Tag Archives: technology

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A bug on the day of the software release is the biggest nightmare for any tech company. The release of software can be taxing, nail-biting, the times when the whole team is working with fingers crossed and wishing that nothing goes sideways; be it be a bug on a random untested iOS device, poor response by the customer or an unhappy stakeholder, but doesn’t have to be that way!!

The release process your company follows defines the way your business responds to consumer feedback, changes in the market, and technological shifts. Working with numerous clients gives our team experience of just every kind of software/app/website release which exists around. Some bumpy and mostly smooth releases across every type of methodology, from Agile to pure Waterfall.

Software Release Process

We just synthesized our experience together in what we call Progressive Release. It is infused with sharp, emphasizing quick iteration, agile reply to feedback by customers, and low-stress release time-period. We have jotted down five pointers filled tactics to de-risk the complete release process and to-dos to have a customer-centric approach throughout.

Outcomes

A software product cannot be an afterthought, at the time of the release its just like an unruly scramble to be completed. The team needs to critically analyze and establish a complete picture of what the end product would look like keeping in mind all the aspects of design, architecture, development and how the product turns out and the marketing plan.
Make sure that every feature has a measurable goal to fulfill, which in turn leads to a higher level of business outcomes- at the end it’s far less about the output and more about achieving the desired outcomes.

The Development Process

In order to keep the whole process smooth and the team focused on outcomes rather than brawling over smaller touchpoints making the whole release process an exhausting one, we have come up with a continuous integration system. Through this process, business leaders can ensure that the code is regularly merged in order to enable lean and automated methods of continuous deployment or delivery. A method like this lead to an agile release modulation of around 2-4 weeks without adding endless time on testing and documentation.

Feature Toggles

Down the line in order to narrow down the risk while running the race to get the product to the market faster, feature toggles will help your team to plan the release of a particular functionality, to a given user segment, at a distinct time.
For instance, recently for a cinema app we made, feature toggles helped us to enable the fully native ticketing feature to select specific markets across the region to the complete nation’s rollout. This enabled our team to test the particular feature in a production environment, while de-risking rollout of this critical function for our client. This functionality empowers the team to put their heads to the incomplete features which are mostly merged via the continuous integration process, thereby hiding the incomplete functionality from the users until they are ready.

Planned Rollout

This stage lets you release a single version of the product slowly and steadily over a couple of days, rather than launching a big-bang(prone to problems) instantaneous product release. This helps the team to closely monitor the performance of the solution and work on the production issues they affect a large chunk of users. Also, you can monitor the product in regard to its performance in accordance with the business goals and the success pointers via analytics.

Staged Rollout
The official support from iOS and Android makes the staged rollout a pain-free process to be carried out. This process requires a routing or load-balancing service which identifies that users that should be targeted to the new product in case of web applications. There are several other ways which can be followed to carry out staged rollouts without building newer services.

A/B Testing

Planning a series of A/B tests in accordance with the release strategy can help you improve the complete performance of the product without going for another point release. Especially used for data-driven supplementing design elevation, A/B testing is mainly done using a third party tool like Adobe Target, etc. A/B testing differs from feature toggles as the A/B strategy should always be done with a sole motto to enhance the performance of the product, the key pointers which they pay heed to are- account creation, purchase(in case of e-commerce solution) or churn prevention.

The major reason for leveraging feature toggles is to eliminate all the problems that may occur while a software releases and it tests a larger chunk of the complete experience, whereas A/B testing is to incrementally enhance the major details in the functionality and also measure their efficiency against the assigned product outcomes.

Crux

While working on your tech solution’s release process, make a transformation way ahead and keep making incremental changes till you reach your desired destination. A Progressive release plan can help your team to bring about a much-improved product within a record time.

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The first few decades of the information technology century in the business world- from the initial days of the mainframe computing to the internet break-through- was all about a quest for greater optimization and efficiency.

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Going by the to-do list, we’ve achieved most of it. Today, technology has uplifted everything it has touched giving way to value creation, growth enablement, speed and transformation. But technology alone is inefficient in the ongoing scenario, it needs a bit of garnishing from the creative side.

Creativity is In-Vogue!!

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”- Albert Einstein

“Creativity is nothing but the way to solve new problems.”- Anonymous Tech Geek

These two statements define why it’s necessary to be creative. Let’s take a closer look – Thomas Edison invented the light bulb and also hold the record for 1,093 patents. 1,093 mind-boggling ideas, among which only a handful was realized and practised. Think about the infinite number of ideas which didn’t climb the patent ladder, thus making it pretty clear that even most creative people rarely taste success on their first journeys. But does this stop them from thinking more new ideas? No, rather from those unsuccessful ideas, newer and more developed ideas grow.

Moving ahead with a 360-degree approach to solving problems gives way to unique contexts on usability, utility and possibility. Ideas are the seeds for innovation. It’s a complete crest-trough process of trial and error; you learn from every failure and iterate by straining, modifying or building a new version. And in this era where the creative economy is steadily emerging amidst an eruptive and dynamic global economy, the potential to evolve and innovate has never been more crucial.

Grow With Empathy

The dawn of the fourth industrial revolution, innovation intervals are bridging the gap at a breakneck pace. Organisations are scrambling to imitate the pace and ability to emerge businesses and are striving towards consumer attentiveness in an already existing saturated market. In the present scenario, innovation and creativity are the most crucial ingredients for achieving success in developed economies. Where the improving technology is leading to an uplifting change in the business landscape and making jobs more automated, the workforce has the opportunity to make a mark by leveraging empathy by critically thinking, evaluating things and offering creative, emotional and rational value where gadgets cannot.

Enter Design Thinking- not a new word in the dictionary, but one which recently has created a buzz in various sectors across the globe. Talking about an innovator, this concept is all about putting forth an approach which minimizes variability and the risk of innovation. With design thinking, the focus is shifted to rapid iterations and active participation of the customers thereby helping you address the root cause and help you deliver what the end-user actually needs.

Infusing the business with a design-oriented approach which keeps the customer in the driver seat may not only give measurable and real-time results but will also give a striking competitive edge.

Why Design Thinking?

Its a foundation for pinpointing and solving problems. This mindset has proven to be very useful for small-business owners and entrepreneurs as it helps them to see the world through their customers’ eyes; how to find those users’ real-time needs; how to bring about ideas to solving these problems; and how to quickly make out the idea(s) which is feasible in the market.

Design Thinking Approach

The five-stage design thinking approach was proposed by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. D.School as its known as is the leading university in the world of design thinking. The model goes on as

Design Thinking

Empathize: Understand customers inside-out and empathize with them.

Define:  Determine the issue which needs to be solved and look out for all the possible solutions.

Ideate: Channelise your eyes on the outcome, not the current constraints.

Prototype: Make use of prototypes while scouting possible solutions.

Test: Test the solutions, reflect on the end-results, brainstorm to find the solution, use it and repeat the whole process.

ROI from Design

Making design the frontrunner has benefited endless companies, let’s take about the most eminent ones

Nike- Swoosh, one of the most popular logos in the world has managed to sell merchandise worth millions through years. The logo which was designed way back in 1971 for just $35. However, 47 years later that $35 icon has emerged into a household brand, whose worth was estimated to be around $15billion dollars by Forbes.

Interestingly, a few years back Sports channel ESPN.com garnered endless feedback for their hard to navigate homepage and cluttered user experience. All they did was redesign their website, which resulted in a 35% increase in the website revenues.

Design Thinking & Mobile App Development

World’s best tech firms have given UI/UX the decision making position. Delivering a seamless mobile/web user experience is very critical to app design. Design thinking is not just about the appearance of an application. Empathy with the users is the most important thing which is taken for granted by most IT organisations.

In the words of Ideo, a globally renowned design agency defines design thinking as “The race to accelerate business calls for organizations to deliver bigger, faster and better innovations, design thinking is proving an important tool to help employees gain greater clarity and to find viable and desirable ideas in the creative process.”
The crux is this concept helps IT professionals in bridging the gap between enterprises and end-customers.

By putting their heads to what the customer needs, businesses can terminate application bloat, lead to mobile app adoption and thereby get add to the organisations’ value through enterprise mobility.

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When businesses launch, they have tons of ideas to invest money in with a sole aim on their minds – growth and domination. But the journey lying ahead of them is rarely an easy one. It’s no wonder as many as half the businesses fail within the first 5 years; finding life far too difficult.


Based on the type of industry and business unit, there are a variety of reasons why many small businesses fail to establish themselves. However, lack of capital and the dearth of demand for the services being offered tend to be the catalysts.


While there are a number of things that can unknowingly go wrong, there are plenty that every business can try to do correctly on its own. This article is about 5 of the most sensible investment decisions that small businesses should make as early as possible.

1) Design: Your Identity

Small businesses are often reluctant to invest in sublime designs. The general perception is that it’s for large and multinational businesses. That trend is soon changing though. More and more people are starting to pay attention to brand logos to judge their quality. All it takes is a spark of creativity and out of the box imagination to create a compelling effect on the customer’s mind.


The problem, however, with most small businesses is they often look for cheap options to get their designing job done with. It’s always recommended to look for professionals with a credible track record.


The design of everything from your logos, business cards to mobile and web apps, has to reflect uniformity. Once you have your design sorted out, your small business can think of taking the flight and present its services to the outside world. A design is going to help impart that professional and neat look to your business. Don’t undermine its importance.

2) Marketing: What Makes You Special?

Marketing plays a huge role in creating awareness and excitement about all sorts of services. Arguably, it’s the small businesses more than anyone that need real world exposure. Earlier, it was just the top-brands who took advantage of marketing, but now with the changing technology, a more level playing field has come into existence.


Digital marketing is all the buzz these days. Myriads of businesses have taken advantage and benefited from it.Marketing again is not everyone’s cup of tea. The main objective is obviously to get your message across as clearly and effectively as possible. That requires skill. You’ll find there are plenty of fraudsters about claiming to have marketing excellence but know very little when it comes to the application part.


As a small business, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and hire the services of a reputable marketing firm. They’ll know what kind of competition you’re up against and what’s the best approach to reach your target audience. It’s pretty straightforward – if you want to spread the word about your service, you’re going to have to start investing money in marketing.

3) Technology: Simplify Your Biz

Technology has really emerged as the game-changer in the last few decades or so. As well as making lives easier, it has the potential to energize businesses in unimaginable ways. But again, the adoption remains inconsistent across the business world.


Technology doesn’t just relate to state of the art inventions. Making sure software and programs for your instant messaging, content management or document organization are all in order and up to date is part of it.


Then there’s the call-service aspect. Imagine you’re close to making a really profitable deal but end up missing that all important phone call just because your workplace doesn’t have a strong enough network coverage. Not many great opportunities come your way when you’re a Small Business. But whenever they do, you have to make sure you’re ready to grab them with both hands. Reliable communication will ensure you don’t miss any urgent phone calls or messages.


Lastly there’s your website or a web app as the most potent tool to sell your services to the target audience. See that it has all the necessary information you’d like your customers/clients to know about your business.


All these tools are related to your use of technology in one way or another. Irrespective of your type of business, you have to make sure you’re making the most of the technology at your disposal.

4) Legal Advice: Stay Out of Trouble

It’s often thought that legal troubles are for medium to large sized businesses. Phew! Another misconception. Small Businesses just as large businesses can find themselves in a variety of legal complexities. That’s why it’s best to invest in a quality legal service.


A business lawyer will take care of preparing legal contracts, keeping a check on their dates and validity etc. In addition, they can also alert you on time if you happen to be in violation of any laws. Not paying attention to the legal side of business can potentially mean a closure even before it has begun to exist.

5) Insurance: No Biz Is Immune to Disasters

It’s quite commonly argued that unless you’ve got a huge amount of money and assets, you won’t really need an insurance. But you do and here’s why: Catastrophes like earthquakes, storms and floods can strike anytime without you fully prepared for them.


There’s also the danger of human borne disasters like fire, theft, injury and sickness, all bearing the potential to end your business existence. The very purpose of Insurance is to buffer the influence of these unknown scenarios.


Without the support of a good insurance company, there’s the imminent danger of losing everything you work for. It would be very unfortunate if your business were to blot out of view just because it didn’t have itself insured.


Not only are these investments necessary for all the said reasons, but their implementation can also impart a sense of professionalism and credibility about your business. Ignore any of them and your reputation stands to be questioned by anyone.


Let us know if this article was helpful to you in the comments section below:

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Our world has changed a great deal in past decade or so. If the 19th century was marked by the onset of the Industrial Revolution, then the 21st will be known for its technological advancement.There’s no telling what stage we’re going through but just as with any other form of revolution, this one has changed how we go about doing our everyday chores.
 
It is perhaps the business world that’s been hit the hardest and where technology’s implications are acutely felt. Soon after its advent, it became clear that this wasn’t a fleeting phenomenon. The technology was here to stay.
 
Entities that were rigid and had reservations about adapting to the prevailing scenarios have almost been wiped out. Let’s have a closer look at how life in the business world has been impacted by the advance in technology.
 

Mobility — Hard To Escape The Prying Eyes

technology
The emergence of mobile technology has shaken up more than a few things. Your business website, mobile app or whatever other means you have to suck customers in, come under the ‘surveillance radar’.
 
Google algorithms take particular note of how smooth and seamless a mobile experience a website offers. Mobile-friendliness has become a near necessity now. As for the handling of business operations, mobility has made that task incredibly simple as well. No matter where you are, you can keep track of all things, create a do to list, assign tasks and get things done on the go.
 
Then there’s the craze for mobile apps among the millennials. This group likes to write down all their experiences on the internet. So be it visit the local coffee shop, a purchase online, or using a particular service, they say it out loud on the Social Media. Fancy devices and cool apps make that task so much easier.
 
All this puts biz in a precarious situation, where they can have ‘no margin for error’. If anything is picked up by the even one customer, it doesn’t take long before the whole internet community knows about it.

Zeroing In On Customers

 

With the wealth of data now available, biz can look to understand their customers at a much closer level. Not long ago, it was tough enough to reach the people who’d be interested in your services. In modern-times not only do you know who your target audience would be, but you get to understand their habits i.e. their mode of shopping and their overall mentality as a buyer.
 
That puts biz in the driver’s seat. Their whole marketing campaigns could be molded in such a way as to suit the needs of the TA. Even though customer-identification seems like an immensely helpful solution, the acquisition among certain age-groups is quite challenging. More on this in the next point.
 

Customer Acquisition Gets Tougher


The modern generation is tech-savvy. They know all about the clever tricks biz-world employs to get their attention. The millennials are often said to be an ‘inexplicable lot’. Their needs keep changing and they’re always desiring near-perfect solutions.
 
Millennials have found to be the sticklers of quality, that means if they have to spend a few extra dollars to own a certain high-quality product, they go for it.Biz has come to realize that the old games of appeasing the customers with attractive offers etc aren’t nearly enough to establish their footprint in the market. As the romance of millennials with technology keeps getting intense, the challenge of customer-acquisition will continue to get tougher.
 

No One Is Remote Anymore

 

Strong communication has always been considered a pivotal aspect of any sphere of activity. Biz, no less than anyone, need to be on top of their game when it comes to the smooth flow of communication both within the organization and outside.
 
Thanks to mobile technology, that job has been made a great deal easier. Be it video-conferencing across borders or sending out promotional messages to users who happen to pass by your Storefronts, all this can be monitored and automated with a bunch of software.Such a feeling of always being in control is something that would make veteran business owners envious of the modern generation.
 

Big Players, Small Players… All On The Same Field

 

Cloud computing has made the job of data storage so much easier. Apart from being highly affordable, it’s the convenience of access to data whether being stationary or mobile that really adds to its reputation. Not long ago, a number of benefits arising out of cloud computing could only be enjoyed by really affluent corporations.
 
But, that has completely changed. A wide variety of plans exists for all types of business requirements. Similar technological advances mean soon there’ll be few privileges held by large-sized biz that SMEs will be able to complain about. Technology has been like a giant wave. Those standing against it have been wiped out or will be wiped out, whereas those going with the flow have learned to stay buoyant and are prospering.
 
Although, the imposition of technology is something that irks the senior generation, there is quite a few measure taken to tend to their needs and get them on board.
 
The great thing about technology is that it adds to the convenience and makes life easier. It always gives something to look forward to and every advance is an improvement on the previous attempt.Technology has continued to amaze us in so many ways and just when you think you’ve seen the last of it, on it comes with another wave to take your breath away!

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“Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan, Jai Vigyaan” – With this motto in hearts of all the indian citizen, our Prime Minister Narender Modi has greeted all the Indian Citizen to increase the use of technology in our daily lives.

May 11 is considered as National Technology throughout India every year, and is a very special day for Indian Technology since 1999. As we all are aware of the fact the PM Modi is himself an avid user of technology. He offered his warm greetings to all the indian citizen by taking it out on Twitter.


It is a known fact that our Prime Minister is supports digitalisation and has been an active participant in promotion of Digital India. Mr. Modi has also been launching several motivational platforms to digitalize India and has offered several government schemes for the promotion of digitalization, technical India and Startups.


This occasion is observed with huge contentment as India has attained a major technological progression on this particular day. On this very day in Bangalore our first indigenous aircraft “Hansa -3”was test flown. India also performed successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day, May 11 and executed three successful nuclear tests, carried out at Pokhran, in Rajasthan.


In engineering colleges and technological institutions throughout the country a series of events of were held to celebrate this decision. The theme for this year’s Technology Day is ‘Technology enablers of Startup India’.
This is the most significant day for many engineers, technologists and scientists and has been celebrated with utter joy and pride.


This year’s theme for celebrations of the Technology Day is ‘Technology enablers of Startup India’.
On this day, the President of India gives National Technology Award to companies and also to individuals for their great contributions to science.

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A good news people who love technology – after Siri now co – founders Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer, who are the essential assistant now built into all of Apple’s iOS devices, are all set to reveal their latest artificial intelligence project – Viv. As the name of the AI bot, is more facilitated than Siri and is able to carry out complicated tasks by imitating the “inclination and awareness base” of a human companion.

Let’s talk about Viv – Via can be used in many ways, for example – One can set up a dinner reservation and purchase movie tickets all based on one query, and if the movie is sold out or a restaurant has no seating available it will let you know beforehand and if we will Complete this same task with Siri it will be requiring different commands and human synergy.

There was a live example given by one of the leading newspapers that Viv team used it to order pizzas from a nearby restaurant, with Viv determine numerous voice-based topping and side dish orders without even opening the app. Viv’s maximum functionality is enabled through association with third party apps like: Uber, Florist One, Seat Guru, ZocDoc, and Grubhub, similar to Amazon’s Alexa. The team is now looking forward for more partners and plans to bring the Viv in more connections with devices like cars and TVs.

Chief executive of Grubhub – Mr. Matt Maloney, said that will is impressed with the idea of Viv that is allowing consumers to perform in different activities without having to toggle between services. According to Kittlaus, the goal of Viv is to offer a way for humans to interact naturally with services through complex human-to-human style conversations.

Big tech giants like Google and Facebook have already made offers to purchase Viv, and there are many Mobile App Development companies which are also seeking but it is not clear if Kittlaus and Cheyer have plans to sell the technology.

The team Viv wants it to be Labs where they want to see the technology built with the wide range of devices, and as said by Kittlaus the company will “pick the path that gets us there.”