DEV Community: Maxim Churilov

Moving to SaaS business model 101: is it really worth it?

Maxim Churilov — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 09:17:24 +0000

World-renowned companies offering SaaS services like Salesforce, Dropbox, and Slack, are just the tip of the iceberg. Each year more companies around the globe take a chance on moving to a SaaS business model. And for good reason.

Software as a Service (SaaS) industry is a subset of the overall market of cloud-based services that generates $46 billion a year. It is anticipated to be even better by 2020 – around $76 billion.

We are going to talk about what is a SaaS business model and how it works, why SaaS is more than a subscription model, why the shift is a good idea for your business, and how to do it right.

Unlock the value of automation for your real estate business

Maxim Churilov — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 09:15:56 +0000

The tech boom innovations have had a far-reaching effect on the world, more so on business. Rules that worked several years ago may not produce the desired results today. The real estate business is just one of many forced to adapt.

Business process automation seems like a necessary step, not an optional choice. The companies who recognize the pressing need for digitalization and develop custom real estate systems have a greater competitive advantage in the market.

The first step on the way toward real estate automation is actually figuring out what processes should be automated. Below we have collected a number of business processes you need to automate in the nearest future. We also introduce an example of how we automate the business processes of our clients with developing custom property management app.

Effective requirements gathering process - avoid 5 major traps

Maxim Churilov — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 14:16:46 +0000

Nearly 39% of projects fail because of the faulty requirements gathering process. It’s almost impossible to create a product that works as defined, meets its goals and satisfies the stakeholders when you don’t have strong requirements to move forward from.

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there” – this quote by Lewis Carrol has survived decades because it remains apt and surprisingly conveys the value of requirements gathering for software development pretty well. In other words, you should understand what you want to get in the end and why you actually need it.

In nearly every case, spending time for collecting requirements helps you receive a far superior product with less sticking points and frustration.

Why Mocha is our ‘5-star’ Javascript testing framework

Maxim Churilov — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 13:21:14 +0000

Building a predictable and error-free software is something each developer should strive for. Using automated testing allows you to sleep soundly at night as you know for sure your code works properly. A good Javascript testing framework may become your sleeping pill.

Theoretically, it is possible to test an app without using automated testing tools, but in reality, it involves additional stresses like writing helper functions, command-line utilities, feeling anxious about how to run asynchronous tests and so on. Eventually, you will end up building your own custom test automation framework. No need to reinvent the wheel.

JavaScript, like any other programming language, has a number of tools that allow test-driven development, like Jest, Jasmine, Mocha, QUnit, Karma, Cypress, and others. But choosing among testing frameworks turned out not to be an easy task. So, this article will be useful for those who face the same situation and are looking for a suitable testing tool to use.

Usability testing: how to analyze your website for UX pitfalls

Maxim Churilov — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 10:49:14 +0000

Most users will abandon your app after a single use. That’s why providing a smooth user experience should be among your top priorities. Moreover, each dollar invested in usability could return as much as $100. And the first step towards improving your UX is running usability testing.

Usability testing (aka UX testing) allows you to see how easy your website or mobile app is to use. By observing how real users interact with your product, you can discover the issues that prevent them from fully enjoying the experience.

Familiarity with the system or love for certain features might cause the development team to overlook some UX gaps. That’s why testing your app with real users, not developers or good friends, is an absolute must for any business.

A powerful toolkit to make your virtual teams work like a charm

Maxim Churilov — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 19:15:56 +0000

The virtual work method provides companies with an opportunity to build a dream team without borders. Employees, in turn, get a chance not to be tied to the office location and acquire a sound work-life balance.

A virtual group of employees is a great option when organized and managed properly. MindK knows about the challenges related to remote work firsthand.

Sure, like most other IT companies, we have a cozy office where we love to work every day. One fine day we decided to enlarge the team and explore the benefits of a virtual workforce. Now we have several offices located in different cities and a powerful 5-piece toolkit to make virtual teams work for you!

Top 10 risks of outsourcing and how to mitigate them

Maxim Churilov — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 18:04:28 +0000

As a person who has never engaged in outsourcing, you might fear that remote cooperation will cost you too much time and money. These fears are natural when the development team is yet to earn your trust. You can’t avoid all risks of outsourcing, but most of them are easy to mitigate. Following our 10 tips can save you a ton of time and money on remote cooperation.

Team communication: how to achieve your goals in the workplace

Maxim Churilov — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 09:28:09 +0000

There’s a quote from the ’90s that never loses relevance: “No matter what job you have in life, your success will be determined 5% by your academic credentials, 15% by your professional experiences, and 80% by your communication skills.“

Even though the world has become more digital, we still work with humans. Thus, the success of your ideas and attempts to change something will 80% depend on your ability to negotiate and provide strong arguments.

Here, at MindK we take communication with clients and team seriously. Recently, I’ve had a chance to attend a two-day workshop and learn how to be a better communicator. Armed with my own experience as a project manager and the new knowledge, I organized a training session for our team and noted down the most useful insights for you.

Actionable strategies for better data table design

Maxim Churilov — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 09:38:52 +0000

For business, software data is the most valuable asset. Without the ability to properly visualize and manipulate the data, it has zero value as it prevents users from making informed decisions. I decided to show where data table design steps into the breach and how it helps to fix this.

In 99% of cases when people work with data, they need to understand the whole set of information or a part of it, to compare different data parts and draw conclusions, to find required data units and to explore them further and to extract interesting data points from a wealth of information.

Just putting data into a table doesn’t help with any of these tasks.

The success of any system working with a large amount of data, combines the advanced collection of data and comprehensive representation focused on user experience (UX).

What does MVP really stand for (and the recipe for doing it right)

Maxim Churilov — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 17:44:54 +0000

The whole startup world has become inspired by the idea of building Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) after Eric Ries popularised it back in 2008. It has become a trendy word in the tech world gradually turning into a misleading concept.

As a result, we have companies that are not willing to use the MVP approach as they don’t 100% understand it, experts who state the concept is wrong and clients who often get hot under the collar after the suggestion to try out a minimum viable product.

Сonsidering the fact that MVP remains one of the most important components when creating software, it would be unreasonable to drop it just because some people misuse the concept.

Let’s talk about why this lean tool becomes confusing, what mistakes you should avoid and, more to the point, what is the right way to build an MVP.

How to build an API (without spending a fortune and going crazy)

Maxim Churilov — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 17:05:02 +0000

Learning how to build an API turns regular developers into digital superheroes. Here’s our guide to unlocking your superpower.

Knowing how to create an API can give you a number of advantages like higher development speed, streamlined architecture (backend/frontend separation), better scalability with microservices, simpler integrations, easier testing, better security, easier compliance with GDPR and other regulations.

Now, let’s find out how to make an API.

API development on a napkin

Maxim Churilov — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 12:25:57 +0000

They allow us to log in with Facebook, check Google maps inside a geolocation app, or embed YouTube videos on our sites. APIs are the unsung heroes of the digital age. By connecting various apps, services, and data they allow us to create sought-for products.

At MindK, we build internal APIs for almost all of our projects.

There are a number of reasons why a business like yours should consider API development: better security, easier testing, higher development speed and many others.

APIs free you from having to build everything from scratch as your developers can integrate features and data provided by other apps. For many companies, API is an asset that drives their revenue and efficiency. Want to join their ranks? Here’s your guide to API development.