Technology explained without the technical fog.
A practical guide to the terms you may come across when planning an application, website or digital workflow.
You should not need a technical background to understand your own project.
This knowledge base explains the words I use throughout the site in practical language, with examples of what they actually mean in a real build.
You do not need to learn all of this before starting a project. It is simply here so you can look something up when a technical term gets in the way of understanding the bigger picture.
Terms you will often see during a build.
MVP
A focused first working version of a product used to test whether the idea is useful.
Instead of building every possible feature, you build the smallest version that lets someone actually use the core idea.
A client portal MVP might start with login, project status and document access before adding messaging, reporting or automation.
It helps test the idea before spending time and money on a much larger build.
Prototype
An early version used to explore how an idea should work before building the full product.
A prototype is a way to try the flow, structure or interface before committing to all the technical work behind it.
A clickable version of an onboarding process can show how users move through the steps even if the database is not connected yet.
It makes changes cheaper and easier while the idea is still flexible.
SaaS
Software that people access online, usually through an account.
Instead of installing software on one computer, users log into a web application and use it through their browser.
A subscription-based reporting tool where each customer has their own account.
SaaS products often need user accounts, permissions, payments and stored data.
Client Portal
A private digital space where clients can access information, documents or project tools.
It gives clients one place to see what they need instead of searching through email threads and shared folders.
A portal where a client can review a quote, make a payment and track project progress.
It can make client communication and delivery much easier to manage.
Dashboard
A screen that brings important information, activity or controls together in one place.
It is the overview someone sees when they need to understand what is happening without opening several separate pages.
A project dashboard showing status, deadlines, payments and recent updates.
Dashboards reduce the need to hunt for information across a system.
How applications know who you are and what belongs to you.
Authentication
The process of confirming that a user is who they say they are.
This is what happens when someone signs in with an email address, password or another secure login method.
A client signs into a private portal before they can see their project.
It helps prevent the wrong person from accessing private information.
Database
A structured place where an application stores and retrieves information.
It is where the application remembers things such as users, projects, payments, form submissions or settings.
A quote system may store client details, pricing and acceptance status in a database.
Most applications need reliable stored data once they go beyond a simple static page.
User Roles
Different types of users with different levels of access.
Not everyone using an application needs to be able to see or change the same things.
An administrator may edit every client record while a client can only see their own account.
Roles help keep information and actions appropriate for each user.
Permissions
Rules that control what a user is allowed to view, create, edit or delete.
Roles describe who someone is; permissions decide what that person is allowed to do.
A team member might be allowed to update project status but not change billing information.
Good permissions help protect private data and prevent accidental changes.
How different tools pass information between each other.
API
A way for one application to request information or actions from another application.
An API gives two systems a defined way to talk to each other.
An application can use Stripe's API to create a payment instead of building its own payment system.
APIs let us add useful services and data without rebuilding everything from scratch.
Webhook
A way for one application to tell another application that something just happened.
Instead of repeatedly asking whether something changed, one system sends a message as soon as the event happens.
When a client pays an invoice, Stripe can send a webhook that tells the application to mark the payment as complete.
Webhooks are useful when another action should happen automatically after an event.
Integration
A connection that allows two or more tools to work together.
Instead of treating every system as a separate island, an integration helps information move between them.
Connecting a website form to a CRM so new enquiries are added automatically.
It can remove repetitive copying and reduce the chance of information being missed.
Automation
A process where defined actions happen automatically instead of being repeated manually.
If the same event should usually lead to the same next step, that step may be a good candidate for automation.
Sending a welcome email automatically after a new client completes an intake form.
Good automation reduces repetitive work while keeping important decisions visible.
Workflow
The sequence of steps that moves a task or process from start to finish.
It describes what happens first, what happens next and what needs to happen before the process is complete.
Enquiry → project intake → quote → acceptance → payment → delivery.
Understanding the workflow often shows what should be built or automated.
What AI is actually doing inside an application.
AI Application
An application where AI performs a useful part of the product's workflow.
AI is not necessarily the entire product. It may handle one step such as analysis, summarizing or generating a structured result.
A tool that reads marketing copy, identifies conversion problems and produces a prioritized action plan.
AI can reduce work that would otherwise require someone to repeatedly read, interpret or rewrite information.
AI Workflow
A workflow where AI handles one or more defined steps in a larger process.
AI receives information, does a specific job with it and passes the result into the next step.
A client enquiry is submitted, AI summarizes it into a project brief and the summary is stored with the client record.
This is often more useful than asking someone to manually copy information into ChatGPT each time.
LLM
A Large Language Model: the type of AI behind tools such as ChatGPT and Claude.
It is the underlying AI model that can understand and generate language.
An application might send customer feedback to an LLM and ask it to identify recurring themes.
Different models can have different strengths, costs and capabilities.
Prompt
The instruction or context given to an AI model.
A prompt tells the AI what job it should perform and what kind of result is expected.
Asking an AI to turn research notes into five categorized customer pain points.
Clear instructions make AI output more predictable and useful.
Structured Output
AI output returned in a predictable format instead of unrestricted free text.
The application asks AI to return specific pieces of information in a consistent structure that software can reliably use.
Instead of writing a long paragraph, the AI returns a score, category, summary and three recommendations.
Applications need predictable output when AI results feed into reports, dashboards or workflows.
Terms you may see around websites and conversion.
Landing Page
A focused webpage built around one specific offer or action.
A landing page removes distractions and concentrates on one clear next step.
A page designed specifically to explain one service and encourage visitors to submit a project enquiry.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management software used to organize leads, customers and communication.
It gives a business one place to keep track of people, conversations and follow-up.
A new website enquiry can be added to a CRM so the business can track follow-up and status.
CTA
Call to Action: the next action you want a visitor or user to take.
It is the button or link that tells someone what they can do next.
“Start a project”, “View the demo” or “Download the guide” are all calls to action.
Responsive Design
A layout that adapts to different screen sizes such as desktop, tablet and mobile.
The same page rearranges itself so it remains usable on smaller screens.
A three-column desktop layout may become one column on a phone so the content remains readable.
How a working application gets online and connects to real services.
Stripe
A payment platform commonly used by websites and applications to accept online payments.
Stripe handles the payment part so an application does not need to build its own payment infrastructure.
A client can pay a deposit through Stripe after accepting a quote.
Deployment
The process of putting a website or application online so people can actually use it.
Building the application is one step. Deployment is what turns that build into a live product.
Hosting
The infrastructure that keeps a website or application available online.
Hosting is where the files and services behind the website or application run.
Custom Domain
A web address you own and use instead of the temporary address provided by a platform.
It gives your application or website its own professional web address.
Using yourcompany.com instead of something like yourproject.platform.app.
Vercel
A platform commonly used to deploy and host modern web applications.
It can be the place where the finished web application is built and made available online.
It can provide the live environment where a web application runs after development.
You do not need to speak developer to explain what you need.
Describe the problem, the people using the product and what should become easier. The technical decisions can come after that.
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