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Web Development

7 habits of highly productive web developers

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EducationA recent Forrester study highlights a major shift in the business landscape: More and more, software development plays an increasingly important role in a company’s competitive edge. According to the study, “Companies that are able to innovate quickly with software will outcompete traditional market leaders.”

There’s just one problem: As the study points out, software development is still a problem for the majority of companies. Most are not able to deliver software solutions as fast as the business leaders want them.

photo credit: Nathan E Photography via photopin cc
photo credit: Nathan E Photography via photopin cc

The fact is, as business moves to the web, software development speed plays a crucial role in a company’s success. The old software development methodologies–in which development projects required months (or even years) to complete–will no longer work. Businesses must permanently shift their development cycle into the “days and weeks” range.

How can businesses improve their development speed so drastically? While the answer to that question varies by company, today I’d like to focus on one area that’s relevant to most businesses: improving developer productivity.

What separates the productive developer from the unproductive? What do the productive developers do differently? How can developers become more productive? We posed those questions to a few experts in the area, and have compiled their advice below. Here are 7 habits of highly productive developers:
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3 examples of wildly productive IT departments

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ProductivityOn our 2013 survey, we asked this question: “What problems keep you from accomplishing your goals?” In other words, what stops your company from addressing all of those pressing needs on your to-do list?

Can you guess the most common answer? For the third year in a row, the winner was…time! No one has enough time.

Now, I get it. Many IT staffs are overworked and understaffed. They have too much on their plate. There’s just not enough time in the day to tackle all of their “urgent” projects.

But, then I read stories like the ones below, and wonder if the issue isn’t a “lack of time” so much as it is an “inefficient use of time.” For instance, here are 3 great examples of IT departments completing big projects in impossible time frames:
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6 key enterprise application development trends of 2014

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Education“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” –Leon C. Megginson

As we start 2014, I believe that quote applies perfectly to the evolving world of enterprise application development. After all, web application development is undergoing some major changes. For instance, consumer devices have infiltrated the workplace. HTML5 will become the new standard this year. The cloud has matured, now offering even more business advantages. I could go on.

photo credit: sntgmdm via photopin cc
photo credit: sntgmdm via photopin cc

The point is, these recent tech trends will forever change enterprise application development. As technology plays an increased role in business in the coming years, companies that adapt to these changes will have an advantage. Companies that don’t will fall behind.

So, how is enterprise application development changing? What big trends can we expect in the coming year? In this article, we’ll examine some major trends, and explain why they’re so important. While this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, the following includes some of the most important trends to watch in 2014:
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Build enterprise web applications without programming (New and improved)

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Save TimeIf you’re looking for a way to improve your application development speed, create mobile web apps, or just build enterprise web applications without programming, you should really check out the all new m-Power Trial. It’s recently been revamped with the new m-Power interface we released last month, making application development simpler than ever.

What will you find in the m-Power Trial? Using a simple, on-screen tour, the m-Power Trial will guide you through the process of building enterprise web (and mobile web) apps…all without any programming. Feel free to explore the interface in depth, and even experiment building applications over your own data.

If you’d like to check out the m-Power Trial, just fill out this short form.

New m-Power interface makes web app development more intuitive

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EducationIf you’re looking for an intuitive way to develop enterprise web applications (without programming), here’s some news you’ll love: We just released a brand new m-Power user interface, and it’s the most intuitive one yet! You can find more information about it below, or–if you just want to try it for yourself–feel free to sign up for a free Trial.

m-Power's re-designed interface
m-Power’s re-designed interface
Why did we rebuild the m-Power interface? Because we realize that web application development is evolving. As I explained in this article, new trends have emerged that will forever change the world of web application development software. Two of the most important of these changes include:
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8 questions to ask before developing applications on the cloud

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EducationI’ve noticed a growing trend in the business world: More application development is moving to the cloud. More developers are opting for cloud-based development platforms, and more businesses are moving their application development off-site and onto a cloud host.

Why? Many don’t want the burden of maintaining hardware. Others don’t want to bother managing backups or setting up redundant systems. Others like the scalability offered by the cloud. The advantages to such a move are fairly obvious.

photo credit: francisco.j.gonzalez via photopin cc
photo credit: francisco.j.gonzalez via photopin cc

Now, am I suggesting you should move your development to the cloud? Not at all. I believe in development freedom. If that calls for in-house development, so be it. If that means you move your application development to the cloud, that’s fine too. The most important aspect of development isn’t WHERE your applications are developed, it’s HOW. Focus on building flexible applications that port anywhere–to the cloud or in-house. This opens your future options to make a move to the cloud (and back), if so desired.

That being said–if you are considering moving your development to the cloud–how does this affect development? What changes (or surprises) can you expect when you move your application development to the cloud? What questions must you ask before making the move?

We posed those questions to a few experts in the area, and have compiled their advice (along with some of my own) below. If you’re considering moving your application development to the cloud, here are 8 essential questions to consider:
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7 web application development mistakes that kill usability

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EducationNo web developer wants to create a bad user experience. Nobody sets out to make a confusing and frustrating interface that drives users away. But, the sad truth is…this happens far too often.

How often?

According to the online marketing institute, the problems caused by a poorly designed interface are substantial. The numbers indicate that:

  • 85% of users abandon a site due to poor design
  • 83% of users leave because it takes too many clicks to get what they want
  • 62% of users gave up looking for an item while shopping online
  • 40% of users never return to a site because the content was hard to use
  • 50% of sales are lost because visitors can’t find content

The fact is, usability is becoming an essential aspect of web application development. User expectations have changed. Modern end users expect to pick up a web app and understand how it works. Confusing interfaces will only frustrate users and drive them away.

However, many developers build applications which do just that. They unwittingly make development mistakes that hurt their web application’s usability. In doing so, they accidentally alienate their users.

What are these mistakes? In what ways do developers accidentally create interfaces that frustrate their users? We posed those questions to a few experts in the area of usability, and have compiled their feedback below. Here are 7 development mistakes that kill web application usability:
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5 new realities that developers must learn to accept

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EducationWeb application development has changed. Driven largely by the rise of mobile and the growth of cloud-based applications and services, modern web application development is much different than it was just five years ago.

What’s changed? I classify these changes into two categories: Trends and realities. What’s the difference between a trend and a reality? A trend is optional. A reality is not. For instance, flat design is a trend. You don’t have to use it, but many people do. The rise of mobile users is a reality. No matter how much you may tell yourself otherwise, you can’t ignore the very real fact that smartphone and tablets are here to stay.

Today, let’s focus on the realities. How has web application development changed, and what new realities must web application developers learn to accept? We posed those questions to a few experienced developers, and they provided some excellent advice–which you will find below. Here are 5 new realities that developers must learn to accept:
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7 deadly sins of web application development

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EducationWhat percentage of IT projects fail? It’s hard to say. I’ve seen surveys that put the number at 25%. Others surveys push it closer to 70%. While that’s quite a range, the point is this: those numbers are far too high. Even if it is “just” 25%, that’s still 1 out of every 4 projects. That’s too many.

How can we bring those numbers down? Today, let’s focus on ways to reduce failure for one common project type: web application development projects. In this article, we’ll take a look at mistakes that hurt web application development projects. These are chronic bad habits that turn web application development projects into disasters.

What deadly sins do even the most experienced web application developers make? What common web app development mistakes crop up over and over again? We posed those questions to a few experienced developers and have compiled these answers below. Without further ado, here are 7 deadly sins of web application development:
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7 things experienced web developers wish they knew earlier

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EducationWe just passed our 30th anniversary of software development earlier this year. As I reflect back over that time, it’s largely positive…but there are things I know now that I wish I knew starting out. After all, the more time you spend in any profession, the more you learn (hopefully).

That got me thinking: I’m sure everyone is like that. I’m sure everyone could name one or two specific pieces of advice that they wish they knew earlier. Wouldn’t that advice be useful to those just starting out? I think so.

Problem
photo credit: andy.brandon50 via photopin cc

Today, I’d like to explore that topic from a web application development angle. What do experienced web app developers know now that they wish they knew starting out? If developers could go back in time, what advice would they give to younger versions of themselves?

We posed those questions to some experienced web app developers, and they provided some excellent advice–which can help web application developers of any skill level. I’ve outlined their advice below, along with a few of my thoughts under each point. Here are 7 things that experienced developers wish they knew earlier:
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