(Mobile) Web-app: How to get started with the front-end.

Ola mikebain! I am in the same as you were one year ago. How did it work out for you? Are you building any hybrid mobile apps? I have been looking at Phonegap and Ionic. It would be great to hear about your story since last time.

All the best, Andreas

Hi Andreas, Unfortunately, that project didn't work out so well. Here is what I learnt:

• Phonegap etc - Almost everything I read suggested that this is an increasingly viable option for straightforward apps. The performance and breadth of options will never be as good as a native app but for a new app testing the market, this is a great way to get there relatively quickly.
• Developers - It was hard to find a developer who had already worked with Phonegap. Even though many were curious, most of them wanted to stick to their native developing, i.e. it's not so easy to recruit app developers for a Phonegap project.
• Bootstrap/Frameworks - Apparently this doesn't matter too much. Some people pointed out that Bootstrap is not as light as it seems. Also, I learnt about some mobile device specific frameworks that are out there.
• First web project - I think that starting with an app adds an extra layer of complication. If you can test your idea with a normal responsive website first then that is probably a better way to progress.
• Learning by doing - The courses on teamtreehouse are great but as the tutors themselves recommend, you need to practice what you are learning. I have learnt so much more by diving in and trying to build something. Just start! Even if it doesn't work, you will learn a lot more.

What I ended up doing:

• I got so frustrated about not being able to get anywhere on my own that I decided to double up on learning to code. I have focused on HTML, CSS, PHP and Wordpress.
• I shifted my idea to something that works better as a web-app (maybe one day I can return to a mobile app once I'm more competent)
• Despite many people advising against Wordpress, I went with that so I could piggy back on an education plugin that offers 50% plus of the functionality that I need. Having this initial structure in place has been a real life saver for a beginner like me.
• Freelancers - From time to time I have used them as helpers/tutors. When I get really stuck on something, I try to identify it and explain as precisely as possible and then I ask a few people with high ratings on peopleperhour.com. This has helped me to both progress and learn. I'd recommend this to using other freelance sites where you have to assign a whole project and then you might be stuck with someone that isn't as good as they led you to believe.

Six months after taking this new direction, I think I am finally a few weeks away from launching/testing my site. Exciting!

Good luck with your project! If you have any more questions, give me a shout.

Wow! Thank you so much for your answers. Exactly the information and experience that I was hoping to hear about.

I will definitely make responsive websites at first and then try to convert those into apps later on. It makes a lot of sense trying to reduce the possibility of complications and reducing complexity by doing a webpage first and then later on do the app.

The input on the freelancers is also great! Being able to find people to help me out is important to me since I can't do everything by myself. It takes too much time and I don't have all knowledge required.

Once again, thank you so much for taking time and answering with such depth. I feel like I learned valuable things for the future by reading your response. I would love to see your latest project when it is up!

Cheers, Andreas