Hidden in the rapid-fire series of headlines, tweets, kitchen sinks, and aborted verification checkmark introductions was a tiny tidbit of information around programming languages. When Mr. Musk first settled into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, CNBC reported he brought along a core team of software engineers and other staff from Tesla’s Autopilot autonomous vehicle team.

According to CNBC, Musk has tasked this team to review Twitter’s source code and begin planning for a revamp of the entire platform. It is this decision that deserves to be studied more closely by developers no matter who employs them or what kind of dev work they do.

Because unfortunately for Twitter, Twitter’s software environment is nothing like Tesla’s. The code that turns Tesla’s electric vehicles into supercomputers on wheels is radically different than the code that powers Twitter. Vehicles don’t need to support large-scale publicly facing search and platform services for millions of users concurrently. Tesla’s code also doesn’t have to accommodate regulatory requirements across multiple countries. Likewise, Twitter isn’t hooked up to a network of sensors measuring and responding to the surrounding environment at speed and in real-time.

Similarly, the two companies take a different approach to scripting, with Tesla using Python, and Twitter selecting Scala. Which means the tiger team from the car company entrusted with the high-priority social media code review may not have deep enough experience or environmental exposure to pull it off.

THE TAKEAWAY FOR DEVELOPERS

So, here’s some advice, offered with humility, for a Musk-owned Twitter that easily applies to any other development environment: bring in developers with domain knowledge. At the same time, take the time to assess what language or languages are being used – or should be used – for a given project. Then make sure the developers tasked with delivering the project are either trained up in the target environment, or have access to training and mentorship resources to raise their skills to an appropriate level. Finally, give them a starting point and vision to build toward – otherwise they’ll fail to understand how their work fits into the overall mission.

After job cuts that decimated every corner of the company, talent retention has become Twitter’s biggest challenge. Finding the right devs, for the right language, for the right functionality, is crucial if future-Twitter is going to realize some of the ideals Mr. Musk has recently shared via his feed. The very survival of Twitter depends on having the right developers with the right skillset and the right organizational support in place to fuel the transformation.

KEEP STAFF AUGMENTATION ON THE RADAR

The answer may not necessarily lie exclusively in Twitter’s internal complement, as the company’s need to adapt and scale, quickly, may exceed the capacity of the existing corps of developers. Despite Twitter’s latest round of large-scale content moderation contractor layoffs, staff augmentation could be a crucial opportunity for Mr. Musk to quickly build capabilities under the guidance of his core dev team.

By leveraging his carefully deployed contractor resources underneath their leadership, he could ramp up the pace of both innovation and delivery. This will be key to Twitter leaving the current market uncertainty behind and rebuilding for a very different, and lucrative future.

Given Mr. Musk’s outsized reputation and the white-hot coverage this story has generated, it’s easy to conclude none of this is relatable to any other company, or any other developer. But ultimately, the Twitter takeover is little different than any other corporate buyout. And no matter the organization, it’ll be the right developers with the right skills using the right tools working on the right projects who in the end hold the true power in any corporate transformation.

The post Twitter, Elon Musk, and a critical lesson for developers first appeared on STEP Software.

Accessibility measures are another significant aspect of user experience that you will need to understand.  Does meeting the standards set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) create not only a robust user experience for people with disabilities but for all users who want a smoother and more pleasant experience using a website or other products?

UX designers do more than help design a product: they also have an active role in shaping the way that users interact with the application/website and can solve challenges that users experience. User research plays a vital role in determining specific functionality for the types of users who are most likely to need particular features. By learning how to conduct different kinds of user research and heuristic analysis in UX classes, you can apply this knowledge to everything from creating a website with a small amount of traffic to updating enterprise-grade software meant for thousands of users.

UX training can make you a better programmer, web developer, or game developer. There are also many fulfilling career options centred around user experience, such as product management, user interface design, systems analysis, and conducting user research. Paying attention to the UX throughout the development lifecycle is an effective way to demonstrate to your customers that you put their needs first. If you’re not sure whether or not your UX is as effective as it could be, and you’d like us to conduct an evaluation of your UX design, email us at support@stepsoftware.com.

The post How to Maximize your User Experience (UX) first appeared on STEP Software.

Now think about some of your favourite websites. Perhaps you regularly visit popular sites like Facebook, Amazon or Google, and maybe you’ve come to rely on at least one or two websites as your primary resource for things like news, weather or travel information. These portals of data and services are all web-based, meaning they use the power and reach of the internet to function. Website data lives on servers that are probably nowhere near you physically, and data processing that might be a challenge for your home computer is handled by machines designed solely for that purpose. This means that you can seamlessly leverage the immense computing power of a website like Wolfram Alpha without having your own supercomputer.

EVERY WEB APP IS AN EXPERIENCE 

If you’ve ever used unique login credentials to access data or services on the internet, then you’ve used a web application. Some examples of web applications that you might already be using include:

– Salesforce.com

– PayPal/eBay

– Google Docs

– Your online banking portal

– Tax services like TurboTax 

But what else can be done using web applications? With the advent of encrypted connections and user verifications, complex applications can be managed 100% online, resulting in more streamlined user experiences and severely reduced downtime thanks to system redundancy and failover measures. Some tasks now being performed by web applications are:

– Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 

– Project/Program Management 

– Workflow Management

– Customer Portals and Loyalty Programs 

– E-commerce 

– Peer-to-peer services like Uber and Lyft 

Here’s an example of a small business that could benefit from a customized web application built to suit a specific need. Imagine that you run a design firm with four graphic artists who all live in geographically separate parts of the world. Perhaps they each have unique skills and portfolios, and let’s assume their involvement in projects for your customers varies. It would save you serious time and money if you had a secure, web-enabled way to collaborate with your employees, store critical customer project data and maintain daily operational insight into your business. You want to view progress on projects in real-time, and you want a central platform that is scalable, reliable and efficient. 

Enter the web application developer. With excellent communication about application requirements and performance expectations, a cost-effective web application solution can be designed, built and deployed in less time than you might think. Every need is unique, so a good developer is going to want to discuss your specific requirements to arrive at the most accurate development time and cost estimate. The point is to use web applications to enable businesses to function and interact with their stakeholders in a way that frees them from the technological constraints of the 2000s. Because legacy, stand-alone applications are expensive to operate and maintain, a web application can often pay for itself within a year of its deployment, or even sooner!

MORE APPLICATIONS, MORE PROBLEMS SOLVED 

What other problems might building this web application solve? Well, the most obvious benefit would be the absence of hardware to manage. Web applications are typically hosted on redundant servers that do not require repair or maintenance by the customer. User access also becomes more natural, too. Also, there isn’t any bulky or memory-hungry software that needs to be installed and continuously updated. Further, because scalability is factored into every project, changing how the application functions is a straightforward process that can be executed with little to no downtime. So as your business grows and adapts, your web application does, too. 

Consider how much easier it is to use Quickbooks Online versus a locally-installed version of the software. With the web application, you eliminate the need to unbox software, install it, apply patches or hotfixes, manage its product keys and generally ‘care’ for it like you would any other local application. The same could be said for using Microsoft Office versus the web-enabled Office 365 application. Virtually any need for data processing or collaboration with others can be addressed with a web application built by a team of knowledgeable professionals in constant communication with you, the customer. The team at STEP Software is ready to explore your web application options! 

WEB APPS HELP IMPROVE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

One final (often overlooked) aspect of web applications is how easily they can be branded and productized. A useful web application reflects a company’s brand consistently and with allegiance to the company’s business directives, whether that means selling e-books, fixing HVAC equipment or running a doggy daycare. Deploying a custom-tailored web application can be as much of a business functionality upgrade as it can be a sales and marketing upgrade.

Because of this, it is quite possible that eventually, all computing will be done ‘in the cloud.’ And STEP Software can help you bring the power and flexibility of web applications to your workforce – and loyal customers! Thinking you might need an app? Email support@stepsoftware.com to start a cost/benefit conversation.

If you looking for the Best Custom Software development for any complex problem in your technology. Please mail to support@stepsoftware.com

The post What Can A Web Application Do for Your Business? first appeared on STEP Software.

One of the best ways to increase traffic to your business site is to use a professional website designer. Creating a unique website for your business can improve your position in search results and expand the outreach of your company. A professional website includes many features, such as a responsive design that loads quickly and is compatible with a variety of browsers. A professional website designer will focus on the latest SEO (search engine optimization) practices in creating a keyword-optimized site that reaches as many potential customers as possible.

2. USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY

Developing a user-friendly design is essential in keeping visitors on your site. A simple, logical design makes it easy for users to navigate your entire site, whether they prefer to learn more about your services or check out your most recent blog post. An accessible contact form is crucial in making it easy for all potential clients to reach out to your company. A professional website design company will walk you through each step of the design process to ensure that you are happy with the final result, from design to development to deployment.

3. OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE DEVICES

The vast majority of users search the web with smartphones. Creating a mobile-friendly site is essential in ranking near the top of search results while also making it simple for visitors to navigate around your site, regardless of device. A few ways to improve your website for mobile visitors include reducing load times, optimizing image sizes, and using a font that is easy to read on smaller devices.

4. BUILT-IN RELIABILITY

Reliability is critical in maximizing your consumer outreach with a website. Trying to create a site on your own may lead to technical issues that can cause significant downtime. However, a professional website designer has the experience and professional know-how to handle any technical problems. Ultimately, you will experience far fewer issues with a professionally designed website while also receiving prompt assistance if you run into any problems.

5. SAVE TIME AND REDUCE STRESS

Managing your own business is stressful enough, and in most cases, it doesn’t make sense to add extra work by trying to create and maintain a website by yourself. You can save a significant amount of time and stress by hiring an experienced website designer to create a site that best meets the unique needs of your business. Ultimately, you will be better off spending your time focusing on your core job objectives without the added stress of designing and managing your own site.

Hiring a professional website designer offers a variety of benefits for small business owners. These advantages include maximizing website traffic with strategic SEO, creating an accessible, user-friendly design, optimizing the mobile experience, improving reliability, and reducing stress. A professionally designed and developed website is one of the best ways to rise above your competition while reaching many potentially profitable new clients.

The post 5 Reasons to Hire a Professional Website Designer first appeared on STEP Software.