Good software architecture is the foundation of a good website. While business owners don’t need to know the ins and outs of UI/UX if they’re going to hire a UX designer, there are some fundamentals to consider. Keep these architectural custom software development basics in mind when considering any of your current or future projects.
Why Is Software Architecture Necessary?
Your online presence is similar to online real estate. If you were building a house, you would first prepare specific, detailed blueprints prior to beginning the project. Essentially, that’s what software architecture does for your website or application. It’s a part of custom software development that will define the organization of your system. Think: components, environment, design principles, and future development. Choosing and implementing the correct software architecture can either make or break the longevity of a project.
What Happens With Poor Software Architecture?
Now that we’ve reviewed why software architecture is important, you most likely have an idea of what could go wrong with poor implementation of software architecture. To solidify these concepts, consider this example:
- Company A launches a new product in a promising niche in December 2021. They did hire a UX designer, but the UI/UX was rushed (along with the rest of the software architecture) in order to push their software into the market before the end of the year.
- Company B launches a new product in the same promising niche, but they wait until February 2022. They also hire a UX designer, and they spend more time investigating the best UI/UX and software architecture design to proceed with. Their careful planning delayed their software release until the next year, so they are not the first unique product of their kind to exist.
Which company do you think made the right move? Company A was able to break into the niche before all other companies; however, their rush to release a product before implementing the best software architecture practices has left them with faulty designs, several bugs, and potential security issues. They will need to invest more time fixing easily avoidable mistakes and updating their product to improve on these defects.
On the other hand, Company B doesn’t need to invest much more time, funding, or resources into updating their product outside of normal monitoring. Although they spent more time upfront on proper software architecture, their investment in a solid foundation paid off.
The UI/UX of Company B is far superior than that of Company A. Although both companies hired a UX designer, only one company provided the proper time for the best work possible. These factors influence the overall usability and experience of the product. Even if your product is released quickly, users will be less inclined to spend their time or money on it if it’s not structurally sound. It’s better to provide the most time for proper custom software development and software architecture, otherwise you will lower your odds of success.
Primary Considerations for Software Architecture Projects
All custom software development projects should be founded on SOLID principles:
Single responsibility principle. A class should have only a single job.
Open-closed principle. Independent software modules should be easily expandable. Expanding a module should not affect the way the software was originally intended to function.
Liskov substitution principle. Every subclass, or derived class, should have the ability to be substituted with the base class.
Interface segregation principle. User interfaces need to be separate from each other.
Dependency inversion principle. Modules should depend on abstract classes or interfaces. Modules should not depend on concrete functions or classes.
Always Have a Project Blueprint
When considering the fundamentals of software architecture, you should know that a project blueprint is a must-have. You should start by developing an integration team. This team will be the backbone of the project. They will discuss goals, objectives, and an eventual plan of action to execute a successful project. Once you have your integration team, they can choose the best integration solution for the task at hand.
After establishing the basics, your team should move on to defining use cases and begin prototyping a few different wireframes. These examples will help iron out any bugs prior to execution and allow for a visual representation. Taking the time to fully complete a blueprint and prototype prior to actual coding will save time and effort in the long run. Your team will be able to fix any major structural issues before the product has been released.
Consult Software Architecture Experts Today
Your next software architecture project doesn’t have to be a headache. 245TECH has industry professionals with years of experience in the field. If you’re ready to take the next steps or need a nudge in the right direction, you can easily reach us at (865) 465-4040.
