

Ask YC: What is the hardest part of creating a web app? - dhotson

I just thought I would ask what you guys consider to be the most difficult part of creating a product or web app?<p>I find the technical stuff is usually the easy part.
======
eugenejen
HTTP server plus CGI was designed to be a gateway to anything. HTML browser
with Javascript, plugins and capability to perform HTTP GET, POST methods was
designed to be easy to be programmed.

So the hard part are

1\. The right UI that makes the task easy.

2\. The accumulation of data and/or consturction of the system behind the HTTP
server that does the task. And in case you have millions simultaneous users,
you will have a lot of fun to find efficient ways to perform the task.
(Efficiency in both computing resources consumptions and economical cost)

3\. Building the system described in 1 and 2 fast enough to have feedback from
users frequently and iterate it fast so they will always expecting something
good/useful/cool shows up every now and then.

4\. Good quality of service. Whether there is only one user or billions of
users in the world use the system. The system shouldn't make them frustrated
in complete the task. The system shouldn't waste their time in life by waiting
a broken page.

------
babul
Inertia. Getting started is the first fail point as too many worry about too
much and hence never start.

Make a start, and just keep iterating. Each time you will find the "hardest
part" changes.

------
shabda
Cross Browser compatibility

------
echair
Making something (new) that people want.

------
mikexstudios
launching it (ties in with the selling and/or marketing part)

------
xenoterracide
not the hardest. but making the UI good.

~~~
yourabi
I'm not sure if you mean the experience or functionality when you say "making
the UI good".

I think it would be the user experience / user design

then maybe cross browser implementation.

------
yan
details

~~~
shabda
The first 90% of the work takes 90% of the time. The remaining 10% takes the
other 90% of the time.

From experience, the last 1% takes around 50% of the time.

~~~
Raphael
Check your numbers.

~~~
shabda
Why?

