Tips to Provide the Best Website Experience, Page 12 of 25

As a software provider, how can you generate the most revenue and provide the best service to your customers? This is a question many software developers face and most of them consider SaaS or software as a service to be the best solution.

Software as a service development became popularized as online access to tools and resources grew and was preferred among customers. Being able to access software "in the cloud" allows customers to use their favorite software anywhere with an internet connection. With SaaS, software is ran using the web server's hardware and resources, which means customers don't have to worry about their computer's own ability. Gone are the days of having "minimum specification requirements" with software as a service because using the software is as easy as opening a website in your browser. There are no tasks completed on your computer's own hardware and most SaaS providers offer their customers storage space for saving files and projects in the cloud.

Why use Software as a Service Development?

• Monthly revenue from every customer
• Incentive to provide exceptional customer service
• Incentive to improve the software

Choosing to launch your software as a service means monthly revenue from every customer. When you charge a one-time fee like you would with traditional software, your revenue potential is limited. That customer is only worth the amount they paid for the software and your ability to provide customer service is hindered because of overhead costs. With SaaS, each customer has a much larger lifetime value and there is incentive to provide the very best customer service you can. Additionally, there is a major incentive to improve the software when you are receiving monthly revenue from your customers. You suddenly have a reason to hire a development team to integrate new features into the software. Every new addition could mean more customers and better revenue.

SaaS is the Future

Big brands are moving to software as a service and that is typically a sign that things are transitioning in a new direction. Google was one of the first big brands to fully support SaaS and provide access to Google Docs and other software on the web. They have shown how software as a service can be preferred by providing automatic saving to documents and other key features that make SaaS standout from traditional software. When you compare Google Docs to Microsoft Office, there are many promising aspects that make it a preferred choice. SaaS is the future and web programming is increasing in popularity.

How do Customers Feel About SaaS?

Most customers will greatly appreciate that your software is accessible through the web. Traditional software can be clunky and web-based tools are generally far more reliable. However, customers will expect a higher level of professionalism in the departments of customer service and software improvement. When a customer is expected to pay monthly for access to your software, they want full value from the service. Expect your customers to do their research and look for alternatives. If there is a competitor with better software and a one-time fee, you may lose customers. When choosing to use SaaS, you need to have the best software for the right price. During your initial launch, you may want to consider offering your software at a lower price to encourage subscribers.

Are SaaS Development Teams Expensive?

If you don't have programming experience, the only way to transition your business toward software as a service is to hire a development team. Fortunately, SaaS is typically less expensive than traditional software development. SaaS developers often specialize in programming languages like PHP, Python or Ruby. Python and Ruby are often preferred, as they are highly simplistic and allow SaaS developers to reuse code from previous projects, write things with less code and save enormous amounts of time. This ultimately lowers costs and makes SaaS development less expensive.

There are many reasons to consider software as a service development for powering your business. If you have questions on working with a developer and how SaaS could improve your business, please contact us.

The world of mobile app development never stops. Just when you think you have a handle on the latest industry developments and trends, something happens that topples your strategy and introduces new challenges and opportunities. The best way to stay ahead of this constantly-changing environment is to keep up with these developments and stay ahead of the game, knowing what to expect before it actually happens.

So without further ado, here are 4 mobile app development trends that look primed to shape the industry and market in the year(s) to come.

1) Location-Based Functionality

Just a year ago, Apple's iBeacon was regarded by most developers as a luxury feature, something to smile about without much need to integrate it into custom apps. In 2015, that's no longer the case. Location-based WiFi services, which change the functionality of your app depending on where you are, look primed to become a major player in the app industry.

Imagine going grocery shopping. You don't know where a specific item is located, so you pull up the store's app - which displays an indoor-GPS that allows you to navigate exactly to the right spot in the right aisle to find what you're looking for. As a smaller store, how would you feel about promoting your current sales not just on your storefront, but to customers who just happen to walk past it looking at their phones? All that and more is possible with the rise of Beacons and other location-based functionalities.

2) Mobile Payments

Android and Apple have both introduced their version of mobile payment options, and the use of Apple and Android Pay is rising exponentially. Initial concerns among industry watchdogs that the technology wouldn't be used much by consumers due to security concerns have proven false, as audiences are elated by the possibility to check out virtually or in-store without having to take out their wallet.

If your mobile app is directly connected to commerce or e-commerce, this development could have a major influence on your business. If you implement a mobile payment system into your app right now, it will be a convenient and exciting new tool for your audience. But if you wait until a year from now, you may be the only one of your competitors left that doesn't offer this option, and get left behind in the market place.

3) The Internet of Things

What does the ubiquitous buzzword "Internet of Things" have to do with mobile app development? As it turns out, a whole lot.

As you're probably aware, the IoT is "emerging as the next technology mega trend," with 20 billion devices - from smart watches to refrigerators - expected to be connected to the internet by 2020. Consumers can already control their home's TVs, home security systems, temperature and lights remotely from their mobile device, and that's just the beginning. We're rapidly moving toward a world in which most if not all electronics are somehow connected to the internet to increase their convenience and/or functionality.

So far, so common knowledge. But the impact of this trend on mobile app development has been discussed less, so allow us to enter the conversation. Naturally, a multitude of connected devices means new apps will have to have the capability to operate on these devices in addition to smartphones. If you have an Apple App, you may have already run into this with the new Apple Watch. "Mobile" is no longer just associated with "smartphone" or "tablet;" instead, it can mean a wide range of portable, internet-connected devices, all of which are potential carriers and/or operating systems for your app.

4) Biometric Opportunities

In terms of development trends, this one is similar to the mobile payment options we discussed above. Fingerprint scanning was first introduced by Apple on its iPhone 5s in 2013, regarded by many as a cool but ultimately useless (or at least not very useful) gadget. Fast-forward 18 months, and we're seeing biometric capabilities built into mobile devices of all shapes and sizes.

The opportunities that come with this trend are impossible to ignore. Already, you no longer have to remember a multitude of passwords in order to unlock your phone or download an app. A major reason mobile payments have not become regarded as a security risk is the fact that they're linked directly to your fingerprint, making security breaches infinitely more difficult. For an example, look no further than one of the nation's largest banks: USAA now uses facial recognition apps for user identification.

But we predict that it won't stop there. Systems in which all you need is a part of your body (fingerprint or body parts) to log in or perform an action open the door to much more than just mobile payments. And, as is the case with most of these trends, the key is convenience.

Dis-associating logins from password or keyword chains and easing their convenience with biometric sign ins allows you to shift more of your strategy to those services in your app that require a login. As most marketers know, this is a potential gold mine, as you can now track much more in terms of user actions and get a better picture of what your audience is actually doing when they use your app.

In a constantly-changing app market, keeping up with the trends and continuously adjusting to new developments is key to sustained success. For more information on what mobile app should look like in 2015 and beyond, don't hesitate to contact us! We're proud of our continued success in the market, and would be happy to help you.

Lately, it seems like a custom web app is absolutely necessary to do business online, and even companies that have excellent responsive websites have companion apps. Despite this, very few of these apps live up to their promise. What can you do to ensure that your app will keep people's interest? Here are a few things that will help ensure that your offering won't end up being uninstalled:

1. Keep it relevant. Most companies have caught on to this, but there are still a few that make the mistake of releasing an app that has nothing to do with their main service. An example of this would be a food company that puts out a video game. That may work if children are the target market, but if you cater to adults, you need to keep a tighter focus. The food company in the example would be better off with a cooking app or one that promotes eating the types of food that company sells.

2. Don't just duplicate your site. This is especially true if you have a great adaptive site that offers just as much functionality on the small screen as the app would. This offers no value and will soon find its way to the uninstall list. It's a good idea to offer shopping capabilities if your business involves online buying, but remember that your mobile site is already there to take orders. Your app's main function should be to augment it rather than duplicate it.

3. Come up with something unique. Don't worry if you draw a blank on this one. If you talk to a full-service development company, they should be able to brainstorm with you to devise a new angle. Developers get orders all the time, so they can tell you if an idea is something different or a "yet another X" concept. Developers are also good sources of ideas for methods of presentation and other areas that can be made unique even if the main concept has been done.

4. Don't charge unless you're in the app business. People will pay for apps if they're being sold by app companies, but it's a much different story if your business is something like selling cars. In the latter case, people expect your app to be free and will generally refuse to "pay for your ads."

5. If you are in the app business, avoid saturated concepts. This is basically a matter of supply and demand, but it also ties in with the fact that it's much harder to excel when a market is already full of top-notch competition. Avoid saturated categories unless you have a truly unique concept. Go ahead and commission a custom app that you think could be the next Angry Birds - but avoid copying the one that already exists.

6. Hire an experienced and adaptable developer. This is an essential requirement no matter what you intend your app to do or why you want one. Modern developers can keep up with changing project requirements and use processes that assume that changes will be needed. This is much different from ones who use old-fashioned methods that demanded exact specifications from the start and couldn't accommodate changes midstream. Of course, the value of experience barely needs to be explained. Developers who have plenty of it are the ones who are most likely to deliver a glitch-free product and do so within the estimated time frame.

By keeping these six key factors in mind, you'll increase your chance of being successful with your app. To learn more or discuss having a custom app produced, just contact us. We'll be glad to work with you.

Designing a website is a long, arduous process. No matter who helps you design it, you will have to go through extensive testing and coding to ensure it fits your needs. That's why many businesses wait long, maybe too long, to update their website. Yet, more often than not, that update is necessary. Whether you're not responsive in the age of Mobilegeddon or simply want to update the look and usability of your site, you've likely thought about a web redesign once or twice. And more likely than not, that's the right choice! As long as you avoid these 11 embarrassing Faux Pas you better not make when redesigning your website.

1) Don't Start Over

When you redesign your website, it's tempting to start from scratch. But don't! More likely than not, some features on your website (content, layout, navigational structure, etc.) are actually well-liked. Scratching everything you currently have entirely creates more work than necessary and risks worsening your new site.

2) Pick the Right Developer

You may think this is obvious, but too many businesses still fall into this trap: the cheapest developer isn't always the best. Instead of falling for price or flattering words, request previous design examples and inform yourself about the developer's design philosophy before making your choice.

3) Have a Plan

Nothing is worse than going into a major project like this without a specific plan that includes a timeline, budget, and resources needed. A good developer will help you create and adjust that plan, but you should still take the initiative to ensure everything fits within your business objective.

4) Navigation Confusion

A shiny new website that nobody can navigate is possibly even more frustrating than an outdated but easy-to-navigate site. Be sure that everything on your new site is structured well, has a natural home, and is necessary to the site's success.

5) No Search

Even the best navigation may not be intuitive to some users. That's why it's imperative to include a search bar on your website, which allows users to find what they need quickly. The better your website is optimized for certain keywords, the more easily these keywords - and their parent pages - can be found.

6) Accidental "Black Hat"

In 2015, almost no marketer tries "black hat" tactics like hidden text or keyword stuffing to cheat Google's algorithms. But that doesn't mean they're extinct: too often, simply not being aware of what Google likes and doesn't like, and accidentally implementing frowned-upon features into your site, can hurt your SEO.

7) Too Responsive

Responsive design is on every marketer's mind. But don't forget about desktop devices! While mobile internet usage has officially overtaken its desktop counterpart, almost half of all internet users still use desktop and laptop computers to browse the internet. So while responsive design is important, make sure it looks as good on a 21 inch screen than on a 4.5 inch alternative.

8) Undertesting

The greatest concept may not work well in practice. That's why you should never publish a version of your site that has only been tested a little bit - instead, go through thorough usability and coding tests and benchmarks to ensure your site's readability, navigation and load speed are up to par.

9) Overtesting

At the same time, you don't want to test so much that it delays your release date and break your budget. Once test results begin to become consistent, it's time to publish the site. You can still continue your tests with "real" users and adjust accordingly.

10) Fancy Fonts

Adjusting fonts means walking a tight rope: you want your content to stand out, but at the same time you don't want it to be unreadable. When in doubt, prioritize your site's readability by sticking to simple web fonts like Times New Roman, George or Verdana.

11) Image Tomfoolery

We've all read the article that visual content is the nonplus ultra in digital marketing today. But that doesn't mean any image works, and that there couldn't be too much of a good thing. Instead of plastering your website with any images you can find, only post the ones that are actually relevant to the specific text and enhance your written content. Also, ensure that all of your images have ALT text attached to them, which helps your Google ratings and website usability.

All of the above Faux Pas seem like obvious issues. Unfortunately, we run into clients who are committing or have experienced at least one of them much too often. So as you're planning your website redesign, make sure you stay on point, avoid mistakes and your website will be humming with new visitors sooner than you know it.

Oh, and one more thing: A good developer can guide you through the entire process, helping you avoid mistakes from the initial concept planning all the way to the rollout. So once you're ready for a new site, contact us for help!

Responsive design is being talked about so often among digital marketers and web developers these days, it's quickly becoming one of those often-derided buzzwords. But that doesn't diminish its importance; instead, the reason experts have been talking about it so much is that its importance continues to increase. In the age of mobile marketing, it won't be long until responsive design is a must. In fact, we may have already reached that point! So without further ado, here are 8 amazing facts about responsive web design you may not have known.

1. It's not a "mobile site." In fact, responsive design aims to do away with those pesky mobile sites (you know the ones: m.YourSite.com) that required content duplications and more headaches than they were worth. A responsive site is a mobile site as much as a desktop site: it's both, fitting all screen sizes.
2. Most sites can be converted to responsive. Responsive design does not mean starting over from scratch; sometimes, you merely need some changes and updates in your site's code to make it responsive. Of course, you should probably also make sure that your images and content are easily viewable/readable on all devices.
3. Responsive sites don't have to load longer. We've all been there: you go back to a website you visit often, and suddenly it looks better on your tablet - but also takes three times as long to load. It's only normal to blame the responsive design for it, and thinking of an adjustment to responsive as adding code only adds to that thinking. Fortunately, that's a fallacy: a well-designed responsive site does not load any more slowly than its non-responsive counterparts.
4. Responsive design is not a magic cure-all. True, it significantly improves your website's performance in all screen sizes. But you still need a well-designed site with compelling content to actually attract potential customers to your business.
5. Typography is crucial in responsive design. Make sure you pick your font, typeface, spacing and size not only based on your personal device of choice, but all devices. A font may look great on your desktop computer at work, but be almost unreadable on a smartphone.
6. It creates an opportunity for navigation improvements. If your website is desktop-only, you probably don't think much about your navigation. Because you can fit a horizontal or vertical navigation bar into your site, you just fill it up with content and create nested menus as necessary. Responsive design requires simpler navigation, which forces you to rethink your organization and make improvements where needed.
7. A half-page images is about 90% the size of a full-page image. We admit, we're getting into technicalities here. But because of the dynamic screen-size adjustment by responsive sites, the times of merely cutting the dimensions of your image to make it fit half instead of all of your screen are over.
8. Responsive goes beyond design. Don't think about responsive design as a one-time thing that is over as soon as your developer hands you the finished product. Instead, use the initial design as a starting point to create everything on your site from here on out responsively. That includes writing content in shorter paragraphs and sentences to avoid the dreaded "wall of text" on mobile devices, keeping your navigation lean by only including pages that are absolutely necessary, and including plenty of images and graphs. Remember that once your website is responsive, you will inevitably receive more visitors on mobile devices. Don't miss the opportunity to design your content with them in mind.

Of course, these are just a few of the many cool facts regarding responsive design. To hear more, and to get started on bringing your website into the mobile age, contact us!

At this point, we're probably not telling you anything new when we emphasize the importance of effective responsive design. As we've written in the past, any digital marketing strategy has to begin and end with a website that works and is optimized for desktop and mobile screens alike. But how can you learn more about responsive design? Where should you go to get all the information you need to make sure that your website isn't just responsive, but effective in being so?

That's what this post is for. Below are 7 go-to resources about responsive web design.

1) Smashing Magazine

If you're simply looking for an explanation into just what the concept of "responsive design" actually means, this article by Smashing Magazine is perfect for you. Written in 2011, it may be a little dated (or a lot dated, if you count in digital marketing times), but its core concepts and talking points - adjusting screen resolution, flexible images, etc. - ring as true today as they were 4 years ago.

2) Google.com

Another introduction to responsive design comes straight from the search engine giant Google, who has been encouraging web developers to design their websites responsively for years. In fact, it was Google's "Mobilegeddon" algorithm update earlier this year that sent owners of outdated, non-responsive websites in a tizzy for fear of being penalized in search engine results.

The article itself gives readers a near-perfect overview of responsive design, why it matters, and how your website can achieve it. It links to a webinar that accomplishes the same in a visual format, allowing you to dive deeply into the concept from multiple angles. In short, if you are thinking about responsive design, this article should be among your first bookmarks.

3) WebsiteMagazine.com

So just why should you design your new website responsively? For an answer to that question, check out this exhaustive argument from WebsiteMagazine.com that lists numerous SEO advantages of doing so. After reading the article, it will be difficult not to imagine a potential surge in search results once your website is responsive.

4) Hyphenet.com

Of course, the benefits of responsive web design go beyond search engine optimization. So Hyphenet.com compiled no less than 10 distinct business advantages of designing your website responsively, ranging from customer satisfaction to avoiding content duplication. Combine this article with the previous one, and you should have enough bullets in your chamber to convince anyone in your company that responsive design is the way to go.

5) ShayHowe.com

Next, we're getting a bit deeper into the specifics of responsive web design. While nobody expects you to code your own website from scratch, it's nonetheless important to have at least a cursory understanding of how web coding works and just what makes the code for responsive designs so special.

That's exactly what ShayHowe.com does, giving you an introduction into the concept before gradually introducing you to the exact code for responsive design. This article is at once a tutorial and a starting point for anyone who'd loves diving into practical coding or just wants to know more about the concept.

6) W3Schools.com

Oh, you actually want to code the entire website yourself? We don't necessarily recommend that, but feel free to give it a try. W3Schools.com offers a great coding tutorial that, similarly to ShayHowe.com, allows you to gain an insight into the ins and outs of responsive coding. Warning: if you're merely interested in the advantages of responsive design, this link is not for you.

7) Your Web Developer

We'd be remiss not to mention one of the most important resources for anyone thinking of a responsively designed website: your web development company. They are without a doubt the experts in this topic, and can answer any of your questions. And if you don't yet have a web developer on hand, we'd love to be your partner! Contact us to learn more about responsive web design, our specialty in agile development and anything else that you might want to know.

It used to be that a web development company only had to know to do one thing: create websites. In many cases, these sites didn't even have to have any advanced functionality; they just needed to convey basic information. That level soon became inadequate, but the next stage still didn't require much. Now, however, developers have to do far more than present information online or even set up sites for e-commerce. Here are a few things you should expect your web development company to be able to do:

Websites

Apps are hugely popular, but that doesn't mean that you can get away with not having a good website. Many people still lack mobile devices that are big enough to deliver an Internet experience that can compete with what is possible on a desktop or laptop. Those who use a phone as their mobile device will want to be able to log on at home and see your "real" site. Make sure to choose a web developer who can provide this real site.

In today's world, a real site doesn't just show information or accept orders. It also allows for user feedback, comments between users, highlights content that will likely be of interest to the user, and more. That said, a good developer doesn't just jam in everything that is technically possible or that happens to be trending. Instead, the company will add features in a sensible way so the site remains streamlined and easy to use.

Mobile Apps

Every site is expected to have a companion app these days, and there are several good reasons to follow this trend. The main one is that almost everyone has a mobile device, and this allows them to check on things wherever they are. If you don't have a mobile app, that means that you're almost surely losing business to someone who does.

The other reason is that apps work even better on mobile devices than mobile-optimized sites will. A well-designed app adapts perfectly to any screen size, is made to work with a touchscreen interface instead of a mouse and keyboard, and works within the system limitations of the smaller machines. These differences ensure that many mobile users prefer apps to a site's mobile version.

That said, not everyone will download an app right away, especially if they're not regular users of your site or frequent consumers of your product or service. This is why you need a web development company that can handle websites as well as mobile apps.

Integrate Your Online Channels

It's not enough to merely have a website, mobile version of that site, and a mobile app. They all must fit together to provide a seamless presentation and user experience. Your chosen developers need to be able to tie information from all three channels to a single database so that users can access everything from a single account. Just as importantly, the overall look and feel should be as similar as possible so that your branding is strengthened. Branding involves more than your logo; it requires consistency across all points of contact. Choose a web developer who understands this principle so that your online presence is tight and cohesive.

Adaptability

The development company must be able to adapt to your changing needs, often before the first project is even complete. One of the easiest ways to find one that can fulfill this requirement is to look for one that uses an agile/scrum development process. In a nutshell, this means that projects are broken down into separable pieces so that changes don't require redoing everything. You'll find that development under this system is faster and less likely to be affected by undue delays or cost overruns.

To learn more about what is required to be successful in today's technological environment, get project suggestions, or get started with the development of your current ideas, just contact us. We'll be happy to help.

Our parents taught us the rules for survival in class, at home, and in life. They taught us the value of friends and family, and hard work.

What they simply could not have taught us was how Agile programming one day would rock our world. Let’s look at 7 notions your parents never taught you about Agile programming.

1. Look out for number one. And number one is the customer. Did your parents teach you to look out for number one? Agile explicitly redefines “number one” as the customer. Here’s why:

By now the term “savvy customer” is redundant. Customers know what they want and how they can get it. Companies relying on Agile ensure that the product development focus is on meeting or exceeding the customers' product specifications.

2. Working harder by itself is not enough to succeed. Add the notion of working smarter and you’re on the right path. Were you told that hard work was the only way to succeed? It turns out that while hard work is needed, working smarter is the real path to success.

We all know that a collective effort leads to synergy. Agile relies on the collective ability of project team members. They work smarter by pooling skills and experience, trusting each other’s input, and being willing to pivot directions instantly, collectively, as feedback emerges.

Agile teams that have worked on a number of projects together learn to exchange a flow of feedback and ideas more and more easily, increasing the likelihood that end users get a defect-free product that meets or exceeds their specifications on time and within budget.

3. Teamwork rules. If your parents taught you to lead, take a look at the role of project team leader.

It is the PM who, in Agile, plans and organizes the team’s work in alignment with company goals and customer specifications, monitors the product development in real time using Agile project management and time management tools (such as live activity streams), and ensures that the product goals are being met on time and within budget.

Under the supervision of the Project manager (PM), the Agile project team tracks and resolves issues in real time.

Project teams rely on the management skills of their PMs to succeed, and PMs rely on a team of skilled professionals to hit targets.

4. Rock the boat, please. Did your parents teach you not to rock the boat? Not in Agile. Real-time feedback and ideas are invited and necessary for early, cost-saving course corrections.

Whether the feedback or idea is from the customer, the C-Suite, or project team members, live feedback provided to project teams catches errors in real time, not after the fact. That allows teams to refocus the workflow mid-development, which translates into higher quality, lower cost products and happier customers.

Another point about rocking the boat: it’s often the path to innovation. Agile teams understand this and welcome new ideas.

5. It was broke. Agile fixed it. What happened to our parents’ notion of “That’s the way we’ve always done it?” It was broke—so Agile fixed it. Change now is invited and welcome.

Decades of design and production defects and cost-overruns finally led to the birth of Agile. Agile programming embraces live, transparent activity streams allowing instant tracking and error-spotting, and real-time resolution of any issues. Yes, in Agile, change and course correction are the norms.

6. Share what you know—don’t keep it to yourself. Collaboration is key to success in Agile. Each member of the team, whether they are designers, engineers, programmers, or quality specialists, brings key elements to the table as the product is developed.

Agile programming creates a framework for team members’ active and timely input. The Agile process works best when each team professional freely shares ideas and feedback.

7. Short-term sprints work better than marathons. Did your parents teach you that life is a marathon, not a sprint? That may work as a life philosophy, but not as a path to excellence in product development.

Agile programming relies on scrums—short sprints—to ensure that project teams utilize the strengths of each professional member to stay on track and meet customers’ requirements.

Customers—not shareholders—now drive product development in today’s competitive global environment. Agile programming enables companies to respond rapidly to customer specifications in ways that save time, reduce cost, and enable product innovations—which, in turn, attracts new customers.

Contensive relies on Agile programming to create website design and mobile application solutions that delight our customers. Please contact us, and we’ll show you just how responsive we are.