ben brown

February 6, 2023

Business

Using Mobile-First CSS: Is It For You?

ben brown

February 6, 2023

Business

The emphasis on mobile usage when it comes to designing a website is a recurring topic among most businesses these days. The experience of a website on mobile is just so critical considering that these devices account for over 60% of website traffic in 2023. Additionally, the sheer amount of monthly mobile data traffic (measured in exabytes) has grown dramatically over the last decade and is projected to go up even further in the next decade. For web designers, this means developing an easy-to-navigate website and condensing the page when making changes to the site. For software developers, there’s a bit more involved to ensure a seamless experience for mobile users.

Enter Mobile-First CSS

Mobile-First CSS is a popular solution for designing websites or web apps specifically for smaller screens. This approach prioritizes the mobile experience by starting with the mobile design, then gradual additions are made to accommodate bigger (desktop) screens. It’s important to emphasize here that this approach doesn’t mean neglecting the experience for desktop users. Simply, it’s creating a seamless mobile look and feel that will then influence the development of the desktop version.

What Benefits to Expect With Mobile-First CSS in Action

There are many advantages to taking the Mobile-First approach particularly if your analytics suggest the majority of your traffic is coming from mobile users. Here are 4 that you can expect to see on your website:

A simpler design: By focusing on the mobile experience first, the design will be simplified and made more user-friendly. This makes the website or app easy to navigate, even on smaller screens.

A responsive website or app: With Mobile-First CSS, the design will automatically adjust to different screen sizes, providing a seamless experience for all users, regardless of the device they're using.

Improved performance: By creating a streamlined design for mobile users first, you are improving the overall performance of the website or app, making the site perform faster and more efficiently.

Improved SEO: With an emphasis on mobile, you are also improving your website's or app's SEO by making it mobile-friendly, which is a ranking factor for search engines.

We’re not telling you how to design your website or web apps when we’re talking about Mobile-First CSS. These benefits apply to the company that doesn’t have a desktop-focused, legacy, complex, or static website.

The Potential Drawbacks

With that being said, it’s important to know the pros and cons of any system your organization is looking to get involved with. Here are some potential drawbacks of Mobile-First CSS:

Requires a mobile-focused mindset: Designers and developers must have a strong understanding of mobile design and development best practices to effectively implement Mobile-First CSS.

Increased development time: Creating the mobile version first and then making adjustments for larger screens can take more time compared to designing for the desktop first.

Limited creative control: Designers may feel limited in their creative control and ability to showcase their designs on larger screens.

Lack of attention to desktop users: There is a risk of neglecting the desktop user experience, which can lead to a subpar experience for these users. However, this can be fixed down the line.

Increased complexity: With Mobile-First CSS, the code becomes more complex as the design is adjusted for different screen sizes. This can make the development process much more difficult.

What’s useful when it comes to weighing the pros and cons of a new software system is that it allows organizations to plan for contingencies. Teams who take on the development process with the mindset of “we know how this has benefitted others, this is how we see it benefitting us, let’s outline the timeline and go from there” will be much better off. Additionally, weighing the potential negatives will be good to bring up when consulting with programmers to see how they plan to solve potential issues.

The Takeaway

Software projects are only made successful with sufficient involvement from both parties which means having realistic expectations and accurate estimations. It comes down to knowing your audience and the goals of your business long-term. If the majority of your audience accesses your website or web app on a desktop, then a mobile-first approach may not be an appropriate solution. Whatever the case may be, proper planning and communication are the keys to a successful software implementation.

Written By Ben Brown

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ISU Corp is an award-winning software development company, with over 17 years of experience in multiple industries, providing cost-effective custom software development, technology management, and IT outsourcing.

Our unique owners’ mindset reduces development costs and fast-tracks timelines. We help craft the specifications of your project based on your company's needs, to produce the best ROI. Find out why startups, all the way to fortune 500 companies like General Electric, Heinz, and many others have trusted us with their projects. Contact us here.

ben brown

February 3, 2023

Business

Why Financial Firms Use System Automation

ben brown

February 3, 2023

Business

In today's fast-paced business environment, teams who prioritize productivity and efficiency have a much better chance of success. Savvy leaders know this, and it’s why they treat their time and that of their teams as a currency, because it quite literally is.

Investing in efficient systems is a must for businesses targeting long-term success. It starts by maximizing the short-term time-saving potential. Now when we say “succeed long term,” we’re not talking about the businesses trying to dominate the market for the next 3-5 years; we’re talking about the enterprises looking to make their mark for the next 10, 20, 30 years and beyond.

But what industries do businesses aim to compete for such a long time? The financial industry is an example of a sector where businesses aim to compete for a long time, and firms need to evaluate their capabilities for the long haul. For this reason, technology providers cater to these needs by introducing tools and solutions that help businesses streamline their workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and overall manage their teams more effectively.

So, what are these magic systems? Here are just 5 software solutions that a financial firm trying to compete long-term would use:

Workflow Management Systems: Financial firms use these systems to organize and track different tasks and approvals, making sure everything gets done on time.
Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Systems: Systems used by institutions to understand how the business is performing and make more informed decisions through data analysis.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems: Smart computers that can learn and make predictions on their own, helping firms easily make better decisions.
Electronic Document Management Systems: This is where organizations store and share important papers like contracts and invoices electronically. As a result, they don't have to rely on hard copies.
Robotic Process Automation Software: This software will take over repetitive tasks such as data entry and free up time for the complex and value-adding tasks we’ve been mentioning.

While each one of these systems sounds cool, there is still a gray area behind integrating them into daily practice within the organization. With that said, It's important to note that while these systems can indeed bring great benefits, they also require a significant investment in terms of time and resources. Consider for a moment that 70% of digital transformation projects fail typically because of a lack of planning for system integration and an understanding of why the team needs the system. That is why a game plan before implementation is so critical to ensure maximum ROI upon execution.

What Does This Execution Plan Look Like?

For a financial institution, the execution model might look something like this:

Identify the goals that can be met with the new system.
Assess the current workflows and processes within the organization and find the areas that the new system can optimize.
What features/capabilities of the new technology align with the objectives of the business and/or team?
Outline ideals (milestones, timelines, and deliverables upon implementation).
Resources needed to support the project (staff, budget, equipment, etc).
Monitor progress and ensure the necessary adjustments are being made.

This outline is kind of the static layout behind every software project and for good reason. This guide is going to force you to evaluate the “why” behind your project, which will then make every step beyond a lot more simple to understand.

The Takeaway

The point here is to emphasize how important it is to constantly evaluate your organization's processes and to find the margins where innovation can benefit performance. As always, this comes down to understanding your business goals and the impact of new technologies.

Written By Ben Brown

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ben brown

January 27, 2023

Business

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Mobile App

ben brown

January 27, 2023

Business

Since mobile apps were first introduced in the 1990s, people all over the world have wanted a version that fulfills their interests. This has led to the creation of millions of mobile apps that do more than just entertain. It’s estimated that the average smartphone user spends around 3 hours every day using apps which presents lucrative opportunities for the app owner but even more so for the programmers who materialized the platform.

App development is expensive, there’s no denying that. Though prices vary heavily if you’re looking to build something decent, be ready to spend a minimum of around $40,000. However, be open to the fact that the ROI on building that app could be dramatically higher. Now the price of development is of course enough to scare most curious creators away. However, in those cases, it’s likely the person is simply not ready to take on the responsibility or lacks a clear vision of what the app will bring.

There are several examples of companies that owe their success to integrating mobile apps such as Uber, YouTube, Facebook, Google, and so on. This is not to say that success is imminent for everyone in this case but the principle is simple. These companies had a foundation that was ready to take on the mobile market and when they did they took it by storm.

The mobile app development market is already worth hundreds of billions of dollars and further growth is inevitable. While competition is fierce, those with a strong team, clear vision, and solid platform can still succeed. However, it's important to be aware of these 5 common misconceptions to avoid on the path to success:

The work ends when the app is released: Many fail to take into account the work that comes after a mobile application is created. This includes (but is not limited to) consistent maintenance, updates, bug fixes, and user support.
As well, marketing and promoting the application needs to be a priority after the release to attract new users and keep the app visible. Developers need to have a plan in place for the work that comes post-release to ensure the app is successful long-term.
Features are enough to make an app successful: While the features of an app are important, they will not single-handedly make your app a success. A solid user interface, user experience (UI/UX), performance, and reliability are the primary aspects that contribute to a successful mobile app.
How would you feel about an app that had all these great features but performed horribly and was difficult to navigate? You’d probably feel like deleting the app right away.
You can stop at iOS: iOS devices account only for a little over 26% of all mobile operating systems. While it’s great to have your app made for iOS devices and the market will be very good for organizations, there’s a big chunk of the demographic being excluded. Ultimately, this is going to depend on the needs/goals of the business.
It’s cheaper to build an app than a website: We’ve already gone over a bit about the kind of prices to expect, but this is a key area to be aware of. Again, every project is going to vary in terms of cost so it’s not possible to put a price tag on an app or website. However, when it comes to comparing the two, there may be misconceptions about which is more cost-efficient.
Because apps are designed for specific platforms, devices, and screen sizes, while websites need to be compatible with a variety of all three, some may assume that apps are cheaper to build. However, it's important to note that both apps and websites require maintenance, updates, and testing. With this in mind, it's important to consider all of these variables for both when deciding which type of project to pursue.
Not thoroughly testing the app: Don’t make the mistake of being so anxious to get your app out to people that you fail to prioritize the testing phase. This is where you can identify and remove bugs, evaluate performance, how it looks, and how it functions across various mobile operating systems.
Problems that app creators don’t identify and rectify will come as complaints from users which will hurt the app's success in the early stages. In short, get ahead of the curb, make sure the app is what you envisioned and that nothing is left to chance.

The Takeaway

To succeed when creating a mobile app, developers must take strategic approaches that focus on quality. This starts with a clear vision, is fueled by setting meaningful goals, and assembling a strong team that can deliver a user-friendly platform that will be around for the long haul.

By avoiding these mistakes, you won’t have all the answers but you will have a bit of an edge along the journey.

Written By Ben Brown

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