Node.js is a runtime environment for developing web applications. Its open-source environment allows code to be re-used and re-distributed. Node.js is rapidly emerging as a preferred platform to create web based APIs since it is based on the concept of server side scripting. The development environment has been the backbone for creating some of the best real-time web based applications.

Node.js is popularly becoming the preferred environment to develop web applications in comparison to others like Java and .Net. It connects with JavaScript, thus allowing the best experience for client and server side programming. Also, the speed with which Node.js operates is very high. This feature has made it a preferred environment to develop server side scripting.

Large web driven players in the market are moving to Node.js for these compelling reasons –

1. Node.js does not use the concept of multithreading like JAVA and this feature allows hassle free programming properties. But it does use the concept of asynchronous execution of Input output based events through a thread pool.
2. Node.js specializes in execution and topping well for low-CPU, highly I/O-bound operations. Just starting to work on Node.js will allow a programmer to analyse how to exploit it for maximum performance.
3. Node.js has proved to work over cloud environments and client virtual machines though dedicated software. People with experience in JavaScript can easily pick up Node.js to produce very specific results. Core Node.js scripts can perform the business logic straight at the server side.
4. Though .NET is powerful, Node.js is much easier to use and more accessible to developers. Node.js focusses in executing and scaling better in low-CPU based systems and highly I/O-bound operations.Node.js can work efficiently on heavily I/O-bound operations with low CPU usage.
5. Comparing on the factors of language and package, Node.js uses less coding to perform tasks as compared to Java and .Net. It also wins on open source libraries though they are most driven on communities around.
6. Node.js has the big advantage of code re-use. This feature makes it a big hit among developers. Though it is limited by the server resources, its contention feature used for app development works regardless of thread delegation. This is resource contention is a big hit among developers. Node.js uses an event-based paradigm, and .NET does also when implemented asynchronously.
7. Node.js projects are proven to compile within few minutes. Most of the Node.js test cases are easily available thereby giving code re-use possibility and feature sharing for various similar subjects and applications. Node.js is a clear winner when controlling stack overflow in server side scripting.

Comparing Node.js with JAVA or .Net completely relies on a customer’s need and the software design to be built. Various factors need to be considered before finalising on the software to be used. It is true that Node.js performs better and much faster compared to Java or .Net.

For digital marketers, it’s a common problem of users not interacting with a brand like they are supposed to. The job of a UX designer is to bring about the best conditions under which the end audience is sufficiently encouraged to perform a desired action. The core to understanding this lies in the behavioral psychology that initiates the ‘call to action’.

What triggers a change in behavior?

If you are working on a website or an app that is supposed to encourage users to exercise more, you need to look for the core motivations. Psychology provides two ways to achieve this. Extrinsic motivation like money or some kind of reward can do the trick for some. For others, it’s about the enjoyment or a feeling of satisfaction (reaching a goal) and then sharing their accomplishments with their social connections.

The best example of an extrinsic motivation is the Pact App. Users of Pact exercise to earn money and reach health goals. This would work well with the audience group that isn’t self-motivated to exercise. In other words, these are the people who don’t enjoy exercising. On the other hand, websites like Freeletics try to promote exercising by rewarding points to its users. This would be just like a game that comes up with a level of greater difficulty and challenge every time.

So where does UX fit into all this?

It is only by a deeper understanding of the end user and the way they interact with products, can we expect to come up with an interface that delivers value. Personas, the journey of customer experience can become useful tools to capture insights and thus serve as important references in the design process.

What makes a UX design fit for your users?

Generally speaking, people who use apps and websites to do certain kind of activity, ranging from shopping to exercising, follow these cues.

Users don’t want to think or work more than they need to

They will try to do the least to get things done and it’s better to present all necessary information that will build trust and make them ‘take the action’. Marketers also need to focus on affordability presented on the screen. Also, defaults in forms allow people to do less manual work.

Customers/users have their limitations

Users will only embrace as much information they need before they start losing interest. For UX designers, it thus becomes important to provide all the necessary information in a format that is easy to scan and read better.

Mistakes are a part of the process

“Its human to err” and this statement can be very important for UX designers. Designers will need to anticipate what kind of mistakes users might commit and make it easy to rewrite/undo or go back.

Customers are social

Technology has been a great motivator to build relationships, share news, and even encourage buying behavior. UX design should include all this to maximize the effects.

The complicated human memory

We only remember things that we want to. Research also shows that the average human can remember only 3-4 items/tasks at a time. Further, human memory can be fragile and degrade quickly. Only a product and interface worth remembering is carried forward in the journey.

Design is the way we like to interact with the world. The easier it gets, the better can it express and communicate our needs.

Businesses looking to set up an online shopping portal are often put off by the intimidation of escalating costs at the development stage. While e-commerce portal brings in remarkable results thanks to shifting customer preference and the deep penetration of mobile, the prospect of high development costs is a key reason why most e-commerce sites do not get past the ideating stage. By investing in the best WordPress hosting, e-commerce businesses can optimize performance, reduce unexpected expenses, and improve operational efficiency—all of which contribute to cutting overall development costs.

If you want to know which are the pain points as regards costs during e-commerce development and ways to circumvent them, then read on…

1. Hosting – One of the critical elements of e-commerce portal is the space needed to store descriptions, databases, high res images, payment gateway integration, individual integrations and security programming. Many companies face disconnect between the products they have listed on the site versus how much space is required to store them. Most e-commerce stores start small, with a handful of product categories and few seller networks. This calls for smaller hosting space. However, hosting space should not remain constricted but rather be flexible as per the growth of the store. Such smart managing of hosting space will help save a ton on overall development costs.

2. Strategic Planning before actual development – Both client and developers have been guilty of not putting in enough time and efforts at the planning stage simply to save some time. However the benefit of investing dedicated time into meticulous planning far outweighs the negatives.

As a good developer you would start off with a brief questionnaire to know more about the client and its target audience. Some of the key questions to be answered at the planning stage would include –

1.   Knowing about the customer (e.g.- whether B2B or B2C)?

2.   Knowing about the best way to attract them to the portal

3.   Pointers on heightened customer experience during online shopping

4.   Key add-ons/third party/individual integration to the site

5.   Handling scalability and growth in future

6.   Handling scope creeps or revisions to schedules and estimates

Answers to these will help to decide on an appropriate choice of platform and back-end before you commence with the actual coding. If this starting point seems overwhelming to you, it will be good to hire the e-services of a good consulting firm. The investment and time will definitely help in a streamlined e-commerce portal development process.

3. Choose the right platform- Each shopping platform has its pros and cons. You need to be aware of what suits your project needs best and then decide on an appropriate platform in order to keep development costs low. For instance, Magneto is a good choice if you need thousands of products to be put up on the shopping portal. However it tends to be very heavy. On the other hand, Shopify provides a hosted platform that guarantees 99% up-time, complete data security and competent tech support.

While Shopify may take a bit more time to customize the storefront, OpenCart provides a lot of flexibility in modifying the look and feel of your digital store. Also when we consider the compatibility and pricing of plug-ins, the open source OpenCart platform offers plug-ins that is around 30-40% cheaper than official Woocommerce plugins. On the flip side however, people have had problems with OpenCart tech support.

Considering above factors will certainly help you keep both costs and time of development in check.

A successful app development for iOS entails close collaboration between iOS developers and graphic designers. Any disconnect between the two delays the app development process, leading to an infuriated client. In order to ensure seamless workflow between developers and designers, we have listed below a few practical and easy to follow tips for designers that save time, reduce iterations, and speed up the iOS app development process significantly-

1. Honesty at the mock up stage – At the initial stage, use only those deigns in the mock up that delivers value to the full developed app. At the mock-up stage there are a lot of unknown variables that need to be accounted for

a. will the app being developed be the right fit for your designs?
b. will your design respect the dynamism or uncertainty of real life and adjust well to actual elements, layout, data, or content?

This tip will make certain that developers’ screen mock-up truly depicts how the app will look like at the stage- i.e. when not all information is at hand.

2. Close collaboration – Constant and open communication is a must between developers and designers. As a designer, you can sit with developers and see how your designs get programmed into living entities within the app. This helps maintain overall consistency of the color and theme of the app and prevents any disconnect with what the designer delivers versus what the developer expects.

3. Avoid redundancy – If possible and applicable, you can deliver a similar set of elements as a template that can be customized further by developer and then applied appropriately. For instance, if you are designing a button element, there need not be separate buttons for ‘ok’, ‘cancel’, ‘submit’, ‘search’ etc. Developers can easily add the label upon blank buttons wherever required.

4. Design prototypes – There are tools that help designers convey a dummy depiction of how different elements will be arranged and brought together. Developers will get a sense of the different action, navigation and animation put together by you and thus remove any confusion. You can try out tools such as Invision and Proto.io to create such productive design prototypes.

5. File delivery – Developers already have a lot going on to accomplish app development. Some useful piece of advice for designers to help reduce overheads on developers would be-

a. Sorted delivery – You can make folders per screen of the app and dump all images in it. You can also put in a screenshot of entire screen with placement of various elements to avoid confusion.

b.Consistency – You would need to ensure that all elements are consistent. For instance all images should be .PNG (and not a mix of .JPG and .PNG)

c. iOS oriented – Images need to be both high res (for retina display of recent iOS devices) and low res (for older iOS devices). Also follow the universal naming convention (for e.g. suffix high res images with “@2x”).

These steps will ensure that the deliverable can be easily used by developers further in the app development process. Got any other useful point to add to the above list? Write in to us and let us know.

The mobile team at GoodWorkLabs has built the most beautiful apps for the global market. Contact us to get complete portfolio.

Here’s a peek at ST Dupont iPad App. ST Dupont is world’s leading super-luxury retail brand.

GoodWorkLabs has delivered cutting-edge software products and solutions including India’ largest employer review website JobeeHive.com, US based fraud management software product, social media products and more.

The team at GoodWorkLabs has worked on a number of backend and frontend technologies for Flipkart.com, India’s largest e-commerce company.

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GoodWorkLabs has built JobeeHive.com,  India’ largest employer review website.