Power Apps Development: Custom App Development with Screen-Based Applications

Abstract

Low-code/no-code platforms have changed the landscape of mobile and web application development by providing speed and customization without the complexity of coding. Microsoft Power Apps has become a strong choice for businesses and individual users looking for scalable, inexpensive, and usable applications. This study describes the experience of using Microsoft Power Apps to design a personalized food delivery application inspired by Swiggy. This paper presents our screen-wise modular approach to design and develop Home, Restaurant Listing, Item Details, Cart, Payment, and Order Tracking screens. The paper, which provides the algorithmic steps, mathematical equations for cost and time saving, and comparisons with traditional ways to develop software, provides intermediate results indicating 60-65% reductions in cost and development time, while providing the small business the ability to scale and build new modules. In our discussion, we highlight how Power Apps democratizes app development and empowers organizations to build enterprise-level applications with minimal effort.

Introduction

Background and Objective

With the digital transformation of industries, mobile apps are essential for businesses in areas like food delivery, ridesharing, and e-commerce. However, traditional app development is costly, time-consuming, and requires skilled developers, making it inaccessible for many SMEs.

This study explores the use of Microsoft Power Apps, a low-code/no-code platform, to build a Swiggy-inspired food delivery app. It evaluates the technical feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and development speed compared to conventional methods. The study also proposes a screen-wise modular design, development framework, and performance evaluation metrics.

Key Features of Power Apps Platform

• Drag-and-drop UI with reusable components

• Integrates with SharePoint, Dataverse, Power Automate, and external APIs

• Automates workflows and backend processes

• Enables non-developers to create functional apps

• Scales from small to enterprise-level applications

Literature Insights

• Traditional coding is resource-heavy (Sharma et al., 2021)

• Power Apps reduces development time by up to 60% (Gupta & Verma, 2022)

• Low-code tools promote innovation for non-technical users (Kumar & Sen, 2019)

• Integration with external APIs and automation is feasible (Mishra & Rao, Lee et al., 2021)

• Performance may trade off slightly vs native apps, but usability remains strong

• Gaps in literature:

  1. Few studies on consumer-facing apps (e.g., food delivery)

  2. Lack of algorithmic design frameworks or screen-wise methods in Power Apps

Methodology Overview

The app was developed using a structured approach that included:

1. Requirement Analysis

• Features: user login, restaurant list, menu view, cart, order placement, payment gateway, order tracking

• Functional and non-functional requirements documented

2. Application Design (Modular Screens)

• Login Screen – Credential validation

• Home Screen – Restaurant list from backend

• Menu Screen – Dynamic menu display

• Cart Screen – Add/remove items using collections

• Order Screen – Confirm and store orders in SharePoint

3. Algorithm Design

• A step-by-step pseudo-code algorithm for order processing ensures consistent and error-free transactions

4. Performance Metrics

• Response Time (RT): Measures average time per user action

• Success Rate (SR): Percentage of successful operations

• User Satisfaction Index (USI): Based on feedback ratings

5. Data Integration

• Power Automate for order notifications and email alerts

• Dataverse and SharePoint for storing structured/semi-structured data

6. Testing

• Functional, performance, and usability testing

• Surveys to evaluate satisfaction and navigation ease

Results and Comparison with Traditional Development

Development Time

~70% reduction in total development time using Power Apps

Cost

~60% cost reduction with Power Apps

User Performance Metrics

Power Apps apps had faster loading, fewer errors, and higher satisfaction

Conclusion

In conclusion, the research indicates that this Microsoft Power Apps is a practical and efficient application development option. Power Apps is a significant advancement in custom application development compared to traditional coding. It saves development time and application cost while increasing user satisfaction and proficiency. An examination of the tables and graphs has validated that Microsoft Power Apps significantly increases prototyping speed, its deployment speed within organizations, and improves user-friendliness using low-code methods (in impact and quick UI deployment). Furthermore, as organizations utilize built-in connectors and other automation, even using less human resources, they provides more business scalability. To sum up, we conclude that Microsoft Power Apps is a viable development option that is financially sound for businesses and education institutions looking to be disruptors in their workflows and offer user-focused digital solutions.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Dr. J. Viji Gripsy, J. Rajeshwari, K. Rithika, B. Nega, N. Pavithra. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.