Web development is an ever-evolving technical skill, but beginners and experienced web developers alike can hone their skills by working on web development projects. One thing that makes web development such an exciting field of study is that you never truly stop learning. There are always new concepts and skills that can be learned and applied to your organization’s website, apps, and other digital assets.
This post will explain what web development projects are, why they are important, and how your organization can use them. Finally, we will share some simple web development project ideas that can be used to learn web development and hone problem-solving skills.
What are Web Development Projects?
The term web development refers to the creation of websites and web applications. However, there are a lot of different tasks and skills that go into developing and designing web assets. For example, creating a secure login portal for users is different from creating a landing page for service offerings or products. Yet, both can be facets of the same website or application.
We use the term web development project to refer to these individual facets that make up the greater website. For example, you might have a web development project to update a particular aspect of your web design, add a new feature to your website or app, create a new landing page, or almost anything else related to your website or web app.
The Importance of Web Development Projects
The ability to add new features, implement new design tips, and create new content on your website or app is an important and valuable aspect of web development projects for your business. However, a couple of less obvious benefits of web development projects are essential to highlight so that your business can potentially use them in the future to improve your web development efforts.
Two key benefits of web development projects that you might not have thought of are:
- Training web developers
- Testing potential hires
Training Web Developers
If you currently have web developers in your organization, it is far cheaper to teach them new skills than hiring additional team members to fill the skill gaps on your team. In addition to that fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global run on web development talent, so you might have difficulty finding a proficient web developer at a price you can afford.
There is only so much you can learn from theory and reviewing development concepts. At a certain point, the best way to learn and develop new skills is to practice them. Web development projects help developers hone their skills by presenting real-world problems to test their knowledge and problem-solving skills.
However, the web development projects must match the skill level of the developer. Problems arise when web developers try to tackle complicated problems they are not ready to solve. This can be discouraging and lead to a loss of motivation. Conversely, it is crucial to keep challenging a developer that is learning new skills. If projects stay too easy, not only are they not learning as much, but this could also lead to the same loss of motivation caused by overly complicated projects.
Testing Potential Hires
Web development projects can also play an essential role in the hiring process. Reviewing resume details and previous work samples can only tell you so much about a web developer’s proficiency and skill, and it can even be misleading. It is highly impractical to ask a developer candidate to build an entire website or application for review during the hiring process. Not only would this consume too much time, but experienced developers would simply refuse and move on to other job openings.
Instead, using web development projects is a great way to get a small sample of a potential hire’s development skills. You will also be able to see how well a candidate can follow directions, solve problems, and whether or not they fit with your existing web development team.
Don’t underestimate the importance of setting a small test for development hires. Hiring the wrong candidate will cost your organization time and money, and no business wants to waste either of these precious resources.
Basic Web Development Projects
Web development projects can be almost anything related to web development, but in the interest of simplicity, we are going to share some basic projects that are commonly used to teach core web development principles. Some of the best web development projects for learning web development include:
- Landing page
- Login authentication
- Survey form
- Pop-ups (modal windows)
- Simple games
Landing Page
Creating a landing page is a great web development project because it can be as simple or as complicated as you would like to make it. Creating a landing page gives web developers a great chance to practice their HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and design skills. In addition, the landing page is perfect for marketing and SEO purposes, and it gives your business a chance to highlight a specific product or service offering.
Login Authentication
Today, almost every website or mobile application comes with an authentication feature. Therefore, creating and designing an authentication bar is a good web development project for those who want to hone their JavaScript skills and build something they will likely come across in just about every website or app they build.
Survey Form
If you’re looking for a simple way to get feedback from your customers, the survey form is the simplest and most effective way to gather customer feedback. A survey form is also a great beginner-level project that has immediate value. Once again, this project is great for practicing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and basic web design principles.
Pop-Ups (Modal Windows)
The pop-up window is an interesting intermediate web development project because it combines many of the skills required for landing pages and adds another layer of complexity. Modal windows must pop up every time a specific event occurs. Typically, this event is when a user opens a certain page. This requires writing JavaScript code that triggers at the appropriate time. In addition, modal windows require many of the same design and coding skills as a landing page, but developers can also play with special effects related to how the pop-up appears and closes.
Simple Games
Creating simple games may not have many purposes for your business website, but if you want to branch out into mobile app development, having additional skills is essential. Creating simple web games can help developers learn more complex JavaScript techniques and design animation. Plus, this type of web development project is engaging and fun. Stimulation is important when learning and applying complex development techniques.
Final Thoughts
If you’re interested in learning more about web development, reach out to an experienced app development partner. A partner can guide you through the ideation and development process and help you create a digital product you can be proud of. Plus, a partner can demonstrate the value of web development projects for your business and internal developers.
