How to create an online popup builder service?

Question

Programming

Guys, I'm asking for advice!
I want to understand the topic of creating online services. There is an investor interested in working with me. It was decided to develop an online service for creating pop-up windows on the site, for example, if we simplify the task very roughly, then here is a list of such services - https://goo.gl/A29Ldg , we take the very first Hello Bar and make a copy of it with a minimum of functionality (description of the service by clicking on its name on the link above).
Since I am far from programming, but I am able to set up the work of programmers, I need to understand at least where to start.
This is how such services work:
a) personal account
b) online constructor of the pop-up window itself
c) at the output the code that you add to the site
What do you need to know and what software products / environments / tools to use to create a similar service?
Where do you start if you've never developed above printf ("Hello, World!\n");? Are there any books/courses on this subject?
How to draw up a TOR for development? Are there any examples?
Where and in what quantity to look for performers? Will 1-3 programmers be enough, or do you need a whole team?
I need any information from which I can start further)) As a result, I have to understand how it's all done and start looking for people for specific tasks.

Answer 1

Backend - makes server logic,
Frontend - makes client logic, Layout Designer -
typesets the service according to the layout drawn by the designer
Designer - draws the design of the service
1 each. You can remove the layout designer and leave only the front-end developer, provided that he knows how to layout (although he should be able to layout, but some people no longer like to do this).
Tz, how do I know how to compose it correctly, if I don’t know all the functionality of your service, even if it looks like others. First, write out all the functionality for yourself, describe the operation of this functionality, what should interact with what. What should be the personal account, what should be in it, the sites on which the window is located, some kind of graphics or something else. If you don’t know at all, then if I were you, I would first study the services that you cited as an example. How and what they have done, I would write out the minuses of this, what pluses they have, the difference from each other. Use this data to build your requirements for your service.
Here you need to approach responsibly. A good developer is sometimes hard to find, often, good ones are expensive, cheap ones will make a mistake and your service will become very difficult to change and supplement in the future.
Discuss with them what and how it will be, and what you generally want. Show them 2m tz, layouts. They among themselves, on the basis of this TK, will write out a work plan, deadlines, layout, as well as how and what they will implement and what they may need. How these pop-ups will work, where what data will be sent, etc.
The work plan itself, it is better to divide it into stages on your part. Those. We made one functional, checked it, checked 1 more. Divide everything into tasks. You will only get better from this, because. you see what has already been implemented and the very fact that the process is underway. But I repeat, you need to discuss and accept these stages with the progers.
Based on what they decide, you need to choose a host. All hostings are different, all have their own functionality, along with them (since you probably don’t fumble) you need to choose a good hosting, because. your service assumes the placement of its windows on other people's sites, which means, in theory, that by placing about a thousand such windows, a certain load will go to your server. This issue must be taken into account so that it does not fall from the load at an unnecessary moment. I will say right away, it can be expensive, but these are your concerns)))
4) Testing
Everyone did everything, cheers. Next, we begin to test the service for its functionality. Errors and bugs will be 100%. We are all human, we can all make mistakes, we need to eliminate these mistakes.
5) Rolling out the application
: the site was made on the dev (where they develop) version, it remains to put the site on the main domain (Which you still have to purchase). Laid out, set everything up, cheers. The application is ready. Next, advertising, marketing, SEO and other nonsense.
PS Since all this smells like freelancing, then be prepared that you can be thrown, ignored, disappearing to no one knows where. Do not forget to draw up contracts with progers, where all the nuances will be described. And also, so that in the end all rights belong to you and only, obtaining all accesses, data, etc. Otherwise, later, you can screw everything up and no one will help you.
More or less like this))