How to Build a Windows App

During the first phase, you plan out and finalize the concept of your future Windows application. Alone or together with a business analyst, you list major business needs or point out the app’s unique value, and define its target audience. In case your Windows app is a product, you should also collect market data, analyze key competitors.

To complete an initial project specification, proceed to outline the high-level functional scope of the Windows app with planned user roles and permission matrix as well as select KPIs for project success estimation.

By assessing the Windows app’s functional scope from the business perspective, you define what software design and development efforts are required to bring the application concept to life. The efforts should be roughly estimated both in time and budget and then assigned to specific team roles. The possible need for additional talents (often meaning the cooperation with a vendor) usually transpires during this phase, too.

By the end of this stage, you have a high-level project management plan, which needs to be approved by all stakeholders before the project moves on to the next phase.

The information on the app’s concept from the initial specification is significantly elaborated during this phase and used for creating one of the key planning-stage deliverables with both functional and non-functional requirements – a software requirements specification (SRS). This document should:

• Confirm the general info on the app from the project charter (purpose, distribution, user roles, etc.).
• Offer several practical use cases for different user roles.
• List application features and user-app interaction scenarios.
• Show precise software architecture diagrams.
• Define the technology stack (development platform, programming language, APIs, etc.).

Apart from the SRS, you should get a final app development schedule, a list of project team members with assigned responsibilities, and your Windows app’s evolution roadmap. Make sure there are also documented plans that describe quality assurance methods as well as methods of handling risks and possible changes related to both the software requirements and development schedule.

UX designers draw on the information from the SRS and the user research they perform to create wireframes for the key screens of the future Windows app – and then use prototyping tools to unite the screens into a single interactive experience. The created prototype should pass thorough usability testing since this is when UX issues critical for the app’s success are the cheapest to eliminate.

UI designers continue the work on the prototype that was fully adjusted after usability testing and replace the rough sketches with high-fidelity graphics. When done, they share the GUI mockups, UI elements and interface control specification with the development team.

To ensure the quality results and efficiency of all software delivery and QA efforts, ScienceSoft recommends setting up a CI/CD pipeline at the start of your project. All coding and testing of your Windows app should go in parallel, with sufficient amount of automation. With such an approach, the delivery of quality, tested code happens faster.

Once the app’s code is ready, the team works on creating a Windows Installer and – if required – installation and system administration manuals.

In case your Windows app is an internal company solution, its deployment and integration into your infrastructure are parts of the CI/CD pipeline. If your app is a commercial product, you need a separate step – a release to public.

As an option, you may have a custom promotional website. After your customers download and install the app, they will be notified about your updates and new releases via the app’s built-in messages.