Custom Software Development
Software Development · From £2,500
Custom Software Development
Software Development · Service 02
Web Application Development
Browser-based applications, client portals and management platforms that work properly on every device your users bring.
£2,400
Indicative starting point. Final pricing follows an agreed scope.
What this service is
Software that lives in the browser: nothing to install, available wherever your staff and customers are, and maintained in one place.
A web application is business software delivered through the browser. There is nothing to install, updates reach everybody at once, and the same system can serve office staff on a desktop, field staff on a phone and customers on whatever device they happen to own.
That convenience is only real if the application is built for it. We design web applications around genuine use: readable on a small screen without pinching, quick on an average connection, usable with a keyboard, and secure enough to hold information your customers expect you to protect.
What we can deliver
Deliverables for this service
Not every engagement includes every item. Your quotation lists exactly what is in scope and what is not.
- 01Interface design and user journeys
Screen-by-screen design of the real tasks, reviewed with you before development, including the mobile layout rather than a shrunken desktop one.
- 02Responsive front-end build
Layouts deliberately designed for desktop, tablet and phone, tested on real devices and browsers.
- 03Application back-end and API
Server-side logic, validation and a documented interface that other systems can use later.
- 04Authentication and account management
Sign-in, password rules and reset, session handling, optional two-factor authentication and single sign-on where required.
- 05Administration area
The internal tooling you need to run the service: user management, configuration, support views and correction of mistakes.
- 06Accessibility work
Semantic markup, keyboard operation, focus states, contrast and labelling aligned to WCAG 2.1 AA good practice.
- 07Performance and hosting setup
Sensible caching, image handling and database indexing, deployed to a hosting arrangement sized for your usage.
- 08Documentation and handover
Source code, environment documentation, API reference and a walkthrough for your team.
Business problems we solve
The situations that bring people to this service
If more than two of these describe your organisation, the conversation is usually worth having.
Desktop software installed on specific machines, updated by handOne application, one version, reachable from anywhere with a login
Customers ring for information the business already holdsA secure portal where they check status and retrieve documents themselves
Field staff work from printed sheets and report back laterA mobile-friendly interface used at the point of work
Reports assembled by exporting and reconciling several filesDashboards drawn live from the underlying data
An interface staff avoid because it is slow and confusingScreens designed around the tasks people actually perform
Uncertainty about who can see or change whatExplicit roles, permissions and an audit trail
Visual model
How the work is structured
Drawn for this page in SVG. Nothing here is stock imagery.
Our approach
How we work on this specifically
The parts of the method that matter most on this kind of engagement.
- 01Start from the tasks, not the screens
We list what people need to accomplish and how often, then design the interface around frequency and urgency rather than around a menu structure.
- 02Design the mobile layout deliberately
Small-screen layouts are designed as their own composition. Reflowing a desktop grid is not a mobile design.
- 03Build the API as a first-class deliverable
A documented interface underneath the application means later integration, a mobile app or a partner feed does not require rework.
- 04Treat security as part of the build
Input validation, output encoding, access checks on every request, secure session handling, rate limiting on sensitive routes and dependency review.
- 05Measure the experience
Load performance, interaction responsiveness and layout stability are checked as part of delivery, not assumed.
Common use cases
Where this work typically applies
Practical examples rather than industry categories — the pattern matters more than the sector.
- 01Client and customer portals
Secure accounts where customers see orders, jobs, documents, invoices and correspondence without contacting your team.
- 02Internal management platforms
The day-to-day system your staff work in, replacing a mixture of spreadsheets and disconnected tools.
- 03Operational dashboards
Live views of throughput, workload, exceptions and performance, aimed at the people who act on them.
- 04Booking and scheduling platforms
Availability calculated from real constraints — staff, skills, rooms, equipment and travel time.
- 05Supplier and partner systems
Controlled access for third parties to submit, review or update information without email attachments.
- 06Data capture applications
Structured forms, inspections and checklists completed on site, including in poor connectivity.
Project stages
The sequence from enquiry to delivery
Each stage has a defined output and a review point. You always know where the work stands.
01
Define
User roles, journeys, screens and non-functional requirements agreed and written down.
02
Design
Interface design across breakpoints, reviewed and signed off before build.
03
Build
Front end, API and data layer developed together in reviewable increments.
04
Harden
Security review, accessibility checks, performance tuning and cross-browser testing.
05
Launch
Production deployment, monitoring, and support through the first period of live use.
Technical capabilities
What we bring to this work
Capability relevant to this service. We do not list technology we would not actually recommend.
Front end
- Responsive layouts across breakpoints
- Progressive enhancement
- WCAG 2.1 AA good practice
- Client-side validation and state
- Offline-tolerant data capture
- Print and export views
Back end
- REST and JSON APIs
- Authentication and session security
- Role and permission models
- File upload and secure storage
- Background jobs and queues
- Email and notification delivery
Operations
- Staging and production environments
- Automated deployment pipelines
- Error and uptime monitoring
- Database backup and restore
- Log retention
- Load and capacity review
Who this service is for
Typical clients for this work
We work with B2B companies, organisations and private clients. The requirement matters more than the size of the buyer.
Businesses
- Companies fielding repetitive customer status enquiries
- Teams working across offices, sites or from home
- Organisations replacing installed desktop software
- Businesses needing partner or supplier access
Organisations
- Membership bodies offering online member services
- Training providers with learner-facing systems
- Practices needing secure document exchange
Private clients
- Individuals launching a browser-based service
- Professionals needing a bespoke online tool
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Service FAQ
Questions we are asked about this service
No. A website presents information; a web application does work. Applications involve accounts, permissions, business rules, data validation, state that persists between sessions and usually integration with other systems. The engineering, testing and security requirements are substantially different.
Yes, and the small-screen experience is designed rather than inherited. We decide what belongs on a phone, how tables and dense data should behave, and how touch targets and forms should work, then test on real devices.
Our focus is browser-based applications, which cover the large majority of business requirements without app store distribution or separate builds. Where a native app is genuinely necessary — typically for hardware access or heavy offline use — we will say so and help you scope it, and the API we build supports it.
Through the standard controls applied consistently: validated input, encoded output, authorisation checked on every request rather than hidden in the interface, secure password storage, protected sessions, encrypted transport, rate limiting on sensitive endpoints and review of third-party dependencies.
Yes, and it is common. One application with distinct roles gives customers a limited view of the same records your staff work with, which avoids the synchronisation problems that arise when the two are separate systems.
Have a project in mind?
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will come back with a clear view of the scope, the approach and the cost.