1. Working out the requirements
The business and the development company talk through the requirements in detail: what the business is trying to achieve and why. The development company then turns that into a structured list of functions.
Custom development starts with pinning down the requirements and the architecture, and this is the part many clients underestimate. In the first conversation they describe their needs as very simple. Once a proper meeting happens, it turns out there is a lot to consider. A social mini program, for instance, is not just messaging between users — there is profile editing, sensitive word filtering, whether group chat is involved, whether users can send voice. So before committing, talk to several software companies; the conversations will surface aspects you had not considered.
2. Prototypes and interface design
Once the requirements are settled, the second stage is design. A custom mini program is not a template — with a template you pay, then swap images in the back office. With custom development, every page has to be designed, and so does every page each button leads to.
The prototype shows the functions and the logic flow. Once that is agreed, the interface is designed, and the goal there is a clear, comfortable experience for the user.
When the page designs are finished, the front end is built, and only then is it connected to the back-end interfaces.
3. Writing code and connecting interfaces
With the design settled, development begins: engineers write the front-end and back-end code against the agreed functions.
The fiddly part of custom development is interface integration — the logic that sends data from the front end to the back end and returns the right values. If that integration is sound, everything works. If it is not, the errors show up during testing. A mall mini program, for example, has a payment interface: once it is connected it has to be tested locally, and only then released. Otherwise users end up with a mini program whose functions do not work.
4. Testing and launch
Testing checks whether the mini program is responsive, whether bugs remain, and whether it is compatible across devices. It is repeated until nothing is left.
5. Handover of the source code
After launch the build is essentially complete; what remains is handing the source code over to the business.
6. After-sales maintenance
A serious development company does not stop at launch. Support covers system training, day-to-day operation training, bug fixes and system upgrades — and it typically includes a year of maintenance.
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