How Yudha Hafiz Builds Web Apps: From Idea to Production
Building a great web app isn't just about writing code. It's about making a thousand good decisions — on architecture, user experience, performance, and scale.
Here's the process I follow for every project.
Phase 1: Discovery & Problem Definition
Before any code is written, I spend time understanding:
- The core problem — What pain point are we solving?
- The users — Who will use this? What do they care about?
- Success metrics — How will we know it worked?
- Constraints — Budget, timeline, technical dependencies
This phase produces a clear Product Requirements Document (PRD) that guides every decision afterward.
Phase 2: Architecture Design
With the problem clear, I design the system:
Frontend:
- Next.js with App Router for performance and SEO
- TypeScript for type safety and maintainability
- Tailwind CSS for rapid, consistent styling
- Component library (Shadcn UI) for accessible UI
Backend:
- Next.js API routes for simple backends
- Separate Node.js/FastAPI service for complex logic
- PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM for data layer
- Supabase or Vercel for deployment infrastructure
Key Principles:
- Keep it simple. Don't over-engineer.
- Optimize for developer experience first.
- Design for scale, but build for now.
Phase 3: Build & Iterate
I work in short iterations:
- Build the core feature
- Test it (manually + automated)
- Get feedback
- Iterate
I use Git with clear commit messages, pull requests, and feature branches — even on solo projects.
Phase 4: Performance & SEO
Before launch, every project goes through:
- Lighthouse audit — Target 90+ on all metrics
- Image optimization — Next.js
<Image>component - Metadata & SEO — Title tags, descriptions, Open Graph
- Sitemap & robots.txt — For search engine indexing
- Core Web Vitals — LCP, FID, CLS optimization
Phase 5: Deployment & Monitoring
Every project is deployed with:
- Vercel for zero-downtime deployments
- Environment variables properly secured
- Error monitoring (Sentry or similar)
- Basic analytics for user behavior tracking
The Result
This process consistently delivers:
- ✅ Fast, production-ready applications
- ✅ Clean, maintainable codebases
- ✅ High Lighthouse scores
- ✅ Happy clients
Want to work together? Let's talk.