The rapid rate at which technology evolves is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, new tech trends give companies new opportunities to improve their business. For instance, the rise of mobile apps is already helping all types of companies in many different ways.

On the other hand, keeping up with new tech trends is no easy task, as new tech trends require a new set of skills. For example, take a look at the ever-changing world of application development. Business application development is becoming more complex, driven in part by recent trends like the web, mobile, and the cloud. While these new trends expand business opportunities, they also require an ever-expanding skill-set.

How exactly have these new tech trends changed application development? What new skills are required for modern application development? To help you understand how development has evolved, I’ve created a list of 5 new skills that are essential for modern application development.

1. User Interface Design

User interface design is quickly becoming an essential part of the development process. An interface designer is essentially a hybrid web designer/front-end developer who is in charge of giving your application an intuitive and user-friendly look and feel.

Why is that so important these days?

Here are two big reasons: First, users expect it. Call it laziness if you want, but users are becoming so accustomed to well-designed interfaces, they are less likely to try to figure out how to use an application or a mobile application if it isn’t obvious. This leads to the second point: Users have other options. If an interface is too confusing, users can now choose from other options, like cloud-based software or services.

2. Mobile Development

As the world rapidly moves towards smartphones and tablets, mobile development skills are quickly becoming a necessity. What skills are required for mobile development? It depends. If your company chooses to build native apps, you’ll need a wider range of skills. After all, most mobile platforms require knowledge of a different programming language. However, if you choose the mobile web app or hybrid approach, your job will be significantly easier. To better understand the skills needed for each mobile approach, check out this chart.

3. Third-Party Integration

The rise in third-party services is incredibly useful for business applications. How so? Integrating third-party apps and services with existing applications can really save businesses a lot of time. Rather than building all of the application features from scratch, you can just integrate other applications or services into your existing application.

For instance, suppose one of your applications needed better reporting. Rather than building those capabilities into your application from scratch, you could just integrate an existing reporting solution into your application. The only drawback: This requires a new set of skills. You’ll need people who understand integration and know how to make all of these services and applications work nicely together.

4. Web/Cloud Security

While the need for security skills certainly isn’t anything new, the skills needed to secure modern applications have changed dramatically. In the past, your business applications were kept safely in-house, behind your firewall. That’s not the case anymore. Now, applications integrate with other apps, can be served from a cloud vendor, are accessed with mobile devices, and more. As a result, modern security skills are becoming increasingly important. You need someone who understands how to keep your business data safe in the ever-evolving web/cloud/mobile landscape.

5. Web/Cloud Architecture

Even if your company doesn’t plan on moving your applications to the cloud, your applications must be built on flexible architecture. It’s no longer good enough to build applications that only work on one database or platform. These days, your applications should work with multiple databases and platforms, and be flexible enough to deploy anywhere with ease. Even if you have no plans for the cloud right now, you certainly don’t want to limit your future options. As a result, you’ll need someone who understands how to design applications on flexible and portable architecture.

Conclusion

As you can see, application development is becoming more complex. With the rise of the web and mobile devices, application development has evolved into creating applications that work across all devices and integrate with other services while remaining secure and portable. What does this mean for you? If your company wants to build modern, future-proof applications, you’ll probably need to bring in some new skills.

Need Help?

If you want to build modern, future-proof applications, but can’t afford to bring in all of the necessary skills, we can help! We have the software (m-Power) to let you quickly build modern web applications that work on all platforms (even mobile), and the consultants to guide you through the process. To get started, just fill out this short form and let us know what’s on your plate.