Freelance SaaS Developer UK

Overview

Software as a Service (SaaS) gives businesses the opportunity to monetise tools, content, workflows and data through subscription-based software. Whether you're requiring:

• A product to guard and monetise content,
• Or audit and watch assets,
• Or solving a niche operational problem,

Then we can support you.

SaaS encompasses a range of software products, often with a subscription-based business model. Typically, based in the cloud with users accessing the service via the Internet. In the old days, you'd buy a piece of software and install it on your computer. These days, users are happy to subscribe to using the software online. It's great from a user point of view: they can stop and start their subscriptions, and don't need to worry about upgrades.

Use cases include (but not limited to):

• Membership and subscription platforms: Where users pay monthly or annually to access content. E.g. an online learning system.
• Business Systems: Allowing employees to manage projects, audit assets, or report on various aspects. E.g. a care sector system, or a compliance tracker.
• Internal Business Tools: Software that may do something special within the business. For example, quickly generate quotations from inputted data.
• And a whole host more: CRMs, inventory systems etc.

We've used a SaaS strategy to:

• monetise access to a collection of interactive literacy games targeted at UK schools,
• guard premium information access to beach data across 250+ Cornwall and Devon beaches.
• As well as building an accreditation system for a wildlife trust to encourage schools to re-wild their grounds.
• And we're currently building a system to support learning disabled in residential care homes.

View Find Me a Beach case study

View interactive games membership site case study

How we can help you

Specifically, we can support you with:

Core Support

• Converting visions into technical specifications, including vital technology choices.
• UI/UX design, taking into account customer journeys and accessibility needs.
• Building and deploying the SaaS
• On-going support and maintenance when required
• Online training sessions
• Documentation and documentation websites
• High performance marketing websites to promote your product

View web development

View app development

Including

Architecture, Screens and Functionality

Our standard out-of-the-box support includes developing the architectural structure of your application.

Specifically:

• Mapping all screens and their functionality.
• Defining all required fields per screen
• Defining any specific functionality on a screen-by-screen basis
• Defining database structure for management of all required fields / data types.
• Defining customer journeys / flow through the software

When working with us, you deal direct with the developers building your software. Nothing gets lost between account managers, project managers and outsourced teams. It helps ensure your vision is clearly understood and accurately implemented.

Security

Our systems are designed from the outset with security in mind. Right from the start of a project, we may push back on the amount of data your system may be collecting. Especially if this is private or sensitive data. We'll ask the questions that matter: why do you need this? How is it going to add value to your system?

Security for multi-tenant systems is critical to ensure data doesn't leak from one organisation into another. For example, to counter URL manipulation by bad actors, we ensure data is always strongly scoped to its origin organisation.

Another area which we pay special attention to is onboarding of users. I.e. how a user is allowed access to the system. And can include a range of security patterns. For example:

• users by invitation only (with expiry on joining forms)
• verification of email addresses
• validation of users by administrators
• and last but not least, the ability to quickly pause access, or remove any users violating system rules.

We can also implement:

• Multi-factor authentication
• Roles and permissions for users

Technology Choices

Choosing the right technology stack is critical for:

• Scaling: The ability to deal with increased demand. And the ability to increase backend power when business growth determines you need it.
• Performance: Quick loading of screens.
• Your Budget: You don't need an over-specified system draining your funds.
• Upgradability: How easy it is to upgrade your system in the future.
• Maintainability: How much maintenace your system will need.
• Extensible: How easy is it to add extra features.
• Data Sovereignty: Customers may demand that their data is kept in the UK only. The NHS demands this.

We look at your forecast demand for the software and appropriately define what you will need. We have strong expertise in frontend performance. So expect systems that are fast, responsive and lightweight.

Legal and Other Requirements

We're not experts in law, but we understand how issues such as GDPR impact a system and your plans. From the outset, during discovery, we'll have GDPR obligations at the front of our mind. Ensuring that you have permission to contact, and users have the right to be forgotten.

You also may be building a system for a segment which is regulated and has assessment criteria for market-entry. For example, if you're selling to the NHS, you would need to consider their DTAC (Digital Technology Assessment Criteria). We would be asking these questions to you from the start, so we can specify your SaaS appropriately.

Integrations

We have expertise in using third-party systems / APIs to enhance your software. Whether that's getting data from a a RESTful endpoint to embed in your app (think weather, or tides for a beach app). Or passing data into another system by using their endpoints.

Analytics and Measurement

With any new software, it's important to be able to measure the activity on the system. Critical from a business perspective. And again, conversations on how you would like to measure activity start from the beginning of any project.

Specifically:

• Product Analytics
• User Behaviour
• Conversion Tracking
• Engagement Metrics
• Audit Trails

Best-Practice Coding

Throughout any system build, we focus on writing quality code. Not only quality code, but meaningfully structured throughout.

We also focus on ensuring that your system is lean: i.e. only using the code it needs.

And ensuring that the system is accessible for those with a disability.

We have expertise in building systems that have high performance. All too often we see other systems with laggy web or app experiences.

We've also been involved in several codebase rescue and stabilisation projects. For example, where we have inherited another development teams app and asked to debug / fix features. We've seen a litany of best-practice errors, from poorly structured code, to even redundant code still in-situ. Clearly, a sign of multiple devs working on it over time and not being tidy.

With the dawn of AI, we use it to help us be more productive and faster. But it's important to note that we helm the AI ship firmly, checking its outputs so that we fully understand the workings of the software.

Training and Documentation

All SaaS built by us comes with online training when we come to handover the system to you. We can also create shortcut guides for your users. And if required build documentation sites which track different versions of your software.

On-Going Maintenance

It's important to note that we're here for you after delivery too. Our standard terms include a 90 day warranty for fixing any bugs. And after that we're happy to discuss maintenance contracts.

Next Steps

We'd love to hear about your plans for your SaaS product. And look forward to discussing them with you. Please contact usto arrange a meeting.