One of the best phrases from the world of design is

‘if a picture is worth 1000 words, then a functional prototype is worth a 1000 meetings.’

From pure experimentation to see your vision turn into a tangible project, prototypes help a lot in the phases of testing and building. The best thing they do is the fact that also take care to preserve the overall design uniformity too.

Designers are under an obligation to design things according to the description of their clients, but not all understand the requirements clearly. Several meetings, emails and phone discussions then follow. All of these are done to arrive at a final design.

This hassle, though, can be avoided to a large extent by the use of correct prototyping tools.

Prototyping tools help the designers and clients to collaborate in a better way and not have any creative differences. The clients get a visual idea about what will get created. The teams too, build a better understanding and explore options becoming visible, only after building and testing.

The most crucial advantage of prototyping tools is the risk involved, because the sooner we get a failure, the faster we can learn. Failing in the initial stages gives us a soft landing. You have the opportunity to work and improve on those errors.

How are Prototyping Tools Used?

We know very well that user experience is a critical metric for the branding of any company. Companies, therefore, use different prototyping tools to show different versions of a product to clients as per their requirements. It allows the UI/UX designers to put a ‘Proof of Concept’, an essential factor for a stable commercial relationship between the customer and the client.

How to Choose the Right Prototyping Tool?

Choosing the right prototyping tool is the key to describe your thoughts and collaborate in a better way with your clients. However, getting the right prototyping tool is not easy. This is because there are too many tools available online; enough to confuse you to pick the best one.

Every tool is different from the other because each one either lacks a particular feature or has an added one to stand separate from the others.

To choose the right kind of prototyping tool for design, a few factors need to be evaluated to check if the tool addresses our requirements or not-

A LEARNING CURVE

It is essential to analyze how easy the tool is to adopt. In other words, a learning curve where it is determined how long it takes for a designer to understand the tool.

SHARING ABILITIES

Because collaboration is crucial in design, the perfect tool will be the one to provide a collaboration feature for multiple people and stay in sync with each other.

USAGE

This is another point to know when choosing a prototyping tool, about how well it merges with your design process and other tools you use regularly.

COSTS

There are several prototyping tools, and many of them have niche features. A lot of these tools fail to meet our budgetary needs, though. Hence, it is better to choose the tool according to costs and not just by the features on offer.

The 11 Top Prototyping Tools for UI/UX-

INVISION

Invision is the most popular prototyping tool available today. With its project management page, it is effortless to organize the design components into a status workflow.

Invision has simplified every single aspect of the workflow and collaboration between design and development. Better, faster and more collaborative design in real-time is what Invision does best.

ADOBE EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Adobe XD allows you to draw, reuse and remix vectors and create artwork and build wireframes, interactive prototypes, and screen layouts in the same app.

With Adobe, designers can be more productive as they can import files from their Adobe tools without any trouble at all. Clients too, can make comments on your shared prototypes and look at the designs in real-time.

ORIGAMI STUDIO

Facebook initially created this tool for helping teams build and design products. Origami enables you to show your designs in a presentation on full screen on various devices.

You can also export prototype components by a single click, and engineers can copy-and-paste in the project. The tool is more suited to freelancers just starting, due to lack of collaboration features.

SKETCH

WebSketch has a lot of similarities with Photoshop, allowing the user to edit pictures. The fully vector-based workflow makes it easy to create beautiful and high-quality artwork from scratch.

With Sketch, the reusable elements like lines and bubbles can be automatically copied and pasted.

AXURE

Axure is a tool providing some very powerful prototyping without any coding. It also makes the process of sharing a prototype for the team or client very easy.

Axure will also publish all your diagrams and prototypes to Axure Share on the cloud. With a single link, others can view your project in their browser.

WEBFLOW

The most significant benefit of Webflow is that the tool provides a very high degree of functionality without the need of writing a single line of code. The tool heavily focuses on web animations, interactions and very responsive web design.

You can either host a prototype with Webflow or even export the code in HTML, CSS or JavaScript.

FRAMER

Framer has the premise that with the right code, it is possible to prototype anything, resulting in beautiful designs. It provides an effortless workflow, further eased by version control, device previewing and easy sharing.

Framer also makes it possible to import graphics directly from Sketch, Figma or even Photoshop.

ATOMIC

Atomic is a web-based prototyping tool and requires Google Chrome. The tool provides you with the flexibility to tune your interaction. There is easy access on offer for all developers with a simple shared prototyping system.

The best feature is the history option, allowing you to rewind to previous designs and create new versions from any point.

PRINCIPLE

Principle has been built for OS X and has an iOS app to watch live prototypes. The app appears a lot like Sketch and other aspects like alignment, art-board creation and real-time previews.

Principle also permits designers to work offline at increased speeds so that you do not have any problem with a slow connection.

JUST IN MIND

A significant advantage of Just in Mind is that it can be downloaded on your system for offline work as well.

The tool comes packed with tutorials and guided videos for everyone, who is a beginner or even an expert. You also have access to use items from UI libraries and then download several other add-ons.

BALSAMIQ MOCKUPS

Balsamiq Mockups replicates the speed and convenience to create mockups on paper but at a digital medium. Designers get to choose from more than 500 pre-made icons or components.

If you are not a professional designer but looking for a tool allowing you to create static and straightforward wireframes, Balsamiq is ideal for use.

Still not sure, how to get on with it? Let us assist you, Contact us.

The arrival of Artificial Intelligence and its practical implementation in industries has paved the way for unlimited opportunities.

The term artificial intelligence (AI) first came up in 1965. AI has become the latest technology, incorporated in different industries across the globe. This technology, in turn, is a great combination when accompanied with techniques to enhance business operations.

Artificial Intelligence essentially means the development, theory, and execution of computer-based electronic systems.

These systems boost the ability of machines in the execution of tasks; tasks otherwise requiring human intervention. AI brings a boost to the profitability of businesses within a range of 38 percentage points.

Artificial Intelligence enhances efficiency and leads to a reduction in the overall costs. The primary objective of Artificial Intelligence techniques is to facilitate the machines to perform intellect-heavy tasks performed by humans.

AI technology is getting increasingly accepted in several areas with the common objective of achieving a reduction in redundant tasks, and attain a better level of performance.

AI Update:-

With time, AI has made its presence felt in all essential areas of work. With the pace AI adoption is happening in different fields, AI can rightly take up more positions of interest several times.

AI is present in self-driven cars, human resource planning, store management, and in the areas of medicine and science. AI has provided great results for all these jobs.

AI-Enabled Retail Outlet

The incorporation of an AI-based retail store in Kochi, India, dramatically shows the impact of AI. In this store, Artificial Intelligence is utilized to cut down repetitive jobs, demanded otherwise from the employer.

There are a lot of tasks monotonous in nature, having the potential to hamper the efficiency and cost utilization ability of human resource. This is a massive reason as to why AI has been such a significant influence on a global scale.

Benefits of this AI update:-

• The AI-based retail store in Kochi is entirely devoid of human interruption while the customers indulge themselves in shopping.
• The involvement of AI in this system sees automation to such an extent that the full payment process concludes by e-wallet. The entire store is cashier-free, making the whole shopping experience automated for the customers.
• The fact that a salesperson is absent in the store led to an experience of lesser interruption for the customers.

The purchase amount gets automatically deducted from the customer’s e-wallet. Here, a significant benefit that surfaces is related to the ease of purchase and reduction in time consumption.

The use of AI in retail stores has led to a noticeable decrease in the time invested in shopping. Long queues for payment get substantially avoided as the amount has a direct deduction from the e-wallets.

Customer Manual:-

• The customer is required to download the “Watasale” app, through which a QR code gets produced and scanned while a customer will enter the store.
• The store works with sophisticated camera technology and facial recognition. The shelves of the store have embedded cameras for keeping track of the items picked up.
• The algorithms then take care of the payment procedure based on the information transmitted through the cameras.
• All the customer has to do is download an app, scan the QR code, go in the store, shop on their own, and that is all because the store is free from cashiers and has hi-tech cameras working in tandem with the whole e-wallet, the needful gets automatically done at the time of payment.

AI has brought specific projections for the upcoming trends of retail in India for estimation through store visitor analytics. The store visitor analytics use the concepts of AI and machine learning to make a note of footfalls in the store.

AI For Forecasting Wind Farm Output

With the increasing need for renewable sources of energy, the world is making efforts for obtaining reliable sources of energy generation.  Wind farms are a great source of such renewable energy. However, there is a significant issue that wind farms have been facing lately.

Google has included Artificial Intelligence into this matter. In this case, AI is used to make accurate predictions and detailed calculations. The accuracy of these forecasts is an essential determinant for operators to meet the requirements.

The Benefits of AI in Wind Farm Output Calculation

• Future demands of wind power generation require assessment and analysis much before for staying prepared with the essential strategies and workload. AI is serving as a prospective solution to this issue by ensuring quick calculations and predictions.
• The system devised by Google can make accurate 36-hour predictions within the final output. This is considerably impressive, without a doubt.
• The system is beneficial as energy sources can be scheduled to produce extraordinary power at a particular time. Also, machine learning, when included in this system, aids in the enhancement of the value of wind energy generated.

Amidst the continuous optimization of the model, Google is claiming to have increased the value of wind energy by around twenty per cent so far. The upcoming optimization and work done on the system are targeting even higher returns in coming time.

Artificial Intelligence and The Future

Artificial Intelligence is a concept on the brink to reform every industry and the working and structure of every business. Spheres like inventory management, medical examinations, and prior predictions also get streamlined beautifully with AI.

Also, the involvement of AI-powered robots in retail stores is a prospective boon, expected soon by the store owners in retail management.

Besides this, bot chats, blockchain, and machine learning are some of the related areas that are under works.

Furthermore, right from the management of inventory, workforce, movement of materials in the organization to technical analysis, experts are working on making AI useful in every possible way.

Artificial Intelligence and the various concepts surmounting it are indeed capable of reforming a large part of our daily lives and businesses.

If there is any idea you have in mind, or any assistance required, do get in touch with us.

Stratistics Marketing Research Consulting released the figures for spending in the worldwide IT outsourcing market. Expectations are that the amount will reach $481.37 billion by the year 2022. 

The figure is not at all surprising- this is because companies are looking forward to reduce their IT component spending. The focus is shifting to the main functions of the organization.

To solve the various enterprise challenges, the two models of IT outsourcing- staff augmentation and managed IT services are considered the best. 

We take a closer look into both these models to determine which one is better suited to the needs of companies.

Staff Augmentation

Staff augmentation refers to hiring professionals from outside the company. This is done on a contractual basis to cover up for the in-house staff.

Staff augmentation model has several benefits-

• Cost-Effectiveness

There are a lot of companies without the need for added staff. This eliminates the point to pay regular wages. Staff augmentation provides businesses with complete support through skilled professionals.

• Adaptability

Whenever a project comes up to a company, it is easy to understand and make a note of the missing skills to complete the project. Staff augmentation comes with the feature of adaptability. As a result, you can quickly scale up and down as per the project range.

• Resistance to Attrition

Obtaining and keeping a permanent staff is a difficult task for companies today. Because IT services are growing in demand, employees move over from their present employer to another more quickly.

There is not much companies can do to avoid this, but staff augmentation makes it less difficult to fill their staff with qualified specialists.

These are the important attributes of staff augmentation. However, it is interesting to note that staff augmentation is perfect only as a short-term solution. Future-oriented companies want to keep their technological development safe for a long time.

With the benefits on offer through staff augmentation, many people in the top management look to make this model a permanent one in their operations.

A Few Limitations of Staff Augmentation 

Choosing staff augmentation from a permanent hiring model brings two critical disadvantages to light-

• Overall Cost- Effectiveness Gets Challenged

When you choose staff augmentation, the labour costs increase. These expenses include overheads and positive margins too. Regularly hiring freelancers on a contractual basis is not a permanent solution, as the administrative costs become higher also.

• You Don’t Get Enough Insights For The Work Done By Your Contractor

Staff augmentation model does not generally mention any other service commitments than the work hours. As a result, the permanent staff often ‘invents’ new tasks to keep temporary hires busy. 

Staff augmentation brings you high-cost permanent resources. Yes, the quality of their services will be outstanding, but every company will also need favourable results too.

With staff augmentation, the customer company is entirely responsible for the infrastructure management procedure as well as quality assurance. The result, therefore, also becomes the responsibility of the company.

Managed IT Services

The managed IT service model is a definite mix of services, responsible for applying an external degree of control on a company’s non-core systems.

The model brings in all benefits of flexibility and skill access of staff augmentation. It then overcomes the major disadvantages the former model has to offer.

The advantages of managed IT services are the following-

• An Improved Cost Model

The vendors of managed IT services tie the pricing of the contract to the outcome. In other words, if customer demand for certain services grows or decreases, the price of the contract will differ accordingly.

• Guaranteed Output

Because service delivery includes a service level agreement (SLA), the overall scope and time limit of the service are all documented. Service providers try to fulfil their commitments, so they are required to put their value of work at a maximum.

• Access To Many Different Skills

Organizations providing managed IT services are often more significant than staff augmentation companies. 

As a result, these companies offer their customers an extensive base of skills, knowledge and solutions necessary to meet the ever-evolving requirements of customers.

Managed IT service model keeps your focus on the core business and transfer all the supporting services to a skilled and result-oriented company.

Adopting Managed IT Services

Stepping to a managed service model is not a single step, but involves a gradual procedure of four phases-

• Planning

Firstly, it is essential to have a clear definition of what to outsource.

It is vital that you do not delegate the processes, knowledge-intensive and makes you stand apart from the crowd. If you choose the wrong service for outsourcing, it can result in vendor lock-in.

Also, have a clear decision regarding the scope of managed IT services. If it is a hosting service, for instance, you should have a clear idea when the hosting begins and ends. It looks pretty ordinary but can have problems in the future.

• Choosing a Vendor

The reliability of a managed IT service vendor is a huge factor in making companies doubtful of selecting this model.

Shortlist managed IT service providers based on criteria like recommendations from experts, the capabilities of vendors for a particular technology and testimonies from previous customers.

The rest of the process is simple. Interact through one-on-one sessions to get more information and proceed ahead.

• Transition

A transition plan is generally in an SLA, where the methodology and schedule of a project are specified. Over-specification on the way the service will be delivered is a common problem to avoid in this phase.

Transition is the phase where the actual transfer of knowledge happens. At the start, a new vendor observes how the internal staff works. Right after that, this vendor takes over the overall responsibilities of service management.

• Governance

For maintaining the consistency of managed IT services, it is vital for a customer to conduct regular reporting and performance audits, review the services in line with the SLA and ensure that the vendor stays alert to what the IT service market offers.

The Dilemma Among Staff Augmentation and Managed IT Services

Choosing between these two models depends on the kind of company looking for them. Essentially, the best way to choose is to have a detailed cost-benefit analysis.

If your company requires specific services for a limited period, staff augmentation is the perfect option for you.

However, if you are looking for a continuous operating model, having a predictable cost structure, you will want to consider managed IT services for your company.

You can connect any time in case of any doubts about the two models we have discussed above. Also, we offer staff augmentation services and co-working space, Reach out to us, if any of the above service interests you.

The GoodWorkLabs team recently caught up with Samara Mahindra, the Founder of the Carer Program – a one of a kind Cancer recovery program, to understand the technology requirement of her business.

Samara wanted to build a web application that would provide holistic therapy for cancer patients post their treatment. The challenge here was to build an easy-to-use and brilliant UI/UX for an age group ranging from 7 years to up to 70 years.

Our Process:

The design team at GoodWorkLabs immediately dived deep into understanding the core of the Carer program business. The idea was to establish an instant connect with the patients who would use this program, and so, we looked at minute details such as color codes, fonts, background textures etc that would help in creating a soothing experience for the users.

We then worked on providing excellent user interactions that would allow patients to easily navigate through the Carer Program modules.

Once we got the aesthetics in place, we began the next process which was the development stage.

As a company, we believe in providing a complete end-to-end solution for our customers, and using agile software development methodologies we created an interactive web application for the Carer Program.

Our journey with the Carer Program:

GoodWorkLabs has always been in the forefront in creating cutting-edge technologies. At the same time, we are also passionate about creating products that touch the lives of millions of users.

Our team was super excited about working with Carer Program and in the healthcare space. As we all know, cancer is a serious medical condition. But building a technology solution that would help speed up the process of cancer recovery was a cause that we were very happy and proud to be part of.

In the video above, Samara also shares a few words about her experience of working with GoodWorkLabs.

“There were many things that stood out with GoodWorkLabs, I think one is the efficiency and just trust! I have worked with many other technology companies, but this is the one company that I can really trust. If there is any glitch in the program or if there is any kind of technical difficulty, or if I want any advise when it comes to do anything with technology, I know I have a team that is there by me who are super efficient and shall get the job done”

 

Why choose GoodWorkLabs:

We don’t just build products. We help in creating an ecosystem for businesses to thrive with the latest technologies.

Also, we go that extra mile to understand your business persona and build products that are aligned to your objectives.

So, if you have a technology requirement and are looking for an exceptional UI/UX design and software development firm, then GoodWorkLabs is the right technology partner for you.

GoodWorkLabs adds Samsung, the largest electronics and mobile company, to its envious list of clients and partners! We are excited to work alongside the giant to bring out kickass solutions and products. Welcome Samsung!