Are you ready to build a Superapp?

Superapps can be transformative for a business. Whether you’re looking to better onboard and retain employees, empower frontline workers, or improve operational efficiency, superapps may well be the answer you’ve been looking for. But how can you know that a superapp is right for your specific use case? What questions do you need to ask yourself to determine if it’s the right path to go down? While not an exhaustive list, these questions are a great starting point as you consider whether superapps are right for you.

What are your goals and objectives for building a POC?

As you look to build out a superapp for your workforce or consumers, it’s important to first set a few goals and objectives for defining what a successful project will look like. Are there a few specific features or services that you’re trying to bring under one roof? Is there a process improvement metric that you’re looking to meet? Are there hurdles or roadblocks within your current process that you’re seeking to overcome?

These types of questions are important in shaping the vision of a successful project. In reality, you can’t build everything your superapp will need all at once. You’ll need to make bite-size progress. To do this, it’s helpful in identifying the absolute “must haves” to ship a very first version of your superapp that we call your proof of concept (POC).

Have you made yourself familiar with the architecture?

Before you can build a superapp, it’s critical to understand the architecture behind it. Depending on your comfort level with micro frontends, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the architecture to understand if it makes sense for your project. Does a monolithic architecture make more sense, or can you successfully break your application into micro frontends?

You’ll also want to take a look at your CI/CD process to assess if any changes need to be made to accommodate a micro frontend architecture. If you’ve historically worked on a monolithic application and decide to migrate to microservice architecture, be prepared for a cultural shift as well as a technical one. 

What is the impact on your team structure?

Deciding to build a superapp is as much a question of team structure as it is technology. You’ll want to first take a look at how your team is currently structured, paying close attention to how devs build products now. Are they working on them holistically, or focusing on specific areas? Are there already feature teams?

Depending on the responses to the above questions, your development teams may need to be broken up and reformed. Also consider the impact of a new release cadence – since superapp development will allow teams to work in parallel instead of relying on each other or previous releases. Are your dev teams able to release as needed, or are there company requirements to release all at the same time? 

Is there agreement on the process of deploying mini apps?

Getting your team structured and aligned is only half the battle. You’ll want to make sure that stakeholders are onboard as well. Consider those who make development decisions at your company and ensure that they’re fully aware of how the superapp development process works. Unlike in a monolithic application, in a superapp, functionality is added through mini apps, which can be built separately, integrated, and reused across various applications. These mini apps are intended to streamline the user experience by only adding what’s necessary to the user, thus avoiding any unnecessary bloat. They’re also an efficient way to assign certain features/functions to specific users/roles. 

Are stakeholders comfortable with non-core related features and services being provided through mini apps? Do they understand that those mini apps will be added through either self discovery or direct permissions? Are you in agreement on the most important mini apps for your POC?

Can you ship your superapp if the goals and objectives of your POC are met?

Once you’ve successfully built the agreed upon features and functions for your POC, what’s next? The next thing to consider is your path toward production. Will you beta test your app? If so, what are the requirements? What will success criteria look like?

Assuming your beta goes well, is further stakeholder signoff required? And once your app is out there, how will it grow? You’ll want to have a solid vision for scaling your application once the POC is no longer enough. Whether it’s refining your user research to prioritize mini app development or working internally to determine which functionality is worth adding, you’ll want to continuously refine your development process to successfully grow your superapp. 

Ready to get started?

Deciding to build a superapp, while exciting, can also be daunting. Many don’t know where to start, which can lead to confusion. Before diving in, it’s important to take a step back and ensure you have a necessary foundation to successfully create, scale, and distribute your superapp. If you’re ready to get started, chat with one of our development experts today!