Understanding Offshore Development

You’re comfortably relaxing on your couch and enjoying a football match. The television suddenly switches off and the switch box explodes with sparks flying around. You have no clue what has happened and you look up on the internet searching for an electrician. The local electrician is charging $100, whereas a veteran electrician from the neighboring community is ready to visit your place and rectify your electrical setup for just $30.

Whom will you call?

Keep these options in your mind as we dwell into the concept of offshore development.

From the past decade or so, an unexpected trend has arisen in the technology sector. Multi-national companies, start-ups, and even local businesses have started adopting the business models of offshore development services. Offshore development was something that only large global companies engaged in many years ago due to the geographical and language challenges that existed. Today, these are not a factor as communication and transparency challenges have been both negated due to the technology that has come into everyday life.

First, let us discuss what exactly is offshore development as well as why it has become such as a popular option for companies worldwide.

Offshore development means the process of outsourcing your development needs such as web, mobile or even custom software to countries such as India, Philippines, China and so on. The reason why people look at offshore web or software development is mainly because of the cost-savings and the time that can be saved. Also, it minimizes internal overhead costs. The offshore model has been around for a long while but with the world becoming more global and technology making it easier than ever before to communicate to anyone no matter where they are located, the demands for offshore development have increased substantially.

The Offshore Development model is used for multiple things: offshore software and offshore web development or services such as customer service, data-entry, cold-calling along with BPO or KPO processes. The main reason is that a person in India or any other developing country will cost significantly less when compared to the US, UK or Australia. The bottom line is that if you are able to find a good offshore development partner, you can really save yourself time, money, HR hassles and other operational expenses. The key is to find a good offshore partner who has the experience, expertise and technical skills to accomplish what you need. Ranging from a simple website or even a fully operating customer service center, your offshore partner must be well equipped to handle your requirements.

Professional offshore development can be beneficial in the following ways:

Reasonable services :

Not all the countries boast of a talented pool of web developers and designers in abundance which makes it difficult to get work done at a nominal amount. The reason being that they charge substantially as they develop products knowing that they are in monopoly. It turns out to be quite expensive build a website or mobile app. Offshore development can disrupt the monopoly and be more cost effective.

Quality:

One of the best things about the offshore software companies is that they have a vast pool of talent and can render top notch development services. This ensures that the quality of the projects is superior and also matches the international standards.They also ensure that they utilize the best tools and technologies to create highly competitive products.

Communication:

Technology has ensured that there is no delay in any communication between the client and the developers. Offshore developers tend to be more approachable and communication friendly. This ensures that the process does not go haywire during any stage.

No deadline delays:

Following deadlines is a big aspect when it comes to product development. The entire marketing and operations of a company depends on the product being delivered according to the stipulated time. Offshore development can cut down these hassles as they have the flexibility of employing more resources at a lower cost.

24×7 availability:

Round the clock availability sometimes becomes a norm for a global company and offshore centers offer workflow accordingly which might not be possible in the parent country due to cost and labor-force constraints.

Conducive Environment:

Outsourced processes, usually are very strenuous in nature. The workforce needs to be seated in an environment that can boost productivity and reduce stress levels. It is one of the main factors why Offshore Development is a good option since infrastructure is available cheaply as compared to the parent country.

Security:

Security of confidential data and client properties is a buzzing concern when dealing with offshore companies. Most of the offshore development companies offer high end security protocols and systems to ensure the client’s data is never compromised.

And now, back to the electrician conundrum. If a veteran electrician with years of experience is ready to travel to your house at a cheaper rate, any sensible man would choose him over the $100 electrician. The same logic may also be applied to the concept of offshore development.

So, sit back and relax as your offshore partner takes charge of your processes and product development and frees you of the basic organizational hassles.

Offshore development may seem a far fetch off for most of the most organisations, but if the current global trend is to be observed, it is one of the most trusted and cost effective options for an organisation that is looking to cut down on costs and build quality products.

Marketing Virtual Reality: The Next Big Thing

It has been roughly twenty years since the mobile phones attacked our lives and most of us do not even remember the time when connectivity was not accessible through our hands. We ought to remember the present time since soon we are going to see the extinction of mobile phones just like the dinosaurs. Yes, a new technology is all set to take over our lives just like the mobile phones did in the 90s. Virtual reality is going to be the next giant leap for mankind.

Yet, the onus now lies on the people in VR industry to make the technology sound appealing and project it as a ‘necessity’ just like the mobile phone today. The Virtual Reality Industry has had a particularly bad start in marketing compared to previous game changers like Computers, the Internet and Mobile Phones. Blame it on the cost heavy VR headsets or underwhelming marketing campaigns, VR needs a marketing strategy to make it the next game changer.

The Basic Idea

The VR customer base is expected to cross 200 million by 2020. Brands are expected to go all out on marketing to capture a majority of this figure. Virtual Reality, being an amazing new technology can be over-hyped in the process. Marketing professionals need to understand the technology in and out before beginning to even conceptualize a campaign. The basic Idea of VR is “escaping reality” and it is what will eventually make it the next big thing. Keeping the basic idea of VR in mind, the following need to be outlined in the campaigns and content:

Personalisation

The user experience can greatly be personalized by the addition of simple user specific aspects. User information can be used from databases and relevant social media traits can be pulled up to make the experience more delightful. Even a simple name insertion into the real-time application can garner more interest from a user.

Real-Time Experience

Even though the basic idea is to escape reality, making the virtual environment a bit realistic will give a sense of belonging to the user.  Real people engaging, interacting and sharing emotions is irresistible. Users experiencing a gripping, emotionally upbeat, lifelike and heart touching virtual scenario can simply market the product through word of mouth and social media, which will pay dividends in the long run.

Stir Emotions

Virtual Reality is a competent tool which allows users to experience life as someone else and through someone’s eyes. This can evoke empathy and better understanding. It can help understand the hardships suffered by athletes, celebrities, politicians and even a common laborer. Empathy is an effective stimulus for the response action. It can help brands who are looking to portray social causes and assist them in explaining their brand purpose.

 Focus on ‘The Why’

In his famous book “Start With Why”, Simon Sinek elaborates the reasoning behind the uber success of some products. According to him, marketing must be centered on WHY brands do what they do. Taking it a step further from his ideology, if we can decide for WHO the brand is meant for and then add the WHY, Virtual Reality marketing can be taken to a whole new level. Simon Sinek further goes on and states:

“Once the WHY is accomplished, we can expand outward toward selling by addressing the hows and whats of a company, brand or product. Apple is a particularly good success story whose marketing message always looks something like: With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo. We aim to think differently. Our products are user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”

Watch Simon’s Ted Talk: Click Here

Choosing The RIGHT Target Audience

Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are prime examples of successful marketing of tech to youth. Snapchat has teens as their App Store screenshots, which conveys a marketing message that “teens have fun when they use our app.” Similarly, during its initial years, Facebook was targeting universities, colleges and the general youth to market itself.

Social media would never have become successful had the youth not given a thumbs up to them.

The same applies to Virtual Reality. The target audience needs to be demarcated, which will primarily be the tech-savvy youth of today. Target the youth which has not seen life without a connected device and show them WHY Virtual Reality is the best tech coming up, HOW it can change the way we perceive things and WHAT makes it a ‘necessity’.

Virtual Reality is a new age technology that needs to be understood and accepted by the masses eventually. It has the potential to sabotage and disrupt the present market. Hence, marketing professionals need to incorporate methods that can sustain it. Focusing on the ‘WHY’ and the Right Target Audience needs to be addressed in order to sell VR tools and applications as hot pancakes.

Remember:

“Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.” – Joe Chernov

Red Taxi is the largest luxury taxi service provider in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. They have a fleet of more than 600 cabs. They offer two different categories of vehicle – red taxi (sedan) and red go (hatchback). Their android and iOS mobile application help customers to find and book their cabs quickly and conveniently with 30 seconds.

How did GoodWorkLabs help Red Taxi succeed?

GoodWorkLabs an award-winning mobile app development company in India, US, and Europe. GoodWorkLabs comes with extensive hands-on experience in building and deploying cutting-edge technologies for mobile apps and UI UX design. GoodWorkLabs helped Red Taxi build an interactive and effective android and iOS mobile application. Right from creating the UX/UI interface, to mobile app development and back-end data testing and automation, GoodWorkLabs provided Red Taxi with a complete technology solution.

During the process, GoodWorkLabs paid great attention to the minute details like colors, fonts, visual design, visual language, and the use of latest technology to scale Red Taxi. GoodWorkLabs also helped Red Taxi in competitor analysis, customer interaction features, billing, and other integrations to make Red Taxi a top-quality mobile application.

How did GoodWorkLabs go about with this project? 

The aim of this app was to build an easy-to-use, effective, and efficient UI UX to keep the user hooked. To meet the requirements, GoodWorkLabs incorporated the below key features:

• Easy and simple registration process using the user’s mobile number
• Options to save frequently used addresses
• In-build GPS to track the location
• Users can add multiple locations using ‘favourite’ option
• Option to schedule rides
• Payment gateway

Services Rendered (end-to-end)

• UI UX Design
• Back-end cloud software development
• iOS App Development
• Android App Development
• Testing and DevOps
• User Research

Technologies used:

• PHP Laravel
• iOS native (SWIFT)
• Android Native (JAVA)
• MySQL

Download the mobile app on Play Store and iOS here.

Understanding Internet Of Things

“Anything that can be connected, will be connected.”

People who understand Internet Of Things and its potential will tell you that the Mantra above will be the talk of the town in the coming years. Anything you can imagine, anything at all would be connected to the internet, it is happening now and will only expand aggressively. So, wouldn’t it be imperative to know what exactly IOT is and how it works?

Imagine this situation. You logout of your office swiping the access card, the sensor sends a message to your car parked below which has already started and the navigation system has already plotted the route to your home alerting you about the traffic on different possible routes. The air conditioner in your house switches on automatically before you reach the house and adjusts the temperature according to the weather outside. The coffee brewer on intimation brews some coffee for you and the refrigerator sends you a message about the missing groceries. At a single touch, before you reach your house, the coffee is brewed, the air conditioner has set the tone for your comfort and the groceries have arrived at your doorstep. This is the power of Internet Of Things.

Every single device connected to the internet and integrated to feed off data from each other to make our lives better is probably just the gist of it. And this is not just for machines, it can be even for the minutest component of your machines. From a commercial airliner to a sewing machine, from your car to a water heater, everything is soon going to be unified on a single network. The opportunities are unlimited. Most of which might be out of our analytical might. Yet harnessing even a portion of it can create something as revolutionary as the wheel or fire.

 5 Internet of Things Application

Change has always been the buzzword. It is what signifies human existence. The change was first seen in 1974 with the Automated Teller Machines(ATM), and now amazingly there are far more objects connected to the internet than people on the planet. The most accepted ones so far are vehicles with all their user enhancing systems on board. With the advent of wearable devices such as fitness trackers and smartwatches, the horizons have expanded even more. Smart Kitchens, Smart living rooms, Smart houses, imagine every single electric impulse transferred as data to the internet for other user oriented actions. And if this is just the beginning, we already have over 4.9 billion connected devices and counting.

 Now, that we have a fair idea of what really Internet of things is, let us see how it will revolutionize our lives in the coming future:

1. Smart Highways:  Roads with ‘on the go’ warnings about weather expected ahead and diversions in case of mishaps and blockages will soon be functional across the globe. Smart highways will have a unified platform that will integrate data from traffic signals, traffic sensors, vehicle movements and on board GPS. It will be similar to living organism that constantly updates the vehicles about traffic patterns, speed limits and adversities.

2. Autonomous Cars: Cars with auto park feature are already in the testing phase. Many cities across the globe have given a green signal for testing the driver-less car as well. The autonomous cars, equipped with intelligent sensors will feed off years of data from vehicle databases to analyse driving patterns and road hazards. Autonomous cars will constantly update itself to make the driving experience a risk free and a safe one.

3. Patient Surveillance: Monitoring of vital signs for patients in hospitals and elderly people in old age homes is an important application of Internet Of Things. Right from the blood pressure, heart beat and other vital stats, to minute changes like changes in the pressure and temperature patterns of the room, all the data can be monitored to ensure better patient surveillance.

4. Smart Homes: Internet Of Things can automate an entire home filled with appliances and lighting systems. A single touch of hand can automate appliances even before you enter the house. Right from your groceries to garbage disposal, every household chore can be planned and scheduled for. It will give you the comfort of controlling your appliances even when you are miles from your home.

5. Defense Systems: Defense forces across the world have already started applying this technology, some of them on their more secure systems. The defense capabilities of any nation will surge ahead and their warning systems will become more accurate.

How Internet Of Things is changing lives:

As discussed earlier, Home Automation with the assistance of Internet Of Things is soon going to change the way we live. Smart Homes are going to make our lives much more comfortable and hassle-free. By 2025, more than a quarter of the world’s population is expected to have a semi automated smart home.

A step towards this was taken by GoodWorkLabs, recently.They created an application for one of their clients which offers complete home automation solutions. With the Internet of Things application developed,  the user can control the functionality of  home appliances with just one touch:

1) Adjust the AC temperatures in your Bedroom before you even reach home.

2) Set an alarm so that you are never late for the important things in life.

3) Adjust the lights in your living room to create evening.

4) Enjoy movie nights by setting your favorite movie lists on the TV.

5) Never miss out on your grocery lists.

Read more: Click

These are just a few of the important applications we would see in the coming days, as mentioned earlier, the uses are limitless. We need to expand our horizons and think further ahead to employ ways that can protect human interests. Internet Of Things is the result of human evolution eventually. Everything we have ever invented, every medium we have explored and every thought we have recorded, all connected together.

Technically, it maybe devices connected to each other. In reality, it is every single person connected through their devices.

“If you think Internet has changed your life, think again. The internet of things will change it all over again.” – Brendan O’Brien, Aria Systems

Virtual Reality to Practical Confidence.

“People think every creative idea possible has already happened, unfortunately, technology is greedy, it wants more.”

In this hotchpotch of a world that we live in, sometimes some souls lack behind in certain basic skills such as communication and decision-making. It is either due to lack of exposure or hereditary to put it in simpler terms. Most of us are afraid of the stage or fear facing a huge crowd. And some of us live with that fear forever, protecting ourselves in a cocoon not realizing how it affects our overall growth. It is not just the basic skills that need confidence. It can be your professional skills as well. And it is time proven that confidence can only be harnessed through practice and gaining experience.

Virtual reality is capable of stimulating experiences in our mind that as of now no other tech can match up to. It can virtually make you face your worst fears and teach you to cope with them. VR can fool your mind that you’re already well versed with something which you may or may not have experienced in reality.

Let us discuss 7 possibilities on how VR can train the mind:

1. Medical Training: Medical students can now perform surgical procedures on live 3D models of the human body instead of corpses till they perfect the procedure. They will get a hands-on experience with virtual patients and emergency cases. This will result in medical professionals with experience and embedded with confidence.

2. Stage fear: There are already mobile apps that let you practice in front of a virtual audience in your choice of environment. From best man speeches, lectures and interactive talks, you can practice them beforehand and be more confident at delivering your words. Soon, there will be Tedx talk environments for the enlightened ones as well.

3. Meditation: Imagine meditating in the middle of a forest under a banyan tree sitting on a couch. Virtual reality can take you anywhere you want, with minimal noise and utmost peace. Stimulating the senses in such an environment can calm our emotional facade.

4.Therapy: Stress and mental fatigue can break down anyone. Virtual reality can provide relief to the affected by psychologically planned scenarios, creating a therapeutic environment or interacting with a long distanced loved one in a VR environment.

5. Military Training: A trainee soldier or a trainee pilot can now experience real-life attack scenarios and respond accordingly. The military will save tremendously on their training costs and in turn, will gain soldiers who are ready for the brunt of their profession.

6. Sports: Virtual Reality can entirely change the way a batsman, footballer, athlete or a race car driver practices. It can simulate different environments, difficulty and fatigue levels to keep the players geared up for the action by enhancing their confidence levels.

7. Surrealism: Sometimes, all we need is time by ourselves. It is a proven fact that solitude once in a while can do wonders. Virtual reality can set up an environment of your choice, on a beach, on the top of a hill or just floating in the outer space. This will immensely help you feel better and drive your productivity sky high.

Escaping reality is not a bad idea, in fact, it is one of the best ideas mankind has had. Right from books, media, and gaming, we have been constantly evolving ourselves to diverge from reality for a few moments. And when technology is in our hands, why not use it and improve our personality, stimulate our minds for an improved performance and in the overall process boost our confidence.

A Career Drive in Bangalore that you must attend!

Are you passionate about technology?

Are you an engineer who wants to create awesome products?

We want you!

GoodWorkLabs is running a massive career drive to head-hunt the most talented iOS Developers!

Just walk-in with your resume and WOW us with your exceptional coding skills!

Drive details:

Date: 4th March | Saturday

Time: 9.30 am to 2.00 pm

Venue: GoodWorkLabs, 4th floor Akshay Tech Park, EPIP Zone, Whitefield.

Experience:

• Minimum 2.5 years of over-all software development experience
• 6 months of SWIFT experience is a must.
• Location: Bangalore

Skill Sets:

• BE/B.Tech/ME/M.Tech in Computer Science.
• Experience of iOS development with expertise in Objective C frameworks
• Strong fundamentals in Computer Science
• Working knowledge of the general architectures, trends, and emerging technologies in app development
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) to interact with various departments locally and internationally
• Desirable to have published one or more iOS apps in the app store.
• Write code and review code .
• Strong client interaction /Delivery Management

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop applications for the iOS platform
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and implement new features.
• Work on bug fixing and improving application performance
• Continuously discover, evaluate, and implement new technologies 

If you are a technical architect who wants to fast-track your career, then GoodWorkLabs is the place to be!

If you are based out of Bangalore, but are still interested in a career with GoodWorkLabs, then send us your resume on careers@www.goodworklabs.com

See you on the inside!

Challenges for a UX Designer

According to LinkedIN, there are 900,000 UX designers in the world. How strong willed are you to be one of the best in the long run?

“ Determination is the wake up call to the human will”

A designer is a commercial artist confined by factors such as economical efficiency, technological constraints and most importantly a client’s requirements.  A UX designer is more skilled in the techniques and the process on a whole new level which we will not dwell into. And as seen with artists and designers, even UX designers can lose their way in between or simply succumb to mental fatigue unless the work flow is organised and their creative persona is kept alive.

So, what exactly are the obstacles a UX designer faces?

To answer the above question, let us just assume you are 6 years old and in elementary school. The task at hand in the art class is to draw the conventional scenery with a sunrise and a small house.

You have an hour to complete the task and your creative and young mind sketches out generously on the canvas. Agreed, it will not be the best work of art but for a 6 year old child, it is commendable.

Now, let us add factors one by one to transform the 6 year child into a UX designer.

1. The client, the teacher in this case, wants an enhanced amalgamation of colors that are soothing to the eye.

2. Instead of crayons, you will use the latest tech available to make it more interactive: the fish in the rivers should pop out when touched, the canvas should have interchangeable themes according to the time of the day and everything should look lifelike.

3. Instead of an hour, you have a week, in which you have to start from the scratch. Create a storyboard, research how different users react to the design, predict how users are going to interact with the picture on different levels to name a few.

4. And now, most importantly, you are not supposed to cross a fixed budget, redraft the design until the client likes it and stick to a deadline.

5. You’re in your 20’s now, you have had experiences as a human being and your creative side sometimes has a slightly different point of view.

And thus begins the constant battle between your creativity and someone’s exact requirements. Being a 6 year old was fun, being a UX designer is much more fun stacked up on a heap of obstacles and opportunities. So, how to go through the ardent process while enjoying it and keeping your creative ego on a standby?

Remember:

You are special. You are sketching the future of technology. It is a part of you that people will see when they access the digital world. You have already predicted what they will feel, how they will react and that is nothing but pure magic! Not an illusion, not a cheap trick, but a result of your skills and ingenuity. So, as far as you keep this in mind and adjust to a few requests, you are already strong willed to be one of the best in UX designing.

Still, here are a few tips to keep yourself clutter free and determined:

1. Ask yourself why is the client/business spending money on UX design? If it is so important can I afford to lag behind and deliver an under-performing product?

2. It is good to have infinite concepts for a project but stick to a concept, believe in it and keep refining it. The more choices you have, the more fatigue you will experience even before starting especially when you have a deadline.

3. When we are unsure of what to do, we usually look towards a social behavior to guide us. Avoid that. It is your design, a proof of your brilliance.

4. People not only perceive object shapes better, they respond better to action oriented stimuli. Allow this thought process in your creativity.

5. Be clear of what exactly you want from your design, see your design on an emotional level for the future user.

6. Every process has its hardships, but visualize the end result that will boost your confidence.

7. Anything beautiful and alleviating takes time and effort to be created. It is your mind, your space and your canvas. Realize it proves your worth as a person and as a professional.

8. Divert your mind from social and family matters and engage in healthy conversations with your co-workers.

Being a UX designer, perhaps no one will ever know who designed the masterpiece android/iOS mobile app that they have gotten addicted to. You are designing for everyone and no one at the same time. Either your passion for designing and challenges provide the spark for you or it is the growth opportunities. There will be times when you will be agitated, every creative soul goes through that. In fact it is imperative. All that pressure, all those suggestions and yet every time if you come up with a design that startles everyone, you will be the silent guardian that ensures the success of products.

A creative knight in the shining armor of technology.