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Top Programming Languages to Learn for 2022

Digitalya — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 11:22:50 +0000

The fact that you can learn independently and a degree is not always necessary made programming so popular among those who want to make a career change. However, this phenomenon raised many questions from beginners looking for advice on how to learn. From which is the best place to start to which are the top programming languages to learn for 2022, this article will help you get some answers.

We would like to give our viewpoint on some of these questions from our team's experience and by following the trends in programming languages.

1. Learning a programming language in 2022 guide

Programming is a massive field, and starting to learn it without a plan can be a waste of time. You could end up learning stuff you will never use.

Let's put it in steps and make it clear.

Step 1: Decide on your goal

First things first, find out precisely what you need to learn for the desired job by answering some of the following questions.

Do you want a job as fast as possible, regardless of the technology you will work on, as long as it is programming?
Which is the skill set you need for that job?
How much time are you willing to put into learning before getting a job offer?

After you answered the questions, start researching the domain you want to work on to gather the appropriate skills.

What are the trends for that technology? Is the market emerging?
How many opportunities are there in your area?
What do you need to learn to get there?

Suppose you've clarified yourself what you want, good. If not, don't worry; you can start learning without knowing precisely where you want to get.

Let's get to the learning part.

Step 2: Learn the basics

The only way to learn a new programming language is by writing programs in it.

The most common mistake beginners make is watching tutorials over and over again, learning all the terminology. But, unfortunately, what they do is delay the actual learning by overpreparing.

When it comes to learning syntax, learn just enough to get you going, don't waste weeks on it. You don't need to memorize every bit of terminology; you can't and don't need to.

You can use tutorials or a course to learn the basics, but as soon as you have a brief understanding of the syntax, put the tutorials away and practice on your own.

Many beginners get caught in tutorial limbo and never get out of it because they feel like they don't have all the "tools" to start to program.

Following tutorials step by step will make you feel like you are making progress, but you will feel lost once you remain out of steps. So make sure you do enough work independently without following steps; that's when you're genuinely learning.

We know how hard it is to pick the material you will base your studying on regarding the basics. The internet has so many learning materials that it will make you doubt the choice you made. Therefore, to give a helping hand, we put together a shortlist of sources we like:

CS 61C - Good content if you want to learn lower-level programming.
CS 50 - Computer Science and more
Derek Banas - These should teach you just enough syntax.
freeCodeCamp - This channel has a bit of everything

Step 3: Build a project

After you've learned the basics, the best way to consolidate the concepts is by building a project. Have patience with this step, and this is where most beginners give up learning. Being on your own without steps to follow will be intimidating at first, but this is the only way to do it, so have patience. Then, of course, when you get stuck, search, ask, research, don't look at the screen and wait for the idea to come; it's normal to look for help. As a bonus, you will have a finished project and something to talk about at your interview when it's finished.

The project doesn't have to be too complicated; you can start small and add features to it in time. Just don't lie to yourself by copying and pasting code without actually understanding it.

But how do you choose the right project?

To make sure you remain committed to the project and won't abandon it when it becomes challenging, we suggest building something that matters to you, something you are passionate about.

For example, if you love animals, build an app for an animal shelter that helps with the adoption, like spending time on the internet talking to your friends? Build a social network.

This way, building something you believe in will make you more excited about it and more determined to do it.

To give you a helping hand, we've made a list that should help you choose the appropriate language for the project you might have in mind.

What do you want to build? | What it’s appropriate to use

Take notice that some of these can be challenging for someone with no background, but you can go for it if you are up for a challenge and ready to put effort into it.

Keep in mind that you don't have to go into programming with an all-or-nothing attitude. It is normal to take time, and it would be unreasonable for you to expect to become good overnight. Dedicate yourself, code every day, and in a few months, you will see the results.

2. Most accessible programming language to start with

There is a misconception that makes people think there is a "best" language to start with or that the language they chose first will decide the direction of their career.

Programming languages can look very different on the surface, but most of the fundamental concepts are common in all languages. Learning a new language will also get easier over time - it can take a beginner weeks or months before they feel comfortable with their first language, while an experienced programmer will become familiar with a new language in a matter of days.

There is a misconception that makes people think there is a "best" language to start with or that the language they chose first will decide the direction of their career.

3. Which programming language is easiest to get a job?

When thinking about which programming language is easiest to get a job, the answer it's simple. Without a doubt, the fastest way to get hired in the programming field is to become a web developer.

According to a current analysis by Emergent Research the global progressive web application market is estimated to reach 10.44 Billion USD by 2027 at a CAGR of 31.9%.

Progressive web applications, built using HTML, CSS, Javascript, have become the norm in the last few years, owing to the relative ease of development and smooth user experience that they provide.

These applications are built using web technologies, and they do not require separate distribution, making them cost and time-efficient.

Hence, with decent HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills, you can easily land a job.

JavaScript is the conqueror of the web; 95% of websites in the world are built with it. However, the language's dominance didn't stop there.

What is it used for?

Web development
Building web servers
Game development
Mobile apps

It is the backbone of the most popular frameworks such as React Native, NodeJS, and Vue.
Throughout the JavaScript software development industry, these frameworks are used to build complex web and mobile applications with great user interfaces and experience design.

Each framework is supported by an active open-source community, regularly updated with new features and components that streamline the development process and save software engineers valuable time.

To make a recommendation, we at Digitalya love React.

React is the most popular framework used in the present for front-end development.

This framework uses functional programming principles to make parallel programming and coding comprehension much more accessible. In addition, React offers the environment to create modern-looking and easy-to-use websites. The framework is also SEO-friendly and promotes faster web page loading speeds.

Over 9882 declared companies that use React in their tech stack, companies such as Uber, Airbnb, and Facebook, its creator.

If you would like to give the web a try, there are some learning materials we recommend.

It would help to check the IT job opportunities in your area and see which are the most popular programming languages for those. Maybe you will find something you didn't even think about in the first place.

4. Which is the easiest programming language for web development?

While HTML and CSS are a bit easier and will get you a job as a web designer, they won't suffice for a web development job.

It won't probably come as a surprise, but JavaScript is the right choice. JavaScript isn't exactly hard to learn, but getting comfortable with the basics can take a few months if it's your first programming language. However, the effort is worth it because JavaScript is the most popular technology, and it's here to stay, and having it in your tech stack will be an asset.

We've already settled that JavaScript is the right choice for frontend, but what about backend development?

Node.js is a framework built on JavaScript used for traditional websites and backend API services, designed with real-time and push-based architectures in mind. It is used mainly for non-blocking, event-driven servers due to its single-threaded nature.

Node js in 2021 is a massive trend that is going to evolve even more. Moreover, it offers benefits that make it the best choice for software developers.

Python is also a versatile option for backend development. There doesn't seem to be a facet of web development that Python isn't a substantial part of. Django dominates on the framework side, being extremely popular in countries like the US.

These should be the most popular frameworks and also the easiest to learn. Whichever you decide on will be fine.

The general advice remains to search job listings and figure out what's in demand in your area; trends can differ from place to place.

5. Which is the easiest programming language for web development?

Programming isn't necessarily about knowing programming languages; they are just tools in the end - it's about solving problems. So in that sense, it doesn't matter which language you know, as long as you can solve the given problem.

The IT trends will continue to change, but the concepts, the logic behind programming languages, will stay more or less the same.

Learn how to program, and then you can use any language in the future. It's better if you generally learn how to program and switch between languages because then you will be ready for the future and able to use the "best" language for the task at hand.

But the top programming languages to learn for 2022 based on 2021 Stackoverflow's Survey we encourage learning looks like this:

JavaScript

Judging by the numbers, React and Node.js are right now the most popular frameworks for web development, and they are here to stay for the next few years. So if you're interested in web development, we are confident in saying it is worth learning.

Python

Python, paired with frameworks like Flask and Django, is one of the top programming languages for web development. As a result, its relevance in deep learning, data science, and machine learning will undoubtedly increase.
Being present in so many and different fields makes it a great tool to know for the future.

Scala

Scala is a general-purpose language that supports both OOP and functional programming, making it a versatile language. It is known for diminishing the inefficiencies and shortcomings of Java.

Scala shines with data pipelines and ETL, streaming and event-based applications, distributed computation, micro-services, modernizing legacy Java systems, among many others.

There are indeed fewer job opportunities, but the existing ones make some of the best-paid software engineers.

It's a good choice if you want to be a backend developer and if you're willing to invest time and effort in learning.

Go was designed by Google to replace C++, as learning C++ is long and arduous. Instead, Go is used in graphics, machine learning, and mobile applications.

The trend is that Go will replace things that are usually written in C++: from app development, mathematics, game development to data processing. What was previously used to develop with C++, .Net, or Java will now be created with Golang.

Go is an all-purpose modern language that stands out in the "distributed web" space that deserves its purpose in the top programming languages to learn for 2022.

Kotlin

Kotlin is a general-purpose programming language used in Android development, web applications, desktop applications, and server-side applications.

What made it so appreciated by developers is:

Safer code—Android apps that contain Kotlin code are 20% less likely to crash.
Interoperable—Kotlin is 100% interoperable with the Java programming language so that you can use Kotlin code in your project.
Expressive and concise—according to developers, 67% of professional developers who use Kotlin say Kotlin has increased their productivity.

Since Android is the highest-selling mobile operating system and Kotlin gains more and more popularity, it is worth learning in 2022.

But keep in mind that they are only tools; learning how to solve the problems is the real asset.

At last, programming is no different than any other skill; it takes time and practice to get good at it. Set goals, and come up with a plan to see results.

There's some trend that "promotes" the idea that the only way to change your life is by learning to program; obviously, we're talking about programming as a career, not as a hobby. We are not saying it is terrible to want to learn this skill, but the problem is that it can make some people feel inadequate; it induces this idea that this is the only viable option to change your life and no other. Make sure you learn because you want to, not because others are telling you to do so. There are still other careers left in the world, which, why not, could suit you better.

Originally published at: https://digitalya.co/blog/top-programming-languages/

Top Big Web Development Trends for 2022

Digitalya — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 11:03:18 +0000

Web design and development trends are constantly changing. If web developers or web development companies fail to keep up with these trends, their web applications might seem dated, or they won’t meet the expectations of users. This is why it’s essential to be aware of any top web development trends for 2022.

1. Top web development trends for 2022

One exciting movement is the use of VR on websites. Instead of developing a VR app, some websites might choose to integrate the technology with the website in the browser. It is still relatively new, but it is an example of emerging web development trends and technologies.

Chatbots on Websites

Using an ai chatbot has been growing in popularity for a few years now. With technologies like machine learning making bots smarter than ever, they can now take on a wider range of tasks and perform well to provide a better user experience.

Adding a chatbot to a website can serve a lot of purposes. For one, it could be a handy customer service tool. A chatbot can offer instant support, and it can be there 24 hours a day to meet your customers’ needs. In eCommerce web development trends, a chatbot could act as a personal assistant for shoppers. It could help them find the products they need, recommend products or provide information about the items they are considering.

Single Page Applications

With a singlepage application (SPA), you have websites that operate on a single page. Instead of clicks leading to new pages, the single page website takes the input and dynamically rewrites the page to respond. With all of the assets being loaded with the first page, it can make for an experience that is faster and more responsive.

This offers the ability to create a customer experience that can perform better at keeping users engaged for web developers. For example, instead of waiting for new pages to load, the response with a SPA is almost instant. This website development trend can be great for keeping users interested and on your site.

Internet of Things

We have numerous devices already connected to the internet. They gather and share data and use artificial intelligence to perform a wide range of functions that are supposed to make users’ lives more convenient. As these devices become more common, IoT tech will play a more significant role in web development.

IoT devices are already impacting the appliances in our homes, motor vehicles, healthcare, home security, logistics and more. As a result, users are starting to expect websites to interact with many of these devices and systems. With this expectation, this trend should hold strong for years to come.

Progressive Web Apps

A progressive web application might not be a new web development technology to 2022, but it will be an important trend for the coming years. It is now possible to build a progressive web app that offers comparable performance and features to those you would expect from a mobile app. As a result, it can be a good option for many who may not want to develop platform-specific apps.

The ability to use browser technology to launch and run these apps can offer some advantages. First, it is not platform-specific. The apps can run on anything that has a browser. It can also be an excellent way to get customers who may not want to download new apps on their devices. With the progressive web application, they can get the features they need without downloading a native application onto the device.

Accelerated Mobile Pages

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an open-source framework designed to speed up web pages on mobile devices. With AMP, the page is stripped down to the essential elements to improve performance.

The idea with an AMP is to make a mobile web page that responds much faster than the complete page. This can be good for some types of pages because it can be a way to provide a better experience for users. With just the essentials, users can still achieve what they need to achieve, but they do not have to wait for the full version of the page to load.

Voice Controls

We are moving to a future that is less about text inputs and more about voice search. Many of us are already used to interacting with voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, which is a feature that will move to more apps and websites.

With technologies like Natural Language Processing, voice controls perform much better at speech recognition. With AI, many of these systems can even tell the difference between different users to offer personalized experiences for other apps with voice search optimization and voice recognition.

Mobile First Designs

Mobile accounts for an increasing amount of internet traffic. This is a trend that will probably continue for the foreseeable future. As more people make devices like phones and tablets their primary portals to the internet, it only makes sense that web developers will start designing websites with mobile as a priority.

This means that mobile-first design is a web development trend for 2022 and beyond. Instead of building the website for desktops first and then adapting it for mobile devices, the process is going to work in reverse. Many web developers will also lean on responsive design to create websites that perform well on all devices.

Automated Testing

User testing will always have a place in web development, but we should expect a strong trend toward automated website testing. With newer machine learning testing programs, it is possible for web developers to run practical tests faster and at a lower cost.

Test automation can be valuable because it will help web developers in their efforts to release apps that perform better. An automated testing platform can run thousands of test scenarios in much less time and at a lower cost than doing the work manually. This will help developers release apps faster, with fewer bugs, and it will save money.

These are just a few of the web development trends for 2022. Many of them are not new web technologies, but they have a significant impact on development this year. As you can see, many of them are also trends that should hold for years to come. That means that they are not just fads – they are actual technology trends you need to pay attention to.

2. Which language is best for web development?

Sometimes, knowing what technology stack to choose for your new project can be a tough decision. So let’s go through the most popular web programming languages trends, both frontend and backend and see what use cases they have.

1. Python - Backend development

This is one of the most popular languages used in web development, mainly because it is multi-purpose. Among the reasons why people choose Python, we can find the fact that it supports multiple platforms and systems, is driven by OOP, and that it allows you to scale complex web applications. Of course, the cons would be not being ideal for mobile computing and having an underdeveloped database.

What use cases does it have?

IoT apps
Serverless computing
Cloud-native development
System programming

2. PHP - Backend development

This is a dynamic, general-purpose language that is used primarily in server-side apps. It can help a web dev build and deploy apps rapidly since it offers many frameworks and is accessible to use. In addition, it offers support for OOP paradigms and automation tools (for testing and deploying). However, using only PHP to build a web page can take more time, and can be unsuitable for websites security or data security.

What use cases does it have?

Building a CMS
Standalone web apps
Server-side web applications

3. Java - Backend development

A platform-independent, multi-purpose programming language that has been a top choice for decades, Java is one of the best languages to learn in 2022 for web development. It never had significant changes or updates, making it a very stable option for many companies. However, it offers plenty of open-source libraries, provides platform independence, and is highly secure, suitable for user data protection.

What use cases does it have?

Big data apps
Enterprise applications
Web development

4. JavaScript - Frontend development

JavaScript is great for playing around with UI design and create user-friendly apps. Over the years, it became a high-level, multi-paradigm, dynamic programming language, and it probably has the most various use cases and developed applications.

What use cases does it have?

Browser games
Backend development
Serverless computing
Web development

5. React - Frontend development

React and React Native are JavaScript frameworks developed by Facebook that rely on JavaScript that gain popularity everyday. React has been trending in web development for a while now because of its significant pros. This framework is great for building user interfaces due to its dynamic capabilities that can catch user attention. React is great for both web and mobile app development, thus reducing development costs and time, as compared to native mobile apps.

What use cases does it have?

Websites that are complex
Websites with a high number of user interactions
Dynamic web dev

6. Angular - Frontend development

Even if its learning curve is steeper as compared to React, the framework offers more efficient solutions for frontend development. Angular facilitates the development of complex apps with attractive designs with excellent functionality. Moreover, it comes with instruments designed to make the life of web developers more straightforward, like the Angular command-line or Snippets.

What use cases does it have?

Progressive web application development
Enterprise web apps
Dynamic apps

While these programming languages aren’t your only options, they’re usually the most popular. However, before starting any development processes, be careful to pick a tech stack that suits your needs and is applicable for your project.

3. Is it worth it to learn web development in 2022?

When you notice the boom of CMS software and no-code platforms, it might be tempting to say that web development is not as looked for as it used to be a couple of years ago. However, most platforms will require programmer’s knowledge to work correctly.

Additionally, there are quite a few reasons why custom web development is still in high demand. For instance, SEO-wise, a custom website is much preferred over a CMS. The same goes for loading speeds and responsive web design.

However, web development doesn’t mean just responsive websites. Web application development is a prevalent trend nowadays because it brings many benefits to the table. For instance, unlike native apps, web applications don’t have to be installed, you access them through your browser. This isn’t a web development trend that will go away anytime soon.

It’s hard to say for sure what the future of web development is. However, one thing is sure: it’s not going anywhere, anytime soon.

Originally published at: https://digitalya.co/blog/top-big-web-development-trends/

How React Native Works

Digitalya — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:05:31 +0000

Any conversation between application developers will include something about how React Native works. When talking about cross-platform libraries, there is no tool to rule them all. It all depends on your project’s requirements.

However, it’s useful to know the pros and cons of everything so that you know exactly what to choose for your iOS or Android apps.

What is React Native?
What is React?
How React Native works?
React vs React Native
What is cross-platform development?
React Native architecture best practices
What are the components in React Native?
React Native Threading Model
When to Choose React Native 10.What backend should I use with React Native?
Advantages of React Native
Disadvantages of React Native
Famous Apps Built with React Native
Is React Native the future?
How long does it take to learn React Native if you know React?

1. What is React Native?

From the development process point of view, React Native is React used for mobile applications, with some differences in components and tag uses. If we go a little deeper, React Native is an open-source JavaScript framework used for cross-platform development.

Apps developed with this framework look and feel like native applications, even though they’re created by a single team of developers using React Native. It’s really convenient to use because it saves a lot of time by ensuring compatibility between iOS and Android systems at once.

2. What is React Native?

React is a JavaScript library developed by Facebook in 2013, used for web development. It’s also open-source, and JavaScript developers use it to build user interfaces, especially for single-page applications.

This library allows developers to build web apps that can change data without having to reload the page. Web developers can use React in combination with other JavaScript libraries, like Angular in MVC.

3. How React Native works?

React Native allows developers to build apps by spinning up JS threads that interpret JavaScript code, by making a native bridge between the app and the target platform. The bridge concept leverages the library and transfers the component’s hierarchy to the mobile devices view.

For instance, if the user presses a button, this case is translated into an event that JavaScript can handle. After that, by relaying messages between native platforms and JS code, the React Native bridges translates native events into something that React components can understand and work with.

4. React vs React Native

To put it very simply, React Native is an improved version of React, even though it uses it. Both of them are a mix of JavaScript and JSX. The difference between React and React Native is the syntax used to render elements in JSX components. React makes use of HTML and CSS, while React Native allows the use of native mobile UI elements.

To make things clearer, here’s a short snippet from a discussion on Stack Overflow:

React JSX renders HTML-like components like h1, p, etc. Meanwhile >react-native renders native app view components like View, Text, >Image, ScrollView, so you can't directly reuse your UI component >code unless you rework/replace all the elements.

5. What is cross-platform development?

Cross-platform development is building software that is compatible with multiple hardware platforms, like iOS or Android. For example, a web browser works the same no matter what device you run it on. According to Statista, about one-third of apps are developed using a cross-platform framework, while the rest are native apps.

So what are the advantages of cross-platform development?

Faster launch on multiple platforms

Since your source code is written only once for all platforms, you get to release your software quickly. You save a lot of time and also cover more ground, therefore you’re bound to get more revenue in the long run.

You also reach a wider audience. Since your app is compatible with multiple platforms and any operating system, it will be used by a larger number of users. You get to maximize your exposure with less effort.

Easier updates

With cross-platform apps, updates are a breeze. Your users won’t have to download separate updates and, in turn, you don’t have to maintain different versions of your software. Apps are updated automatically for everyone at once, and your performance will be impacted positively.

To take advantage of all React Native has to offer, you need to keep in mind some best practices that will help you be organized and write better code.

Keep your components small and specific

Sure, having enormous components that execute numerous tasks is an option. But it’s better to keep your components small and specific to only one function. This will make testing and maintenance a lot easier.

Additionally, you can reuse small components across multiple projects, or you can make them available to the community. Also, if you keep your components small, they’re so much easier to optimize their performance and update.

Reuse your components

If you can, avoid creating new components and try to reuse the ones you already have. This will be easier if you stick to the rule of having only one component for a specific function.

For instance, if you create a component for a button, you’ll have something to use for every project that has an app in need of a button. Try to keep them as abstract as possible, so that they’ll be compatible with a lot of requirements.

Name your component after the function

If you do this, your component will be easy to find and recognize. Also, if you decide to share your components with the community, it’s highly likely that they will be discovered if they’re named appropriately.

Put all the files related to your component in a single folder

This one is just common sense. The hierarchy will be easier to understand, and you will know where to extract your code from if you want to use it for another project.

7. What are the components in React Native?

As you can probably guess, a component in React Native is a basic element. A large application can be divided into multiple components. This makes mobile application development quick and the code easy to understand.

So which are the core components of React Native?

View

This is a built-in component. For people that are familiar with HTML, you can compare this to div. It’s a content area where you can display your content. You can use this component when you have to wrap your content inside a container. Additionally, this can help you use different styles for different elements.

State

React components are controlled by two types of data: state and props. The state one is mutable, which means that it can change its value at any time. All you need to do is initialize it in a constructor and change its value by calling a function named ‘setState’.

Props

Different from state, this one is immutable. Props can be used to transfer the data to another component, making the connection between the Container Component and the Presentation Component. The first one handles all the states and functionalities, while the latter has View, and it’s a passive area.

Style

Style is what makes your app appealing. You can do that by using the JS object—all the components accept the props style. You can transfer the style by modifying the CSS properties with a camel case like “backgroundcolor-backgroundColor”.

Networking

Many apps require fetching data from a remote URL. React has a fetch function that can make an HTTP request to another server.

Navigators

You can use this component to change the scene in the app. The framework has built-in components for navigating the user to multiple scenes.

List view

This component can be used to vertically scroll a list of changing data. List view renders the dataSource array value to the view.

scrollView

With this one, you can render a large list of content in view with a scrollbar. This helps you see your content more comfortably.

Flex layout

This component gives you a clean layout. You can specify the children of a component with Flexbox. Also, you can customize your layout with flexDirection, alignItems, and justifyContent.

8. React Native Threading Model

There are four main threads in the React Native app:

UI Thread

This is also known as the main thread. The UI thread is used for native android or iOS UI rendering.

JS Thread

The JavaScript thread is where the logic runs. This is where the app’s JS code is executed and where API calls are made, for example.

Native Modules Thread

If an app needs access to platform API, this is where the magic happens.

Render Thread

This thread is used to generate actual OpenGL commands for drawing your UI in Android L (5.0).

9. When to Choose React Native

Cross-platform development is a good idea if your app is mostly based on business logic and UI. However, if your app needs a native component (or more), perhaps native development is a better choice.

If you’ve decided that cross-platform development is what you need, here are a few clear cases where having your app built with React Native is your best option:

You need to develop an MVP or POC that involve a simple client-server architecture,
Your team is mostly made up of JS developers and will offer support for the app after it’s released,
You need to build a B2B or enterprise app,
You want to create an app with a standard user interface and basic interactions.

10. What backend should I use with React Native?

No matter what frameworks you choose to use, it’s important to find the perfect frontend-backend language pair. This way, software engineering will go as smooth as butter.

Django is a great choice if you’ve decided to use React Native. It includes almost everything you need to build a perfect backend, so you most probably won’t need third-party plugins. You can use Django for large apps with lots of features. Its main principle is fast development, so you can build complex features rapidly.

The React Native + Django combo is great for developers that are seeking cross-platform compliance. If you plan on building a web app that has to run on multiple platforms, you will have to write the least amount of code with this combination.

Also, this combination is suitable for any kind of business, no matter what traffic and goals they have. It’s really easy to scale up or down with this combo.

What backend should I use with React Native? No matter what frameworks you choose to use, it’s important to find the perfect frontend-backend language pair. This way, software engineering will go as smooth as butter.

11. Advantages of React Native

There’s no denying that React Native is one of the most popular front-end frameworks out there. If you’re still undecided on whether this is the framework for your project, let’s go together through some of its advantages.

Code reuse

One of the biggest advantages of React Native is being able to reuse your code. This is an indication of the fact that your apps will run smoothly on various platforms. Studies show that 90% of the native framework can be integrated for reusing the code for multiple operating systems.

Another nice extra is the fact that you can use the code for your web application to build your mobile app if both of them are using React Native. This significantly reduces development time and includes pre-developed components, included in the open-source library.

Lively community

The fact that the framework is open-source means that any developer can contribute to its development with their knowledge. Should you experience any problem, you can always rely on the community for support (there are more than 50,000 active users on Stack Overflow with the React Native tag).

Reduce costs

Cost efficiency comes as a result of being able to reuse the same code to create apps for Android or iOS. This means that you no longer need two separate teams of developers, so the cost of development with React Native is much lower than with languages that don’t allow cross-platform development.

Prepared for the future

Ever since React Native was released, it has been continuously growing, without any sign of stopping. This means that it’s highly unlikely that it will go out of fashion any time soon. So, if you choose to develop an app with React Native, you don’t have to worry about changing the framework in the foreseeable future.

12. Disadvantages of React Native

Nothing is perfect. With that being said, even React Native comes with some drawbacks that you should be aware of.

Some custom modules are missing

Even if this framework has been around for some years now, there are some custom modules that could either use some improvement or are entirely missing. This implies that you should run three separate codebases (for React Native, iOS, and Android) instead of a single one.

Compatibility and debugging issues

Even if React Native is used by top tech companies, it’s still in the beta phase. This means that you might come across some package compatibility issues. In case your developers aren’t proficient with this framework, they might have to spend a lot of time figuring out a solution for these problems.

13. Famous Apps Built with React Native

We’ve mentioned before that React Native is used by top tech companies. So, naturally, there are a couple of famous apps that were made with this framework that are good examples of what it can do.

Facebook

Facebook gave birth to this programming language and is the main force behind its development. So it’s only natural that they would make their apps with React Native. They also used the framework to develop their own Ads Manager app for android and iOS, with the same team for both versions.

Skype

In 2017, Skype rebuilt its app completely with React Native, since the old version had a lot of issues. Everything was redesigned, including the icons and the messaging interface. The framework is used in both the desktop and mobile versions.

Instagram

Here, React Native was included in the already existing native app. Lucky for them, it wasn’t necessary to build the navigation infrastructure, because the UI was simple to cope without one. Because the developer team used React Native, they managed to improve developer velocity by around 85%.

Uber Eats

Differently from the Uber app, Uber Eats has three parties instead of only two: the restaurants, the delivery partners, and the diners. This meant that the team had to build a special dashboard to be able to communicate with the restaurants.

As a software development company, we’ve used React Native in our projects. Here is an example:

FeetUp®

FeetUp® is an app that delivers both video and audio content to a large audience at the same time while tracking user behaviour and time spent on the app. It offers a customizable admin area used for uploading content, moderating comments, and sending push notifications.

14. Is React Native the future?

Even though there are alternatives, like Flutter, that grabbed a lot of attention, it doesn't seem like React Native will die any time soon. Why?

The framework has a lively community that helps it get better every day. And, apart from that, since Facebook is behind React Native, it will get regular updates. At the moment, React Native is widely accepted and used by a lot of Fortune 500.

Additionally, there is no other framework at the moment that is better for the quality of UI and UX than React Native. There are cases where apps developed with this framework are better than some made with native development.

15. How long does it take to learn React Native if you know React?

If are already familiar with React, you will be happy to hear that you’re not far from becoming a React Native mobile developer. Most of the skills and good practices that you’ve developed while using React can be used with React Native too.

The best time to learn mobile development is after you’ve gained at least one year of experience with web development. That is because web is a bit easier, and it helps you learn some programming concepts, databases, mistakes and how to solve them, and more.

What do you need to know before learning React Native?

ES6 and Advanced JavaScript

It would be best to be familiar with what arrays and objects are and how to manipulate them, with functional programming, and so forth.

Node.js

Even though this is a backend language, it’s still useful to know it because you will be using it with React Native. Concepts like NPM, promises, callbacks will be great to know.

React

Even though it’s not mandatory, it’s great if you can cover a couple of topics like components, handlers, life cycle methods, JS Fetch/ Axios for calling APIs.

Everyone’s learning journey is different. We’re sure that there are people that developed an app with React Native without previously knowing any of the above, but those are the champions. The best strategy is to take it easy and try to create small things at first, to get familiar with the framework.

After all is said and done, React Native is a great cross-platform framework that saves you money and time when you want to develop an app for multiple platforms. For someone who already knows React, it will be a natural transition from web to mobile.

New Product Development Process in 7 Steps

Digitalya — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 14:29:23 +0000

What would the world be like without innovation?

Yet, it’s not enough to be ingenious and creative to reach the target market with your product. You need to know your customers, the market, and your competitors in order to stand out from the crowd. Luckily, there is a systematic way of approaching this—the new product development process in 7 steps.

What is the product development process?
Why is the product development process important?
What are the 7 stages in the new product development process?
What is a product development strategy with example?
What is product development life cycle?
What are the keys to effective new product development?
What are the best practices in innovation and new product development process?

1. What is the product development process?

Product development is the first stage of a product’s life cycle. It’s a set of activities that help take your product idea from being a simple concept to market availability.

Npd processes follow a strategy divided into multiple steps or phases that help a company conceive a new product idea. This is followed by researching, planning, designing, prototyping, and testing, followed by finally launching the idea into production.

2. Why is the product development process important?

Having a successful new product requires a lot of resources and is quite risky as a whole. Because of this, you need to be aware of why the 7 steps of new product development process are so important.

In their article “Why Most Product Launches Fail”, the Harvard Business Review discusses the probability of a new product succeeding after it’s launched. What they found is interesting:

Most products never succeed. According to the research, around %75 of consumer goods and retail products earn less than $7.5 million during their first year of existence. Less than 3% can reach more than $50 million and be labelled as a highly successful launch.

They identified several possible reasons:

The product falls short of expectations or previously made claims
The product doesn’t meet a clear and unmet customer need
The product requires a lot of customer education but doesn’t get it
There is no market for the product
The company can’t support fast growth.

These are just a few reasons why your product idea might not work as well as you think it will. Others include sudden market changes, poor design or pricing, changes in customer preferences, and so forth.

However, this is where the new product development in 7 steps kicks in. Among the benefits of going to this process, here are some worth remembering:

Have control over your product

Having no strategy is a wrong move. You need to plan the development processes of your product to have control over it and reach your business goals.

Improve your product’s performance

Even if you spend a lot of money on the production of your product, you could still end up with poor quality. Unfortunately, that can happen, especially if you don’t keep track of any mistakes you make to improve your process.

What to consider before starting the product development process?

Is there a demand for your product?

Is there a problem that people have, and your product solves it? Is it effective? If you answered with ‘yes’ to those questions, then your idea stands a chance.

If your product is idea-driven, your target market will need to be evangelised before you can start making some profit.

Is your product doable?

In theory, we can come up with a lot of crazy ideas. The real tricky thing is to find something innovative that can be produced.

Another thing you have to keep in mind is the cost to develop your product. Analyse your budget and see if you can afford to materialise your idea as is, or it needs to be simplified.

What’s the competition?

In case you plan on entering an already existing market, you need to know if you have to come up with a stronger value proposition than your competitors or if you have to prepare for more intensive customer acquisition efforts.

3. What are the 7 stages in the new product development process?

If you’re in the process of doing some research on the new product development process, you probably found that there are usually between 4 and 8 steps involved. However, the majority of tech businesses use the 7 steps npd process to develop their product ideas.

1. Concept and ideation

This is the stage where the technical requirements and functionalities of the product are defined. You take elements from different discussions and brainstorming sessions and slowly put them together into a product concept.

Now you float ideas on innovative features and try to find the best solution to the problem you’ve identified.

Tips and tricks:

Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm

This is an excellent source of ideas. Gather your team, take an hour or two, and get all of your crazy ideas down on paper. You might be surprised by the outcome.

Pitch your idea

Present your idea to people and see how they react. This is a great way to see if they resonate with the solution you propose or not.

2. Idea Screening

When your idea is important to you, it’s hard to stay impartial. So here’s where the screening process comes into play. Now it’s the time when you sit down with your team and try to find any flaws, analyse the numbers, the return of investment, and if you can afford to develop the product or not.

This is an excellent point to start thinking about market research. First, try to build up a quantitative view of the market for your product.

Tips and tricks:

Online research

You can find many statistics that can help you grasp an idea about your target market, the marketing potential of your product, and so on.

Be open to change

When working on your hypothesis, try to change up the data to cover most scenarios. This way, you’ll be prepared for anything.

3. Concept development and testing

This is one of the stages in new product development that takes your ideas and turns them into product concepts. What’s the difference? A product idea is something that a company can see itself marketing to its clients. A product concept is more detailed and more focused on customer terms.

Introduce your idea to some clients—explain what you want to do and see their reaction. Do they understand it? Do they seem interested? This is your moment to test the waters.

Tips and tricks:

Be open to suggestions

Involving your clients into the process can result in some out-of-the-box suggestions that you haven’t thought of. So keep an open mind and collect anything that seems helpful to you.

4. Business Analysis

It’s time to get serious and strategic. This step in the product development process is about setting profit expectations. You need to develop a detailed marketing strategy, starting with defining your target clients and determining your product positioning.

Product positioning means thinking about customer needs, competitive pressures, and what communication channels you plan to use.

Tips and tricks

Separate this analysis into two

It’s better if you separate the entire** product development phase** and the product launches. This is mainly because your variables will differ, and you may require different types of investment.

Simulations

Sure, you’ll never be fully prepared. However, simulation as many scenarios as you can think of will help you identify any troubling aspects in your business strategy.

5. Product Development

Now, your product is ready to become a prototype or an MVP. This way, you will have a tangible version of your idea so that you can test it in real life, not just theoretically.

This is an excellent opportunity to involve potential clients again. You can ask for their opinion on the product design and development, the quality, and any other detail you can think of.

Tips and tricks:

Make it pretty

You should aim to have your prototype as photogenic as possible. This is the first tangible feature of your product and a cornerstone for future steps.

Let other people test your product

Sure, you can try it yourself, but it’s your customers that will use your product at the end of the day. Therefore, their opinion and suggestions are important and should be taken into consideration.

6. Test Marketing

You must have gathered a lot of feedback from the previous steps of new product development. Now is the time to implement that and create more prototypes and send them into the world.

Assess how your target market reacts to your product. Do they like it? If not, why?

Analyse if your pricing strategy is correct and validate your concept. The whole idea of this stage is to see if customers are willing to pay for your product. If the answer is no, then you should consider going back a few stages in the process.

Tips and tricks:

Expect the unexpected

No matter how much you prepare, something will come up that you haven’t thought of. The key here is to be flexible and adapt as the situation changes.

7. Launch your project

If everything went right until this point, you now have to take care of the finishing touches.

Now you have to worry about the final stage, launching your product. Try to estimate the market demand that you’re going to face and prepare accordingly. Set up your marketing strategy and make sure it includes digital marketing.

Tips and tricks:

Never lose sight of your product

Continuously monitor the progress of your product. Even though the product is launched, you can still gather useful information and tweak some things. Keep an open mind and be flexible.

4. What is a product development strategy with example?

Amazon

Amazon is one of many excellent product development examples. They usually like to go backwards from the target market. They launch a press release for their new product first—without any technical jargon or complicated words. Then they work their way back to product development.

Apple

Apple has a different strategy. They first create the product, then create a market suitable for it. Steve Jobs once said that people don’t always know what they want. So Apple primarily relies on customer loyalty.

Netflix

Netflix uses a strategy driven by profit and margin. They want to maximize adoption and retention. The core offer is their subscription with access to unlimited content, and their crucial metric is monthly retention.

5. What is product development life cycle?

In a nutshell, the product development life cycle determines a series of consecutive phases a product goes through. Its purpose is to define what, when, and why happens to a product.

Usually, it’s broken into four main periods: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. In addition, some companies add an afterlife period to see what happens after the fall.

These stages have specific indicators, like profit and sales, brand recognition, customer engagement, etc. In every phase of the product life cycle, a different department is responsible for the primary efforts, decision-makers focus on a particular thing, and marketers develop different strategies.

The introductory stage

This is when the product enters the market, a stage also known as the market development period. At this time, you usually have to:

Build the brand and acquire customer acceptance by promoting the product
Build a base of early adopters and endorsers
Organize your distribution tactics
Establish your price
Manage intellectual property rights

There is no specific time that this stage has; it heavily depends on the type of product. Usually, the higher the demand for the product is, the sooner the transition to the next phase will come. Therefore, it’s key to make sure that there is a market for it when you launch your product, or your marketing department can create one.

This introductory stage is one of the riskiest ones. Here are some hazards you should be ready to face:

Low level of profits
Slow sales, due to the gradual development of the client base
If you are the first one in your niche, you will have little or no competition
Big budgets for marketing
A lot of time spent on educating customers

The Growth phase

Now your product gains users and brings profit. This is the phase when your earnings will be at their highest. It will rapidly increase, and it might reach its peak before the product reaches the maturity stage.

During this step, you have a customer base, the awareness of your brand expands, and new clients join your network. Here are some things that you need to have in mind during the growth phase:

Your products need to be of a high, stable quality
Your price policy needs to remain stable
Keep investing in marketing to create loyalty around your brand
Find the most efficient distribution channels
Add new features and improve the products design

The Maturity stage

After a period of rapid growth, there comes a stage of stabilisation and saturation. Now your sales will hit their peak, and most of your clients will already have your product. This means that to keep growing, you need to develop new features and functionalities to improve your product.

The rivals that have entered the market during your growth stage have most likely hit theirs too. So, while you’re thinking about new methods of keeping your market share and maintaining your position, they’re continuously growing.

During the maturity stage, here’s a couple of things you can do to maintain your position:

Enhance your already existing features to distinguish yourself from your competitors
Think of new improvements or innovative add-ons
Explore new market and new distribution channels
Lower your prices to keep your client base
Keep investing in marketing

The Decline stage

Even though nobody expects it eagerly, this stage will come too. Now you will notice a slight, gradual decrease in your profits and sales. Marketing efforts won’t be able to stop the decline, only slow it down. But here are a couple of things you can do:

Prepare to lose your customers to newer products
Drop your prices as low as possible
Work on an alternative product, or a better, improved version of this one
Change your target market in the hope that you’ll raise interest

6. What are the keys to effective new product development?

While there is nothing that can 100% guarantee the success of your new product development process, there are some common characteristics that can raise your chances of obtaining a favorable outcome:

Have a reliable team

You need to surround yourself with people that you can trust. If you decide to outsource your product development, make sure that the company you’re working with can be trusted.

Have clear objectives

It’s easy to get sidetracked by new, shiny features when trying to come up with the concept of a new product. The real challenge is to minimize your exposure to risks and maximize your benefits.

When a new idea comes up, ask yourself: “will this help us achieve our purpose?”. If the answer is no, move on to the next one.

Solid research and thorough testing

The importance of giving enough attention to research and testing cannot be stressed enough. You need to conduct a market analysis, gain customer feedback, and constantly validate your idea before you move on to developing your final product.

Be adaptable and flexible

Things are prone to change at any time. Therefore, you need to be prepared to change your approach without resentment and to adapt yourself to new requirements.

Carefully go through your marketing strategy development process to see if you’ve covered all possible scenarios. And even so, after launching the product, anything can happen. So meet change with an open heart and mind.

Invest in marketing

Depending on the stage of the product development cycle you are in, you need to have a different marketing approach. Don’t be afraid of social media marketing or search engine optimization. Look to find the perfect marketing mix that will make justice to the brand of your new product.

7. What are the best practices in innovation and new product development process?

You might be wondering if there is anything you can do to improve the seven stages of the new product development process. Luckily, you can use some best practices to ensure that you don’t exclude innovation from your concept development.

1.Be customer focused

By focusing on the customer, you’re sure to develop and launch a product that offers innovative benefits to them. You need to have a deep understanding of your target market’s needs to come up with the proper solution.

2.Continuously listen to your customers

Even if you have a finished product, you should always be open to changes. If your clients are giving you feedback on your product, never ignore it. You can even directly ask them for suggestions for improvement through social media.

3.Don’t leave things to chance

It’s natural to be confident in your idea. Truth be said, if you don’t believe in your product, why should anyone else? However, this doesn’t mean that your product has success guaranteed. You need to be active and put in a constant effort during all the stages of product development.

The 7 steps in the new product development process might seem intimidating at first. However, with the right people by your side and attention to every detail in the process, you have significant chances of success with your innovative idea.

23 Web App Ideas to Check in 2021

Digitalya — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 12:16:30 +0000

Sometimes, the most challenging part of starting a new project is coming up with an innovative idea. We all get stuck now and then. For inspiration, let’s look at 23 Web app ideas to check in 2021.

For your project to be successful, you need to find a web application idea that solves an existing problem while also possible to implement and not be too costly. So let’s browse together through some app ideas for startups and see if anything suits you!

What is a web application?
What are some examples of Web applications?
What apps are in high demand?
What are some good web app ideas?
What are some good website ideas?
How much does it cost to build a web app?
5 Web app ideas that were trending in 2020
5 Web app ideas to check in 2021
Web app ideas that make money
Why do most apps fail?
What is the best way to develop web applications?

1. What is a web application?

Web apps are software that runs on web servers, opposite to computer-oriented software programs that are collected on the operating system of any device. Users can obtain these web applications from browsers. These apps can be anything from online storage space platforms to employee orientation software, a crime alert web app, or even a new CRM for startups.

The main advantage of these apps is that they don’t require any installation, and every user has the same version—eliminating any compatibility issues. They require less maintenance and support and even reduce costs in the long run.

2. What are some examples of Web applications?

To better understand what web apps are, let’s see some examples and explore all the different types of applications.

1. Dynamic web applications

These kinds of web apps work with pages and data in real-time. These platforms allow users to modify available information. When you make a request, a response will be triggered from the server to reach the client end. Depending on the response it receives, the client-side code will take action accordingly.

A great example of dynamic web apps is the social network app Twitter. When you click the follow button, it turns blue. What actually happens is that you send a request to the server, which generates a response—the button changing its color.

2. Static web apps

This popular web application type can be delivered to the user without server-side alteration of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript content. To make things more straightforward, you can think of static web apps as user interface services—they connect and coordinate with the app’s other services and provide a cohesive, intuitive experience for the end-user.

For example, take ClientZen, one of Digitalya’s case studies. This is a customer experience management platform that uses artificial intelligence to assess client satisfaction. Data-driven analysis generates personality insights and actionable items you can use to improve your NPS scores and reduce the churn rate.

3. Portal web apps

A portal allows users to connect with others and find the content they are looking for. The platform blends information from multiple sources into a single interface. Great examples of this are banking and insurance portals, intranets, government or faculty portals.

4. E-commerce applications

You’re probably familiar with these apps. They’re in the form of a shop or a store and require an online payment method to function. Ecommerce websites are getting more popular every day, as people gain trust in online shopping.

3. What apps are in high demand?

Every year new technologies appear and, with them, new web apps on the market. However, there are always evergreen ideas that are in high demand at all times, no matter the trend. Yet, that doesn’t mean that the existing apps don’t need to be improved. It’s the idea that will always be useful.

1. On-demand web applications

This kind of application makes the connection smoother between users and different types of businesses. They could be anything from a taxi booking app, a food delivery app, or grocery delivery. There’s plenty of companies that could benefit from a web application still.

2. Job recruitment web apps

Finding a job doesn’t have to be complicated anymore. You can find anything on the Internet, so why not the perfect career? From professional social media, like Linkedin, to fully-fledged recruitment platforms, this kind of software became popular. Whether you’re looking for freelance or full-time employees, it’s never been easier to hire Magento experts, a Laravel developer, or mobile app developers for your business ideas.

3. Property rental apps

These platforms facilitate renting properties straight from your computer. Whether you’re looking for storage space for your extra stuff, the perfect vacation location, or a new place to live, you can find anything with a few clicks.

4. News platforms

Everyone wants to be kept informed about what’s happening around the world. This simple web app brings the facts you’re interested in to your fingertips. Most apps will let you pick some topics you want to know more about and will get more content in that domain.

4. What are some good web app ideas?

There are some trends out there that deserve to be explored. To stay competitive, maybe it’s a good idea to take a look at these as well.

1. Progressive web apps

A PWA is not an app per se, but it uses web capabilities to offer users an app-like experience. You’ve probably seen the “Add to Home Screen” notification when you open certain websites in your browser—like YouTube Music or Google TasksBoard.

Why are these a good idea?

They work just like native applications.
They’re intuitive to use
They get updated instantly
They load instantly

2. AI Chatbots

Artificial intelligence chatbots are designed to be able to serve users 24/7. They can answer customer questions related to your products and services so that you don’t have to do that manually. Chatbots help improve customer service and manage repetitive tasks.

Why are these a good idea?

They’re active 24/7
They save users time by replying instantly
They improve customer satisfaction
They improve sales
They use artificial intelligence

3. Blockchain

Blockchain is a technology used when you have to store extensive data securely. It uses cryptography to store information in blocks, and it doesn’t need a third-party medium to perform transaction processes.

Why is this a good idea?

It’s simple and intuitive to use
It’s a better alternative for transferring money
It makes the user experience simpler
It increases security

5. What are some good website ideas?

Sometimes, you don’t need to go all out and build a web application. If you just want to showcase your business, website development is sufficient. However, if you plan on developing a tool that will help you automate something, you’ll need a web application.

The debate on Web application vs Website can be long, but let’s go together through some good ideas that you can implement if you decide to build a simple website.

1. Voice Search

More and more users would like to use a voice search instead of the traditional text search. There are plenty of companies that improve their products by adding a voice search—so why not your website? This can help you attract more traffic and, in the long run, raising customer engagement levels.

Why is this a good idea?

They save users’ a lot of time
It’s hands-free
It enables multitasking
Intuitive to use
It improves sales and customer conversation

2. Motion UI

Motion UI aims to aid web developers in designing websites with a minimalistic approach and appealing interfaces to offer a great user experience. This also keeps away the useless use of flash content—it can get irritating for the end-users.

Why is this a good idea?

It helps users get exact information.
It builds credibility
It makes promotions simpler
It increases user engagement

6. How much does it cost to build a web app?

Like with a mobile app, the cost to develop a web application depends on many factors, like its features and complexity. Usually, the prices range from $24,000 to $500,000 approximately. We can divide them into three categories:

A simple web app

We’re talking about landing pages, one-pagers, or online stores with a minimum number of features. There’s very little content and minimal interaction. The development time can be less than one month, with the price somewhere between $24,000 and $60,000.

A medium complexity app

Small-to-medium company sites or e-commerce platforms require more interactive elements with a more comprehensive content volume. It can take up to four months to deliver and cost anywhere between $36,000 and $85,000.

A complex web app

These apps include an exclusive content management system, plenty of unique features, complex databases, and a lot of content. You can expect the development time to last around half a year and the cost to reach or surpass $137,000.

However, not all web apps can be included in these categories. Each app is unique and has different requirements. As a general rule, especially if you opt to outsource your product, the price will be calculated according to the number of web developers in your dedicated team, correlated to the number of days needed for developing.

7. 5 Web app ideas that were trending in 2020

1. Telemedicine

Considering the period we’ve gone through, it’s no wonder that healthcare web applications were trending in 2020. But this kind of app is helpful in a post-pandemic scenario as well.

You skip going in person to the clinic and avoid the long wait just for treating prevalent illnesses like a running nose, a sore throat, or a slight fever. While this cannot ever replace the physical visits to your doctor, it can save time both for healthcare workers and the users.

2. Wellness and fitness apps

Since we all spent so much time inside in 2020, everybody was interested in staying healthy and active. This kind of app provides an excellent opportunity to find new ways to move while staying inside the house.

3. VR tourism

There’s a lot of improvement to be made here, but it’s an excellent idea. Since traveling wasn’t much of a choice in 2020, many museums and important sightseeing places put up virtual reality tours for people to see from their homes.

4. Workflow management app

Ever since the raised popularity of working from home, more and more companies need custom workflow management or employee orientation apps. This helps the HR team a lot and automates many processes that can be tiresome and repetitive.

5. Online teaching

This idea has been popular for a long time now. Online learning is gaining speed, and more and more people are trying it to find out about subjects they’re interested in. There are a lot of course management platforms, but there’s always room for innovation.

8. 5 Web app ideas to check in 2021

1. The CEO dashboard

As we collect more and more data, we stumble on the problem of analyzing all the information that we have. This kind of dashboard can process and break down data in one single place. It’s a great way, for example, to examine marketing trends to make informed decisions.

2. Crime alert web apps

Did you ever wonder about the crime rates of a neighborhood before moving there? So did we. An alert app could work just like a social networking app, where users could post information about crimes happening around them. This would not only raise awareness but might even be able to help investigations.

3. YouTube Radio

YouTube is a fantastic source of entertainment, information, tutorials, and, really, anything else you might need. But there’s so much content on it! A radio could filter the content on this platform and display it for the users. This would help people find the videos they’re looking for faster and more efficiently.

4. Tailored treatment recommendations

With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, such a platform could interpret common symptoms of frequent, minor diseases, like the common cold, and suggest personalized treatment. This shouldn’t replace doctor visits, but this could help healthcare practitioners diagnose faster and keep people informed.

5. Social platforms for hobbyists

When’s the last time you invested some time in your hobby? A social platform dedicated to hobbies could motivate and inspire you to do so. You can connect with other people with the same interests and exchange tips and tricks.

9. Web app ideas that make money

Sometimes it’s not sufficient to have a fantastic web app project idea. It also needs to be practical, implementable, and people should be willing to pay for it. So how do you find such rare ideas for your startup?

First, you should look for the right technology partner. Teaming up with a respectable software development company can save you from a lot of heartbreak and trouble. You’ll get start-to-end services that will assist you in every step of developing your product, from designing an MVP to maintenance after launch.

After having an app solution to a common problem and a reliable partner, you need to study your target audience and do a lot of research. You can use social media to get in touch with your potential customers and find out what they would like to see in your app.

After you have some information, it’s a good idea to work on an MVP to test your product without fully developing it. This way, you will gain validated learnings and see if people are willing to purchase your product.

10. Why do most apps fail?

Your app’s performance depends on so many factors; it’s hard to put the finger on the most important one, from your competition to digital marketing and even pure luck. However, the most frequent reason why your app might fail is flawed pre-launch research and poor product development.

You need to invest a lot of time studying your target market before going through with your idea. If you listen closely to your audience, they will tell you what they want to say to see and use.

11. What is the best way to develop web applications?

Most of the time, outsourcing is your best bet for developing a new application. Software development companies have a lot of experience in the domain, so you get access to top talent without hiring your own team of web developers. Working with such a company will take you through five main steps:

Discovery and research to refine your idea
The UX/UI design of your product
The actual web app development
Plenty of app testing, followed by its deployment
Continuous support and maintenance for your app

By going through a structured process, you will surely come out with a successful top web application. And if you’re worried about the resources you have to spend, you can get a rough estimate of the cost to develop your app so that you know what to expect.

Originally published at: https://digitalya.co/blog/web-app-ideas-to-check/

Trending Mobile App Ideas in 2021

Digitalya — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:08:34 +0000

These days, you have an app for anything. Many tasks can be automated through a mobile app—from booking doctor appointments to personal development or online classes. With these trending mobile app ideas in 2021, we will go through the most popular—and the process of coming up with your app.

Lately, apps are getting bolder and bolder—integrating virtual reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and even augmented reality. However, considering the myriad of trending apps on the market today, you need a million-dollar idea to stand out from the crowd.

Like any other startup app ideas, the base concept of your app must solve a problem that your future audience has. More importantly, it needs to be a problem that people would buy the solution for.

Short of ideas? Let’s go together through some inspiration for startup mobile app ideas.

What is a mobile app?
What should be included in a mobile app?
What kind of apps were in demand in 2020?
Trending mobile app ideas in 2021
Is it expensive to make an app?
How to get new mobile app ideas
How do you make an app unique?
How do you present a mobile app idea?
Conclusion

1. What is a mobile app?

As the name suggests, a mobile app is a software application specifically designed to run on mobile devices. Opposite to web apps, mobile ones move away from integrated software systems. In other words, they provide isolated and limited functionality. They could be a messaging app, social networking app, or a streaming app; they are designed to do one thing.

Generally, apps can be categorized as web apps or native applications, as explicitly created for a particular platform. Recently, a third category joined the game—it combines both web and native apps. In the future, we expect apps to be primarily web-based and device-agnostic.

2. What should be included in a mobile app?

Studies have shown that most users do not use apps they downloaded three months ago. This means that you have to invest a lot of time and effort to build loyalty around your product.

One of the best ways to start your journey is to think about what features your users would expect from you. No matter what type of app you’ve developed, there is a set of functionalities that improve user experience and make it more enjoyable. Let’s see what they are:

a. Onboarding

If your app is complicated to use and gives no explanations, most people won’t stick around. This is especially true for first-time users. It would be best to have the signing up and navigation process intuitive and straightforward.

To aid with this, you can set up an onboarding process. This means that you show the user how to use the app effectively while demonstrating your value proposition. You can easily do this with a quick step-by-step tutorial or some pointers placed well.

b. Responsive App Mobile Design

Nowadays, it would help if you considered an abundance of screen sizes and resolutions when developing your app. You need to make sure that it will look seamless on any device—otherwise, your users will go to an app that does.

c. Minimal Keyboard Usage

Try to design your app so that your users need to use the keyboard as little as they can—unless you're building a social networking app. The experience of a mobile app should be as touch-based as possible. When you’re in front of a keyboard and mouse setup, it’s much easier to complete forms and gives a lot of information—this is not the case for a mobile structure.

d. Offline Usage

If possible, it’s always a good idea to provide as much app usability without an Internet connection as possible. Sure, you need to have a balance with this, keeping in mind data protection and security.

The type of data and what quantity is stored on the device depends on the sort of app you develop, but you want to allow users to do at least some work offline. Or, for example, if you're working on a streaming app, you can allow your users to download the content they want to watch.

3. What kind of apps were in demand in 2020?

a. On-Demand Apps

Especially in 2020, this kind of mobile app idea skyrocketed. They are the connecting link between customers and businesses. We’re talking about any food delivery app, restaurant apps, ride sharing apps, or even food donation or any variation of a delivery app.

2020 and 2021 provided an excellent opportunity for any app development company to tap into the vast business market and build on-demand services for companies that aren’t online yet. You can go even further and tap into food donation and other types of charity.

b. Entertainment Apps

Ever since the classic snake game came with our old phones, gaming apps have been in high demand. We all need to take a break once in a while, and mobile gaming is usually the go-to choice.

However, to be noticed, you need to develop a fresh concept, excellent graphics, and an intelligent way of making your users return to your app from time to time. It’s not enough anymore to make a spin-off of an already popular app to have success with your gaming apps.

Entertainment apps aren’t limited to mobile gaming, though. You can think of book apps, live video platforms, and even improved social media applications.

c. News & Information Apps

2020 was a year when everybody had one eye on the news. Naturally, most people choose to have a news app on their phone to check from time to time.

In the context of the pandemic, many mobile app developers worked on an alert app to help people determine if they were at risk or not. In the future, this type of app might become even more popular.

4. Trending mobile app ideas in 2021

When you look at any app store, you might feel that all good app ideas are already developed. However, there are so many concepts left unexplored and so many mobile apps that could be improved. Let’s go together through some of these.

a. Goods Exchange App

In closed communities, the idea of exchanging goods without involving any money already exists. Imagine that you have a book on your shelf that you’ve read so many times; you know all the words. But then there’s me, I have a book you’d want to read, and I’ve been looking for yours for ages. The natural thing would be to exchange books, right?

The only thing needed here would be a medium where you and I could meet. And what’s better than an intuitive exchange app that can facilitate this process?

Speaking of books, you can work on a book review app that would go hand in hand with the goods exchange app. This way, people would know if they want to trade their book for another.

b. Media Files Sharing App

What’s better than listening to your favorite song in the comfort of your home whenever you feel like it? Doing it with your friends, even at a distance. The same goes for video streaming or live videos—some things are better enjoyed together with people.

So what if there was an app that would allow multiple smartphones to stream media content together at the same time? This could have implications in education since we’re still at the point when students have to attend online classes instead of physical ones.

c. Community Support App

We all go through our challenges—sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. But wouldn’t it be better if you’d have access to a local community support group whenever you needed to?

We’re talking about an app that groups users based on their challenges or goals (like dieting, working out, quitting smoking) and connecting them to support each other.

d. Augmented Reality Applications

AR is used to overlay certain information (like sounds, images, or text) over the actual world. This opens you to the possibility of so many application ideas, from developing an interior design app to facilitating restaurant reservations or even healthcare apps.

e. Fitness App

Since we spend so much time inside nowadays, we need to adapt and learn to stay healthy and active. This is where a fitness app fits right in.

Wondering what you could do differently in this domain? Let us show you a case study from our portfolio at Digitalya.

FeetUp® is a healthcare app that wants to change the way you do yoga. It brings you tailored video content to perform inverted yoga from the comfort of your home.

We have developed an app accommodates video streaming and audio content to multiple users simultaneously. It also tracks user behavior and offers community features for an enhanced experience.

5. Is it expensive to make an app?

There are a lot of factors that can considerably vary the cost to develop your app. The first thing that influences your development cost is its complexity. As a general rule, for a simple app, like book apps or an alert app, you could end up spending around $60.000 for just one platform. For a basic app idea, like a restaurant loyalty one or a time management app, you could go from $60.000 to $150.000 per platform. Finally, for a more complex, multi-feature app, like a fitness app, costs start from $300.000 going up.

However, to find out more accurately how much your app can cost, there are calculators, like the one below, that help you get an estimate development cost based on how you want your startup app to look and work.

Usually, most mobile app development companies offer a process that comprises five steps:

Pre-development—Discovery or research
UX/UI design
Application Development
App testing and deployment
Ongoing support and maintenance

The final price will vary according to these stages, to the members of your development team, and to the number of development days—that vary depending on the complexity of your app.

6. How to get new mobile app ideas

Every journey starts with an idea. Without it, you have nothing to develop and work from. However, the real challenge is not getting new startup mobile apps ideas—it’s creating something that solves a problem that many people have.

Developing an app should reflect both yourself and what you see missing in your community.

First, think about what solution would be helpful for you. Is it learning apps? A fitness app? Or perhaps a time management app or something for interior design. Identify your personal needs and come up with an innovative answer.

But that is not enough. You need to determine whether other people have the same issue and if your solution works for them. Would people buy your app? There’s no better way to find out than building an MVP. This helps you test your startup idea without fully developing it—saving you time, money, and resources.

7. How do you make an app unique?

Mobile application development is not as easy as it sounds—especially if you want to stand out from the crowd. So how do you make your app different from the others?

The first misconception you have to stay away from is restricting yourself from the beginning. Naturally, in the first stage, you will set a budget. However, keep in mind that good ideas need space. Try not to make money a primary constraint.

Also, you shouldn’t develop your whole idea around whether it will make you a fortune. Your point of focus should gather as many users as possible—and this is possible only with an excellent idea.

Another thing that you can do is monitor your competitors. No, not to steal their ideas, but to validate yours. Once you have decided what features your app should have, checking on your competitors could tell you if you’re being original or just doing what everyone else is doing.

Your features make your app a hit or a miss. For a better chance of success, keep your mobile app as customer-oriented as possible. Understand your target audience and build your product so that it meets their requirements.

And, as a bottom line, don’t be afraid of social media. This is an excellent environment for social networking, where you can build a relationship with your target audience and understand them better. By tapping into the minds of your future users, you can get one step closer to developing the “next big thing.”

8. How do you present a mobile app idea?

Whether you’re pitching your idea to possible investors or explaining your concept to your development team, the way you present your mobile app idea is as important as the idea itself.

As you build your pitch deck, here are the fundamental things you should never omit:

Name of the app and idea title
Your team and what skills they have
What problem you’re trying to solve and a customer study for that
The solution you’re proposing
A description of your product and a prototype, if possible
What competitive advantages you have
Your business model
The size of your target market, an overview, and market adoption
Your competitors
Financial details and investing terms
Your contacts

Having a comprehensive pitch deck shows that you came prepared, that you have your facts researched, and that you can be a reliable business partner for your investors.

You need to show your expertise in both soft and hard skills. Having a product approach means that you are aware of what you can offer (your startup idea), you know what you need (investment), who you’re dealing with (your investors), and, finally, who your competition is (or alternative places where your investors’ money could go).

It would be best to consider the importance of your attitude and personality in how people receive your pitch. That’s because feelings are contagious—your audience will sense how you feel about your presentation. If you genuinely believe in your idea and are over-the-roof-excited—so will your public be.

Communicating your ideas to a development team doesn’t change much. Sure, you don’t have to convince them to fund your project, but you need to make them believe in your idea, especially if you’re outsourcing. You need to create a shared vision for your mobile app to have the best results.

It would help if you tried to divide the development of your app into smaller chunks—most problems occur when too many elements are explained at once. So it’s always a good idea to add a little structure.

You can’t go wrong with creating an MVP plan—mobile app development companies can help you with this. A minimum viable product means developing a basic version of your mobile app without your final product’s extra features. The purpose of this step is to help the app development team familiarize themselves with the core of your app idea.

You can also create flow charts or different app screens to explain your user’s steps to follow to do specific actions on your app. This, combined with separate visual mock-ups to clarify how you want things to look, your development team should be ready to go.

9. Conclusion

So you want to develop a mobile app. To create an original idea, you need to know what kind of apps were trending in the past years. After that, the next step is to identify a problem you have—and find an innovative solution for it. There is more than one food delivery app out there—how will yours stand out?

At this point, you’re left with a question. Does my app solve the same problem for other people? And, perhaps, more importantly, would they be willing to pay for it? Developing an MVP can give you the answer to these questions while saving time, money, and other resources that you’re going to need later. By testing user experience you can adapt and modify your app to fit the needs of your target audience before the development process is over.

Originally published at: https://digitalya.co/blog/trending-mobile-app-ideas/.

Vue vs React: What to choose in 2021?

Digitalya — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 08:32:31 +0000

At the start of a new web app development project, any developer would have a burning dilemma: What is the best framework for this project? While we can’t give you a clear answer, we’d like to suggest a new question: Vue vs React: What to choose in 2021?

When deciding which JavaScript framework to choose for an existing project, it usually comes around to Angular vs React vs Vue. For this article, we are going to make a head-to-head comparison between React and Vue.

1. What is Vue?

2. What is React?

3. Vue vs React performance

4. Vue vs React popularity

5. Vue vs React state management

6. Key differences between Vue and React

7. SEO: Vue vs React

8. Which is better, Vue or React?

9. Will Vue replace React?

10. Is React easier than Vue?

11. Examples of apps built with React

12. Example of apps built with Vue

13. Conclusion: Vue vs React: What to choose in 2021?

1. What is Vue?

Named by Evan You, its creator, a “progressive framework”, Vue had its first public appearance in 2014. Initially used exclusively in China, this popular JavaScript framework is now used worldwide and among the best options for developing intuitive user interfaces as well as Single Page Applications (SPAs).

Vue features two-way binding and uses a virtual DOM—a copy of the actual DOM. However, the primary reason why people are drawn to this framework is its progressive design—this allows developers to migrate already existing projects gradually. This can be done by moving each feature, one by one.

Vue is an open-source project, continuously developed further and maintained by its growing community. There are a lot of big names that are associated with Vue, like BuzzFeed, Grammarly, Nintendo, Trustpilot, and many more.

2. What is React?

Technically not a framework, React is a JavaScript library that is used in web development for interactive elements on websites and UIs. Created by Jordan Walke while working at Facebook, React is also used in creating SPAs and mobile apps.

This JS library grants a lot of flexibility since it uses components—isolated pieces of code—that can be used to create more complex logic and UIs. It also uses a virtual DOM to interact with HTML documents, but all elements are represented as js objects.

3. Vue vs React performance

When it comes to performance, since both Vue and React share common elements, they’re generally equal. They use lazy loading to increase performance rates and lower loading times, and virtual DOMs.

Both Vue and React have excellent performance, each with its own advantages. For instance, memory allocation and startup times are a little better with Vue, whereas, at runtime, React takes the lead.

Nevertheless, there are situations where there is a clear difference in performance between the two. For example:

The modification of a React component state triggers the re-rendering of all of the components in its subtree.
In Vue, these dependencies are tracked—so unnecessary re-rendering is prevented.

Among the two, Vue can handle high frames rate—10 frames/second, as compared to React with 1 FPS.

4. Vue vs React popularity

A good way to measure the popularity of a framework or library is to see how many stars their Github repositories have.

As you can see, ever since 2017, Vue has been right there with React among the most popular frameworks.

As of 2021, Vue has 181K Github stars—and can be considered the most popular JavaScript framework. In the second place, React runs close with 165K stars—continuing to grow.

According to Google Trends, over the past 12 months, companies were looking to hire React developers, followed by Vue and Angular in a neck-to-neck battle. Having this in mind, React jobs are the most popular, followed by Angular, and then Vue—that’s how the job market looked like in 2020.

Another factor here would be the users of each framework. For example, amongst the users of Vue, there’s Trustpilot, BMW, Vice, Nintendo, Adobe Portfolio, Euronews, and many others. On the other hand, BBC, Airbnb, Facebook, PayPal, Netflix, Instagram, and a lot of other popular names, use React.

5. Vue vs React state management

The term state refers to the data that is shared between all your UI components. Naturally, as your system grows, it’s getting harder and harder to manage this. In such scenarios, React offers a single way of modifying the state—simplifying the debugging process.

Redux

In Vue, this is managed a little differently. The local state is unnecessary since you can modify the data by using the data property of the object. Still, for larger apps, you need an external library for state management.

Vuex

6. Key differences between Vue and React

How do you write Hello World in React?

How do you write Hello World in Vue?

7. SEO: Vue vs React

If you use React or Vue, you get a SPA (Single Page Application) that needs Javascript to show any content on your page. Recently, Google announced that their crawl bot can now render paged wish JS and index them. However, most SEO professionals agree that even now Google has a hard time reading and indexing pages like that.

The key to solving this issue is making sure that Google doesn’t need Javascript to render your content. For this, you can archive it by using Server-Side-Rendering (SSR). This means that you run the js code on the server before you send your files to the user for the first time.

8. Which is better, Vue or React?

There is no clear answer to this question. To get as close to the truth as possible, we should agree that it depends on the needs of the developer—each of these options is better than the other in very specific situations.

So let’s analyze a couple of common situations where what you use can make a big difference:

Vue is better if:

You need a solution that works as soon as possible
Your app isn’t very complex or you need it to be extremely fast
You want to migrate an existing project to a new technology, but have limited resources and time
Your team is mostly HTML or junior developers
You prefer clean code and HTML templates

React is better if:

You want to develop a complex application or SPA
You plan on expanding the functionalities of your applications to a great extent in the future
You need a mobile app
Your team prefers JavaScript over HTML
You have experienced React developers on your team

Let’s say you want to…

Create web apps with templates

If you use Vue, you need to add attributes to an HTML layout. Vue.js has a clear advantage when it comes to speed and simplicity, thanks to its templates.

React doesn’t use templates, so for this, you would need to launch DOM in JS. Working with templates in React requires you to know advanced HTML.

Create something simple and efficient

Generally, Vue has a simpler design. You can upload an app straight from your browser and the Vue library can be seamlessly added to the whole project. You can change values easily—the framework automatically makes the relevant changes in DOM.

However, compared to React, Vue can’t track data editing and deletion. React evaluates both previous and current actions and adds any relevant information to DOM. This is why you can’t modify any values directly with React.

Develop a pocket-size, quick app

Both frameworks work on similar mechanisms. However, there’s room for optimization everywhere. Vue is a little faster and is also smaller in size—25.6 kb.

React is double in size—37.4 kb of DOM + 11.4 kb of library. Yet, React has the advantage of having a wider array of API options.

Develop an enterprise-level complex app

React tends to be better for larger apps—it’s more flexible and customizable. Vue uses templates, which makes the process simpler and faster. However, when complexity-levels rise, this is no longer an advantage. Most of the time, React’s code is reusable and can be easily restructured in the future.

Create both web and mobile apps

When it comes to mobile app development, there is no question: React Native is the most used for cross-platform development. With it, you can re-use almost 99% of your JavaScript code between Android and iOS with React-like components.

Nevertheless, Vue has some options for mobile as well. First, there’s NativeScript with which you can write apps in Vue and compile them into native Android or iOS apps. Then there’s Vue Native. It appeared in 2018, so it’s not that popular (yet), but you can use this framework for creating cross-platform native mobile apps.

9. Will Vue replace React?

It’s really hard to make such predictions, especially since each of these frameworks is excellent for different kinds of applications. However, we think it’s safe to say that React has a few bonuses when it comes to performance when compared to Vue.

We have to admit that the Vue framework is still fairly new to the spotlight—it will take some time and effort before it gets to the scale of the React ecosystem.

10. Is React easier than Vue?

When it comes to small applications—Vue shines. As we’ve mentioned before, it’s really easy to use, templates make everything fast, and so forth. However, the situation changes when your application grows—this is where React comes into play.

In the long run, React is more productive and easier to use than Vue. One big reason for this is that paired with React Native, it gives you the ability to develop web and mobile applications without too much extra effort.

As a bottom line, the answer to this question can be summarized to:

If you are familiar with JavaScript (like the NodeJS community), React will be easier and more productive for you.
If you aren’t familiar with JS (like the Laravel community), Vue might be a better choice for you, at least for beginners.

11. Examples of apps built with React

Since Digitalya is a software development company that creates both web applications and mobile apps, we use React all the time. Here are some examples of applications from our Case Studies:

1. FeetUp®

This is an application that aims to help yoga practitioners master inversion techniques from the comfort of their homes. With an extensive database of yoga, fitness, and relaxation classes, FeetUp® delivers a great user experience and quality content to people all over the world.

For this project, we built a mobile app that delivers video and audio content to a large audience at the same time—all while tracking their behavior. We added in a highly customizable area for uploading content, moderating comments, and sending notifications. There are also community functionalities and an integrated shop, for the best possible experience.

2. SEI-Healthcare

This is a web application that has a real-time visualization dashboard for tracking user interaction across medical quizzes. These examinations are timed and have various questions—users can select different answers for each query.

We built a user-centered visualization dashboard that can be accessed through safe authentication. This web app is based on advanced algorithms that analyze gathered data through a set of predefined rules. It showcases 3D models of the results and these can be filtered based on user-roles and other selected preferences.

12. Examples of apps built with Vue

1. FontAwesome

This is a website built with Vue. FontAwesome is a great resource for developers. You can find a wide variety of icons, styles, logos, and many more resources—easily accessible and there for you to simply grab and use.

The website is built with user-experience in mind and you can notice the low-complexity and ease of usage of the website.

2. Habitica

This is a cool productivity app that you can use to track your habit-building process. The unique thing about it is that for every good habit that you learn, or any achievement reached, you get in-game rewards. Also, if you get off-track with your plans, you also get punishments.

The mobile apps—Android and iOS are built using the Vue frameworks and offer a creative way of organizing your lifestyle.

13. Conclusion: Vue vs React: What to choose in 2021?

Each framework has certain advantages over the other. For example, Vue is smaller and faster, it’s convenient due to its templates and has a simplified form of syntax. On the other hand, React offers more flexibility for larger, more complex apps. Also, it’s easier to test, more appropriate for mobile app development and you also have access to more information in case you have a problem.

Therefore, the answer depends on what you plan to develop. The best way to choose any tool for a particular problem is to test different options. You can try working on smaller things with both frameworks, and pick the one that suits you best.

Originally published at https://digitalya.co/blog/vue-vs-react-what-to-choose-in-2021/

5 Awesome Minimum Viable Product Examples

Digitalya — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:12:55 +0000

When you have a product idea, it’s easy to get carried away. There’s always one more feature to add, a little piece of that, another button. But disorganized development is what makes you lose track of your end goal. You will see 5 awesome minimum viable product examples that will help you kick off your journey.

This is how a minimum viable product helps you. By developing a product with enough features to attract early users, you get the chance to learn more about your audience and see what they want to use.

What is an MVP?
Why use an MVP?
How do you create a minimum viable product?
What makes a good MVP?
5 awesome minimum viable product examples
Conclusion

1. What is an MVP?

In the words of Eric Ries, the author of The Lean Start-up, a minimum viable product is:

"that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort"

Long story short, an MVP is a product that has just enough features to attract users. Its purpose is to validate your idea in the early stages of product development.

What makes it important is the opportunity to collect feedback from the users. With this, you can iterate and make improvements in the future. An MVP is crucial in agile software development. This methodology is based on validation and iterating products based on user experience.

The term minimum viable product was introduced in 2001 by Frank Robinson, co-founder, and president of SyncDev, who defined the MVP as

“the right-sized product for your company and your customer. It’s big enough to cause adoption, satisfaction, and sales, but not so big as to be bloated and risky. Technically, it is the product with maximum ROI divided by risk. The MVP is determined by revenue-weighting major features across your most relevant customers, not aggregating all requests for all features from all customers.”

2. Why use an MVP?

In his book, The Lean Startup, Eric Ries said:

“The big question of our time is not Can it be built? But should it be built?”

A minimum viable product is a great way of finding out (before it’s too late) whether you should continue with your product idea.

As you’d expect, the dominant benefit of an MVP is gaining validated learnings about customers without fully developing your product. The sooner in the product development cycle you find out if your product is appealing to your targeted audience, the less effort and money you’ll spend on something that won’t succeed in the market.

The question “Why use an MVP” will be answered clearly when you see the success stories in the 5 awesome minimum viable product examples below.

Minimum Viable Product Disadvantages

1. Not fully understanding an MVP’s intended use

When the term MVP is used loosely, some people understand that it means developing a product with the minimal amount of functionalities they can deliver. While this isn't entirely wrong, it excludes the vital criteria that the MVP should have a feature set sufficient to be able to learn if the product is viable or not.

This means that your MVP provides no insights to influence your strategic decisions. Therefore, you have no chance to reduce the amount of effort or money you spend on product development—one of the most important minimum viable product benefits.

2. Confusing the MVP with other types of minimum products

There are the Minimum Marketable Feature (MMF) or the Minimum Marketable Product (MMP). These are focused on earning. The MMP is a product that has the smallest possible feature set that will address the needs of the users while creating the desired customer experience—making the product marketable. This is a tool to reduce time-to-market. We will talk about other types of products further in the article.

There’s not much harm done with this confusion unless you forget to ask yourself if your product is the right one to satisfy a certain need.

Usually, people stress the minimum part of an MVP but forget about the viable part. If you do that, you risk delivering a product that won’t provide an assessment on how (or if) customers will use it.

3. Not implementing the feedback you receive

An MVP was created, launched, and customers have used it. You received some feedback, but it doesn’t align with your vision, so you decide not to implement it.

The proper use of an MVP implies that the team might dramatically change the delivered product or even abandon it altogether based on the feedback it received. The purpose of the minimum part of an MVP enables teams to do the least amount of work possible to useful feedback—or as Eric Ries defines it, “validated learnings”. Otherwise, you risk working on a product that no one wants or uses.

Minimum Viable Product Advantages

1. The spotlight is on core functionalities

Using an MVP helps you keep clarity and focus on what the main functionalities of your product are. It allows you to test out your business concept—while minimizing the amount of time and money you spend.

In the initial phase of product development, you need to specify the core features and customer value of the software—write it down in a checklist. Having this primary vision always on your mind will help you stay on track and analyze your next steps better.

2. Create a relationship with your initial users

It’s always a good idea to engage with new users and stakeholders during the initial stage of product development. Early customers can become brand ambassadors and give you priceless feedback. There’s nothing better than having your software customer-oriented.

Validated learnings and specific research of your target audience are incredibly valuable for software development. The feedback you get from early adopters can be much more valuable than any predictions or business analytics. Users can tell you which features they appreciate the most or what they would like to see in the next release.

3. Quicker and easier release

First, using the concept of MVP prevents you from cluttering your initial product with unnecessary features. Therefore, your software can be adopted easily, and it won’t be complicated to use. Before you bring in more features, it’s good to test the UX and usability of your core product.

Additionally, the choice to develop only the core functionality will speed up the product delivery. After the first release, you can test the main product hypothesis and gather feedback on both core features and desired ones.

4. Minimal risks in product development

Many popular digital products were developed as MVP first: Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Uber, Dropbox, and many others. You should always keep in mind that a polished, large-scale application will take years to develop—with a lot of money, time, and effort invested.

The MVP concept protects you from unnecessary spending or wasting time on products or features that your target market doesn’t want or won’t use. By developing your future product incrementally, you shelter yourself from the biggest risk: misusing resources.

Other types of “minimum products”

1. Minimum viable product vs minimum marketable product

The minimal marketable product (MMP) is based on the idea of “less is more”. An MMP is a product with the smallest possible feature set that can still address your users’ needs, creates the desired user experience, and can be sold successfully. As we mentioned before, it’s a tool to reduce time-to-market.

As Steve Blank put it, a successful MMP is to

“develop the product for the few, not the many”

You need to focus on the features that will make an actual difference for your users. To discover these features, an MVP is a great opportunity.

2. Minimum viable product vs minimum marketable feature

As the name suggests, a minimum marketable feature (MMF) is the smallest set of functionalities in your product that have to be provided for the user to recognize any value. The term ‘marketable’ refers to a feature that provides sufficient value to the customer so that he buys the product.

An MMF addresses a certain need or solves a specific problem. It needs to be of high quality and usability, and it applies to both internal and external products.

3. Minimum viable product vs proof of concept

A proof of concept (POC) is a small, internal validation project. Its purpose is to provide a “yes” or “no” answer to the question “is the concept viable?”. It has to demonstrate functionality and feasibility for product development.

4. Minimum viable product vs prototype

A proof of concept shows if a product concept can be done, a prototype shows how it will be done. This usually starts with sketches then eventually evolves into an interactive model that should look like the final product.

The purpose of a prototype is to display a product’s design and navigation flow—to maximize efficiency. Discovering errors in a prototype, during the early phases of your project, is its main purpose.

To recap, here are the main benefits of minimum viable product:

Product hypotheses validation with real-life data
Time-to-market reduction for future feature releases
Delivers value to early users
Gain validated learnings
Test your product/market fit before developing your full product
Grow a user base
Same time, money, and other resources

3. How do you create a minimum viable product?

There’s more than one minimum viable product framework that you can follow to find your MVP. We’re going to talk about the five-step process refined by Patrick Vlaskovits in his book The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development.

From a bird’s eye view, these are the five stages:
Define your ecosystem
Determine your value propositions for each of your stakeholders
Hypothesize a final MVP
Identify your biggest risk
Design your value path

Let’s see what this process is all about.

1. Define your ecosystem

Drawing a map of your ecosystem is just a diagram used to display all of your target users. You’ll likely have multiple categories of customers using your product.

You should have a box for each stakeholder: users, customers, partners, and any other possible entities.

The next step is to define the value—more specifically, what your users will receive when using your product. Draw lines for who pays whom.

The last step here is to define how your product will be distributed. What marketing and sales channels will be used to get the product to its end users?

2. Determine your value propositions for each of your stakeholders

During this stage, you need to think about what high-level benefits your stakeholders will gain from your product, and what they would be willing to trade in return. For example, your end-users could get to have more time with their family. Or your customers might obtain an increase in revenue.

3. Hypothesize a final MVP

Vlaskovits said that final MVPs will test assumptions for your business models, while intermediate ones verify components with high-risk. To identify your final minimum viable product, visualize the basic functionalities of your product that you need to bring to each stakeholder to achieve the value you previously proposed.

Additionally, you should think of what each type of user would have to pay for using your MVP and how you should measure the viability of your MVP.

4. Identify your biggest risk

To validate your assumptions, you need to outline the risks associated with your business models and order them from highest to lowest. This way you can determine potential blockers or where your product might fail. As a result, you minimize the possibility of failure and also the loss of resources before developing the full product.

5. Design your value path

During this final step, you need to visualize the customer discovery process. This journey should take you from the point you’re in today to your final MVP. Taking the ideas from your risk assessment from the previous step, imagine the core assumptions you need to test for each identified risk.

You will notice that your value path will be made out of intermediate MVP that verify key hypotheses. If one assumption is validated, you move to the next one, and so forth, until you get to your final MVP.

4. What makes a good MVP?

As a bottom line, a good MVP will be a product that works and is usable. When you want to cut corners, building the bare minimum functionalities will most likely make you fail.

A good MVP fixes a problem you want to address, the simplicity of the product won’t turn users away. Your final MVP should be backed by market research and a target audience. The trick is to carefully select which features are key to solving your customers’ problems.

Most of the time, it’s a good idea to opt for outsourcing with a software development company for creating your MVP. Such an agency will assist you in the full cycle of your product development, from creating a strategy to developing an MVP together.

5. 5 awesome minimum viable product examples

There are many types of MVP, generally put into two categories:

Low-Fidelity MVP used to:

Understand the problems of your customers better
Validate your product ideas
Verify if the problem you identified is worth solving
Explore what solution would be more efficient

High-Fidelity MVP, useful for:

Finding out how much customers are willing to pay for your product
Find early adopters of your product
Define and optimize your marketing strategy
Identify growth opportunities

When deciding which type of MVP you need, here are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself:

What is my biggest risk and how can I avoid it?
How much time do I have to develop my MVP?
What’s my budget?

To make everything clearer, here are 5 awesome minimum viable product examples that were developed with the help of a dedicated team:

1. ClientZen

This is a platform that will turn your customers into brand ambassadors with the help of real-time feedback. ClientZen is the first customer-experience management platform designed especially for B2B digital agencies.

It uses artificial intelligence to measure how happy your customers are, in real-time, based on sentiment analysis.

This web application provides data-driven analysis which, in turn, generates accurate personality insights from your clients. This helps you take action to improve your NPS score and reduce the churn rate.

The initial challenge was having happy clients. Most of the time, the means through which we assess feedback don’t provide sufficient results—or it’s not in real-time. ClientZen wanted to provide an AI and ML-based solution to generate new business opportunities.

Here’s the solution Digitalya has come up with:

A web application that can be integrated with the most common means of communication, like Gmail and Slack, and provides accurate feedback—based on how your customers feel. As a user, you get personality insights generated from analyzing written communication and business advice. This all relies on the NPS level your client is on.

The problem this MVP answered is the need to gather and examine customer feedback. And the features it provides are:

Login
Dashboards for clients overview and different types of insights
Communication platforms integration

2. FeetUp®

This is a mobile application that wants to bring inverted yoga to everyone by providing customized video content for any type of body. FeetUp® provides its users with a broad database of yoga, fitness, and relaxation classes.

This MVP wanted to help its users practice yoga in the comfort of their home, without having to hire a personal yoga. It provides instructions and classes for any type of practitioner. Another great functionality is the ability to do live streams, as a teacher, and to engage with the community.

The team delivered a mobile app that provides video and audio content to a large audience at the same time, while also tracking their behavior. There’s a customizable admin area, used to upload content and moderate activity. Here’s what functionalities this MVP came with:

Login
Content database—video and audio
Behavior and progress tracking
Integrated shop
Customer support

To get a better understanding of how a software development agency can help you launch an MVP and further develop your idea, take a look at the rest of our Case Studies.

3. Buffer

Buffer is an app that allows you to schedule your social media posts for multiple channels in one place. However, before the actual development processes, Joel Gascoigne, Buffer’s founder, tried testing the market.

He started with a simple landing page that simply described what the app did. If people were interested in this product, there was a signup form, where they could leave their email and get notified when the app went online.

He promoted this landing page on social media and realized that there was a customer segment interested in his actual product.

The next step was figuring out how much potential customers would be willing to pay for using it. For this, he updated his landing page with some basic prices and saw how many people were signing up for the paid versions of the app.

After this process, Joel decided that it was time to develop the actual product—with a simple, minimalistic feature set. Shortly after that, Buffer gained more users and generated revenue.

4. Dropbox

Even though it’s hard to believe, Dropbox is another example of a successful minimum viable product. This started as a video of a prototype of the solution Drew Houston came up with. He did this so that people could get a feel of how the app would work, before the actual development process.

After posting the video, he more than tripled the number of potential customers. People liked what solution he was proposing, and they signed up for the actual product.

5. Zappos

This is a “Wizard of Oz” type of MVP example. The whole MVP concept is that the project looks completely functional from an outside perspective. However, everything on the inside is human-operated. Everything is manual. This type of minimum viable product is also called “Manual-first MVPs”, for obvious reasons.

Zappos is a great example here. The founder, Nick Swinmurn, wanted to check if people would buy shoes without being able to try them on first. So he took a picture at a store and promoted it on social media. He found out that he actually had a customer market when people started making purchases. Nowadays, Zappos is a successful business and was recently bought by Amazon—one of the many success stories.

6. Conclusion

An MVP is an efficient core piece of your experimentation strategy. You assume that your possible customers have a certain need, and you come up with a product to help them. Your dedicated team then delivers the final MVP that your users can use—this way you gain validated learnings and crucial feedback on your idea. Based on all this information, you can either continue your work, adapt it, or move on to your next innovative project.

When choosing the type of MVP you want to work on, one of the most important factors that influence your decision will be your budget. You can estimate how much your app will cost, based on what features you want to integrate into it.

In-house vs Outsourcing - Pros & Cons for Product Development

Digitalya — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 13:50:47 +0000

In-house vs outsourcing software development - what is the best option for application development? Defining with whom to work when building an application is not easy. There are a lot of different options on the market, from freelancers to app builders, development agencies and hiring in-house developers. Before taking a decision, you need to consider a series of factors like price, commitment, expertise, level of customization, and others.

To make it easier for you to decide, in this article, we will elaborate on the pros and cons of hiring in-house developers vs outsourcing development services for your digital product.

1. What is in-house development?

2. What is outsourcing software development?

3. What is the difference between outsourcing and in-house software development?

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing (pros and cons)?

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of in-house development (pros and cons)?

6. How to successfully outsource software development?

7. Conclusion

1. What is in-house development?

In-house development or insourcing stands for hiring a team of professionals that will work in your company. From recruitment to growth plans, you will coordinate the whole process.

Naturally, assembling a team won't happen overnight, so you need to make sure that you have a strategy and all the resources needed for this. Getting together, the right team of professionals is a long-term journey. You will basically be in charge of forming a team that will ensure your product's success.

Usually, you can find this business model at businesses that own an already scaled software product and have a user base to ensure the business's stability. Examples of companies that adopted the hiring in-house model are PayPal, Amazon, Salesforce.

2. What is outsourcing software development?

Outsourcing software development stands for hiring a team of professionals from another company specializing in what you want to deliver. In this business model, you are basically commissioning your business idea to a workforce outside your organization.

A software development company will take care of growing your idea into a minimum viable product (MVP) and further on. By working with a software development provider like Digitalya, you will have access to top talent in multiple areas, from developers to UI/UX designers, project managers, scrum masters, quality assurance specialists, and others. The company will take care of the development process of your business idea, including project management. They will also take care of the recruitment process and the growth of each individual from your team.

Nowadays, more and more companies opt for the outsourcing software development model. Among them, you can find WhatsApp, Slack, Alibaba, and even Google.

3. What is the difference between outsourcing and in-house software development?

There are many factors to take into consideration when thinking about the difference between outsourcing vs in-house development. When comparing these two business models, you need to think about variables like time, budget, project scope, talent accessibility, and others.

The main difference between outsourcing and hiring an in-house team consists of the time and money spent finding and hiring the right talent. While a software development company will provide you with the best development team to suit your needs, in the in-house development model, you will need to invest resources into finding people that will fit your culture and grow them to be up to date with the latest tech advancements. This will take a considerable amount of time and resources involved.

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing (pros and cons)?

Now that we pointed out the main differences between the two business models, we can discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of hiring an in-house team.

Pros of in-house development:

Direct communication

The first advantage of having an in-house development team is that you can discuss with them face-to-face more frequently. Being together in the same office will facilitate the communication process by eliminating any misunderstandings. It will also increase the speed of implementing unexpected changes and boost effectiveness.

Cultural fit

When you are recruiting your development team, you will most probably pay attention to hire people according to your values and company culture. The team members you will choose will most probably be a cultural fit for your company, and therefore it will be easier to communicate with them. People that work fulltime in-house tend to blend together and grow in the same direction.

Full control

When working with an in-house team, you have full control of the tools and processes that the development team uses to endure the product's success. The business operations are entirely on you, and you also have full accountability of the recruitment process.

Cons of in-house development:

High expenses

From recruitment and onboarding to professional growth plans, taxes, rent, hardware devices, software programs and more, the price of hiring an in-house team can get way more expensive than working with a software development provider.

Difficult to recruit top talent

The local talent pool might not be sufficient for your business plans and technical needs, hiring might be pricey, and finding the best fit from both soft-skills and tech-wise, might be difficult. With the expansion of the IT industry, there is high competition on hiring the best developers.

Limited options in case of employee turnover

Another consequence of the expansion of the IT industry is employee turnover. Developers tend to change their jobs every one to three years. The possibility of people leaving your company is big, and hiring a developer takes a lot of time, from three to six months. This means that, in case a developer decides to leave the company, your product might be affected since there isn't another one to jump in immediately, like in a software development company.

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of in-house development (pros and cons)?

Searching for an outsourcing partner is a challenge, but finding the right one is bliss. Having a dedicated team helping you design and develop your product idea can save you money and increase the quality of your web app or mobile app. There are many benefits of outsourcing, but also disadvantages. Bear with me; we will explore them both.

Pros of outsourcing:

Cost-effective

Many factors can help you save time and money when working with a software house. First of all, they will take care of the recruitment process and the team members' professional growth; therefore, you will benefit from working with top talent, and experts in the latest tech-stacks and business trends. Second of all, you will have assigned a project manager to ensure that the development team delivers your product on time and within budget. Third of all, a software development company will ensure everything for the team, from hardware equipment to software programs. We have written a resource about how much does it cost to build an app in 2021, if you're curious.

Fast project delivery

In comparison to an in-house team, a software development company has many projects in their portfolio, which means that they are familiar with the process. Therefore they will be able to deliver your web app or mobile app faster while keeping the quality high.

Scalability

Another advantage of outsourcing is the possibility to scale your dedicated team according to the product's needs. If your application is growing fast, and you need more team members, a software development company can help you easily expand your team.

Start-to-end services

A top app development company will offer you start-to-end services, meaning that they will assist you in the full cycle of product development, from mockups, to UI/UX design, development, launching, and maintenance.

Extensive expertise

Software houses gain extensive expertise from working with multiple business owners worldwide in many different industries. Besides the software services, they will offer you consultancy on how to gain a competitive advantage with your product in the market. Working with an experienced team from the start can give a boost to your company and promote internal business growth.

Cons of outsourcing:

Cultural differences

If you partner up with a software development company from another country, there might be a difference in culture when working with your outsource team. But since most of the IT specialists tend to have fluency in English, you can solve it with communication.

Security risks

Being afraid that someone can benefit from your business idea is a valid fear. That's why before working with a software provider, make sure you sign an NDA contract that will state your rights regarding the collaboration and the product idea.

Time zone difference

The time zone difference might represent a communication issue if the app development company is not flexible regarding the meeting hours. Vendors usually find solutions to ensure smooth communication, but make sure you discuss this beforehand.

6. How to successfully outsource software development?

Now that you've analyzed the pros and cons of in-house hiring and working with a software partner let's identify some steps in case you consider outsourcing. There are many app development companies out there, but only one is the right partner for you. How can you identify which is the right one?

How to successfully outsource software development?

Step 1: Identify the type of service you need

You might be in need of MVP development, web app development, mobile app development or a dedicated team. You should perform some research based on your needs.

Step 2: Write down what are your expectations from a software provider

Here you should consider factors like the level of quality they follow, the methodology they work with, the level of transparency they adopt, and the involvement you will have throughout the process.

Step 3: Decide upon the geographical regions

They are a lot of app development companies out there from many different regions. The most popular regions would be North America, Eastern Europe, Central and Western Europe, South Asia. The differences between them consist of price, quality, and culture. Usually, you can find the best quality-price ratio in Eastern Europe.

Step 4: Do some research on Clutch and Good firms

Do research on Clutch and Good firms to see the companies' ratings and what previous feedback they received. This kind of directories can help you check reviews, geographical regions and prices of software development providers.

Step 5: Do a shortlist

Do a shortlist with three to five app development providers, contact them, and ask for a quote. While discussing with them, identify what are your feelings towards them, if you feel comfortable working with them, and you think they're trustworthy or not. Compare the estimates received and the feelings you had while discussing.

Step 6: Study previous projects

Most of the development agencies have a portfolio of previous projects they developed and their clients. Feel free to check Digitalya's case studies.

Step 7: Make the final choice

After you discussed with different software providers and studied their previous work, you are ready to choose.

Awesome! Now you have a software development partner that will help you build your app idea.

7. Conclusion

Making the right choice in the in-house vs outsourcing dilemma is not easy. We hope that the pros and cons stated in this article will help you evaluate the market and make a good decision based on your needs.

As a software development provider, we are more than happy to discuss your idea and make a technical assessment. If you want to talk to us, leave us a line, and we will get back to you to discuss more details.

Laravel vs Django — Performance Comparison

Digitalya — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:21:12 +0000

Laravel vs Django, what should I choose and why? A question that many people that would like to build a web app ask themselves.

This article aims to make a fair comparison between the given two web frameworks. We will focus on describing every technology by reviewing aspects such as the learning curve, web performance, web development speed, and many more.

Everything starts with an idea: we want to build a project that achieves traction and helps its audience. We want the next big thing. We have thought about what features we would like to have, and we already did our needed research. The next thing to decide is the following: do we need a web application or a website? If we are determined that we need a web application, we should discuss what technologies are the best for us.

What is the Laravel framework?
What is the Django framework?
Head to head comparison between Django vs Laravel
Which is better, Laravel or Django?
Which is faster, Django or Laravel?
Is Django worth learning in 2021?
Is Django still relevant in 2021?
Conclusion: Django vs Laravel — which one to choose?

1. What is the Laravel framework?

According to the creator of Laravel, Taylor Otwell:

Laravel is a web application framework with an expressive, elegant syntax.

From a development perspective, that sounds awesome, but I think we need some more context to understand the meaning behind this statement.

Let’s start with the beginning: Laravel is a PHP web application framework created and developed by Taylor Otwell, released for the first time in 2011 under MIT License. This type of license gives users express permission to reuse the code for any purpose as long as they include the original copy of the MIT license in their distribution.

Laravel has an MVC architecture (Model View Controller) and at the beginning was the go-to solution for building Content Management System (CMS) applications. Recently Laravel has improved a lot and is suitable for all types of applications.

2. What is the Django framework?

According to Django's official website:

Django was invented to meet fast-moving newsroom deadlines while satisfying the tough requirements of experienced web developers.

Django is a high-level web development framework written in Python, developed by the Django Software Foundation, released in 2005 under a 3-clause BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) license. This type of license is free with minimal requirements, such as keeping the original copyright and acknowledgments in your technical solution.

Django has a Model View Template (MVT) architecture, and we mainly use it for large and complex applications. Some of the well-known companies using Django are Mozilla, Instagram, Bitbucket, Pinterest. The Django framework’s primary goal is to help developers create an application in the shortest time possible.

3. Head-to-head comparison between Django vs Laravel

Popularity

Django is a popular framework used in web applications for industries such as science, education, computer, and electronics. One of the ways we measure popularity from a development perspective is through Github Stars. According to the latest data, as of February 2021, Django is in the top with 55.5k stars.
Laravel is the most popular PHP web framework used in various applications for multiple industries like arts, entertainment, shopping, and travel. According to the same data, Laravel just became the most popular backend framework with a total of 63.8k stars.

Community

Django has a massive web development community. The community is active and a lot of pull requests are open for review.

Laravel also has a large community, which is growing continuously.

Learning curve

As a prerequisite, you need to know Python, even at the beginning level. Once you start learning Django, the learning curve is short, and the syntax is very intuitive.

Compared to Django, Laravel has a steeper learning curve. As prerequisites, you would need to know PHP at a beginner to medium level, along with basic object-oriented programming paradigms. Once you have the knowledge in place, it will take you a bit longer to learn Laravel, but once you get the basics, the structure and syntax are intuitive.

Security

Django is highly secure and suitable for enterprise applications.

Laravel has basic security futures by default. Some 3-rd party packages improve security.

API support

Unfortunately, Django does not have the support to create REST APIs easily. The routing is challenging, and developing Application Programming Interfaces requires a very experimented Django developer.

Laravel has a routing system to use, with built-in support for generating APIs. This way is relatively easy to generate backend solutions for mobile development and frontend development at the same time.

Cross-platform and scalability

Django supports cross-platform and high scalability (the capability of a system or process to handle a growing amount of work).

Laravel supports cross-platform but has limited support for scalability.

SEO tools

Django has a significant advantage by providing built-in SEO tools to implement and monitor SEO-related data into your application quickly.

Laravel does not have support for SEO tools.

4. Which is faster, Django or Laravel?

Let’s talk about a performance comparison. To check Laravel vs Django performance, we will analyze both frameworks from multiple perspectives: speed, development time, support, usage, and costs.

We will outline both the strengths and weaknesses that these technologies have in place.

Speed

Python is a high-level language that offers swift and speedy execution.

Django is a lightweight framework that, combined with programming language speed, results in native fast execution code.
Besides that, Django comes with support for the developers to quickly address speed issues.

Laravel has rich and robust features with a focus on clean code. These aspects make the framework slower, even than other PHP frameworks.

To speed up the framework-developed functionality, we need an experienced PHP developer to navigate different versions and features.

Starting with PHP 8, many speed-related improvements can be observed, but Python remains a faster language from our current data and benchmarks.

Development time

Django also has some built-in functionalities, through a series of batteries included in the framework.

The functionality is beneficial if you need it the way it is developed. The hustle starts when you do not want to use the default functionality. The framework has a so-called “monolith architecture” making it very hard and time-consuming to override the default functionality.

Laravel has a lot of built-in functionalities along with a consistent 3-rd party package community. As a result, standard behavior from routing, CRUD, building an authentication system, and API development happens fast.

The latest versions of the framework provide a lot of functionality on need basses through packages developed and supported by the framework: official Laravel packages.

Support and usage

If we read an article from 2017–2018, it will state that Django is one of the most used backend frameworks.

In the last time, this changed. According to Built With Trends, the number of current live websites built with Django is 30k. If we do this check on Google Trends, we can also notice a decrease in interest over the last four years, getting an average of 50.

The decrease in interest affects the community also. Although Django has a solid community, it is slowly losing its members.

Laravel is a relatively new framework. If we check the data from 2017–2018 we might get information like: it is not reliable, has a decent community, it is not that popular.

Fast forward to 2021 and, according to Built With Trends, we have 678K live websites built with Laravel with a history of 1.23M over time.

Doing the exact searches on Google Trends as for Django, we obtain an average rate of 74.

In the last four years, the popularity of Laravel exploded, and the community is continuously growing.

What about app development cost? Is it the same for both Laravel and Django? Sometimes, the technology we use determines a different expense also. How do we calculate the cost of a web application and why is it different based on technology?
We have two main aspects that are applied to the majority of cases: development time and hourly rate. These aspects are making Django a more expensive solution than Laravel.

5. Which is better, Laravel or Django?

The question “Is Laravel better than Django?” has a very confusing answer: “It depends.”. I do not like this answer, and further on, the goal is to give some context that will make a choice easier.

By default, we can not say that a framework is better than another, without defining what “better” represents for us. Better might be the fastest running site, the fastest development time, a high-security level, and the super clean code base that makes it easy to include a new developer in the project, automatic deployment, and overall maintenance.

Let’s make some project-based decisions regarding the best solution for a framework.

Security in the application is a must

I like this subject because it brings some exciting topics into the discussion like data protection, support for different kinds of attacks (cross-site scripting, cross-site request forgery, SQL Injection), and various security issues.

If we look into the “head to head” comparison above, the answer should be clear: Django is the best one. But is it ever that simple? Of course not.

Let’s think of banking industry apps, enterprise multi-layer access applications, AI/VR algorithms, or scientific research. Python, along with Django, is probably the best solution. However, if we think of Content Management Systems or management applications with minimal AI capabilities, Laravel is your go-to, even if the apps require high-security functionalities. You can find many examples of this type of apps build with Laravel in aviation, factories, or healthcare.

API based applications with multiple consumers

If we say API, the answer is simple: Laravel is the best. We have described above one advantage that this framework has over Django, and this is that Laravel has built-in easy to use REST API capabilities.

The answer is simple when we do not have other constraints, but this rarely happens in real life. If we add a new layer of complexity, like “speed” we have a decision to make: is it worth it time-wise to implement a Django API middleware to have a faster response time? Keep in mind that when we say fast, we mean even milliseconds differences. If you say yes to this question, Django is the best choice for you.

Fastest time to market

If you have a lot of default behaving functionality compatible with Django, you should choose Django for your application. If you have more custom software development needs, Laravel is the solution for you.

It is often challenging to make a technical decision, especially when you start exploring the tech world. Fortunately, many professionals with a lot of product development expertise will provide you with valuable information based on your needs.

6. Is Django worth learning in 2021?

Depending on your needs and plans, it might be a big “YES” or a definite “NO”.

Let’s analyze why we should learn Django or maybe try Laravel instead.

If we follow the trends, we can 100% say that the most popular is Laravel, and in my opinion, that won’t change too soon. The popularity comes with many benefits: many projects and opportunities one can choose from, an increased community that can help you, and a lot of resources at your disposal

Got it: Laravel is popular, but maybe you would like to work on really secure applications, and perhaps you like Python as a language. Then it’s a no-brainer: Django might be the go-to solution.

Let me resume it and not transform this question into a debate I have with myself: it is important to learn diverse concepts and best practices from the web world regardless of the language and framework you prefer.

7. Is Django still relevant in 2021?

“Is Django still relevant in 2021?” is a tricky question. If we think of 2021, both Django and Laravel are relevant and frequently used for web development. Together, these frameworks cover most Web Development industry needs, from small applications to enterprise, based on different business needs like management applications and secure banking applications alike.

Let’s think about the future: “Is Django still relevant 5 years from now? What about Laravel?”. I cannot correctly answer this question. What I can do is look at the data, crunch the numbers and make a reasonably educated guess. I think you should do that also and come up with your conclusions.

8. Conclusion: Django vs Laravel — Which one to choose?

In conclusion, we cannot say that one is way better than the other by saying which framework to choose. We have two different web frameworks developed for two different programming languages: Python and PHP. This makes the decision even harder than choosing between two frameworks created in the same programming language, like, let’s say Laravel development vs Codeigniter development.

A significant impact in the way Django and Laravel are behaving is linked to the language they are written in. On the one hand, we have Python, a high-level language used in multiple areas from research and algorithm to web development. On the other hand, we have PHP, one of the most used web development server-side languages out there. One is inherently faster, performance-wise, but the other has a lot of standards for writing beautiful and abstract clean code.

But you still have to choose one. You should analyze your business needs as described in this article and if you do not have a clear understanding of the best framework for you, ask an expert. The basic rule of thumb, if you like, in the majority of cases, the only significant differences that you might have are development time and costs.

If you’re curious to see how much your app will cost, you can use our App Cost Calculator to get an estimate for your future project.

Originally published at https://digitalya.co/blog/laravel-vs-django-performance-comparison/

Is React a framework or library? - Everything you need to know

Digitalya — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 14:04:01 +0000

Is React a framework or library? - This is the question that started many disputes among developer communities, and in this article, we will answer it, providing the best pro and con arguments.

As a software development company specialized in web development and mobile app development, we did not manage to avoid this question internally. Our web developers discussed this topic so intensively that they were on the edge of letting their keyboards out of their hands. That's why we thought of creating a complete guide for you, in which we point out the key differences between these two and what React really is.

So let's roll on.

What is the difference between a framework and a library?
What Is React?
What is React Native?
Is React a framework or library?
Is React the best library?
Advantages of using React library
Disadvantages of using React library
Conclusion

What is the difference between a framework and a library?

Before we answer the question "Is React a framework or library?" it's important to know the differences between the two. Let's start by looking at what a javascript framework is and what a javascript library is and then compare them.

Ayush Gupta, an Applied Research Engineer at Apple defined javascript frameworks as:

... JavaScript code libraries that have pre-written code to use for routine programming features and tasks. It is literally a framework to build websites or web applications around.

Woah! That's quite a definition. But what exactly are those routine programming features and tasks? Well, those are functionalities you would otherwise need a third party library to achieve. Think of dependency injection, authentication, or routing inside a web application.

Then what is a javascript library? By definition, a javascript library is a collection of functions that accomplish something. For example, think of writing some functions that capitalize the first letter of a sentence and count the number of words in a paragraph. Congratulations, you just created a small library for text editing.

To better understand the difference between a javascript framework and a javascript library, let's create an analogy. Think of the following example (we really liked when we came up with this one): a javascript framework is like a MacBook. It's tightly coupled. All components in the MacBook work together and are highly dependent on each other. If something were to break in the MacBook or for some reason the MacBook would not be able to fit your needs and requirements. There's a good chance that you would have to throw it entirely into the garbage - not many chances to fix or upgrade it. But on the other hand, you know when using it that it's going to accomplish the tasks it says it does. No surprises, no components that don't work with each other, no power source that can't handle stuff.

On the other hand, using javascript libraries to build a web app is like building your own computer. You have to pick each component by hand - the processor, the motherboard, the video card, the hard disk, the power source. Then you need to make sure they work together (this is called tightly coupled). The good part, though, is that if the system breaks, you only need to change the broken component. Some components might not work if you're not careful about their compatibility, but still, you can build your computer exactly as you wish and extend some of the functionalities - if that's what you need!

There's no right answer when choosing between a javascript framework such as Angular, Ruby on Rails, Laravel, and a javascript library such as React. In the end, it's all about what you need and how your web application is going to evolve in the future.

What is React?

React is a javascript library for building user interfaces or UI components. It was created by Jordan Walke while he was working at Facebook, and it can be used in the development of single-page applications or mobile applications.

As a js library, its main focus is to work with state management and render the state to a virtual DOM, which gets copied to the actual DOM.

While using React alone, you can build a simple web application. In order to use the full power of React, you'd need to use additional libraries such as React Navigation or React Router that work in an opinionated way.

Is React a framework or library?

Looking on the official react website, we get the following definition:

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

That should answer the question and not cause any other debates, right? Well, not exactly; the debate over "Is React a framework or library?" is as strong as ever.

Over the years, developers, software engineers and developer communities came with pros and cons related to the status of React as a library or React as a framework. Let's analyze them together.

React as a library:

Follows the UNIX philosophy “Make each program do one thing well”. And that’s exactly what to expect from a library like React: it does one thing and it does it well.
React can be easily plugged into an existing technology stack — and that’s the definition of a library.
React can be easily swapped by some other javascript library offering similar functionalities.
React as a framework:

React and the few libraries that are around its ecosystem such as React Navigation offer all the tools required to build a client-side application most of the time.
Because of its state and lifecycle on the components, you inverted the control to React.

Related libraries must work in an opinionated way.
So, is React a framework or library? After countless research and debates between my colleagues and me, we decided that React is a js library that works similarly to a js framework.

What is React Native?

React Native is a framework for building native apps using React. It can be used to develop applications that target anything from Android, iOS devices to Windows systems.

React Native is working in a similar way to React, however, it does not work by copying the virtual DOM to the actual DOM. It works by using a javascript thread that interprets the javascript code and communicates with the native components. It even allows you to write native code in Java for Android and Objective-C or Swift for iOS in case you need to extend some of the functionalities.

In React Native you can build your own mobile applications fast - like, lightning-fast.

We want to show you what you could create, so we made a small guide for a game we developed - rock, paper, scissors!

Rock, Paper, Scissors Game in just 100 lines of code!

We start by splitting our screen into three parts - at 20%, 40% 40% heights:

<View style={{flex: 1, flexDirection: 'column'}}>
  <View style={{flex: 1, flexDirection: 'column', backgroundColor: '#6591C7'}}>
  </View>
  <View style={{flex: 2, flexDirection: 'row', backgroundColor: '#CBE1FB'}}>
  </View>
  <View style={{flex: 2, flexDirection: 'row', backgroundcolor: '#7FB7FA'}}>
  </View>
</View>

Then we declare some states to hold a countdown, a winner and the number of games played:

const [countdown, setCountdown] = useState(3);
const [winnder, setWinner] = useState("");
const [games, setGames] = useState(0);

And modify our first part to display them:

<View style={{flex: 1, flexDirection: 'column', backgroundColor: '#6591C7' justufyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center'}}>

  <View style={{flex: 1, justifycontent: 'center', alignItems: 'center'}}>
    <Text style={{fontSize: 24, color: 'white'}}>
    Countdown: {countdown}
    </Text>
    {winner != "" && countdown == 0 &&
    <Text style={{fontSize: 20, color: 'white'}}>
    Winner {winner}🎉
    </Text>}
  </View>
</View>

But, hmm, it’s not really a game if the player does not interact with anything, is it? In the second part of the screen, we want to let the player choose one of the three options: rock, paper, or scissors. So let’s do that.

We simply create three buttons. When one is pressed, we update a state with the value from the corresponding button. Simple right?

So first, let’s create a state that holds our players choice:

const [playerChose, setPlayerChose] = useState("");

Now, let’s go ahead and create our buttons. We’ll use some emojis to make them more flashy.

<View style={{flex: 1, justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center'}}>
  <TouchableOpacity disabled={countdown !=0 && countdpwn != 3} onPress ={() => {setPlayerChose("rock"); setGames(games + 1)}}>
    <View style={playerChose == "rock" && {borderWidth: 3, borderColor: '#6591C7', borderRadius: 10}}>
      <Text style={{fontSize: 24, color: '#6591C7'}}>
      ✊Rock
      </Text>
    </View>
  </TouchableOpacity>
</View>

That looks like something.

So we can only press the button when the game has not started (timer = 3) or the timer reached 0, and we want to restart the game. We increment the number of games played by 1 with setGames(games +1), and we add our player option with setPlayerChose(“rock”); We could create a component for this but for the sake of this example, let’s just copy it for our paper and scissors buttons.

We’re getting somewhere. But when the player selects an option, the countdown should count to 0; then the device should choose an option and see who wins.

So first, let’s make the countdown be 3 when the player starts a new game (remember, games go up by 1 each time the player picks an option):

useEffect( () => {
  setCountdown(3);
}, [games])useEffect( () => {
  setCountdown(3);
}, [games])

Easy-peasy! Now let’s make the counter go down to 0 when the player picks an option:

useEffect( () => {
  if (countdown > 0 && playerChose != "") {
    setTimeout( () => setCountdown( countdown - 1), 1000);
  }
}, [playerChose, countdown]);

Now, what’s left for the device to pick up an option and see who wins! And it has to do it when the counter reaches 0.

So first, let’s have it pick its option:

useEffect( () => {
  if ( countdown == 0) {
    //pick a random option
    var options = [ "rock", "paper", "scissors"],
    optionsToUse = options[Math.floor(Math.random() * options.lenght)];
    setDeviceChose(optionstoUse);
  }
}, [countdown]);

And display that option to the user:

<View style={{flex: 2, flexDirection: 'row', backgroundColor: '#7FB7FA', justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center'}}>
  {deviceChose == "rock" &&
  <Text style={{fontSize: 24, color: 'white'}}>
  ✊Rock
  </Text>}
  {deviceChose == "paper" &&
  <Text style={{fontSize: 24, color: 'white'}}>
  ✋Paper
  </Text>}
  {deviceChose == "scissors" &&
  <Text style={{fontSize: 24, color: 'white'}}>
  🤞Scissors
  </Text>}
</View>

Only one thing remains, and that’s to announce the winner!

useEffect( () => {
  if (playerChose == deviceChose) {
    setWinner("It's a tie!");
    return;
  }
  if (playerChose === "rock") {
    if (deviceChose === "scissors") setWinner ("Player!"); else setWinner ("Device!");
  }
  if (playerChose === "paper") {
    if (deviceChose === "rock") setWinner("Player!"); else setWinner("Device!");
  }
  if (playerChose === "scissors") {
    if (deviceChose === "paper") setWinner("Player!"); else setWinner("Device!");
  }
}, [deviceChose]);

And now if we play…

Oh! We’ve been defeated! That’s not good. Give them a few years, and who knows what will happen. But maybe you can win.

You can test the game online or on your own phone by scanning the QR code under “My device” on the right side of the screen.

You can test the app on snack.expo.io or see the full source code here.

Is React the best framework?

Library. And yes, it is. This might be a bit biased since me and my colleagues like React — a lot — but let’s try to see it from a more objective perspective.

There are many libraries and frameworks on the market. When talking about React being the best javascript library or javascript framework on the market, it mostly means that there are some competitors to it — and the other most known javascript frameworks are Angular and Vue.

When choosing the right libraries and frameworks to build your mobile app or web app, it’s important to look over a couple of aspects, and one of them is their popularity. It’s important that a framework is popular so that it has a well-established dev community around it. If you were to search on google or StackOverflow a question regarding some specific functionality or bug inside the framework, you’d most likely want to see other people who might have encountered the issue and found a solution. If we think of Angular vs React, the second one is definitely more popular.

A good measure for comparing javascript frameworks and libraries like Vue, React Native, Angular, and React is the number of Stars they got on Github over time. Putting them side by side, we get the following graph:

We see React sharing almost 250.000 stars between itself and React Native. That’s a good sign the framework is healthy, and the dev community is very much alive! Web developers have a hard time adopting new javascript frameworks and libraries if they are not popular.

Another measure is the number of jobs each framework offers, and here, React is king. Looking over a comparison on Google Trends between React jobs, Angular jobs, Vue jobs, and React Native jobs in the last twelve months, we see that React is holding the first place:

One last comparison is important when picking a javascript framework to work with, and that is the learning curve: all three javascript frameworks (Vue, Angular, and React) have a steep learning curve. Angular adds a bit more to this as it requires you to learn TypeScript, while React and Vue add more flexibility at the possible cost of writing poor code.

Advantages of using React

One of the most significant advantages we see when using React is its functional components. With the introduction of React Hooks in 2018, it’s possible to write entire web applications, or mobile applications, with just functions posing as React components.

Simply put, React functional components are just javascript functions that have the same functionality as React components and return JSX.

And that leads us two the second great advantage of React: JSX. JSX lets us write a mix of HTML and javascript — and it makes the code much easier to read and write.

Those are the main two reasons we put in front when someone is asking: “Why React?”. There are many others: the virtual DOM, a great dev community, amazing developer tools, and a huge ecosystem.

Disadvantages of using React

JSX — wait, wasn’t that an advantage? Well, it’s a bit tricky. JSX has been seen as one of the greatest advantages of using React but also a disadvantage as it may violate the separation of concerns.

Another disadvantage is the fast pace at which the js library is evolving. The front-end development teams might be reticent in adopting all those new changes while keeping their skills updated with the new ways of doing things. Fast updates might also lead to poorly written documentation — another reason why application developers might find it hard to keep their React skills up-to-date.

Apps built using React

We can split React apps into two main categories: web apps and mobile apps.

From the web apps out there, the most notable one — and the creator of React — is Facebook. Instagram is another great example of a web application written entirely in React. And when talking about react app giants, Netflix does not fall back. They even posted a blog post named “Netflix Likes React” in which they share their reasons for adopting React: Startup Speed, Runtime Performance, and Modularity. Other notable web apps include DropBox, WhatsApp Web, and Yahoo! Mail.

For mobile applications, there are even more big names that use React. And they don’t even have to build entire applications using React Native, just the functionalities they need. If we take a look at the official React Native website, we see names such as Oculus, Shopify, Discord, Skype, and even Tesla.

As a software development company that developed multiple web apps and mobile apps over the past years, we’ve used React a lot. Here are a couple of applications we’ve built with it: FeetUP — a fitness app for inverted yoga, SEDUCO — a course management system or Nylah — an Affiliate marketing platform.

Conclusion

Is React one of the best javascript libraries on the market right now? Yes.

Is React worth learning? Hell yes.

If you’re looking to start a career in software development by developing some basic web apps or mobile apps, React is simply just an amazing tool to get you started.

It has a fantastic dev community around it, tons of libraries for extending its functionality, support for all modern web browsers, and did we mention it’s the most popular among all javascript frameworks and libraries? Yeah, that too! As a react developer, I’m very happy about it.

A simple search on Linkedin or other job-posting platforms will show you a huge number of job opportunities for React. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to die anytime soon.

If you’re curious to see how much a react app will cost, make sure, you’re using our App Cost Calculator to get an estimate.

Originally published at: https://digitalya.co/blog/is-react-a-framework-or-library/