Insights on industry-specific mobile business - Unified Infotech https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/category/mobile/ Mon, 11 Nov 2024 13:32:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/uipl-logo-150x150.png Insights on industry-specific mobile business - Unified Infotech https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/category/mobile/ 32 32 Choosing the Right Approach for Legacy Application Modernization: A Practical Guide https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/choosing-the-right-approach-for-legacy-application-modernization-a-practical-guide/ Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:06:54 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/?p=26808 It’s tempting to think, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But here’s the problem: while your legacy applications may not be completely broken, they are likely inefficient, vulnerable, and difficult to scale. Many enterprises face a similar dilemma. They built their systems from a renowned mobile app development company on cutting-edge technologies 10 or […]

The post Choosing the Right Approach for Legacy Application Modernization: A Practical Guide appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
It’s tempting to think, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

But here’s the problem: while your legacy applications may not be completely broken, they are likely inefficient, vulnerable, and difficult to scale. Many enterprises face a similar dilemma. They built their systems from a renowned mobile app development company on cutting-edge technologies 10 or 20 years ago. Today, they’re simply incompatible with modern demands.

It’s like running on a treadmill when you really need to be sprinting ahead. So, what’s the fix? It’s time to talk about how legacy application modernization can help us break free from that cycle and move our businesses forward.

Why Legacy Application Modernization is Necessary

In 2019, a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed something pretty eye-opening. The federal government was pouring over $100 billion each year into IT and cyber-related investments.

But here’s something more shocking! About 80% of that spending was going towards just keeping the lights on for legacy systems. If that sounds familiar, it’s because most tech leaders are facing the same challenge. They dedicate 60-80% of their IT budget to maintaining aging infrastructure.

Why Legacy Application Modernization is Necessary

Imagine trying to compete in Formula 1 using a 1960s car. Sure, it still runs, but it won’t stand a chance against newer models built for speed, efficiency, and safety. The same applies to your software. Maintaining outdated systems can lead to the following:

  • High costs: Constant maintenance and support drain resources that could be spent elsewhere.
  • Security risks: Old codebases are often riddled with vulnerabilities.
  • Inflexibility: Scaling and adapting to new business needs or technologies and trends becomes a herculean task.

Key Factors Driving Legacy Application Modernization

So, what drives businesses to modernize their systems? There are two key perspectives here: business and IT.

Business Drivers

Businesses need to stay competitive. Legacy applications often lack the agility required to meet today’s dynamic market demands. Clients expect fast, personalized, and seamless services, and if your software is slowing down those processes, you’re in trouble. For instance, a bank using a legacy system might struggle to integrate new digital payment platforms, frustrating customers and losing out to more nimble competitors.

IT Drivers

The tech team is equally, if not more, frustrated. Legacy systems are costly to maintain, and the technical debt continues to pile up. Trying to patch a crumbling codebase often leads to complex, brittle systems that can easily break. Moreover, the skills required to support these old systems are becoming rare. When experienced developers retire, knowledge disappears, making maintenance and support even more challenging.

By addressing both business and IT concerns, legacy application modernization can rejuvenate your operations and help your company align with modern technologies and market needs.

Popular Legacy Application Modernization Approaches

You wouldn’t use the same modernization approach for every legacy system. Let’s look at seven common strategies to app modernize, each with its pros and cons.

Legacy Application Modernization

Encapsulation

This approach is like keeping the old car but updating the dashboard with modern instruments. Encapsulation involves exposing the functionality of the legacy application through APIs, which makes it easier to integrate with modern systems while keeping the core intact. It’s a quick and cost-effective way to enable interaction with new services, but the old codebase still exists under the hood.

Rehost

Sometimes called “lift and shift,” this method involves moving the application to a new infrastructure without changing its functionality. Think of it as moving your old house to a new plot of land. It’s the same house but in a more modern location. This method is often used in cloud migrations to reduce operating costs and improve scalability.

Replatform

Here, minor modifications are made to the application during its transition to a modern platform. You retain most of the original code but take advantage of better performance and scalability offered by a new platform. This approach is especially useful when your system needs to interact with modern technology.

Refactor

Refactoring involves optimizing the existing code to make it more efficient and adaptable. It changes the core architecture of an application by restructuring outdated code, replacing inefficient components, and enhancing system performance to align with modern standards and technologies. This strategy works well when the core functionality is still relevant but needs optimization for future scalability.

Rearchitect

In this approach, the application’s architecture is redesigned to better align with modern technology stacks. If the foundational architecture of your legacy application is no longer scalable or adaptable, re-architecting involves redesigning the core structure using modern frameworks and patterns. It ensures the system is future-proof, scalable, and built for the long haul.

Rebuild

Sometimes, the only solution is to start from scratch. Rebuilding involves recreating the application from the ground up, often using a modern technology stack. It’s the most resource-intensive approach but offers the most flexibility. If you’re driving a Flintstones car in a Jetsons world, it’s time to get a new vehicle entirely.

Replace

Sometimes, it’s best to simply swap out the old for the new. In this approach, a mobile app development company helps businesses replace the legacy system entirely with a new solution. While this can be disruptive, it eliminates the complexities and risks of maintaining outdated systems.

How to Choose the Right Modernization Approach

Deciding how to modernize legacy applications isn’t as simple as picking the first approach that comes to mind. Choosing the right path requires careful evaluation based on several factors:

Transformation from legacy app to modern app

Business Needs

The first step of app modernization is to align the modernization strategy with your business goals. Do you need to reduce operational costs, improve scalability, or enhance customer experiences? A deep understanding of your company’s vision & scope will help define the modernization path that delivers the most value.

Application Complexity

Not all legacy applications are created equal. Some may be highly complex, with dependencies that are difficult to untangle. Others may be simpler but still critical to core operations. Evaluate how intricate your systems are before deciding on a modernization approach. For example, encapsulation might work for simpler systems, while a more complex, mission-critical app may require rearchitecting.

Cost vs. Value

Every approach comes with a price tag. Rebuilding or replacing can be costly while rehosting is usually less expensive. However, you also need to consider the long-term value each approach delivers. A cost-effective solution that only provides short-term benefits might end up being more expensive in the long run if you have to modernize again a few years later. Striking the right balance between upfront costs and long-term value is essential.

Technology Stack

Your current technology stack will also play a significant role. If the application is based on outdated technology, replacing or rearchitecting might be the most feasible option. However, if it’s built on semi-modern frameworks, a simpler re-platforming or refactoring approach might suffice. The goal is to ensure compatibility with the latest technologies and trends without overhauling systems unnecessarily.

Challenges and Risks in Legacy Application Modernization

Embarking on a legacy application modernization journey is no walk in the park. There are numerous challenges that can derail even the best-laid plans. Recognizing these risks upfront can help you mitigate them.

Complexity of Legacy Systems

Modernizing a legacy system often feels like trying to renovate a 100-year-old building. Once you start, you realize just how much work is involved. Legacy systems tend to be built on outdated technology that’s tightly coupled, meaning a small change in one area can have unexpected repercussions elsewhere. This complexity can increase the time and resources required for modernization.

Data Migration Issues

Migrating data from legacy systems is another major challenge. Data structures may differ significantly between old and new systems, leading to compatibility issues. Ensuring that data remains accurate, secure, and consistent during migration requires meticulous planning and execution.

Integration Challenges

Integrating modernized applications with other systems, whether internal or third-party, is often a stumbling block. Legacy systems were not built with modern integration standards in mind, making it difficult to connect them with newer applications or platforms. Proper API management and encapsulation techniques can help, but there’s always a risk of technical glitches or misalignments.

Security and Compliance Risks

Modernization introduces new security challenges. Legacy systems often lack the sophisticated security protocols required by today’s standards. As you modernize legacy applications, you need to ensure that they comply with industry-specific regulations and data protection laws, such as GDPR or HIPAA. Failing to do so can lead to costly fines and reputational damage.

Managing Technical Debt

Legacy systems are often full of technical debt, like quick fixes and patches that accumulate over time and create inefficiencies. Modernization offers a chance to clear this debt, but doing so requires significant effort. Ignoring technical debt during modernization can limit the effectiveness of your efforts and lead to more issues down the line.

Building a Legacy Application Modernization Roadmap

Now that we’ve covered the different approaches and challenges, how does a mobile app development company put it all together? Crafting a legacy application modernization roadmap is crucial for a successful transformation. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a well-defined modernization plan:

Building a Legacy Application Modernization Roadmap

Assess the Current System

Conduct a thorough assessment of your legacy systems. What are the pain points? What business functions rely on these systems? By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your current setup, you can identify which modernization approach makes the most sense.

Define the Vision & Scope

Once you’ve assessed your system, define the vision & scope of your modernization efforts. Are you looking to reduce costs, improve performance, or enable new functionality? Be clear about your objectives and how they align with your broader business goals.

Choose the Right Strategy

Select the modernization approach that best aligns with your needs. As we’ve discussed, this could range from simple encapsulation to a full rebuild. The key is to choose the approach that provides the most value while minimizing disruption to your business operations.

Create a Phased Rollout Plan

Don’t try to modernize everything at once. Instead, break the project into manageable phases, prioritizing critical systems and functions. A phased rollout reduces risk and allows you to make adjustments as needed before moving on to the next phase.

Monitor, Adjust, and Optimize

Modernization doesn’t end with implementation. Continuously monitor the performance of your modernized applications, gather feedback, and make adjustments as needed. This ongoing process ensures that your systems stay up to date with the latest technologies and trends, delivering maximum value over time.

Why Unified Infotech?

…..because we understand that outdated applications can feel like trying to run a marathon in flip-flops. That’s why we transform your legacy systems into agile, scalable solutions that keep you ahead of the curve.

Assessment

We don’t just scratch the surface; we dive deep into your existing applications. Our team performs a comprehensive assessment, looking at everything from the technology stack to performance bottlenecks. Utilizing tools like application performance monitoring (APM), we identify those pain points that keep you up at night.

Customized Roadmap

Next up, we craft a tailored modernization roadmap just for you. Whether it’s embracing cloud migration to platforms like AWS or Azure, leveraging containerization with Docker, or adopting microservices architecture, we’ve got the strategies to transform your apps into future-ready powerhouses.

Maintenance & Support

But we don’t stop there! We offer continuous maintenance and support, ensuring your modernized applications stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends. Our goal is to build lasting partnerships, nurturing your apps like they’re part of our family.

Last but not least.

Modernizing legacy systems is no small feat, but with the right strategy in place, it’s a worthy investment. Whatever path businesses choose, a reliable mobile app development company can make app modernization an effortless experience.

The post Choosing the Right Approach for Legacy Application Modernization: A Practical Guide appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
How To Create A Dating App – 7 Step Strategy For You https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/how-to-create-a-dating-app/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:16:50 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/?p=9286 Finding love has been an eternal quest for us human beings. With so many books, movies, and stories all revolving around finding The One, it’s not a wonder that even today we are in one way or another fixated on finding our one true love. But we are living in 2019. It seems everything can […]

The post How To Create A Dating App – 7 Step Strategy For You appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
Finding love has been an eternal quest for us human beings. With so many books, movies, and stories all revolving around finding The One, it’s not a wonder that even today we are in one way or another fixated on finding our one true love.

But we are living in 2019. It seems everything can be solved if you know how to make an app! Ain’t it?

Fortunately for the hopeless romantics, today we have a better chance of finding love, thanks to applications like Tinder. By assessing how to create a dating app, startups are making it easy and simple to find the right match anytime anywhere. To make it easy for your business idea as well, this article focuses on how to make a dating app.

So, How to Create a Dating App?

Let’s talk about the steps now… 

1. Competition Study – Analyze your Rivals

The market is flooded with dating apps and you want your application to be the best of them. Which is why it’s important for you to study your competition well.

With a thorough study of your competition, you’d be able to understand what is the reason for their success or failure. You can use that understanding in your own venture and build an app like Tinder successfully.

Take a close look at their features, and figure out what they are doing differently. They are all more or less the same, with minor differences. And these minor differences are what sets them apart. With this study of their unique features, you’ll make sure that you don’t end up accidentally repeating any on your platform. So how to make an online dating app? First, validate your idea.

2. Validate Your Idea to Create a Dating App – Is It Worth It?

Even when 60% male and 70% female population of the US admit that they have never tried online dating, the rising popularity tells a different tale. In the US alone, the revenue churned out by these apps is near about $1667 million.

rise in dating app development

Source: Statista

So what is the reason for this amount of popularity? What makes these apps so lovable to the users? Does the market still have takers? There are some solid reasons for that!

a. Desire To Connect Meets Desire To Simplify

As human beings, we are supposed to want to meet and connect with other human beings. 

And that’s how we got dating apps.

b. Internet Popularity

Previously there may have been a stigma about looking for people to date online. People thought only losers signed up on such platforms.

From paying bills to ordering groceries, everything is online now. So it is obvious that even dating is going to become online. 

c. Tailor-Made For Your Preferences

It is not easy to find a ‘tall blonde partner with brown eyes who is an astronomy enthusiast’ and also speaks five languages.

Apps and websites like Jdate, Christian Mingle have made it easy for people to find matches based on their religion. 

d. Less Intimacy, Easy To Find

People don’t have time to sit down and write long romantic love letters, or sit down and chat to find out more about one another. Even if they do, and it doesn’t work out, it’ll be a waste of time and energy. 

3. Know the Matching Algorithm to Make a Dating App

Most of the dating app builder believe that at the end of the day it’s the algorithm voodoo that brings people together. But that’s not the case all the time.

According to the study, 64% of people said that they look for people based on common interest, and 49% of people said they look for people who they find attractive. So at the end of the day, there is not much math involved in here.

Location matching with profile in dating app

Dating app developers today are experimenting with Artificial Intelligence and dating apps. With the application of AI in such apps, things are bound to change in the online matchmaking market scenario in the next twenty years.

So when you are thinking about how to develop a dating app like Tinder consider how you are going to match people with each other. You need to create your application to caters to the user’s preferences. This can easily be done with the help of a simple questionnaire at the beginning of the signup process. 

a. ‘Locating’ The Perfect Person

It’s all in the location. It is always easier for your user to be matched and go on dates with someone close to them. So you can apply a GPS based location system if you want to build a dating app to find potential matches for the user.

This way they can easily find a list of all the people who can be the potential match, and all of these people on the list will be from the same city.

You can add a special monetization feature with this, where the users will pay to expand their search and match radius. This is not only going to increase their chances of romance but generates revenue for you as well.

b. Understand the Math Of Love to Create a Dating App

You can implement a math-based system to match the users with each other. It is based on the questionnaire, which the users need to fill up when they sign up for the service. Once they have filled out the forms, it’s time for math to do its magic. To know how to make a mobile dating app, understand the math of love.

This technique is used to assess the compatibility level of two users based on the answers they have given to the questions. When the compatibility level is higher than a certain number, they are matched with each other.

c. Match According To Behaviour

The sad thing about any kind of online platform is that people tend to lie about many things. Which is why you should go with the behavior-based matching technique. This is basically a Big-Data based approach to match the users on a dating app.

how to build a dating apphow to build a dating app

Finding people nearby in dating app by Unified Infotech

It is a bit more complicated than location-based or simple question-answer based solution, but it is more accurate. With this, you are going to analyze the data of the users collected from different sources such as social media accounts, groups they are part of, their profile, etc.

With this approach, there will be less catfishing on your platform.

d. Bonus: Advanced Techniques For Making A Match

Along with our watches and phones, dating apps too are getting smarter.

With advanced techniques like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, VR and AR are revolutionizing the online match finding scene. This way you can provide more accurate matches for the users. The popular machine learning technology used in Netflix is being used in dating applications today.

There are plenty of matching techniques you can add to your app. Whichever you choose to go with, make sure that the matches made between the users are good. Otherwise, people will use your platform less and less.

4. Keep the Security Top-notch While Making Your Dating App

For all its good uses, online dating also comes with its downsides. Without proper security, such online platforms can easily become the playground for creeps and frauds. So if you want to know how to make a dating app for Android or iOS, you need to make sure that your app is safe for people to use.

You need to follow a thorough app security checklist to ensure the security of your users.  Use a profile verification method to verify the profile of those who are joining the platform. With the help of social media and phone number verification, you can make sure that the people who are joining your app are legit and are not pretending to be someone else. It will also help in improving the user experience of your app as they can trust it easily.

how to create a dating app

Source: nymag

Dating app Bumble has gone another step ahead and added photo verification to their app. With this, the user needs to upload a selfie in a specific pose, like flashing a peace sign on the app to get verified. And that is how Bumble has stopped catfishing on their app.

5. Important Features To Implement in Your Dating App

To make a dating platform like Tinder, you need to incorporate some features in your application. So what are these basic yet important features?

a. A Thorough Verification System

This one is without a question the most important one. Without a thorough verification system, your platform is going to become a wonderland for creeps and frauds. So adding a good and secure verification system is important to secure the experience of your users.

photo verification

Source: TechCrunch

Add a social media verification system to make sure the person is who they are saying they are. You can also add a phone number verification system and a photo verification system. In brief, you have to implement a strong and secure verification system for the safety of your users. This will answer your question about how to make a great dating app profile that is secured.

b. Matching With Your Objective

The users should have an option to express their objective o their profile. An online dating app user can have many reasons for using the service. It can be for a long term relationship or a quick and casual affair. Whatever it is, they should have an option to state that on their profile.

Along with that, they should also get matches with similar objectives. It’s no use for someone who is looking for a serious relationship to be matched with those who are looking for a casual hook up.

c. In-app Messaging

There is no point in having a dating app and not having a messaging feature. With this feature, users can connect with each other and talk to each other, planning dates and meetings. This will help them not only in getting closer but also in understanding whether this match is worth investing their time on or not.

d. Giving You The Perfect First Date Idea

This is a fun feature for you to add to your app. Most of the time people are stumbling with the perfect first date idea. They don’t know whether they should go for a formal dinner or a casual coffee.

Profile-matching-algorithm

Profile creating by Unified Infotech

With this feature, you can make sure that they have the perfect first date. By giving them quirky and fun first date ideas that they would remember forever, you will make sure your dating application becomes the apple of their eye.

e. Undoing The Mistaken Swipe Or Like

Many times we have mistakenly swiped right when really, we wanted to swipe left.

Give people a chance to undo their mistake when you are planning on how to create your own dating platform. They might have accidentally tapped on like for someone’s profile when they didn’t want to. Give them a small window of opportunity to undo their choices. This will increase their chances of ending up with someone they actually like.

f. See The Preference – Do They Like The Same Thing As You?

For a lot of people, not liking the same movie or tv series is a deal-breaker.

So it makes sense if they can see the basic preferences for their matches on your application. Let them dedicate a small portion of their profile to their favorite music, shows, and tv series. This is going to help them create that perfect ice-breaking conversation.

g. Push Notification

Got new matches? Show it on your push notification feature! Though it might annoy sometimes, if done right, it can actually increase the app usage and engagement. The trick is to keep the notifications relevant and less frequent. Try out this feature as you go deeper into the development.

6. Ready To Build An Amazing Dating Experience? Wait. What Is The Tech Stack?

Making a dating application comes with its own responsibilities, like knowing the technology stack. The development of dating app by Unified’s specialists includes the following tools and technologies, but of course, it would vary depending on your requirements.

  • Programming tools: KotlinSwift, and Java
  • Database: MongoDBSQLRedis
  • Framework: Express.JsReact, Node.Js
  • Web Server: NginxAWS
  • Payment Gateway integration: StripeCCAvenuePayPal

In addition, Google Analytics, Twilio and Google Maps will be needed. Again it can depend on your feature list, functionality, and type of dating app you want to build. Talk to our expert mobile app developers to get a detailed estimation.

7. Cost Of Creating A Dating App

The cost of developing an application depends on the features used in it. Just like that, the cost of dating platform also depends on various aspects of the app.

If you want to know how to make a dating app for the iPhone and the cost, you can shoot us an email with your requirements and we will tell you.

For a detailed cost estimation for creating your dating app, you can look here.

What’s Next? Ways to Earn Money From Your App!

There is no rule saying you can’t make money while helping people find love. But how much money do dating applications make? And what will you do with your mobile dating app?

With the right app monetization strategy, you can make millions with your application. Tinder made roughly $400 million in revenue in the year 2017.

create a dating app and make money

These monetization ideas include-

1. In-app Purchases

Basic and simple, this is a straightforward way of making money with your app. Offer people with the chance of making in-app purchases, like keys and coins to get access to premium features or to look at more choices.

2. In-app Ads

In-app ads are the most well-known monetization strategy for your idea. With relevant ads, you can generate revenue.

3. Premium Access

By offering people subscription-based access to the premium features, you can easily monetize your application. Make sure to offer multiple tiers of subscription plans for all kinds of users.

4. Unique Monetization

Besides the above-mentioned monetization techniques, you can also make a partnership with local cafes and restaurants, gift shops to generate revenue. These establishments can not only advertise themselves on your platform, but your application can also promote them as dating sites, and great gift buying shops.

Lastly, Who are Your Competitors? A Look At Popular Dating Apps

The most popular question when it comes to creating a dating platform is- “how to create a dating app like tinder?” to know the answer, you have to know well about Tinder first.

The app stores are swelling with applications that promise to help you find your match. Each of them is promising different things, from finding your eternal match to a quick hook up. 

Dating AppDetailsUSPs & Functionality
1.Tinder57 million users globally,
Available in 190 countries in 40 languages, available for both Android and iOS users, matches made 20 billion.
Easy and fun UI, gamified match process, instant messaging with matches, amazing premium subscription plans.
2. Bumble50 million users globally, available in 160 countries, in both Android and iOS.The first move is made by women. Matches expire after 24 hours if not responded, not only dating but Bumble BFF and Bumble Biz let users make friends and increase professional network as well.
3. Coffee meets BagelAvailable on both Android and iOS for over 6 million users.Another women-centric application, they can like or pass on a match based on a detailed profile review.
4. Hily- Hey I like YouInstalled by over 1,000,000 users.Uses AI and machine learning to create perfect matches. Mainly targeted at 18+ crowd.
5. GrindrAvailable for 27 million users over 234 countries. App is available for both Android and iOS.Dating app for the LGBTQ+ community. Instant matches and swipe facility, private chats and photo-sharing features, the ability to block users.
6. HerWith around 4.5 million users, HER is available on both Android and iOS platforms.Easy sign in and sign up process, an app exclusively created for lesbian women. Includes news feed with relevant articles for women.
7. Match.comAround 22 million users, available on Android, iOS, and website as well.Matches based on personality qualities & can display other match.com users nearby

The Bottomline for How to Create A Dating App

Finding love is not easy. But with dating apps, we are getting closer to a future when finding the one won’t be so hard. So if you are planning on making your dating app but still have not given a thought to what kind of app you are going to make, then talk to a trusted dating app development company. 

And if you have already thought and planned about how to create a dating app, then what are you waiting for? Tell us your idea and we can help you create a dating masterpiece!

difference between freelancer and a professional app development agency

Who knows, maybe some lonely soul out there is waiting to meet their perfect match on your app! 

The post How To Create A Dating App – 7 Step Strategy For You appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
10 Smart Home Apps That You Should Use in this Digital Age https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/top-smart-home-apps/ Thu, 18 May 2023 14:23:29 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/blog/?p=10491 Once, we had to get up, stand in front of the TV, and rotate the dials to change the channel we were watching. Then came remote controls, and we thought, it can’t get better than this. As it turns out, it can with a smart home app! Now we don’t even have to move to […]

The post 10 Smart Home Apps That You Should Use in this Digital Age appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
Once, we had to get up, stand in front of the TV, and rotate the dials to change the channel we were watching. Then came remote controls, and we thought, it can’t get better than this.

As it turns out, it can with a smart home app!

Now we don’t even have to move to grab the remote and change the channel. All we have to do is talk to our TV, and it will change the channel itself. It’s not only limited to the television system! Thanks to smart mobile app development, you can control everything from kitchen appliances to the garage door, from the lights to the curtains. Smart home technology has made people’s lives easier.

Available for Android and iOS, a home automation system enables you to control every aspect of your home with a tap on your phone, even when you are not there. In this scenario, the smart-home mobile automation apps turn the smartphone into a remote. And that’s how you can begin your smart home automation journey.

Smart Home Competitor Analysis: Why Is It Necessary?

The global smart home automation market is already overly crowded. And to find or build a successful application, you NEED to conduct a complete examination.

An in-depth analysis of the best smart home app market will give you a comprehensive insight into how the successful applications out there deal with the dynamic requirements of users and the unique value they provide. This information will help you make better decisions about the smart home mobile app development journey.

Smart Home Apps – Few Things You Should Know

You should know a few things before we start talking about the best smart-home apps to watch out for.

If you want to develop a smart home app, you should check this out!

A home automation mobile application can be of two types- single and multitasking apps. Single-tasking apps are only made for one specific device, for instance, a particular home security system. With these applications, you cannot operate any other IoT system you might have in your home. They will only deal with systems that are compatible with them.

smart home app development partner

Then we have a multi-tasking app – these apps can help you to control the entire IoT system you have installed in your home. You can operate every smart home device you might have through such applications.

The choice of the app will depend on the consumer’s preferences. Some prefer single-tasking apps, thinking they will provide better safety and security, while others prefer the ease and convenience of multi-tasking apps. And that’s why we have included both types of apps in our list of 10 smart-home apps you need to check out.

10 Best Smart Home Apps To Watch Out For

No matter what area of the house you are considering, there are numerous smart-home devices and apps. But you can’t just pick a random one out of all those devices. No, you need the best one for a superb smart-home experience. And that’s why we have compiled this list so you can easily choose the right smart application for your home.

1. Amazon’s Alexa

If you are researching on smart-home automation systems, then you are definitely familiar with the Amazon Alexa.

Amazon Alexa App
Source: App Store

You are definitely familiar with Amazon Alexa, one of the best smart home automation systems. And if you are familiar with Alexa, then you must know about the Alexa app for controlling all the Alexa devices and many other smart home devices.

With this app, you can unlock a world of possibilities. Considered one of the best home control apps, it will help you set up your Amazon-enabled devices, create shopping lists, and listen to music. The Alexa app is not only for Amazon devices, but there are also many other devices compatible with this app, such as Philips Hue Smart Bulbs, Wemo smart plug, Lutron Caseta, Nest learning thermostat, iRobot Roomba 690, and many more.

It is known for intuitive voice controls and fantastic automation power through the Alexa app. Setting up the application on your smartphone is very simple due to its easy smart home interface. To wake up Alexa, all you must do is call her name. The voice control feature lets users control all the smart devices connected to Alexa through verbal commands.

The Alexa speakers can be carried anywhere. The best home automation app from the house of Amazon will be the perfect first choice for your smart home. Alexa is available on different Amazon devices. For instance, Fire TV devices and Echo speakers. It functions through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and, more recently, Matter.

The alternative control system is one of the best features of Alexa home automation. Those afraid of using the voice control system due to the many past mishaps can use the alternative Alexa interface. This serves as a bonus factor behind Alexa’s success.

Expert Thought: Besides being safe, the application also makes the smart home system much more accessible for speech-impaired people. And this is why it is necessary to keep the accessibility issue in mind while developing the smart home app!

2. SmartThings

South Korean tech giant Samsung has quickly caught up with this smart home automation trend. Their SmartThings hub lets the user control all the aspects of their IoT-enabled home, like refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, etc. And with the SmartThings hub, you also get the SmartThings app.

Samsung smart home
Source: App Store

The SmartThings app can help users to access multiple devices faster than ever. With this, you can control home IoT devices seamlessly.

One of the main key features of this app is the ability to control and check the status of devices remotely, group and control them simultaneously, configure the device settings, and get notifications about different devices. Additionally, one can cast videos from their phone to a Samsung TV. You can even create scheduled cycles of washing machines and listen to music. These are some of the top highlights of this application.

Many smart home devices today are supported by Samsung SmartThings devices. These devices include- Ecobee smart thermostat, Netgear Arlo wire-free Pro security camera, Yale Assure Lock home security system, and after 2020, Google Nest devices. It means that once you have the Samsung SmartThings hub in your home and the Samsung smart home app on your phone, you don’t have to use multiple apps for different devices.

The success of the SmartThings app depends on the multi-operability and efficient design of the new and improved application. However, being completely cloud-connected, it does fail to send essential notifications in case of an outage. So whether you are looking for a perfect app or considering building one, keep the matter of connectivity in mind.

3. Google Home

The Google Home app is from the tech giant itself. If you have chosen the Google Home app then this home automation system will be your one-stop solution.

Google Assistant
Source: App Store

Popular as a smart home app for Android and iOS, the application enables you to set up Google Home and Chromecast devices, along with many other connected home devices like lights, cameras, and many more. The third-party devices compatible with Google Home apps are Nest thermostat, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Honeywell Home, WeMo, etc.

The Google Home app lets you control, organize, and manage compatible lights and speakers with one or two taps only. The app offers shortcuts for most actions like turning the lights on, checking the weather, getting news highlights, and more actions, all with a simple command. This ease and efficiency of the application get personalized over time. Because of its versatility, the Google Home app is one of the best smart home automation apps on the market.

4. Apple Home

The Apple Home kit is one of the complete smart-home automation systems in the market, and the iOS home automation app makes a perfect companion for it. It is designed to work with both Apple and other smart home devices.

You can use the application on any Apple device, whether iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. The app has a dashboard that makes handling every aspect of your smart home easier.

Apple Home
Source: App Store

The app enables the users to create ‘scenes’, which lets them perform multiple actions with just one tap on their smartphone. Just like the leaving home scene- while leaving home, all you have to do is tap once on your smartphone to make sure that the curtains are closed throughout the house, lights are turned off, and the thermostat is set to be energy efficient. Currently, there are over a hundred brands with devices supported by HomeKit.

The additional success factors of this app are security and efficiency. Adding new devices is possible right from the home screen, eliminating the need to navigate the app. It is also the most secure smart home application, ensuring complete safety for users.

Bonus Read: Turn the oblivious UX of your platform into an intuitive one right now with Mental Models!

5. Danalock Bluetooth Z-lock

Danalock is definitely one of the best smart home control panel app you came across when looking for IoT based home security system. 

Danalock
Source: App Store

Danalock V3 is definitely one of the best smart home control apps that you will come across when looking for an IoT based home security system.

Users get a guide after installing the application, making setting up the Danalock app easy. The Danalock V3 Smart Lock comes with a user-friendly layout and features, such as-

  1. Automatic and manual calibration for your Danalock home security system.
  2. Average battery life of 12 months.
  3. Intriguing Danish design.
  4. Compatible with any standard door.
  5. Robust security system.

Danalock has taken the IoT-enabled home security system to the next level, and the V3 Smart Lock lets users leverage the best of this. The ease and efficiency of the user interface and the simplicity of function make the Danalock app one of the best in the market.

6. MyQ Garage & Access Control

Opening up a garage door can be a problem for anyone. However, with MyQ Garage & Access Control, you can easily open the garage door with the help of your smartphone. 

MyQ Garage smart home app
Source: App Store

Opening up a garage door can be a problem for anyone. However, with MyQ Garage & Access Control, you can easily do this with the help of your smartphone

Additionally, you can open, close, and check the status of other doors in the house. Using this app, you can –

  1. Set up alerts for any activity.
  2. Create schedules to close or open your garage doors and turn your lights on or off.
  3. Grant access to MyQ guest.

The MyQ Garage & Access Control app is the right choice for managing garage doors and lights. As a smart door lock application, the app’s brilliance lies in its unique features. With real-time notifications, scheduling, and remote lock, it provides users peace of mind and outshines similar apps.

7. Ecobee

The smart-home automation system has advanced significantly. Now, you can control the temperature setting of your entire home with apps like Ecobee and perform the following actions – 

Ecobee smart home application
Source: App Store

With the ecobee app, you can control the temperature of the house, as well as the light settings anytime anywhere. With the ecobee app, you can perform the following actions-

  1. Easily install the device with the help of videos and diagrams.
  2. Set your preferences depending on the month, season, or weather.
  3. Check whether you have left the lights on, even when you are not in the house.
  4. Save significant energy by switching the Ecobee thermostat to “Away” mode.
  5. Adjust the thermostat setting as you like.

Ecobee is the perfect solution to make your home more comfortable. It is a classic example of how consumer-focused design and development can make home automation apps successful.

Expert Thought: Despite the popularity, there may be a chance that most of the user base will be first-time smart home users. Therefore, your application onboarding process must be as simple as possible.

8. Honeywell Home

Honeywell has a range of devices, including thermostats, security cameras, and freezing prevention systems. And the Honeywell home app lets you control all of them from one place. You can even control and modify the devices’ settings. Additionally, you can receive notifications from home IoT devices, letting you know what’s happening around your house. As one of the best apps to control smart homes, Honeywell Home is the perfect choice for you.

smart home app Honeywell Home
Source: App Store

Additionally, the geofencing feature is one of the most efficient features of the Honeywell home application. You can use it to set up a smart perimeter around the house. The automation system switches to the default settings once they cross that perimeter (whether they are going away or returning home). Features like these have made Honeywell Home a complete success.

9. Philips Hue

With Philips Hue smart bulbs and apps, you can manage the lighting system of your house with just your smartphone. The Hue app comes with even more unique features. Besides being able to control the lights, you can also perform these actions with the app –

smart home app Philips Hue
Source: App Store
  1. Change the color of the lights 
  2. Modify the lights based on your mood or time of the day
  3. Turn your favorite picture into the Philips Hue scene
  4. Set up lighting schedules around the clock
  5. The app’s location awareness system automatically turns the lights on when you return home
  6. With the voice control function, you don’t even have to use your smartphone. All you have to do is speak out your command, and the lights will turn on themselves.

The smart lighting system by Philips is one of the best of its kind, and its companion app is something you need for your home. Philips Hue succeeds due to its range of functionalities, providing users with added value and making their lives easier.

10. Wemo: Bringing home automation to the fingertips of the users

With the Wemo app, you can perform the following actions-

smaty home app like Wemo
Source: App Store

With the Wemo app, you can perform the following actions-

  1. Control all the lights and appliances of your home without lifting a finger.
  2. Turn the lights on automatically when you return home after a long day
  3. Protect your home even when you’re away with the ‘Away Mode’
  4. Integrate with ‘If This Then That’, a popular web-based service that gives you access to many features for your Wemo smart home automation devices.

The app can be your one-stop solution with its unique features and smooth functionality. This makes Wemo one of the best apps to pay attention to in the smart home industry.

These are some applications that you can look forward to. Read on to learn about the process of building a smart home application.

Smart Home Apps_CTA

How Do We Build a Smart Home App from Scratch?

Our smart home app development is a comprehensive process involving seven steps. Check them out below:

Step 1: Discovery

We begin by understanding your smart home application concept, market analysis, identifying project requirements, and obtaining your input. The discovery phase includes identifying your competitors and building the UI prototype.

Step 2: Planning

Next, our development team performs a comprehensive analysis that serves as the foundation for your smart home automation app project. The planning phase includes identifying your USP, wireframing, technical feasibility analysis, and sprint planning.

Step 3: Design

We then design the smart home app based on the approved wireframes, using low and high-fidelity ones for mobile and tablet-specific designs. Our team emphasizes human-centric designs that delight users and hook them.

Step 4: Development

We start coding based on the functionalities, assumptions, and screen designs. Our expert development team ensures a smart home app that delivers a delightful and stunning user experience.

Step 5: Testing, QA & Launch

We conduct every form of testing – from functional to smoke testing – to ensure the smart home app is bug-free and ready for launch. We perform quality testing rigorously early in the development cycle to ensure a final robust product.

Step 6: Maintenance

We continue our work even post-launch. Maintenance is crucial to the smart home app’s performance. We believe in this and stay in constant touch with you to evaluate the application’s performance, gather feedback, and understand if any updates are required.

Should you Invest in Smart Home Apps?

People hardly focus on investing for the future during volatile market conditions. However, one shouldn’t necessarily be conservative during these uncertain times. Those who invest well through these periods focusing on long-term growth, tend to come out on top once things start improving.

Many are looking to cut costs to protect profitability. However, it can backfire. Instead, you should devise ways to become more efficient. Investing in smart home apps, a cutting-edge automation technology, is a great way to do so. As per Businesswire, the US smart home market will grow to $78.7 billion by 2027. This shows the market potential of smart home technology.

Usually, there is a high demand for well-maintained properties with top amenities. You can improve your property with smart home technology and make it more comfortable. This can be a major deciding factor when renting it once the economy improves. E.g., tenants love properties with appliances included as these make their life much easier and more enjoyable.

Invest in Smart Home Automation Apps

Energy efficiency is another big reason you should adopt smart home technology. Everyone wants an energy-efficient home, especially during a recession. You can have total control over the heating and cooling of your home with smart thermostats. Additionally, you can program the systems with preferred temperature settings and schedules.

You can even program sensor-controlled lights and motorized shades to adjust to the daylight. They can even turn on or off automatically when people enter a room. Thus, turbulent economic conditions can also be a good time for homeowners and businesses to increase their smart home app usage.

FAQs

How to Make Home Automation System Faster?

Let’s start with firmware – a software component that facilitates communication between physical parts of smart home appliances. You will face no challenges if there is well-performing firmware. 

There can be bugs, but fixing them will not be difficult. The development team at Unified Infotech can do it seamlessly. Remember, simultaneously working on both the app and firmware development processes can make identifying and resolving bugs challenging. It deboosts the process, and you will even find it difficult to test the app variants. You must thus work on the firmware part first.

How to Connect Multiple Smart Home Devices in 1 App?

You can only use an app for multiple devices when they use the same protocol. Thus, you can buy devices with the same protocol. However, it can sometimes be inconvenient as various protocols suit different use cases better.

Instead, you can choose a smart home automation hub. Simply speaking, it is a translator between protocols. Even if you face varied protocols for all your devices, the hub will make them “sound” similar. 

How to Enable Top-Level Security for a Smart Home App?

You can include multiple access levels to ensure less exposure to data leaking. For instance, an administrator can be authorized to extract data, manage security, access settings, etc. The administrator can then add users and provide them with particular access levels.

Choose Us as Your Smart Home App Development Partner

There are numerous smart-home automation systems in the market, and choosing one can be confusing. Today, many entrepreneurs are coming up with innovative ideas to create smart home applications that stand out and solve different pain points of people.

Each home automation system may have the same function, but they are wildly different and have different features. Choosing one will be a matter of understanding your requirements. Once you understand that, you can choose the best home automation system. You can also get one built with Unified Infotech. Have a smart home app idea that you would want to bring to life? Let us know.

smart home app CTA

The post 10 Smart Home Apps That You Should Use in this Digital Age appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
All About That MVP: Getting Your Tech Idea Off The Ground https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/mvp-software-development/ Thu, 11 Mar 2021 06:58:31 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/blog/?p=13256 Let’s talk about Quibi, the American short movie platform. The ambitious streaming platform, launched in 2020 April, was made for people on the go. It offered shows with 5-10 minutes long episodes. It garnered a lot of attention, and even a massive $1.75 billion investment. But its journey was cut short in December 2020 due […]

The post All About That MVP: Getting Your Tech Idea Off The Ground appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
Let’s talk about Quibi, the American short movie platform.

The ambitious streaming platform, launched in 2020 April, was made for people on the go. It offered shows with 5-10 minutes long episodes. It garnered a lot of attention, and even a massive $1.75 billion investment. But its journey was cut short in December 2020 due to a lack of subscribers.

A later post mortem revealed the main reason for Quibi’s failure- the lack of an MVP approach. The platform tried to compete against streaming service giants during the height of pandemic times, with a not-so-unique idea. Had they used an MVP software development approach and assessed the market before launching, the story might’ve ended differently.

MVP development enables you to launch a product with minimal features, enough to fulfill the basic needs of the users. This way, you can gather data on consumers, the market, and validate your business idea before investing more resources. Remember- to avoid disastrous endings like Quibi, an MVP approach is mandatory.

But how do you proceed with MVP software development? Let’s unravel the secrets of this approach one by one in the following points.

1. The Distinctions Of The MVP Software Development

One search online would reveal that there are all sorts of minimal approach terms related to MVP. So before we get started on the discussion of how do you develop an MVP, let’s look at these related terms and consider how they relate to each other.

A. MVP [Minimum Viable product]

The first and perhaps the most popular minimal approach is MVP.

Used first in Eric Ries’ book Lean Startup, an MVP product development is a perfect approach for you to validate your business idea. It is not the first version of your digital product, rather a platform with minimal features, coding, and design. This can be a landing page that helps you learn about what kind of consumers are attracted to your business. Additionally, it can also be an app with a basic feature aimed at solving a core problem of the users.

MVP software development

The MVP is in no way meant to be a long-lasting solution. It is part of the B.M.L method. One is supposed to build an MVP, measure the feedback gathered from it, learn from that accumulated feedback and then enhance the platform with that learning. It helps the entrepreneurs to understand the unique problems the users are facing, and come up with unique solutions.

Bonus Read: Ready to explore the myths, secrets and realities of wireframe design? Let’s begin then!

B. MMP [Minimum Marketable Product]

MMP, also known as minimum marketable product or minimum shippable product, happens to be similar to MVP, but a little different at the same time.

While the approach of minimal resources and effort investment stays the same, the approach towards the longevity of the platform changes. An MVP app development is only supposed to be used for experiment and feedback gathering purposes. On the other hand, MMP is supposed to provide real value to the users, from the very initial stage.

Created using some must-have features, an MMP is a digital product that can be marketed and sold to the users out there. Whether it is a web app development or a site, with such a platform, users can complete the task they set out to do, and entrepreneurs can gather data and earn revenue at the same time. An MMP is simply the marketable version of the MVP approach.

C. MDP [Minimum Desirable Product]

Minimal desirable products are one step ahead of the MVP approach.

While the MVP services come with many benefits, you can hardly excite and attract users with them. Even with an MMP approach, the best you’d be able to do is to gather more feedback from the users on what more features the product needs. Very few would stick around until the platform becomes better, most will leave without a second glance.

With the minimum desirable product, you can use exciting UX/UI elements to hook the users from the beginning, no matter how little the platform does. The additional aspect of user-centricity turns the simple MVP into a minimum valuable product. The MDP approach will help you to attract and retain users from the very beginning.

Expert speaks: For a startup, it is crucial to acquire and retain users from the very beginning. Our experts suggest that as a new entrant into the market, going to an MDP approach will be the best possible way. With this, you can offer the clients a valuable experience and features that will solve their problems.

2. The Relations Between The Minimal Approaches: A Brief Overview

If you are thinking that it doesn’t really matter which one of the above approaches you choose, then think again.

Despite being closely related, the three kinds of minimal approach have their own distinction as well. So let’s explore exactly how they are related, and how they differ.

A. The Relationship

Let’s look at the relationship first.

MVP, MDP, and MMP are the steps of the MVP software development process to create a product that is ready for launch.

Through careful MVP solutions are created and launched into the market to accumulate user feedback. This feedback not only consists of data on what type of consumers are being attracted to the platform. It also contains information on what kind of features, UI/UX requirements they are looking for, as well as the extra value that might retain them for a long time.

Heeding this feedback, the developers can enhance the platform, the MVP user experience, and improve the overall experience to make the product more desirable, therefore more prone to success. From here it is only a few modifications away to turn it into a minimally marketable product that can be officially launched into the market and earn revenue.

Bonus read: Humor can be the perfect element for your MDP! Here’s how to imbibe humor within the design of your online platform!

B. The Differences

There are multiple differences between the three MVP software development approaches.

From the main purpose of development to the time and cost, all these differences make the MVP solutions vary widely from one another. And these differences are also the reason why most companies tend to choose a singular minimal approach.

Here’s a compact look at all the major differences between MVP, MDP & MMP-

MVP software development

Now that you have a comprehensive idea about the relationship and differences between the three kinds of minimal approach, it’s time to talk about the perfect process of developing an MVP.

3. How To Develop The Perfect MVP: Our Process

Many consider MVP to be dead. On the other hand, many think startup MVP development is the only way to launch an idea into the market.

But which opinion is the right opinion?

Well, as the tech partners of numerous ideas that achieved staggering progress in their industry, we can vouch that the MVP approach is truly, not dead. But the process of MVP development has changed. Previously, entrepreneurs would take the most minimal approach while developing, resulting in a product that barely fulfilled user needs. The hyper fixation with minimalism in MVP software development has changed now. More and more web development companies these days are focusing on creating a viable product with minimal effort so that the initial business requirements can be fulfilled.

A. Kicking Off With A Look Into The Market

A product, digital or not, must fit into the kind of needs and wants the target users to have. Failing to do so will result in catastrophic failure. According to research, more than 42% of times a startup fails because their product was not needed in the market.

As an experienced MVP development company, we begin with a complete market analysis. The research includes the core problem the digital product is aiming to solve, the already available solutions in the market, how they serve or fail to serve the target demographic, and what kind of unique valuation the users are looking for.

More information means better chances of success right off the bat. Knowing the market, the users, and the competitors gives us and our clients a solid foundation, to begin with. This way we can determine what the minimum viable product software development needs to succeed.

B. Consider The Value Addition

The prevalence of digital solutions has made it almost impossible to break into the market successfully. There are simply way too many solutions for one problem, all of them more or less the same.

And that’s why the next step of MVP project management & development is the value addition/idea validation.

MVP software development

The MVP software development stage is all about giving the target demographic the first taste of your unique idea that solves problems more efficiently than other solutions available. And that’s why despite it being the minimal effort stage the idea needs to be implemented well.

In this stage, we take a look at the possible competitors, and what they are doing. This way we can pinpoint the exact gaps left by the industry rivals and how the solution can fulfill those gaps. After creating a one-of-a-kind value offering document for the idea, we then move onto the next stage of the MVP development, which is mapping the user flow.

Expert Speaks: To make a unique MVP, you must start with a unique idea. However, that unique idea must solve a major problem. So focus on the problem you are aiming to solve and analyze the market to see what kind of solutions are already available. Doing this will save you a lot of rethinking & reworking at a later stage.

C. Mapping Out The User Flow

Granted that MVP product development includes only the basic features and functionalities. But that does not mean it is okay to completely ignore the design flow. To understand the unique offering which is your idea, the users need to be able to use the platform (app or web) properly. And this is where the third stage comes in.

Our process of building a minimum valuable product includes a user-centric point of view where we first document the major pain points they face while trying to solve a problem using one of the existing solutions. And then we design a user flow on the MVP platform that solves the pain points and empowers them to fulfill their tasks.

In this stage, we make use of our UX & web design expertise and map out an intuitive user flow from the beginning to the end of the journey on the platform. Our design teams implement design best practices and policies that give the platform a polished experience from the first stage.

D. Set The Feature Priorities Right

The key stage of MVP development, feature sorting is one of the many things that determine how successful the minimally viable product is going to be. Failing to decide on the essential features during this stage can put the entire future of the product at risk.

Out of the many methods of prioritizing features, we stand by the user story mapping process. A part of our MVP agile development process, it helps us to list the essential MVP features that help the product accomplish its goals.

MVP software development

Here’s how we approach the feature sorting process with our well-defined user story mapping process-

Step 1

We begin with the goals the user wants to accomplish with the digital product. Whether it is signing up on the platform, or performing any other task- we start by listing out the possible goals the product will help the users to achieve.

Step 2:

Once we have listed the goals, we divide them into activities. The activities are the tasks a user must complete to accomplish their goal- like registering with the right credentials to create an account on the platform.

Step 3:

After the activities are assigned under each goal, it is time to break down the activities into smaller user stories. These user stories are various actions users perform on the platform to achieve certain goals. During MVP development, these stories are sorted from the highest priority to the lowest priority accordingly.

E. Follow Through With BML (build, measure, learn) Model

An MVP is in no way the final product. No matter how desirable experience it offers or how much revenue it is earning from the day it was launched, you must continuously improve the product through MVP programming. And that’s why this stage is an integral part of our MVP development lifecycle.

As one of the skilled MVP development services in the industry, we measure the impact made by the product once it is launched into the market. This measuring process provides us with insight into how well the product is helping the audience, where it is failing, and what more the audience expects from it. With all this information, we get back to work again and start implementing the acquired knowledge to improve the platform for the better.

The entire process, from the first stage to the last, is conducted by keeping the users & business goals in mind. The success of the MVP process depends on striking a harmony between the two, and our process adheres to that rule at all costs.

Bonus Read: Tired dealing with the challenge of consumer retention? Our mental model-based UX design is what you need.

4. MVP Benefits: Why Should You Even Go Through All The Trouble?

Why even go to all the trouble?

Why not develop the entire platform in one go, launch it into the market, and hope for the best? Well, doing so will seriously hurt the chances of business success. And that’s why it is better to go for an MVP software development approach at the initial stages of the development.

Here are a few more MVP business benefits to convince you about the effectiveness of this approach.

A. Affordability

First comes the benefit of affordability.

Whether you happen to be a startup entrepreneur or an established business owner, your aim must be to get your tech initiatives off the ground with minimal waste of resources. And for that MVP is the perfect approach. Affordable MVP development cost, in combination with the iterative process, makes for an encouraging environment for the development and success of your tech idea.

B. Validating The Market Demand

One of the major reasons for business failure is having little to no market demand for the product you are trying to sell.

Sure your idea may be unique, and it may be able to help the people, but is there a market for it? The MVP programming, which begins with comprehensive industry analysis will save you from all the market failure-related trouble. You can get access to information on what kind of digital solutions already exist, how they help the users, and how your solutions are different. Having and using all this information, you have a better chance to succeed in the industry.

Bonus read: From an idea to reality- here’s our entire process of turning your CMS website dream into a successful lead-generating website!

C. Testing Out The Business Concept

Launching the idea without testing it is like taking a blind leap off of a mountain cliff. The idea and business revenue model should go through rigorous testing before the launch. And once again MVP app design offers you the time window to test the business concept, tweak it for better results, and then launch it when you feel like it will generate the expected results.

D. Examining The Impact Of The Product

The MVP prototype helps to understand the kind of impact the product will have on the target market. After launch, we apply the B.M.L method and measure the impact of the platform on the target users. This information will then help us to improve the product and enhance its future impact on the industry and users.

E. Building An Early Relationship With The Customers

Modern businesses and solutions must be customer-centric to succeed. With MVP product management, one can build an early connection with the target consumers. With their feedback, the consumers will inadvertently become part of the development process. This will make them feel more invested in the overall success of the solution. This way you can effortlessly make the entire process consumer-centric.

It Is Easy To Achieve Skyrocketing Success With A Modern Day MVP Approach!

MVP is not dead. It has merely changed its traditional form to match the modern-day requirements of both businesses and consumers. So if you are wondering whether MVP software development will be right for your business or not, ask us! Our expert developers and business analysts are ready to answer all your MVP-related questions.

MVP software development

The post All About That MVP: Getting Your Tech Idea Off The Ground appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
Building Apps For Foldable Phone: How Our Process Solves The Challenges! https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/foldable-smartphone-app-development/ Wed, 03 Mar 2021 11:26:23 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/blog/?p=13223 The flip era was the golden era of mobile phone designs. And that golden era is now back, with a unique twist, i.e- the foldable smartphones. Global smartphone giants such as Samsung, Motorola, Huawei have already launched their iterations of foldable smartphones, and so far these devices have garnered some great reviews. The compact tablet-smartphone […]

The post Building Apps For Foldable Phone: How Our Process Solves The Challenges! appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
The flip era was the golden era of mobile phone designs. And that golden era is now back, with a unique twist, i.e- the foldable smartphones. Global smartphone giants such as Samsung, Motorola, Huawei have already launched their iterations of foldable smartphones, and so far these devices have garnered some great reviews. The compact tablet-smartphone hybrid is now an intriguing piece of phenomena in the tech world. However, the uniqueness of foldable smartphone app development is leaving a lot of app developers and designers baffled.

folding smartphone display
Source: Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

New entrepreneurs and app development companies all over the globe are now wondering how to design and develop apps for these new smartphones. Surely, as the phones change, so will the well-established rules of development. But the question is- how much is it going to change?

Now, if you are one of those who are wondering about such apps, then you are at the right place. Our in-house experts have conducted in-depth research on the design/development process for new smartphones, and we are going to discuss it here. Are you ready? Let’s begin.

1. New Era Smartphones: What Are They Bringing To The Fold?

Foldable smartphones are taking over the market rapidly. The popularity has reached such a monumental peak that according to forecast, by 2022 global foldable shipment numbers would reach a staggering 50.1 million units.

foldable smartphone app development

According to another source, the foldable smartphone industry is also supposed to grow at a CAGR rate of over 21.3% throughout the forecast period of 2021-2026. All these stats are pointing towards the only fact- the fold is the future of the smartphone industry.

The new style of devices provides not just space and comfort of use, but it also offers more screen real estate, more versatile use of apps, and true streamlining of the workflow. The expectations for these devices are high, but they also challenge the basic app development process uniquely.

Let’s take a look at these challenges, shall we?

Exclusive for you: Let’s nurture the growth of your business with expert enterprise solutions, starting right now!

2. Challenges Of The Foldable Smartphone App Development

Folded or unfolded, the new-age smartphones come with lots of features and functionalities. However, these expanded use cases are challenging many app development company in new ways. Here’s a comprehensive list of all the issues our in-house experts deem more important to pay attention to-

a. App Continuity

Continuity issues are one of the major app development challenges for foldable phones. It is all about an app switching from one state to another based on the orientation of the screen. For example, an individual using the phone in a folded state might suddenly want to unfold the phone for better usability. And when they do that, the app they were using should switch to fit the expanded screen without missing a beat.

via GIPHY

Not only the app needs to fit the newly folded/unfolded screen, but the app features and content also need to scale accordingly. So far, it is one of the major challenges app designers and developers are facing with foldable smartphone app development.

b. Ratio Awkwardness

Because Apple has not yet brought forward any foldable iPhone news, most of the phones in this segment are Android. And when it comes to building an app for Android phones the aspect ratio challenges are many. There are numerous devices, each with varying screen sizes. And with foldable, the difficulties for any Android app development company have increased tenfold.

foldable smartphone app development

The foldable phones support multiple screen ratios, both in the folded and unfolded state. Based on the type of fold and multi-tasking functionality, the mobile app UX designs need to fit multiple ratios and work perfectly without breaking the rhythm. Additionally, the size and shape of foldable smartphones are causing some awkwardness in screen/ app ratios especially when it comes to consuming media through smartphones. And this increases the number of challenges faced by foldable smartphone app development.

Bonus Read: Right process or right product? Make your choice carefully after reading this exclusive read!

c. Multi-Window Functionality

With the multi-window functionality, the users can run several apps side by side. However, facilitating this can be tricky. Earlier, while using two or more apps on the same screen, the active app will run while the others would be paused. But now foldable smartphone app design enables users to run multiple apps on the same screen simultaneously.

The information sharing, along with the aspect ratio scaling, poses some serious challenges for any web app development company out there. To make an app work well, they have to make sure that it works well simultaneously with the other apps on the same screen perfectly.

d. UI Changes Feature Accessibility Limitations

Besides folding screens, smartphones today also sport multiple screens. The folded version of phones such as Galaxy Z Fold 2 comes with a narrow screen on the top, and when unfolded displays a bigger screen that almost resembles a tablet.

folding smartphone apps
Source: https://www.nytimes.com

While the dual displays on such devices improve efficiency, it creates certain issues for the accessibility of features and functionalities of the application. What kind of features would be accessible through the small screen? What kind of mobile app UX design will be better suited for the bigger screen? All these and more feature/functionality-related questions haunt the app developers and designers.

e. The Spine

The spine, a.k.a where the smartphone folds are posing another design issue. Whether it is an inward folding phone or outward folding screens, the spine can cause the app features to wrap and get displaced. All in all, the spine of the device can create foldable smartphone app development challenges that are never before seen for app builders.

Bonus Read: Wondering about the secret to our design success? Well, this piece on design sprint will answer all your questions

3. Unified Infotech’s Solutions For Foldable Smartphone App Design

Considering all the design and development challenges, any custom app development company you partner up with has to be a master of the craft. Today app development is not only about following the best practices, but also innovating continuously. How is it done though? Let us give you a peek inside our process of designing for the foldable smartphone-

a. Examining The Use Cases

For foldable, we begin the app development process with the expected use case scenarios.

Different apps have different purposes and can be used either in a folded state or in an unfolded state (in the case of multi-display smartphones). So we need to begin our design process by analyzing exactly how the users would utilize your app.

The use case examination enables us to better conceptualize the foldable smartphone app design and wireframe. Additionally, it also enables us to optimize the development process accordingly.

b. Extensive Wireframing

As an experienced mobile app development company, we give the wireframe process ample attention to make the process successful. And when it comes to designing for foldable, we double down on our efforts.

App wireframing is a process of mapping out how the content and design elements would look on-screen and how the users would navigate. Our extensive mobile app UX design also includes the transitioned screens of the app. From the look and feel of folded/unfolded screens to the navigation elements- we map it all out.

Bonus Read: Curious about the impact of wireframing on the design process? Then this read is perfect for you!

c. Making Use Of Screen Real Estate

One of the many plus points of foldable smartphone app development is the increased screen size.

foldable smartphone app development

Due to the increased screen sizes, we can now incorporate more foldable smartphone app design elements and content on the app screens without making them crowded. We make full use of the increased space, creating UX mockups and UI elements that will use the increased space well without making the users overwhelmed with a crowded screen.

d. Reducing UI/UX Roadblocks

Despite the bigger screen, there are plenty of UI/UX roadblocks that we must deal with to make the foldable android app usable. And the most important of those is the one/two-handed use of the device.

The extended screen size makes it impossible for people to use the smartphone one-handed. So, sometimes they must switch to two-handed mode. And during mobile app design & development, we ensure that the navigation and the design elements are distributed accordingly for an enhanced experience.

The initial use case examination stage helps us to understand when the user would be switching to full-size screens and when they would be using the app in the folded state. With this insight, we focus on placing the crucial feature element at the core areas of the screen. During the app development process for foldable phones, we work to enhance the usability of secondary screens as well. Our careful wireframing process ensures that the screen doesn’t look too overcrowded and the users can make the most of the app even on the smaller screen.

Bonus Read: The Agile values and how we imbibe them within our process: a short exploration!

4. Unified’s Foldable Smartphone App Development Solutions

Foldable apps might be simple android apps, but they do come with certain technical challenges that seem daunting. But as an experienced app development company, we are well aware of how to deal with such challenges. So let’s see how they view these following roadblocks to developing an android app and solve them daily.

a. Using Simple Transition

In our Agile development process, we treat the issue of app continuity just like app transition from portrait to landscape mode. Only in this case, the transition happens from the folded state to unfolded state.

The expectations are clear- while using the app, the user would change the orientation of the phone from folded to unfolded or the other way around, and the app would switch accordingly while retaining the same data as before. To accomplish this, our application development process uses methods like Saving the UI state and making use of the ViewModel.

b. Multi-Window Support

Facilitating multi-window support is hectic enough. And on top of that users now expect all the apps open on the same screen to be in a resumed state. To facilitate this mode during foldable android app development, our developers first make sure that the app is resizable by defining resizeableActivity=true in the manifest. This tells the system that the app is resizable and will play nice in the unfolded multi-window mode.

foldable smartphone app development

This compatibility is integrated throughout all the components of the app, including but not limited to all activities, services, etc. Additionally, through drag and drop permission, our developers enable the users to share information between different apps with ease.

Bonus Read: It’s time you begin building your own healthcare app, with the help of this in-depth piece!

c. Consider The Aspect Ratio

The new foldable phones pose one of the biggest aspect ratio issues in app development. The matter of aspect ratio for foldable smartphones is related to the screen sizes, screen orientations, state of the smartphone as well as multi-window support. To support the app in any aspect ratio, our developers make use of ConstraintLayout. It enables them to create bigger and more complex layouts with variable ratios that fit into the expectation of users.

d. Extensive Testing And Quality Checks

The new smartphones are still not entirely reliable. These devices are still in that trial and error phase, with new changes appearing almost every release. So it goes without saying that the app development process for these devices will also be subjected to rigorous testing.

Besides the device testing, which ensures that the app is supported by a plethora of devices both foldable and unfoldable, we put the app through basic tests. As a foldable smartphone app development company, our aim is to build apps that work smoothly without any hassle. And our testing process enables us to accomplish this flawlessly.

To Get To The Market Top, Take Advantage Of The Fold Today!

Despite all the UI/UX challenges and build-related questions, foldable smartphones are gaining momentum. So don’t wait, be the early bird, and optimize your app for foldable support today. And in case you have any questions on how to design a mobile app for foldable phones, let us know! Our expert developers and designers are ready to answer your questions at any time.

foldable smartphone app development

The post Building Apps For Foldable Phone: How Our Process Solves The Challenges! appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
Wireframe Design: The Unsung Hero Of The Design Process? https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/wireframe-design/ Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:43:27 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/blog/?p=13195 In the UI/UX design world, wireframes are like blueprints. Whether it is a website or a mobile app, UX wireframe design is the most necessary step. Whether you are a new entrepreneur, or an experienced businessman, wireframing is something you’ve heard of. It is the basic rough sketch made before the product goes in for […]

The post Wireframe Design: The Unsung Hero Of The Design Process? appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
In the UI/UX design world, wireframes are like blueprints. Whether it is a website or a mobile app, UX wireframe design is the most necessary step.

Whether you are a new entrepreneur, or an experienced businessman, wireframing is something you’ve heard of. It is the basic rough sketch made before the product goes in for complete design and development.

But is that all there is to wireframing?

When it comes to achieving the client’s design dreams, a product design wireframe is the first step we take. And we can tell from experience that wireframing is not just a basic rough sketch. So what more is it? Let’s explore!

1. What Is Wireframe Design?

The static skeletal foundation, a.k.a wireframes are the base of any creative design operation. The barebone versions of platform UI helps designers & developers to understand some key factors. These factors include but are not limited to- core functionality, features, basic navigation flow, and the overall impact of the idea on the end-user.

It is a popular opinion that the wireframe design process is not detail-oriented, but that is not true. When it comes to this specific process, the devil lies in the right details. It is a process that deals with the visual aspect of the entire process. And that’s why designers must pay attention to user needs and journey-related information.

wireframe design

Having the users in mind from the very beginning helps us to create an impactful design. Our skilled team of designers uses this part of modern web design to determine the navigation flow of the platform. In doing so, we can examine the user flow within the platform from very early on. The black & white framework, made with simple boxes and lines represents design elements and content hierarchy. It is the perfect way of getting client approval on the design concept before beginning the process.

Expert speaks: Rather than focusing on visual details, it is more critical to pay attention to interaction, information hierarchy & content placement. So don’t fret too much about how the finished product will look. Rather focus on the right placement design elements during this stage.

2. Why Is Wireframing A Must?

Surely the design process for your business platform can proceed without wireframing. So why is it an essential element practiced by almost every modern web design company?

There are many benefits of this simple method. And these benefits make wireframing a vital part of design success. So let us list out a few reasons why we think it is important to design app wireframes before development.

A. Provides A Solid Design Foundation

Having a well-defined material design wireframe gives our designers a solid foundation to work on. The wireframe blueprint assists us to recognize the core functionality of the platform, and design an impactful UI that matches its purpose.

B. Helps Gather Feedback & Implement Them

During our kick-off & analytical stage, we use UI/UX design wireframes to gather valuable client opinions. This feedback gives us deeper insight into our client’s requirements and enables us to build a better platform.

C. Reduces The Chance Of Costly Redesign

A client-approved landing page wireframe design works as the perfect guide to creating designs that are impactful for a long time. And that’s why we use this step to ensure the clients don’t have to go through a costly redesign process later on.

D. Increases Functional Efficiency From An Early Stage

Software design wireframes help us to map out the navigational flow, which in turn improves the overall functional efficiency of the platform. With this step, we ensure that the consumers find the necessary information on the platform easily.

Bonus read: Got questions about agile digital transformation? Well, in that case, here’s an exclusive read for you!

3. A Step-By-Step Look The Types Of Wireframes

Based on the detailing, we can distinguish three different kinds of wireframe design-

  • Low-fidelity
  • Mid fidelity
  • High fidelity

Let’s see what each of these include-

A. Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Low-fidelity wireframes outline what the basic interface looks like. These rough sketches, mostly done with pen and paper, help to begin the design conversation between the clients and the designers.

wireframe design

As rough sketches, this kind of user experience design wireframes lacks the image and color element. Low-fidelity frameworks are used to understand and map out the interface, as well as the user flow from one page to another. It also helps to decide quickly between multiple design concepts. In brief, low-fidelity wireframing is where all web development company begin work.

B. Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Mid-fidelity wireframe web designs are a bit higher in quality. These are interface frameworks without the final branding elements. With mid-fidelity frameworks, the clients get an understanding of how the final design would look like.

wireframe design

With mid-fidelity wireframes, designers can try out different styles of content hierarchy. These frameworks use darker shades to emphasize different types of content. It is the digitized version of low-fidelity wireframes that helps to finalize the framework before the design components are added.

C. High-Fidelity Wireframes

High-fidelity frameworks include all the suggestions and changes conveyed in the earlier steps. It is one of the most important steps to design a website. And that’s why high-fidelity frameworks include necessary design & branding elements such as images, fonts, and colors.

wireframe design

The type of content on high-fidelity wireframes might vary from filler content to relevant content. However, the font sizes and style of this framework represent the actual IA that’ll be present on the business platform.

The three levels of the wireframe design process must be followed to craft an empowering design. Missing one might cause certain problems for the next stage. So ensure that the partner web design agency follows all the steps before beginning development.

Expert Speaks: While you can skip the mid-fidelity stage, we suggest you don’t. It stands as the bridge between low-fidelity and high-fidelity stages and provides you with a better look at how the suggested design would look on screen, reducing reiterations and costs.

4. How To Make A Wireframe: The Best Practices We Follow

Considering all its perks, wireframe design happens to be one of the most prioritized parts of our process. The in-house experts use wireframing to begin the discussion with our clients, flesh out design concepts, and finalize the visual layout before beginning development.

However, it is not easy to create wireframes for websites & custom software development purposes. And that’s why we follow some of the most important best practices while creating the visual blueprint for your website. So let us talk about those best practices and why we practice them.

A. Imbibe Clarity

One of the main purposes of wireframes is to imbibe clarity in the modern web design process. From setting clear expectations to clarifying the visual layout of the interface- we follow this best practice to ensure the impact of wireframing on the entire process.

It is also the time when we try to clear out any and every query both clients and our design team might have. From the design approach embraced by us to the specific visual impact, the clients are looking for all the questions are answered during this stage.

B. Empower Users With Confidence

We believe that a good design empowers the users. And that’s why we begin with a familiar and intentional navigational approach from the very beginning of the wireframing method.

By implementing a user flow that is familiar to users, we lower the learning curve. While planning the wireframes of the core pages, such as the home page or contact pages, we frame the content and place buttons on the familiar and easy to spot for enhanced navigation. This way, before the website development process has even finished, we begin to empower the end-users.

Bonus read: Design sprint, the simple yet effective trick  that helped us reach the zenith of design success

C. Keep It Simple

Wireframes are the skeleton version of the UI. And that’s why we focus on keeping it simple. Rather than integrating too many details from the beginning, we start with a barebones version.

We begin wireframe design with a complete paper prototype that hashes out the very basic layout. Then we move onto mid-fidelity wireframes that are detailed enough to understand how the basic hierarchy and elements would look like. Unlike the final stage of the high-fi framework, these two steps focus solely on the placement of the visual element, nothing else.

D. Consider Screen Sizes

No matter what kind of business platform it is, screen size is something we must pay attention to. Our agile web design process begins with a mobile-first approach. The in-house design team creates wireframes for all supported devices and then considers how the content will scale based on the screen.

wireframe design

Expert speaks: Wireframe sizes differ based on the project. For web platforms, you will need an appropriate approach, but for a native mobile app, you’ll have to be specific regarding the OS, and the variations of devices. So sort out the matter of supported devices before beginning.

E. Think Of Different User Scenarios

One platform might have multiple user scenarios. Every individual experience the same platform in a different manner. And that’s why we examine all possible user scenarios while thinking about how to create wireframes.

Such user scenarios include but are not limited to- which access points the user entered the page from, what users are looking for based on the demographic details, what device they are using, etc. Examining these user scenarios helps us to craft improved layouts and navigational elements.

F. Conduct Research

One of the main best practices we follow is the research-based approach. Outlining a wireframe is not a simple task, and to ensure success, we need to have a clear understanding of the core functionality of the platform, basic features, as well as the users and their pain points.

To get a clear idea about all these, we begin with in-depth research. Covering all the necessary bases, we can integrate the essential elements of knowledge in planning the layout. The result: faster wireframe design & approval process.

G. Use Annotations For Clear Communications

The wireframe prototype design is an effective yet challenging process. The major challenge at this stage is the clarity of communication. The lack of relevant branding/visual elements within the wireframe often confuses the clients about the result. And to solve this, we make use of annotations within the framework.

explaining the wireframe design

The short notes provide important descriptions of the features functionalities, user flow, etc. With eye-catching and numbered notes, we aim to clarify any kind of miscommunication from the beginning.

H. Increase Wireframe Fidelity Slowly

The gradual improvements made to the wireframe design help us to focus on one thing at a time. In the low-fi stage, we focus on crafting the basic layout of the platform. The mid-fidelity stage is when we try to fix the content hierarchy issues. And hi-fi stage is when we implement the branding elements to see how the platform will look like.

This step-by-step improvement ensures that the process is focused, and not all over the place. Each stage has its purpose and the incremental enhancements ensure no detail is forgotten.

5. Common Wireframing Challenges & How We Deal With Them!

Even this simple process comes with plenty of trials. Here are some of the most common difficulties we meet while creating wireframes and how we deal with those challenges.

A. The Eternal Debate Of Polished Vs. Rough Sketch

The first challenge deals with making changes to the web development process.

The well-known laws of UI/UX dictate that we must always present the polished wireframe to the clients. However, experience has taught us something else. We have seen that presenting a too polished wireframe makes the clients more reluctant to suggest changes. Perhaps because they like it the way it is, or maybe because they feel that the design is finalized. In any case, it causes some serious issues in the later stages of design.

wireframe design

With a three-step website wireframe design, we bypass this issue altogether. This way, the clients don’t feel too pressured to agree to the pixel-perfect framework and suggest changes freely. And we use those feedback and gradually improve upon the wireframe- from paper prototypes, to mid and then hi-fi frameworks.

Bonus read: Curious about the relationship between design & branding? If yes, then follow up with this piece right now!

B. Which Pages To Wireframe?

Wireframe UX design may be a necessary element. But at the same time, it is important to determine for which pages we must design the wireframes. We cannot make wireframes for every page on the website. And that’s why we begin by making up wireframes for the most important pages first.

priority of wireframes in desigining

Based on the client’s needs, we prioritize different pages/screens of the platform and craft wireframes for them first. And then based on the information hierarchy of these pages, we proceed with the rest of the website.

C. Text Placeholders & The Problems They Pose

Text placeholders, such as Lorem ipsum are an easy enough solution to understand on-screen text placement. But it is not a long-term solution. In fact, using text placeholders causes more problems in terms of content space and wireframe navigation design.

And that’s why we include relevant text during the wireframing process from the start. This practice assists to grasp how much space a specific text will require and design accordingly.

Don’t Skip Wireframes: They Are The Blueprints Of Your Design Dreams

Wireframes are an essential part of the agile web design process. With this, entrepreneurs, designers, and developers can visualize the product together, determine its various aspects as well as make all the changes it needs in the very beginning. And that’s why you need a UI/UX partner who would never skip this crucial step of the design operation.

Have more questions about design and wireframing? Why not let us know? Our experts are ready to answer all your questions.

wireframe web design

The post Wireframe Design: The Unsung Hero Of The Design Process? appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
Voice User Interface and UX: A New Star Trek In The Digital Realm? https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/voice-user-interface-design/ Tue, 28 Jul 2020 09:47:44 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/blog/?p=12736 @Siri: “Let There Be Voice!” Siri: “Ok Sir” The silent relationship between the users and the digital world got the added tip of voice when the voice search entered the digital realm. From fringe to foundational technology, the voice era brought in a substantial transformation. The reluctance towards typing, the convenience of speaking to the […]

The post Voice User Interface and UX: A New Star Trek In The Digital Realm? appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
@Siri: “Let There Be Voice!” Siri: “Ok Sir”

The silent relationship between the users and the digital world got the added tip of voice when the voice search entered the digital realm. From fringe to foundational technology, the voice era brought in a substantial transformation.

The reluctance towards typing, the convenience of speaking to the phone, and the growing companionship between digital devices and the users – all brought in the emergence of the voice search.

This popularity of voice search over the growing popularity of the various types of smart speakers –

Now, considering the importance that website designs hold in the digital market, voice search has made its impression on the designs as well. This article will look into each of the aspects associated with voice search and its recent association with the website designing –

1. So What Is Voice User Interface or VUI?

The prior versions of UX banked on GUI or Graphical User Interface for the visual interfaces. This is being replaced by the Voice User Interface or VUI that acts as a reciprocal interface between the command platform and the user.

This interface is crucial considering that voice is the core element for websites from 2020 on. This will set apart the surfaced voice-enabled websites from the pro ones.

voice user interface design

Well-versed with the triggers of UX voice design? Well, that’s only the start. @Designers: now acquaint yourself with the elements that you would need to keep handy while designing a site for the vice search era. Here goes the list –

  • Prompt: The reply of the voice assistant.
  • Intent: The task of the user that needs to be completed.
  • Slot: Information that is required for the application to complete the task assigned by the user.
  • Utterance: The words that the user uses to trigger the task.

2. How To Prototype A Voice User Interface Design?

A successful voice user interface design process mirrors any expert UI procedure. This requires prototyping to avoid occurrences of any flaws in a voice-enabled site. It ensures boosted client traffic and mitigated costs and time involved in developing a site.

The prototyping procedure comprises the following steps –

Step 1: Listen and transcribe human-to-human conversation that is similar to the perfect interface.

Step 2: Focus on the opportunity offered by the functionality of your interface. Such opportunities should be kept simple initially.

Step 3: Plot on the sample dialogues. Start working on the shortest route to the completion process. This offers a layout that indicates that the user is the one who has offered all the essential information.

Step 4: Structuring the complexities and layers into your conversational logic. This includes writing dialogues for the handling of errors and dialogues. This step is crucial, especially for first-time users.

Step 5: Document the relationship between each script, and the conversation logic, and use a flow chart for all of these activities.

3. What Are The Triggers For Voice Input?

Equipping and getting a site that is voice search enabled, is based on a detailed understanding of vocal triggers for input. Such triggers have four categories –

voice user interface

a: Voice trigger

User voices out his/her command starting with the phrase – Ok Google, Hello Alexa, Hey Siri, Hello Cortana. This starts with the processing of the speech.

b: Device self-trigger

Sometimes pre-determined settings on the device trigger the voice commencement.

c: Motion Trigger

A mere movement of the hand in front of the sensor of a device triggers the voice commencement.

d: Tactile trigger

The user presses a button or toggles an icon to start with the voice commands.

4. But What Is The Voice-Based Design Process? How To Get Started?

By now, both designers and developers have a ‘Step 1’ idea about the voice-enabled sites. Then again we are already experiencing user satisfaction with smart voice assistants, then why are we so eager to make more out of voice? It is all about raising the bar for the quality of interaction between the machines and the users.

voice user interface design process

This brings designers to the task of revamping their site as per voice-based experience. Unlike popular belief, designing VUI is not much different from designing GUI. in this regard, one needs to remember that designing or revamping for voice search is the next natural step in website designing and it isn’t a new direction. Going the guidelines from the experts in the field here is the complete blueprint to the voice-based design process –

Step 1: Research

Needless to say, the primary focus of voice-enabled websites, like any other digital product is to fathom out the target user-behavior. This builds the foundation for all the product requirements. In this case, website designers need to peek into the user psychology, focus on their pain points, and concentrate on the user language.

Step 2: Define

This step comprises shaping the product and defining the capabilities of the same. Then again, this includes two parts –

a. Defining Key Interaction Scenarios – Designing scenarios that are of high value for the targeted clientele is of prior importance. You can also use a matrix that will help to evaluate individual scenarios and hence compartmentalize which of the options are primary, or secondary, or merely nice to have.

voice user interface use cases

b. Ensuring That The Aforementioned Scenarios Function With Voice – While using voice is a trending element in website designing, there should be some compelling reasons to utilize voice. The inclusion of voice into sites must necessarily ensure easier and quicker solutions to problems in a more efficient manner.

Designers would need to identify specific and common cases wherein the users will definitely draw leverage. The voice interaction limitations will also need to be considered.

Step 3: Create

With voice search, just like any other designing trend, the key is to make a flawless prototype. In this case, the prototype starts with drawing boards. The very first step is voice user experience flows. From this, user interactions will be mapped. There are two parts to this – creating and error handling.

In creating, the focus needs to be the usage of storyboards to sketch the idea and creation of dialogues.

a: Storyboards

These are used to visualize the flow and interaction in context. This lends a realistic feeling for the designers and the users alike.

b: Writing Dialogues

With voice user flow, the primary hit is dialogues. With each scenario that is well supported by voice apps, there is a commencement of conversational dialogues between the apps and its users. Since human conversations are often layered, each of the twists should be taken into consideration while writing dialogues and thinking through the scenarios. It would be best if the designers can –

1. Not teach ‘command’

2. Be precise with the response and question

3. Mitigate the number of steps required to complete the designated task.

Step 4: Error Handling

Not to discourage you, but developers and designers would know that irrespective of the preparation that you take to make a flawless VUI, there are diverse elements that are sure to go wrong. Designing for these pitfalls is the challenge. The best measures to meet these are as follows –

Tip 1: Leveraging context to create a better user experience with customization.

Tip 2: Baking empathy in interactions and ensuring that responses are slightly tweaked each time so as to avoid the feeling that the interactions are machine-like.

Tip 3: Reflecting the brand’s unique identity over the VUI personas via the wording of your structured dialogues.

Tip 4: Confirmation upon completion of tasks to ensure that the user is assured about the recording of his/her transaction.

Tip 5: Covering alternate phrases to ensure that your site grabs the heights of SERP despite a complex process to map the vocalization of the VUI.

Tip 6: Prototyping apps/sites that would include the creation of voice triggers and speech playbacks.

Tip 7: Testing dialogues to ensure that the conversational and informal tonality is sustained in it. It is advised to role-play conversations and record and play audio with the dialogues.

Step 5: Test

With the designing process, testing is a crucial step to determine if the site/app befits the targeted user or not. The testing procedure needs to be accrued out for two gateways –

a: With Target Users

Usability testing sessions over selected representatives from the target audience, and observation about how the users interact with the site and the app. Keep a track of the Customer Satisfaction Score and the rate of task completion.

b: Test Stimulators

You can have testing tools from reputed brands to test the Action or Skill in the simulation of your hardware devices and their settings. This offers a great voice experience feel in the real world.

Step 6: Refine

Designers and developers need to refine their voice-enabled sites and applications prior to sending them to the market. For this, designers would need to collect the analytics by tracking some key metrics that include – behavior flows, utterance and intent, and metrics for user engagement.

The specialty with the aforementioned steps is that such a procedure can be applied to diverse voice interface types. These types include – voice-only, voice-first, and voice-enabled interfaces.

5. Okay Google, What Are The Rules Of Implementing Voice Search Into UX?

As mentioned earlier, designing VUI is not much different from designing a GUI. All that website designers need to do is follow up on a few rules to revamp as per the voice search requirements. Here are some of such highlighted designing rules –

A: Designing A Natural Way Of Interaction

Think of this – prior to voice search, you would type in “What is the best web design company in New York?” and get some mechanized responses.

However, now, with “Okay Google/ Hey Alexa/ Hi Siri/ Hello Cortana What is the best web design company in New York?”, you get human-like responses. That is the primary goal of voice search.

trigger words for Voice UI

With any voice-enabled product (app or website), the target is the same – effective and natural interaction between users and the product.

Such approaches pace up the interaction process considering that it enables users to interact with the system on their own terms. Additionally, the expectation of the users to have human-like conversations is also met. This indicates that designers, prior to designing voice-enabled sites must necessarily fathom out the basics of human interaction like –

  1. Longer query phrases
  2. Use of ‘wh’ words in the key phrases of search
  3. Natural query language
  4. Preference for queries instead of statements
  5. Localized SEO

B: Voice User Interface Design For Flow

With a majority of the voice-enabled interface equipped products, the primary step is to opt for voice input. This step is followed by the user requiring to shift to the style of touch interaction. However, the latter can often lead to fragmented user experience. Thus, designers need to know the crucial role that voice carries out in the latest overall search strategy.

Voice UI for design flow

In this approach, it is essential that designers know –

  1. Who are the targeted clientele and their expectations from their VUI
  2. The main deeds of the VUI
  3. How sure are you that your user would primarily rely on the VUI as a mode of search?
  4. Plot a journey mapping
  5. Spot the critical user scenario
  6. Look for where the voice modality fits itself into
  7. Create a user matrix to draw the benefit from the usage of voice, etc.

C: Designing After Researching The Flow

Harness the limitation and the capability of your voice-enabled designed platform. Spotting this platform ensures fathoming out the role of voice in interactions between the user and the platform. For this rule, it is essential that designers know that they are designing majorly for two voice search-enabled devices

a. Voice-First Device: Reliance on voice search as a primary mode of interaction that includes smart speakers.

voice first device

b. Screen-First Device: Usage of graphical UI as primary interfaces, where voice is only a supportive and additional interface. Mobile phones, televisions are examples of such devices.

voice user interface

D: Designing After Using A Sequential Number For Search Results

With voice search, users look for convenience. They often look into single search results. However, assigning numbers is essential when the search result is more than one. These number handles are useful while selecting items when the user says “Siri select number 3.”

E: Designing With Displays Of The Suggested Search Queries

Suggestive search inquiries over a voice-enabled system are

a new mechanism that on one hand proves to be useful to the visitor, on the other hand, and tempts the user to make a choice. This system that uses contextual suggestions raises awareness among first-time users and lures them for better engagement with the voice-search device.

F: Designing Targeted At Mitigating Typing Functions

Voice-enabled devices are all about the leverage of hands-free interaction. This scope at a frictionless inquiry is leverage and ensures that the user need not take traditional steps to convert. Such endeavors alter the role of a screen completely in devices – from an input to an output modality. This considerably reduces the user’s burden of device memory.

G: Designing While Preparing For Error Handling And Prevention

While users are used to speaking in shortcuts while interacting with each other, this causes substantial confusion for the voice-search enabled devices. On the flip side, even with complete phrases, there are troubles for the devices.

Voice UI meme

Despite how well the system has been uploaded with information, there are always chances of risks and failures associated.

For error recovery, one of the best modes is to mitigate dead ends via utilization of analytics to fathom out the user journey junctures where the hurdles exist.

H: Designing With An In-Depth Understanding Of The Context

Localized SEO is everything for voice searches. This is because individuals when looking for businesses or entertainments in their locality, often bank on VUI. However, with this equipment, the Voice UI needs to take into account the time and location of the day while answering the queries of the users.

voice user interface

Start Listening to Voice User Interface!”

“Ahoy friends!” – True that your Alexa possibly doesn’t yet respond to this, but the level of interaction and the touch of human-like emotions is gaining pace. Know this – voice is here to stay for a long time! You cannot trust your audience to waste time twiddling their thumbs any longer. They will be voicing out their opinions, and your Sire would need to pay close attention. You are looking at a future that is AI- blessed and will strive to offer nothing short of classy, customized solutions to each of your issues. In that way, we are not far away from Tony Stark’s Jarvis!

Remember this quote from Julius Caesar – “Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”? Make sure that you and your brand are not in the bracket of “ourselves”. Hop on to the voice train and enjoy the journey with Alexa, Google, Cortana, and Siri!

“Hey, Alexa, how do you think readers would rate this read?”

The post Voice User Interface and UX: A New Star Trek In The Digital Realm? appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
How We Are Transforming Wine Business to be Technology-driven https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/liquor-and-wine-ecommerce-marketplace/ Fri, 03 Jul 2020 07:36:37 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/blog/?p=12641 The online alcohol market place is in a spirited away situation right now. Wondering why? Because despite having the potential of exponential growth, it is still not off the ground yet. And yes even I am having a hard time believing it. We are living in the greatest era of online shopping portals and applications […]

The post How We Are Transforming Wine Business to be Technology-driven appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
The online alcohol market place is in a spirited away situation right now. Wondering why?

Because despite having the potential of exponential growth, it is still not off the ground yet. And yes even I am having a hard time believing it. We are living in the greatest era of online shopping portals and applications where we can order our favorite food, books, even furniture online. But have a hard time finding a decent bottle of Chardonnay.

So what gives? Why are famous wine and alcohol breweries still not taking advantage of this booming eCommerce scenario? What’s stopping them? And what will happen when they do enter the eCommerce sector with full force?

wine ecommerce

Well, I can’t see the future. But I can look at the present and tell you that right now is the perfect time to open an online marketplace for liquor. And if you are thinking about how to do it, then rest assured, because I’m going to talk about that too.

So let’s begin, shall we?

1. Why Wine, Should be online

Why is alcohol eCommerce still a unique idea?

Well, it is a valid question, after all, eCommerce is not exactly anything unique at this point. However, the key factor that is making it unique is the fact that the market is still untapped.

Besides a handful of websites and online grocery store channels, the market is mostly empty. Which is unusual, because people love buying things online as much as they love to enjoy a good glass of wine.

Let’s look at a few stats if you are still skeptical about the success of an alcohol delivery app.

  1. The total sales of alcoholic beverages in the US alone were noted to be about $243.6 billion in 2018.
  2. Alcohol sales through online grocery and marketplace grew by 115% and 60% in 2019
  3. The COVID-19 scenario, and stay at home measures have increased the demand for online eCommerce market for, well, everything, including alcohol.

Now, if these statistics are not convincing enough, let’s look at a few advantages.

a. Opening Up To A Larger Audience

Everyone is online, and you should be too.

Really. People are more prone to shop and discover newer products online than they are in the real world. And with a marketplace distribution platform for liquor, your winery/distillery/brewery can become part of the online world, opening up the business to a broader audience and increasing chances of business success. ‘

Pro Tip: It is absolutely crucial to understand the needs and preferences of the target audience on an alcohol eCommerce platform. These needs and preferences can change depending on what generation the users belong to.

Needless to say that with a website, one can reach out to a larger audience through meaningful content, increasing the market value of the business.

P.S.: In case you are wondering about the success rate, well, what can we say, just consult the Top New York Shopify Development Agencies! Their expertise plus the statistics to support their statement will convince you enough!

b. Increasing Online Visibility

In today’s world, online visibility is everything. If something doesn’t exist online, it might not exist at all.

While it might be nice to be the exclusive winery that makes wines from super rare grapes, it won’t get you far. Exclusivity comes from quality and renown. For new businesses, it is crucial to earning that “renown” part. An online platform will be the key to enhancing online visibility as well as The perfect decision to build a good reputation in the market.

c. Data Collection And Analyzation For Better Business

Needless to say, data is everything today. No matter what market you are in, data will help you to excel, and the same goes for the online marketplace for liquor.

wine ecommerce

With an online eCommerce platform, business owners will be able to collect a substantial amount of data that will provide a unique perspective on the client demographic. This insight can help to enhance the workings of the eCommerce platform, and eventually increase sales.

2. Business Models For Wine Ecommerce

Choosing the right business model is going to be crucial for the success of the wine eCommerce platform. It will not only define the way you are going to conduct businesses but also how the website development and design process can go. Here are the two most common alcohol marketplace business models.

a. Business To Customer

B2C is the most common model for eCommerce marketplace management. With this model, the store (retail seller, chain store with online platform) will establish a direct relationship with the customer.

One of the main benefits of this model is the fact that manufacturers, i.e. the beverage making companies can leverage the advantage of the huge client base of the retailer stores.

Pro Tip: Many countries may not allow a brewery/winery to sell directly to their customers. In that case, they will have to go through a third party distributor to reach out to the customer. So conduct thorough research on the alcohol eCommerce Law and regulation before making any plans.

The downside, however, is the fact that the manufacturer won’t have any direct control over targeting a specific type of customer.

b. The Wine Club Model

The wine club model is a popular business model for the wine eCommerce platform. It focuses on providing an annual service to the customers based on their subscriptions.

Depending on the tier of subscription, the customers get a select number of wines delivered to them on an annual basis. The wine industry has been leveraging the advantage of this model for a decade and so far it is one of the most successful business models. So much that other industries such as fashion and beauty have started to leverage it as well.

The best thing about this model is that businesses have more control over predicting and stocking their stock, while the customer gets more personalized service from the businesses

3. Different Ways Of Delivering The Beverages

Wine eCommerce platform does not depend on only home delivery. There are two distinct models alcohol eCommerce industry uses, and these are-

a. Click It And Collect

With this model, the customer places the order through the alcohol delivery app and collects it from any local shop. It is perfect for small retailers who don’t have enough resources for home deliveries. This is also beneficial because with click to collect models, the platform does not have to spend a lot on home delivery expenses.

b. Delivering The Beverages Directly

Direct delivery or home delivery is a well-known delivery model for eCommerce distribution networks. The marketplace platform can deliver the beverages straight to the user’s home through their own delivery services, or hire the assistance of other delivery and courier services like FedEx or UPS.

Choosing a delivery model is tricky as it can impact the development of the platform. So make sure to talk to the web development agency you partner with before making any decision.

Now let’s talk about how you can actually build such a platform. For the sake of convenience, we will divide this part into two segments- design and development. So let’s begin.

4. Let’s Get Into The Development Process

Developing a wine eCommerce platform is a pretty unique idea, considering the market and how hard it can be to please the connoisseurs of fine wines. But, with good planning and a great work ethic, it can be done. Below we are going to talk about the development process of an alcohol delivery app/website based on our process. If you want to learn more then check out our work process page.

a. Planning What It Takes To Build A Beverage eCommerce Website

Planning is considered to be the most important because this is where it all begins. Every decision taken in this step will act as a foundation for the development of the entire platform and a shaky foundation never did any good.

Say, for example, you are looking at Magento and marveling at its strategic approach and quick success. You find yourself wondering what could be its secret – we say, look closer, ask any of the Top New York Magento Development Agencies and they will tell you – it’s all in the planning!  

So, now that you know how crucial the planning process is, here is a brief rundown of the planning process, and how we can use it to decipher the code to wine eCommerce success-

Determining the business goals and objectives:

The process starts with a discussion about the business and its goals. This discussion includes the country, city, or continent the platform for selling alcohol online will be operating within, the kind of products they will be selling, and what kind of revenue they are looking to make initially.

Understanding the competitive landscape:

This is the step where market and competitor investigation is conducted and that information is used to refine the later stages of the development process. Competitor research will provide information on how other online alcohol stores are operating, the design and development details of those platforms. And market research will give information on the audience, and their demands for such a platform.

Understanding the target audience:

The next step is to research the target audience. For a platform such as b2b wine delivery, this step is important. It will help in understanding the users and what they really need from a wine eCommerce platform.

The insight gathered during the planning process is going to be invaluable during the next stage, which is the design stage.

b. Creating An “Intoxicating” Design

Design for us is a user-focused process, and that’s why our design process starts with user persona creations and empathy mapping.

It is important to focus on and understand the user when designing an alcohol delivery website. The user base for such a platform is diverse and vast, including users from all walks of life, and not creating a user persona before beginning the design, is not going to be an efficient way of beginning.

When designing for alcohol delivery services, we aim to follow the market standards in the industry, set by competitors and web design agency based on major cities like New York. But that does not mean there are no unique twists. Mixing up a little twist in the basic rules can be a good practice when it comes to web design. For now, let’s check out the market standards for web design in the eCommerce segment-

Keep It Light And Breezy

If you follow most of the competitors in the b2b alcohol marketplace, you will notice that they are keeping up with the light and breezy design trends. Why?

Light and breezy

Because it keeps the users focused on the products. With extra graphics, animations, and effects, you will only distract them. So it is better to keep the design light and their focus heavy on the product.

Lean Towards Legible Typography

Let’s face it, some of those wines have names that are really hard to pronounce. And displaying those tough to pronounce names in cursive lettering will not help online alcohol sales.

typography

Using too complicated typography will make web approachability a major issue. So it will be

wise for you to use legible font and typography on the site so that users can engage better.

Efficiency In Design Is Key To Success

I’m sure users would love some transition effects as well as some micro-interactions. But adding too much can be a little harmful especially for the b2b website for wine.

When browsing an eCommerce site, regardless of the market, customers look for efficiency in the experience. The ease and speed of the whole process matter more than extra embellishments of the design. Not to mention all those extra bells and whistles are going to blow a hole in the budget as well. So the best idea is to keep it simple, efficient, with just the right amount of spice.

marketplace selection

Once the UI design and clickable prototype are approved by the client it is time to move onto the development process. This is the process where the design is turned into a functional product ready to take over the market.

c. Brewing The Perfect Platform

Once the strategy Agile Scrum Methodology for the development is ready, we try to choose the best possible tech stack that benefits the platform as well as help with the development to be done in as little time as possible.

The main aim of the development process is to deliver a viable product that not only sells but also brings some real benefits to the business. With an expert team and an array of latest tech at our disposal, we make sure that the alcohol marketplace platform is developed to function at its fullest. Here is a list of tech stack we use to make the platform function properly.

Back-end Laravel, Ruby, Python, Node.JS, Java
Front-end Angular.JS, Vue.JS, CSS
Database MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Firebase
OpenSource Drupal, Magento, WordPress
iOS Objective-C, Swift, Xcode
Android Java, Android Studio

d. Testing The Waters Before Going Live

Last but not least, testing is as important a step as any other in the whole development process for us. No product is launched without testing it and making sure that it is free of all issues and bugs.

Various tests are performed to ensure the quality of the product. Here are the top three tests performed we perform on the developed product in order to ensure its quality and security-

Catching The Bugs With Unit Testing

Through unit testing, we test each singular part of the product, a.k.a units separately to ensure that they are functioning properly. During this, the developers are also going to look for bugs, and work to remove them during the development process.

Looking Under The Stones With Manual Testing

Manual testing is done by testers to check out the problems that can be skipped over sometimes. This is a test done by humans for human users and it is the best possible way to make sure that the wine eCommerce is working perfectly and the UX offers value to the users on the platform.

Guarding Against Adversaries With Security Testings

The aim of security testing is to locate the vulnerabilities within the codes and fix them before the product goes live. It’s crucial that for an eCommerce website security testing is done properly, as it will be handling a lot of sensitive online alcohol sales data as well as users’ payment data.

It is important to check out the challenges an alcohol eCommerce platform can face before making big plans. So let’s check out the major challenges in both the US market and the UK market for a better idea of what is to come.

5. Challenges and Legal Advice: How Hard Can They Be?

For wine eCommerce, regulatory and legal challenges are many. Let’s check out the major challenges in two of the biggest markets for online alcohol selling, the US and the UK market

The US Market Challenges

The legal challenges for the US market are many. From the three-tier model that limits the breweries from selling online to temperature control, there are many legal and technical challenges to overcome if you want to sell wine online in the US market. Let’s check out the top challenges for the US market.

a. The Three-Tier Business Model

The popular three-tier distribution system was launched in America during the 21st amendment of the US constitution. According to this, wine manufacturers can not directly sell to retailers or customers. They have to go through an alcoholic beverage wholesaler to reach out to the customer. This also means that alcohol brands, wineries, and breweries can not sell alcoholic beverages online.

There have been some international and national alcohol businesses that voiced their concerns about this system and how this makes it harder for international brands to enter the US market. However, the law was placed in order to prevent alcohol abuse. So make sure before creating such a platform you become familiar with the finer points of this law.

b. Shipping Restrictions And Regulations

There are hundreds of shipping regulations and laws one needs to know before opening a wine eCommerce Marketplace.  In the US, individual states have control over the production, distribution, import/export, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Every state has a different set of laws, which means that to run an alcohol eCommerce platform in the US, one has to navigate all these regulatory laws. There are also some state laws that prevent the sale and importation of certain kinds and quantity of alcohol the users can order.

c. Age Restriction For Alcohol Consumption

There are age restrictions on the consumption of alcohol around the world. For the US that age is 21 years. And this age restriction applies to selling alcoholic beverages online as well. And that’s why you need to take steps to ensure that the selling process is not violating this law in any way.

For any kind of alcohol delivery process, an adult needs to be present to sign the documents. For those who are choosing for a click to collect model, where the users are ordering online and picking them up from a local store, they have to procure an ID before paying and collecting. The age gating process can be a little complicated to integrate when creating a wine e-store, but with the help of AI-based ID verification systems, this can be solved well.

d. Temperature Control During Delivery

During the home delivery of alcoholic beverages, it is necessary to keep track of the temperature of the drinks being delivered. This is a necessary part of keeping up with the freshness factor of the beverages. And that’s why it is important for the alcohol marketplace platforms to maintain a framework for temperature control. So many eCommerce platforms postpone the delivery in case the temperature is not between 45°F and 80°F.

For the UK Market

The legal regulations for the UK market are somewhat more relaxed than the US market. However, there are two important things to overcome if you want to sell alcohol online in the UK.

a. Acquiring The Proper Licenses

For selling alcohol online you will need two licenses: personal license and premise license.

A personal license gives the person permission to manage and sell alcohol to the customers. A premise license legalizes the place or distribution house from where alcohol is distributed. And in order to sell alcohol online, one would need both types of licenses.

For personal licenses, the business owner will have to take a short training course. Once you have a personal license, you can apply for a premise license.

b. Ensuring The Safety Of Under-Age Citizens

Probably the most important legal issue one has to pay attention to when applying for a premise license is the “protection of minors from alcohol abuse” issue. The legal age for drinking in the UK is 18. And anyone under that age needs to be protected from under-age drinking issues.

The risk assessment and plans to protect the underage from alcohol abuse are going to be crucial. If the authorities are not convinced, they will not grant you a license for alcohol marketplace distribution services.

Wrapping Up: Are You Taking Your Wine Business Online Then?

So what’s the end word on the alcohol marketplace platform development?

The truth is, it is an incredibly beneficial market. The online marketplace for liquor is growing and it is expected to grow more in the coming year. Add that to the popularity of online shopping among the modern consumer base, and you have a sure shot at success.

However, the legal hurdles are many, and it is not often easy to weave through them without having to lose one or two business aspects. But with reliable web development and design partner and legal help, you can figure out quite easily how to sell alcohol online, and thrive in the market.

The post How We Are Transforming Wine Business to be Technology-driven appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
Apply These 8 Techniques For a Perfect Healthcare Mobile App Development https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/blog/healthcare-mobile-app-development-guide/ Fri, 28 Feb 2020 11:51:39 +0000 https://www.unifiedinfotec.wpenginepowered.com/blog/?p=12040 What do you think of when you hear the word Healthcare?? Is it a doctor’s cross? Maybe men and women wearing white lab coats with stethoscopes around their neck? Or maybe a mobile app? Don’t be baffled when we relate mobile apps to healthcare. Medical mobile apps are a growing trend in the market right […]

The post Apply These 8 Techniques For a Perfect Healthcare Mobile App Development appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>
What do you think of when you hear the word Healthcare??

Is it a doctor’s cross? Maybe men and women wearing white lab coats with stethoscopes around their neck? Or maybe a mobile app?

Don’t be baffled when we relate mobile apps to healthcare. Medical mobile apps are a growing trend in the market right now. In fact, many medicine manufacturers, and hospitals are making use of these apps, enhancing the quality of medical treatment.

The advent of mobile apps is slowly shifting the focus of the healthcare industry, turning it more patient-centric. One of the prevalent problems of healthcare industry is the lack of time and efficiency. With healthcare apps, this problem is being easily solved.  

The popularity of Medical apps is rising among Android and iOS users. This makes it a great time for startups to enter the market with their own app idea. And that’s why we are going to talk about 8 simple steps to create a healthcare app. 

The Steps To Develop Mobile Medical Apps

Here’s an in-brief view of the steps for a healthcare mobile app development.

  1. Validate the idea with market analysis
  2. Choosing the right app type
  3. Finalize the different sides of your application
  4. Designing a medical app
  5. All the necessary features
  6. Tech stack you need to know about
  7. Legal regulations to keep up with
  8. Monetizing your app

And now we are ready to go into details about how to develop a healthcare app. 

1. Is Your Healthcare Mobile App Development Idea Valid?

The first step to developing a healthcare application is analyzing the health app market for idea validation. You shouldn’t be starting with development without validating your idea first. So what does the market say about hospital management mobile apps?

a. Market overview

Here are a few important market views that’ll let you know how important healthcare applications are getting among iOS and Android-based medical app users. 

  • According to sources, the global healthcare application market, which was valued at 8.0 billion US dollars in 2018, is expected to value around 111 billion US dollars by 2025. The value is expected to increase at a CAGR of 38.26% between 2019 to 2025. 
  • According to a survey conducted among the healthcare app developers, connecting to the doctors is the most popular aspect for which they develop medical apps. 
healthcare mobile app statistics
Source: Statista.com
  • The study conducted on the regional market valuation of healthcare app market reveals that North America dominated the healthcare application market in terms of revenue share. 
healthcare mobile app development market
Source: Grandviewresearch.com
  • A study conducted among the nurses of the Nursing Association of Barcelona revealed that about 48.35% of the respondents had healthcare apps installed on their smartphones. Along with that, 80% of revealed that these apps should be certified by health and professional institutes. 
  • Accenture’s study on Medical apps shows that 78% of all consumers are interested in receiving virtual healthcare services. However, right now only 21% of them have received services that way. 

Your healthcare application development can only succeed if it solves a problem and right now there are many problems with the healthcare industry in the world. To validate your idea, make sure that your app solves at least one of these following problems – 

b. Managing paperwork

There are still many clinics and hospitals that maintain records on paper. Managing this paperwork takes a lot of time, as it shows in the study about how nurses use their working hours. According to the study, nurses spend about 35.3% time in documentation. Which is a lot of time to spend on documentation. 

c. Data management in healthcare mobile app development

Managing data in a disparate system is one of the many problems that plague the healthcare industry. The absence of a centralized system prevents doctors from providing proper medical care on time. It also prevents pharmaceutical workers from maintaining accurate records for medicine manufacturing and delivery

d. Disconnected tech

The difference in the formulary, connectivity, communicatory and security protocols between various healthcare organizations creates an impossible to manage the environment. 

e. Variation in process

Disconnected tech creates the problem of variation in the process between different organizations. The serious lack of integration forces the staff to create and adhere to their own process, creating a serious variation in the process and preventing the unification of the healthcare industry.  

Once you are sure of your idea, you can move onto the next step of development- choosing the app type.

2. Choose The Right Healthcare Application Type

There are various problems related to the medical industry. As a result, there are different types of medical apps. And before starting with development, you have to choose the type of app you want to build. Here is a list of all types of professional medical apps in the market right now.

types of healthcare apps

Remember that the kind of application you choose will have an impact on the kind of features you’ll need to integrate into the app. 

a. Networking Apps For Healthcare Professionals

Networking apps for healthcare professionals work just like any other professional apps. These apps create a streamlined experience for doctors and nurses alike to connect with other professionals in the same field, interact with them and share news relevant to the healthcare industry easily. 

b. Medical database apps

Medical database apps help professionals to store and access data easily. The types of data that can be stored and accessed through a medical database app may include –

  • Patient’s details (illness, what treatment they are receiving, who is treating them what medicine they are being given)
  • Medicine inventory details
  • Doctor and nurse’s contact information

The database application helps the professionals access the right data at the right time, and edit it when required. 

c. Clinical Assistance Apps

With clinical assistance applications, doctors can easily view laboratory results, the patient’s vital charts, symptoms and has access to all-round assistance all the time. These hospital management mobile apps continuously help the doctors to diagnose and treat the patients with accuracy. 

d. Patient Health Tracking Apps

The patient health tracking apps help the doctors to keep track of a patient’s health even after they have left the hospital. These apps keep track of the patient’s vitals and help alert the doctors if the vitals drop below or go above the average. Perfect for patients of fluctuating blood pressure, diabetes, and many others, these apps can be a lifesaver if developed perfectly. 

e. Doctor-on-demand apps

Patients don’t always have time to visit a doctor’s office and that’s where doctor-on-demand apps come in. Working as a virtual chamber, these apps help the patients and doctors to connect through video and audio calls, providing the patients with instant advice on how to deal with the health problems. 

After choosing the type of application, you have to choose the features. Remember that the feature list will vary for different types of healthcare mobile app development. Here we are going to discuss some basic features required to create functional mobile medical apps for healthcare professionals. You can talk to your app development partner about app-specific features. 

3. Different Sides of The Healthcare/Medical App

Every app has at least two sides of it, the admin panel, and the user app. The same applies to your healthcare application. To make a functional medicine health application you have to develop an admin panel and a user app. 

a. The Admin Panel

The admin panel is like the brain of the application. Admin panel is used to manage every aspect of the application, from managing the list of doctors to the appointments booked on the application. 

Without the admin panel, you won’t be able to completely manage the functionalities of the application. It is the web-based application that’ll help the authorized personnel to have control over the app and its functionalities. 

b. The User App

The user application is the business end of the application. This is the part that will be used by healthcare professionals. During development, make sure that the app includes necessary features for the user. 

It is incredibly important for the user app to be well designed and developed. It is the business end and it has to impress the users, help them perform the tasks smoothly and provide value to them. 

4. Designing a Medical App: The Things to Consider

Designing mobile medical apps is a different thing altogether. Medical applications created for industry professionals need to follow some basic principles, which are-

a. The Principle Of Simplicity

Since it is designed mainly for the treatment of patients, medical applications need to have a simple, intuitive design. A healthcare application does not need any extra flashy design elements, added embellishments and effects. During the design process make sure there are no excess elements to the app. Create a straightforward design that helps the users to make the best of it. 

b. The Principle Of Sensible Colors

It is best to choose sensible colors when designing a healthcare app. Most successful medical applications use sober colors in their designs. You should also consider the age group of the target audience. Choosing the right color palette helps you a lot in user retention.

c. The Principle Of Readability

Enhancing readability should be important for your medical app’s design. Using fancy fonts looks good, but makes the app hard to use. So choose an easy-to-read font style, and don’t use more than two styles in the app

d. The Principle Of Responsive Design

Responsive design for mobile applications is a given these days, thanks to the wide range of devices being used by industry professionals these days. So make sure that the app is designed to fit any screen the user might be using. 

5. Create The Feature List for Healthcare Mobile App Development

The secret of any well functioning app is the integrated features. And the same goes for healthcare apps for professionals.

Features you need in healthcare mobile app development

These hospital system apps need to be developed with integrated features that help the doctors and nurses to provide optimal healthcare to the patients. 

a. Signup And Login

Sign up and login feature, just like any other application is important for medical app development. It helps healthcare professionals to create and maintain their personalized accounts and secure their details. 

healthcare mobile app development
Source: behance.net

Make sure that the signup and login process is simple yet secure. Include the social media login feature as well. It will help the users sign in to the application without any problems.  

b. Profile Management

Once the profile is created, the user can edit and manage their own profile with relevant details. 

features like doctor's profile in healthcare mobile app development
Profile feature designed by Unified Infotech

It is a basic but important feature for healthcare networking or Doctor-on-demand application. So don’t forget to include the profile creation and maintenance feature. 

c. Access Medical Records

Data management is a major problem faced by the healthcare industry. That’s why your healthcare mobile app development needs a feature to store and access patient-related data easily whenever they need to. 

d. Audio And Video Calling

For instantly connecting with doctors through the healthcare application, the users need an audio and video calling feature. 

on demand video consultation in healthcare mobile app development
Source: https://www.unifiedinfotech.net/portfolio/fresh-clinics/

With on-demand video calling it will be easier for the users to connect with doctors and receive a consultation. It will work to fill the communication gap between healthcare professionals. 

e. Access To Lab Results

Digital access to lab reports can help the professionals to provide a proper diagnosis without having to waste a lot of time waiting around for the hard copies of reports to deliver. The digital access to X-rays, MRI Scans, Blood-test results will speed up the process of medical treatment. 

f. Tracking Medicine Inventory

Medicine inventory tracking is an important feature of your application. This helps healthcare organizations to keep track of their inventory and order medicines when they need to. 

g. Track Patient’s Vitals

With this feature, the doctors and nurses will be able to track a patient’s vitals and respond quickly in an emergency. This way the patient tracking app helps the doctors to track the patient’s health and provide instant treatment. 

6. Choose The Right Tech Stack

The tech stack of your patient care app depends a lot on the kind of features you decide on integrating in your application. We have provided with the basic tech stack needed to develop your medical app, for additional tech stack you should consult with your medical app developers. 

Front end developmentSwift (iOS), Java (Android) React (web)
DatabasePostgrace, MySQL, MongoDB
Additional Twilio for notifications, Stripe, PayPal for online payment. 

There are many security regulations you should consider before launching a healthcare application. The architecture of the application needs to be designed properly. And it must meet all the security and privacy regulations set by the governmental bodies. 

The security and privacy regulations tend to vary with the different regions in the world. Make sure that the app follows the laws of different regions before launching. Here are some regulatory laws set by governmental bodies all around the world. 

USA

To launch a medical application for the USA market that transmits Protected Health Information (PHI) of a patient must be in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This act regulated how protected health information is sent back and forth between the servers and forces limitations on the access to individually identifiable healthcare information to the unauthorized personnel. 

Your application will fall under HIPAA compliance if it contains PHI and it is shared by the covered organizations like hospitals. Any healthcare apps that don’t contain PHI falls under the Non-HIPAA category. 

Canada

Canada sets out the parameters for the use of personal data through the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. The act sets out privacy rules for the use of personal information for businesses, including medical apps. The Canadian government uses this act to regulate the use of personal data by businesses.

European Union

If you are looking to launch your medical app in Europe, you have to make sure that your app complies with the General Data Protection Regulation in effect since 2018 May. GDPR specifies how businesses can treat personal data and how they should protect it. The regulation applies to all EU citizens. Collecting and using medical data of the EU citizens makes the application subject of GDPR regulation. Under GDPR any data identifying username, password, photos, health records, etc are considered as personal data. 

UK

In the UK you have to follow the Data Protection Act for patient care apps. It regulates and sets out the limits on the usage and storage of personal information. According to the law, the uses should be detailed in the privacy policy.

Asian regions

The data privacy laws vary greatly all over the Asia Pacific region. And to launch your mobile applications for the health sector you have to become familiar with them. The data protection laws change over time in this region. It seems to take a similar shape to the General Data Protection Regulation in use in the EU. 

Out of all the variations, two laws stand out. Japan’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), dating back to 2003, acts as the oldest law in this field. Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) is extremely strict. It has some of the toughest penalties for those who misuse personal information of the users. 

8. Revenue Models for Professional Healthcare App

There are many different ways for you to generate revenue with your professional medical app, and here are the most popular ones. 

Advertisements The basic idea is to partner with the local and industry providers and advertise their products on your platform. Make sure that the advertisements are relevant to the healthcare industry. 
Certified contentProviding a limited amount of certified blogs, articles, podcasts by the experts in the field. For more updated content regularly, the users would have to pay a charge. 
Paid applicationThe users have to pay to install the app from the app store. 
Freemium modelThere are two types of app in this model, the free app with limited features and functionalities. And the paid version with better and premium features and functionalities. The users have to buy the premium version for better features.
Subscription modelThis model works on the basis of the annual subscription model. The users have to pay on a regular interval to access the premium features. 

Wrapping up

Thanks to the worldwide trend of going digital, healthcare and medical apps are getting quite popular. Doctors are making use of these apps every day to streamline the treatment provided to the patients. this is the perfect time for you to start developing a professional medical app. And if you need help, then you can always message us! We are always happy to help. 

Mhealth App CTA

The post Apply These 8 Techniques For a Perfect Healthcare Mobile App Development appeared first on Unified Infotech.

]]>