability, reuse them with few configurations, and refresh them instantly without manually reloading a page. Besides, React solutions are optimized for SEO while delivering high flexibility thanks to the Virtual DOM.
What Are React Single Page Applications (SPAs)?
SPAs consist of one HTML page. To access it, you make a one-time connection and then – load and modify data without refreshing an entire page. Only the blocks engaged in the interaction process are updated while other page elements remain unaffected.
A clear illustration of a one-page application is Google Docs. While reading a text, you scroll through sheets, but the top row with the menu and the left panel with captions stay put. Whatever changes you make, certain things stay untouched.
React is very common for SPAs because of its convenience — it speeds up the programming process significantly. Also, note that it is not a framework, it’s a library. The main thing in it is the components as they represent particular items on a page. Each one of them contains the entire set of data and methods needed for work.
React allows you to save the state of the elements. This makes them isolated and self-contained. This feature, in turn, provides developers with the ability to reuse the elements as needed. Specifically, the same element can be applied to another page or parts of the website as many times as you want. This way, a developer doesn't need to re-write a significant part of the code. Therefore, the absence of complex dependencies between elements simplifies troubleshooting.
Pros of React SPAs
Why do giant companies like Meta choose React SPAs? It becomes clear after looking at its main advantages:
Versatility. SPAs can be used from any device that has access to the Internet.
Accessibility. There are no problems with сompatibility, as well as memory limitations, capacity, or installation time.
Enhanced usability. These apps are straightforward and enjoyable to operate.
Better responsiveness. It can be ensured thanks to the high speed of data load.
Ability to process large volumes of data. The device's memory does not limit the processing power of an app and the volumes of data it operates.
Code reuse. React allows developers to reuse parts of code as often as needed in the same app.
Let's look closely at the main merits of React SPA development.
Enhanced User Experience (UX)
The primary advantage of a single web page application is immediate data update, resulting in a smooth sensation from using and improved responsiveness. Since SPA doesn't have to implement full-page reloads during use, the contents of a page refresh very quickly. The program only needs to connect to the server at the start, and then simply loads the necessary segments as a visitor needs them. In a single-page app, everything works quickly after the first load and doesn’t keep users waiting.
Improved Developer Efficiency
Programmers who use React receive a lot of tools that simplify the assembling of the single-page application architecture. Moreover, React allows reusing code in software architecture to speed up the work. For instance, if you decide later to evolve a one-page app into a full-featured multi-page application, you’ll be able to reuse about 30% of the code instead of writing everything from scratch. Plus, it will help your startup save time and reduce costs.
Rich Interactivity
React is a freely accessible framework library that has a JSX (JavaScript XML) compiler with a focus on the users’ comfort as it provides prompt rendering. Thus, by utilizing React, you can create a UI-centric product which is common to SPAs that should have fluid interfaces, rapidly responding to the actions of users.
Cons of React SPAs
Surely, React SPA development has its drawbacks. Otherwise, every app would be written using this framework.
The most important cons of these apps are:
Lack of SEO optimization. The whole point is in the structure of such applications, which consist of just one page.
Longer initial loading time. Since all user-side data of the application must be loaded during initialization, this can cause unpleasant delays for users.
The client-side routing challenges. React may not be the best choice for creating applications with complex business logic and data routing.
So, let’s check each of them in more detail.
SEO Challenges
Single-page applications are quite problematic to index because not much text can be recognized by search robots. At the same time, you can’t put all the keywords on one page because it will look weird and lead to spam problems. What's more, the page will have only one URL.
You can eliminate this issue by resorting to server-side rendering. It's a way to render a one-page application on the server side. The app is still one-paged, but the main work is done on the server. The application receives a finished page with the required SEO elements from the server immediately after its initialization. However, due to the complex introduction of this technique, the cost of SPA development might be higher.
Complexity for Large Applications
Managing complex states and data traffic can be a problem in large SPAs. That’s why using React SPAs relates mostly to projects with rather limited functionality. At the same time, if applied skillfully, this library can still be useful when creating large projects – evidence of this is the digital giants that actively use it in the development of their services and applications.
Initial Load Time
With React’s ability to load all content during initialization, people can wait a lot when opening a SPA first (in comparison to other websites). However, after initial loading, all other data will be pulled up automatically, and there will be no issues with delays in provisioning page content.
Code splitting solves the problem of slow app loading by reducing the volume of data sent on the first session. Rather than uploading the entire code at once, users do it only with the parts that they need right now. This, in turn, facilitates the coding procedure.
React SPAs vs Traditional Multi-Page Applications (MPAs)
These kinds of apps are paralleled and characterized as competitors. However, multi-page applications (MPAs) are unlikely to lose the race because each alternative works for certain products and commercial pursuits.
Let's look at the core strengths of each application type:
As you can see, each application type has its drawbacks and advantages. So, when choosing between them, come from the specifics and tasks of your company.
What kind of companies should pay attention to one-page solutions?
Products that run on a captivating platform with low data volumes. SPA is commonly applied to SaaS platforms, social media, and private communities. Some examples include Grammarly, Netflix, and Slack.
Startups focused on usability. Single-page apps allow you to create an easy-to-use and intuitive interface that attracts the eye and encourages customers to explore the product.
Startups planning to go big. Later you can reuse some of the code of your single web page application. This helps reduce the time and expense involved in developing new, full-fledged digital solutions.
Businesses for whom SEO is not a key metric. If your company doesn't require to be ranked high on Google from its first launch, to successfully implement your idea, SPA is right for you.
Companies with their own APIs. You can build a one-page application based on a pre-built API.
Conclusion
Today, we see that one-page applications gradually replace classic applications and begin to play an important role in the construction of large-scale web systems. Now, these apps are everywhere, and we use them every day without noticing it. Moreover, the big players in the app market already use SPAs.
What are the rewards of single-page applications? They are pretty speedy, don't keep visitors on hold, and generally improve their experience when dealing with the solution. in turn, overall consumer comfort has a direct impact on conversion rates and profits.
Still, SPAs are not ideal for all startups. But for those seeking a dynamic, high-speed, and lightweight digital solution, SPAs are an excellent choice.
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