The Latest Mobile Application Development Trends 2018

With the world living on their mobile phones, it comes as no surprise that mobile apps are more popular than ever. Everything technologically possible has made its way to mobile apps. Businesses with well-developed mobile apps have an edge over their competitors. As a professional mobile app development company based in Pune, here are some mobile application development trends that we think are here to stay.

Mobile Payment Apps are the Future  

More and more mobile users are getting used to mobile payment mobile apps. Better safety and security safeguards have also influenced their choices.  On a rough estimate, about 1.2 billion people have access to bank accounts, while over 5 billion people have mobile phones. That is why several financial institutions are looking to expand their customer base and go mobile.

Mobile payments are now the most convenient customer payment option. It is easy for maintaining online payment records, is more secure, and offers a better customer experience. According to statista.com, revenue from global mobile payments was $450 billion in 2015; it is expected to cross $1 trillion in 2019.

On-Demand Mobile Apps are Here to Stay

Get a customer’s day-to-day needs packaged into a mobile app and what do you get? An on-demand app! Majority of US consumers spend on online shopping apps. The other popular on-demand apps they use are for transportation and getting food/grocery delivered to their homes. Netflix, Uber, and Airbnb are now the iconic on-demand apps of our times.

According to a Burson-Marsteller survey, 51% of the on-demand app providers have claimed that their revenue has increased compared to the previous year. About 64% on-demand app owners expect their revenues to improve in the following year.

The Wonders of Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) mobile apps have been the surprise package lately. AR and VR expenditure is set to touch $17.5 billion this year, an astonishing 95% increase from 2017’s $9.1 billion spending. The obsessive Pokemon Go craze began the AR surge. Since then, apart from gaming, education and health sectors, energy, manufacturing, and telecommunication sectors are also opting for AR mobile apps to provide users with an immersive, unforgettable experience.

A Digi-Capital report predicts that AR will be worth $108 billion in 2021. From helping Parkinson’s patients to helping you fit into your favorite clothing brand, getting a detailed 3D view of a new car, exciting advertising solutions and more, AR is here to help businesses in new, wondrous ways.

The Game Changers: Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Apps

Mobile apps now have better usage and superior interaction elements, thanks to machine learning (ML). Machine learning is a great option for personalization. The E-commerce sector is already using ML to predict customer choices and precisely recommend products. Healthcare and fitness tracking apps are also using ML to recommend treatments and remedies, as are authentication services. The popular dating app Tinder owes its success to ML, so do Google Maps and Snapchat.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming user engagement and business in mobile apps. AI has been a game changer for many businesses already.  Already, AI has made inroads into the predictive and statistical analysis, chatbots, and intelligent products like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. AI promotes lightning fast responses to customer demands; helps regulate influencer-based marketing. For its astounding accuracy, automation, and for adapting learning algorithms, AI and ML will remain an integral part of superior mobile apps.

What do you think are the latest mobile application trends that will shape the future of numerous businesses? Do you agree or disagree with the trends discussed in this article? Please share your comments below.

Web Design Trends We Absolutely Love in 2018

As we approach the middle of the year, here is a list of web design trends that we have absolutely loved working with, in 2018.

Bold and Bright Colors   

Experimental color themes are finding more takers this year in web design. A combination of bright colors can convey happiness and set a positive mood. Another feisty way of using bright colors is the monotone technique. If used as a background for content, monotone enhances readability.

We also love using duotone (two colors make up an image).  It allows us to distinctly express the emotions that particular colors convey. Text attains prominence over duotone. Overlaying is another effect that can be easily created but needs to be used sparingly.

Cinemagraphs

Since it’s invention in 2011, cinemagraphs have been used to attractive and alluring effect in web design. How are cinemagraphs created? Usually, Photoshop is usually used to edit an HD video to create a still frame and retain a moving frame within the same shot for effect.

Cinemagraphs are very effectively used in various marketing campaigns. Imagine wine spiraling in a wine glass in the otherwise still image of an outdoor family lunch table. The glitter and sparkle on the diamond ring on a jewelry website homepage are among the many good uses of cinemagraphs.

Sticky Navigation   

We refer here to chat boxes and other navigation elements too. Sticky navigation works best for action-oriented websites. It is also ideal for long pages, where this design element has replaced ‘back to top’. Mobile users are already aware of sticky navigation while browsing websites. They are bound to love any web design element that adds ease of use to website browsing.

The psychological connect of sticky navigation is the browsing confidence it gives its users across demographics. The user has the feeling that they are constantly interacting with the website and are never lost.

Split Screen Design

More websites are opting for a single screen divided into two vertical screens conveying two different messages. A distinct illustration, text or image conveys the characteristic of each side. This design element is great when you contrast two messages or want the user to be attracted to a particular communication.

Striking singular colors and impactful typography builds user interest in split screen design. Drawing user attention to an action button is easier in split screen design, especially when the button on the left side of the screen. Since most users now have large screens on their mobile devices, split screen design is a favorable web design element for now.

How to Get the Best from Your Web Designer

You have hired the right web designers. The real test now is to get the best output from your web designer for your ongoing projects and website design solutions. Having worked on over 150 global projects as a professional web development company, here are some tips to ensure that your web designer delivers at an optimum level.

Never Rush the Design Process

Always set a reasonable deadline for the web designer. The client will love to have a brand new website ready in a week or a fortnight. But rushing your web designer to speed up things will adversely affect the design quality. Quality work will always take a certain amount of hours.

Evaluate and outline the work process in advance to accommodate both the designer and the client. Plan the workflow efficiently, ensuring that your web designer is never hurrying through things.

Encourage an Initiative-Driven Culture

When a web designer approaches you with a problem, don’t be too eager to lead them to a ready solution. Instead, encourage them to come up with innovative solutions to the problem. Unless you don’t get them used to confront problems, their experience and knowledge are bound to suffer. The long-term results could be your web designer’s gradual loss of interest and general lack of confidence in their work.

The Website Analysis Exercise

Here’s an exercise your web designers can practice once a week. Let the designers select a bunch of their favorite and successful websites with good web design. Now, direct them to make a list of 15 things that they think is cool about the design. The reasons for selecting each of these 15 things must also be documented.

You and the web designer can now discuss the common points they like across all the analyzed websites. This practice enables the designer to learn and practice design aspects. The design aspects picked up from the exercise can be included in the web designer’s approach, style or work process for better website design solutions.

Random Practice

As an ongoing practice exercise, along with the project work, let your designer create a random website based on the set of requirements you provide them with.

Treat this exercise seriously. Provide the web designer with specific design requirements. Set a deadline for the design and arrange a dummy client call between you and the designer. Discuss the design from the client point of view. This exercise will get your designer ample practice to interact with the client, understand specific requirements and execute the design accordingly.

Summary

These are four of the many practices we adhere to at our web development company in Pune. Implementing these practices ensure that our web designers are independent, constantly learning and assured about their work. Job satisfaction is another positive outcome of these practices.

The Top Logo Design Trends 2018

The logo is the brand’s face and character. Customers remember an image or a design longer than a name. As a professional web design company, we have worked with a varied set of customers. Logo design is always a tricky business. Here is our list of logo design trends for 2018.

The Return of Hand Drawn Logos

A lot of our clients prefer hand-drawn logos for its limitless creativity and the natural, non-digital touch. Many pioneering companies use hand-drawn logos to emphasize a fresh, out of the box appeal. Designing logos by hand is a quicker, spontaneous practice. The iteration cycles also take less time compared to digital technology. Also, hand-drawn logos provide the brand with a rich, genuine vibe.

Geometrical Familiarity

Minimalism or to convey more in less is finding many takers this year. For instant customer connection, familiar geometrical shapes are becoming an integral part of logos. Curved circles, sharp triangles, rectangular and square shapes are easy on the eye. A combination of geometric shapes conveys the brand’s value, culture, and vision.

The Unforgettable Monogram Touch

The strong symbolism that monogram logos convey is the stuff of legend. If used with the right letters, color gradients, sharpness, and finish, monogram logos attain an iconic appeal. Monogram logos are making a comeback, helping brands convey trust and confidence among customers. For further inspiration, browse through the Volkswagen, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and General Electric logos.

Optimised for Social Media

As more and more brands are making their presence felt on social media, businesses are rethinking their logo design. Some brands are tweaking the logo colors, or making them sharper and compact to register easily in the potential customer’s mind. Simple colors and textures are in use to make the brand more attractive and inviting to the target audience.

Negative Space Artworks

The popular use of negative space has endured and with good reason. A well-made negative space logo is a work of art, drawing attention upon itself. They convey clarity, creativity and professional capability. The subtle variations leave well-designed negative space logos open to interpretation. Depth is another attribute, inciting the customer to be fascinated by the design aspects and brand connection.

Grooving with the Grid

The grid stands for balance and is at the core of any good logo design. Mobile app design has adapted grids for maximum impact. The potential for experimentation is endless in a grid-centric logo. It provides a strong aesthetic sense, at the same time conveying excitement and new beginnings. The grid should be around forever, by the likes of it.

We have recollected here the logo design trends we have witnessed in 2018 so far. What do you think are the other logo design trends that will be popular this year? Please share your comments.

Five Things You Need to Change on your Website

Creating an engaging website is imperative for any business.  As many readers must have discovered, maintaining a great website is no easy task. Here is a list of things that reveal why your website is not popular with your users. We also share some tips to optimize your website:

Loading Time

Loading…Loading…Loading…

Your website can’t take too much time to load! Millions of other websites are competing for user attention. Don’t make your users wait. Unless the users want to visit your website nobody is going to wait that long.

You lose 20% of your conversions to every extra second your mobile website takes to load. About 50% users expect your website to load in 2 seconds. The same user percentage will leave the website in the third second. (Google Statistics)

So start working on speeding up that loading time now!

Home Page Clutter

A cluttered homepage will turn off users. Our suggestion? Start again with a fresh perspective. Segregate the core elements you want on the website.

Consider why your target audience should visit your website. Restructure the content, website design, UI, and UX. Use image sliders to showcase your prime content. Attractive and creative image sliders can encourage users to further explore the website.

Zero Interaction

If there is no interactivity, why have a website? Encourage your visitors to explore the website with clear calls to action. Have more groovy elements to entice your users. Short videos, animation, online polls, exclusive comments section, contests and other interactive elements. You get the drift.

Grammar Errors & Typos

Typos and poor grammar are bound to put off your website visitors. Get your website content checked and corrected by content and language experts. Don’t rely on online grammar checking software to check your website content. Most software is not reliable. Each software uses a varied set of grammar rules to auto correct. The results are usually inconsistent.

Using Images Effectively

If your website images are too dull and unappealing, traffic is bound to suffer. Captivating images attract a larger percentage of users. Apart from blogging, images are the most important form of business content. Statistics don’t lie.

Visual elements dominate 74% of social media marketing, way ahead of videos and blogs. An audience provided with text content along with an image retains 65% of the information.

Conclusion

What do you make of the five things listed above to improve your website traffic? How can we ensure constant user engagement? How do we generate business leads through the website? Please do share your comments.

How to Choose Fonts that Fit your Brand?

Fonts play a big role in creating a brand perception among customers. Selecting fonts that go with your brand can be a tedious task. How do you narrow down your choices and select fonts that are good for your brand? The following are some creative benchmarks you can apply to make your font choices:

Know What Your Customer Wants

Approach this like a date you are going to. You wouldn’t wear your night pajamas and flowery slippers to your date, would you? So, similarly know who your potential customers are, what kind of lifestyles do they lead and therefore what kind of font will appeal to them. At the same time, retain your brand’s personality through the fonts.

Beyond Serif and Sans-Serif

Times New Roman, Georgia, Freight Text, Garamond, Caluna are popular Serif fonts. They add edge and class to the brand. Helvetica, Verdana, Dejavu Pro, Avant Garde, Arial, and Optima are popular Sans-Serif fonts. Serif fonts are said to be easier to read as individual letters are more clearly lettered in comparison to sans-serif fonts. There is also decorative and script fonts that can add uniqueness to your brand. You can also combine fonts, to get a brand new font as a combination of all required font features. Which one would you go for?

The font must match the design and business purpose. Before you buy or download a font, list out the personality traits of your brand to make your search more concentrated. This way, you already have a fair idea of what your font choice will look like. Bold, serious, cheerful, robust or rebellious? Mirror your brand qualities on the fonts and you should have made a shortlist of your font selections.

Readability & Versatility Check

Apart from your brand design, your font must be clear and legible when you have to convey something of importance or otherwise. Check which font size fits and whether the font is web optimized. Also, check the spacing between two words, the lowercase, and uppercase heights. Sometimes a font can look less readable in italics. Also, try the “I and L” test, ensure that “i” and “l” in lowercase do not look identical.

Avoid Familiar Fonts

Your customers may look through your brand if the font is all too familiar. Look out for fonts that convey what you want to, yet are stylish in their own way. Try combinations of fonts in body text and bold, you never know what can surprise you. Sometimes an ordinary looking serif font lights up in bold. The key then is to experiment but try out fonts methodically.

We hope the suggestions shared in this article will help you select the right fonts for your brand. If you have any other suggestions with regard to font selection, do share!

Want More Money? Start Effective Icon Design for Better UI

Any website or mobile app icon design has to convey a specific purpose. Icons add aesthetics to the screen, help save on screen space. But primarily icon design have to aid your users, help in branding, drive user attention and response. The idea, from the graphic design aspect, is to keep it simple. Easier said than done you will say. Here are some key pointers to effective icon design for better UI:

Balanced Icon Design Detailing

Instant communication of an action, idea or object is the attribute of good icon design. Too much detailing can render an icon with no logical or meaningful connection. As a rule, opt for minimal detailing to clearly convey the mobile app icon design’s purpose.

When Google first adapted a simplistic grid icon on its homepage as a one-point access to all its Google apps, they received multiple help requests enquiring about the apps’ location. The users just couldn’t spot where the grid icon was on the page. Somehow the lack of detailing had ended up too elusive for the users. That is why, striking the right balance, trial and error are important steps too.

  

Out of the Box Design Tweaking

Unless the client had made clear specifications, go beyond standard design conventions, without compromising on usability and visual recognition. For example, see how the Pinterest icon gets away with an outrageous text font while combining two circular clean white, vibrant bold red combo diameters to convey its image-intrinsic brand. Sample how the iOS music app djay 2 uses a vinyl for an icon yet conveys a modern appeal.

Visual Perception Aspects

Closely consider the following factors while designing website and mobile app design icons. Know your target audience, right down to their age, cultural attributes, level of education and general development. Find out, in what environment will the product be used? What will be the expanse of the product’s local or global reach? How does the audience identify with graphics, what specific elements distract and engage them? These are all vital questions.

The Scalability Factor

Try out your icon design on the device or website in multiple sizes and settings. While designing, focus on a unique shape or quality that retains its effect in any size or scale. Check that the icon looks great with various background colors. Perceive how the design complements the UI.

Eye for Aesthetics  

You are aware that a set of icons and each individual icon in an app or website have to be aesthetically alike. But how do you ensure a pleasant subtle uniformity? Concentrate on little things, like the specific size of the square or rounded corners. An acute sense of style, lining and color textures helps immensely in this process.

We hope that these icon design tips provide you with a new perspective on designing icons for website and mobile apps and contribute to a better UI. Please do share your comments below.

Web Development Trends For 2018

Trends in web development move forward extremely quickly. So much so that change is truly the only constant. CodePlateau an award-winning web development company in India ventures a guess to what could be the web development trends for 2018. We try to include in this list what we believe to be the upcoming development trends based on market behavior and what we have observed. Without further ado, here they are

Web Development Trends of 2018:

Functional Programming with Javascript improvements

Javascript has been a popular programming language for a while now. Only recently has it received quite stiff competition from React by Facebook. With the advent of functional programming improvements in Javascript, there seems to be more support for Javascript. Even if we look at the Trends for the past year we can see that Javascript is still a more popular term as compared to react. Functional Programming (FP) is the process of building software based on fundamental principles by composing pure functions. It is relatively easier than object-oriented coding as per most programmers. In 2018, Functional Programming especially benefits from the recent Javascript improvements such as ES6 and ES7.

New Players in Town

While VueJS is technically not a new player, it has been gaining prominence only in 2018. Created in 2014 by Evan You, Vue is a fast and lightweight script. Angular JS is backed by Google while React JS is backed by Facebook. Vue though is an independent open source project. Its creator was working on this as a side project and has recently been focusing on marketing and maintaining the open source project. What makes Vue a growing trend in 2018 is that it is now being used by a lot of major companies in China such as AliBaba, Expedia, Nintendo and more. It has also grown tremendously since it first began as it now boasts 20 people on its team.

Progressive Web Apps

Progressive web apps are web apps with the functionality and design of mobile apps. The idea is to create an app-like experience on web pages or websites. Although mobile apps are very relevant for businesses it might not be for all businesses due to cost considerations. Progressive web apps are worthy alternatives to choose. Since 2016 we have seen the popularity of progressive web app increasing rapidly. We figure 2018 will finally be the year for progressive web apps to burst into the mainstream.

Blockchain Technology

Ever since bitcoin blew up to unprecedented prices everyone seems to have become an expert in blockchain technology. It might be a little bit too late to say that blockchain is going to be a trend in 2018 as it has already accumulated a large following. A large number of companies are looking forward to incorporating blockchain technology in their industry. The blockchain is a method of collective data storage. Transactions in blockchains work without intermediaries. Since the transactions are verified using complex algorithms using a large number of computers it is seemed to be relatively safer.

Internet Of Things

Imagine a global network of appliances connected to each other using resources in the most efficient manner possible. That is what internet of things is trying to achieve. Although there are smaller home appliances using IoT, large multinationals are thinking of ways to utilize the development trend to improve efficiency.

 

CodePlateau is one of the best web development agencies in India. We are constantly on the lookout for the best web development trends that could become huge in the future as we like to stay on top of things. We believe in providing our customers with websites and web application development solutions in India that stay relevant for long periods of time. If you are interested in any of our services, let us know. Drop a message and we’ll get back to you soon.

Tips To Choose The Best Web Hosting Provider

You’ve got a fantastic business idea for which you’re thinking about building a website. You get in touch with the best web design and development agency in India – CodePlateau and the first thing they ask you is what kind of web hosting services will you be opting for? You’re not quite sure how to respond because you hadn’t really given it any thought. CodePlateau has witnessed this event on several occasions and to help you all out, has published a list of tips to help you select a web hosting service that meets your requirement.

What Is Web Hosting?

All sites on the internet are hosted on a server. Large corporations have their own servers on which they host their websites, because they can afford to and because they would like to keep control of their website at all times. Businesses that cannot buy and keep up a line of servers for their own websites normally purchase web hosting space from a website hosting provider. Your web hosting service is an important part of your website development.

Tips To Pick The Best Web Hosting Service:

Understand Your Needs

Website hosting is crucial because it controls the upkeep of your website. Your web host provider should be decided on the amount of traffic you expect on your website. For small websites, a shared server is usually enough to keep the website running. Websites whose pages run into the hundred thousand should consider getting an own server or slightly more server space if you want it to keep from crashing.

Find Out How Much Space Your Website Will Require

Your web development agency will be able to give you a rough idea about the web hosting space you will require handling the website properly. A heavier site with multiple requests will require a larger server space as compared to a smaller site. Ideally, the website should have all the functionality built into a small design. If you over pack the website and pick a smaller server your site will have a lot of downtimes which would impact the way your customers see your business. So choose wisely, have a word with your website development team if necessary.

Don’t Always Go For The Cheap Or Free Option

Although it can be very tempting to opt for the free hosting services, it is not always the best idea. Although you may shave some costs initially it will end up costing you in the long run. Find out what kind of services you actually need. How the website hosting providers price their products and then make the decision about which provider to go with. Picking a free website hosting provider might end up giving you a bad reputation with your customers because of the downtime your website faces.

Pick A Host With An Upgradable Option

How do you visualize your business growing? Have you made provisions for your websites growth as well? When picking a hosting service you have to choose someone with whom you can grow as well. You may not require all the services they offer at present but what about in a years’ time? Switching hosts can be extremely troublesome so right from day one pick a provider that has scalable options. Better servers, more space, more speed.

 

If you have any questions regarding web hosting services your website design and development company in India should be able to assist you. CodePlateau has a proud tradition of always helping out all their clients with whatever queries they might have. We believe in a collaborative work effort for success. If you would like to inquire about our services, give us a call or leave your details and we’ll get back to you shortly.

Importance Of Whitespace In Web Design

Most websites suffer from information overload. Line after line of text that blends into each other after a point, making the information verbose. For this reason whitespace in web design an important element that needs to be used. Your web design team needs to work with a well-established plan to ensure they know exactly how to draw attention to vital parts on your website. Viewer attention is difficult to hold for long as it is, whitespace plays a very important role in guaranteeing that even if your audience skims through the information on your website they know exactly where to look.

What Is Whitespace In Web Design?

Whitespace is also referred to as negative space. It’s the part of your web page that is left unmarked or blank. This forms the gaps between the graphics, different idea concepts on a blog, margins spaces. Whitespace is any space on the website that left blank. When used correctly, Whitespace can transform a website. The focus on web designers is to try and get as much targeted customer on page time as it can by delivering a great product to the client.

 

Why Is WhiteSpace Important?

We have discussed the fact that white space is important in web design, but we have not yet discussed why that is. Let’s take a closer look.

Greater Interaction:

Research shows that whitespace increases by almost 20% by removing distractions around objects on your website you want to draw attention to. We can use whitespace effectively by providing a natural flow to our web page. Higher the interaction visitors will have with your website the better for your business it is.

Call To Action Buttons:

CTA’s are extremely important to websites. It provides an action for the visitors to make. To ensure success for your business you have to make sure to properly highlight the CTA buttons. There are several ways of highlighting the CTA button. One method is by surrounding the buttons with whitespace.

Better Content Visibility:

Although your content might have excellent structure and logical flow none of it will be visible to your site visitors without the proper use of whitespace. Whitespace provides more legibility to your content by providing timely breaks for the eyes to rest before moving to the next thought. Content, especially quotes can be highlighted separately by surrounding them in a whitespace box.

Improves Visibility:

Making the web page tidier using white space makes it more attractive to your audience. It improves the visibility of the different elements of your website. White spaces also make for a more efficient and impressive website. Whitespace is especially important because it indicates finesse and ingenuity. Whitespace does not necessarily mean space has to be white in color, you just need to leave it blank. This provides you with an opportunity to play with color themes on your site making it fun and elegant.

The challenge in using white space

Most businesses see whitespace as a waste of useful resources. We have met with several clients who would prefer to cover every inch of their website with some form of text or the other. Sales driven clients who do not understand the concept of design well, argue hard to cover as much of their web page space with ads if possible.

 

CodePlateau is one of India’s leading web design and development companies. CodePlateau has years of experience in dealing with both national as well as international clients. If you are looking for the ultimate solution in web design and development in India at affordable rates get in touch for a free consultation and quote for our services.