Using software to optimize projects, provide your customers with a pleasant experience, or make your staff more productive is appealing. However, if your company isn't in the software development industry, knowing which of them is best for your project can be difficult. After all, there is a wide variety of software development, and they each target a different aspect of software. Nevertheless, you can leverage these types effectively - all you need is to know the different software developments and understand the nuances between them.
What Is Software Development?
Software development is the crafting of a program that will run on devices such as phones, tablets, and laptops. Using code, software developers turn your project idea into scalable and efficient software you can easily maintain, and users can interface with it comfortably. Alternatively, they can take on established software and fix, tweak, or build upon them. Therefore, whether you have an issue with software or want to create one from the ground up, it's all software development.
When you seek out software development services, you will first submit your project idea. Then, the developers will study it and consider the best approach to create your software, including the type of software required. Next, the developer will create a prototype for you to have a clear idea of what your software will look like. Once you've agreed to the prototype, the developers will use a variety of development types to create and test your software.
The Types of Software Development
When you hire a developer to create software for you, the type of development they select depends:
The project idea
Where the software will run
How users will interact with it
To explore how that works in practice, here are the different types of development:
Full-Stack refers to the software development that contains both Front-End development such as layout and interactive elements and Back-End development which includes underlying structures users don't interact with. Therefore, when you need to develop a new software, you'll require Full-Stack development. With Full-Stack specialists, you can ensure that your software is not only easy to use but also has a sound foundation due to the careful development that makes it work efficiently yet remain scalable.
Though UX and UI are both software development types that deal with the way users interact with software, they aren't the same. UX refers to User Experience, while UI refers to User Interface. Here's what makes them different:
User Interface
Software development that centers around User Interface involves the visual aspects of the software and everything the user can interact with. It tries to make the interface as simple to use and the software run as smoothly as possible.
User Experience
User Experience software development focuses on ensuring that users have no issues when using the software. Therefore, the developers improve the software's usability by tailoring it to the users and how they prefer to use it.
In software development, Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to creating software that operates the way a human would. Meanwhile, Machine Learning (ML) refers to models that collect large data sets and find patterns in them to make suggestions based on them. These two types of development are particularly useful when creating software that facilitates low-skill, repetitive tasks.
Cloud software development is the crafting of a program that runs on online 'cloud' servers. For instance, Gmail is an example of cloud software. This variety of software development creates software that relies on internet connections, yet they tend to be scalable and can usually work with a wide range of devices. Nevertheless, you can request for native-programming, which will only allow certain devices to use this software.
Desktop Software Development
Desktop is one of the types of development software that focuses on the device the software runs on desktops and laptop computers. When you hire a developer to create software that will run on a computer, you need specialists who deal with desktop software development and are more familiar with these devices. In fact, you can even go so far as to precise which operating system they need to specialize in, such as Windows, Linux, or Mac.
Web Software Development
Web software development refers to applications that users can access through a browser via the internet. Since it's internet-based, it tends to be accessible through any device so long as it connects to the internet and has a browser.
A Web software development project encompasses Full-Stack, User Interface, and User Experience development. However, it approaches these three developments from an internet browser perspective.
Mobile Software Development
Mobile software development is the creation of applications that run on a phone. Developers in this field usually specialize in specific operating systems such as Android, iOS, HarmonyOS, Flutter, React Native, etc. However, you can still work with a team that can harmonize the front-facing displays and user experience so that all users have the same experience.
DevOps is a methodology that mixes software development and operations. Developers in this field ensure that your software has an excellent performance that's reliable. Then, they streamline the process of deploying the software, leading to efficient software delivery.
Key Differences Within Software Development Types Based On The Device
Now that you’ve learned about types of software development, let's break down the key differences between them based on the device:
Differences | Cloud | Desktop | Web | Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Storage on device | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Restricted by internet bandwidth | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Collaboration among users | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Remote data access | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Software installation required | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Automatic updates | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Whether you're enhancing existing software or starting from scratch, each type, from Full-Stack and UX/UI to AI/ML, Cloud, Desktop, Web, Mobile, and DevOps, is for a unique purpose and addresses different aspects of software creation and user interaction. By understanding the types of software development, you can pinpoint which software development your project requires.
Now that you're confident in your software development knowledge, you can choose the right software development service providers, such as Divelement, and make an informed decision about your software needs.