Top Navigation Ideas for Mobile Apps
Developers across the world will readily acknowledge the importance of navigation in web or even mobile app development. In fact, in our experience as dedicated developers for several projects at HireIndianProgrammers, we can certainly say that carelessly designed navigation will lead to a nightmare of a user experience. Ease of use, simplicity and speed are some of the things to look out for while designing navigation in mobile app development projects. With the proliferation of the smartphone, more people are browsing the internet from their handheld devices. This means there will be a need to develop websites customised for mobile.
To make matters more challenging, mobile app developers will have to cater to both Android and iOS. Clients hire android and iOS developers to design mobile applications correspondingly. In this blogpost, our mobile app developers in their journey to provide broader mobile app development services, seek to list out some of the top navigation ideas to the developer community. This may give different perspectives to both emerging and experienced mobile app developers while designing mobile applications, be it android or iOS.
Side Menu Navigation
This navigation design allows for more real estate in a user’s mobile screen and keeps things simple. The hamburger icon along with the transition effects is sure to amplify the visual appeal and smoothness of the navigation. Android developers can use the side menu for incorporating more responsiveness and minimum clicks.
Bottom Tab Navigation
Mobile app developers can use the bottom tab navigation for media applications like photos, videos and audio. For example, android developers can use it to for designing a gallery application that allows for neat categorisation of photos and videos and also enabling users to easily retrieve the same.
Colourful Navigation
The focus of this navigation design is on vibrant colours. Android developers can use this navigation element in those apps whose sole aim is fun and functionality – say a photo editing mobile application. Editing photos is fun and what better way to express this in an app.
Reach Navigation Search
Both iOS Developers and Android Developers can opt for this in app that is rooted in maximum utility. In this navigation, the search is included as part of the bottom tab and even simple filters are included within the tab. Developers can use this for simple searches within an application – for example photos app and also for advanced searches in e-commerce apps.
Interactive Navigation
As the name indicates, this navigation is used in highly interactive applications such as job portals. For instance, suppose a client hires an android developer to develop a new app for matchmaking consisting of a large database. The developer would do well to make use of interactive navigation at this juncture.
Google Newsstand Navigation
Developers and users alike might be familiar with Google newsstand. There are three different kinds of navigation built into it. The top focuses on topics and the bottom part focuses on the content. Developers of any OS can use this navigation design mainly for reading content applications such as blogs, news, current updates or affairs, random articles etc;
Side Navigation
Given that iOS emphasises on butter speed, developers, especially iOS developers can make use of this navigation to design mobile applications that calls for rapid browsing actions – like a file manager. Developers can insert the directory and other useful tools like copy, paste in the side bar which can expand and shrink by the click of the bottom arrow button. Clicking on an item will automatically shrink the side bar and opens up the item in full screen.
Hope you found this post useful. Check out our website where you will also find our list of completed mobile app development projects. Our developers at HireIndianProgrammers have provided mobile app development services for both android and iOS, separately and also simultaneously. If you wish to hire our mobile developers, contact us here now.
3 Important Reasons Why WordPress Is Best For Web Development
Experienced web developers and programming stalwarts who have been in the web development domain for a significant period, much like the developer team at HireIndianProgrammers, would be familiar with WordPress. Even though a lot of content management systems have emerged after WordPress, it still dominates the CMS market. A vast number of programmers, developers, bloggers, freelancers use the CMS to provide WordPress Development services to make a living out of it. Clients ranging from businesspersons, marketers, small scale entrepreneurs hire programmers to develop dynamic websites for various reasons. They may even hire developers to design rich mobile applications.
With every software that comes out, there are always updates in the subsequent years in order to satisfy developer demands or increase features or enhance the developer experience. All these updates seek to establish a loyal developer base and also to attract new web-developers. But, as in WordPress’ latest update – the Gutenberg block editor, not every update will succeed and can possibly become mired in controversy for the wrong reasons. But not all is lost. In this blogpost, as staunch developers and users of WordPress ourselves, we seek to let you know why WordPress is still great and why you must continue using it, in case you are one of those who might have lost trust on the CMS and on the lookout for alternatives.
Still gets the job done
WordPress was one of the first to launch in the CMS market and from then on, there was no turning back for the CMS giant. Given that a lot has changed and many features have been added, some of which not liked by all, WordPress still continues to be popular and undisputed leader of CMS. Why, you ask? Because of its incredible flexibility and abundant features. With regard to the Gutenberg editor, if programmers don’t like it, they can always switch to the classic editor. Change is inevitable and ultimately it is us who have to choose between staying in the present and adapting. Like always, WordPress still gets the job done in your projects.
Vibrant Ecosystem and Developer Community
There is no denying that WordPress has one of the strongest developer communities around. The best part of this vibrant ecosystem is the diversity of developers. They range from novices and freelancers to corporate IT people. With a range of backgrounds, there is bound to be an explosion of perspectives and sharing of ideas. In the WordPress Development ecosystem, there is always something to gain for anyone in this domain. Be it WordCamp or the online forums, programmers get to meet their contemporaries and participate in the culture of sharing knowledge. When that happens on a large scale, the software as a whole goes forward with positivity.
For example, suppose a client hiring a programmer wants her to develop a unique application that requires the installation of a new plugin. If the said programmer has just started providing freelance WordPress Development services and requires assistance, she can always take the help of the WordPress Developer community and also make use of the exhaustive library resources in it.
WordPress is here to stay
Programmers have to realise that the time they spend on learning a CMS is valuable and therefore they cannot afford to throw it away just for a few errors. WordPress in particular has grown over the last 15 years, updating itself to accommodate new requests of developers, in a sustainable way. With every major development, WordPress has managed to hold onto its reins and it will continue to do so. Programmers certainly do not want to get stuck with a CMS that is outdated or looking at bleak growth.Besides, who would want to let go of the fantastic WordPress Developer community?
Feel free to browse through our completed WordPress Development projects – we have provided WordPress Development services for a range of clients for more than a decade. For any new projects, contact our developer team here.
How to Deal with Inherited Code
As experienced programmers we would have undertaken several web development projects. It might be on any domain –WordPress, PHP Development or even mobile app development. Most times clients approach and hire developers for new projects. Developers and coders would have to sit with the client and discuss about the exact requirements and then proceed with the development. However, sometimes clients may also hire programmers to carry on with a prior project – be it for improvement or expansion. It could also be that the client may have been at odds with previous developers and wanted to reach out to a new developer. In such a scenario, programmers are handed a completed project – perfect or not perfect – and asked to continue with development for the aforementioned reasons. Having been used to executing web development projects from scratch, this sure might prove to be a serious nightmare for programmers. This is because of the fact that each coder has a unique style of coding and will most certainly differ from yours. One wrong deviation and the entire website could become buggy, to say the least.
We at HireIndianProgrammers, consist of teams of dedicated programmers and developers. Having gained significant experience from handling an array of web development services for more than a decade, we seek to give you insights on how to deal with inherited code from a prior project, through this blogpost.
Documentation is key
While being handed over a website or any mobile app project, programmers would do well to request for the documentation for the same. A programming expert would more than make do with just documentation.
Patience is a virtue
It is true and trust us, it will reward you hugely in the near future. There are no shortcuts. Clients hiring new developers would surely expect better results than earlier. So, programmers will have to commit time and efforts in going through the entire documentation, understand the code – including structures, naming conventions, CMS, syntax and so on, add/ modify your own documentation. This stage of reading (not glancing) and understanding is crucial as it will help you in understanding the website (or mobile app), thereby allowing you to accurately carry out updates. Programmers can also familiarise themselves with all the webpages in the website.
Look out for anomalies and fix them
The very task of going through the documentation will enable coders to spot anomalies such as unused Javascript libraries, complex API etc; Clients hiring fresh programmers will, in all probability, give the entire story of the software development cycle including the possible issues with earlier versions or developers. Also, whenever programmers are fixing unknown functionalities, it is simply a good practice to add comments on it. This would greatly aid the next developer.
Adapt and be consistent
While tackling inherited code, the main objective of programmers must be to deliver a readable project having longevity. The best way to accomplish this is for programmers to adapt themselves to the system and tweak their coding habits a bit. Adding your own methods will only complicate matters for the next web development team.
Dig deeper into the system
Clients hiring dedicated programmers trust that their new website would perform better than earlier on a sustainable basis. To deliver optimal results, programmers would have to dig deeper and get their hands on more relevant data such as the kind of devices end users are using. These kind of data will help developers anticipate possible failure scenarios in testing stage of software development.Coders can make use of any speed test and design responsiveness tools to check for performance issues.
Finally, apart from these, there are always other challenges associated with inherited code. It might be tighter deadlines or scope creep. Whatever it may be, programmers would do well to focus on the work at hand, make room for improvement, display a positive attitude rather than indulging in a futile blame game.
Looking for programming experts to execute your next web development project?
You can now hire our programmers at HireIndianProgrammers. Contact us here.
The Ultimate Testing Tools For Responsive Design
As a team of dedicated developers and programmers, we understand the importance of testing – one of the crucial stages in the software development cycle. Over the past decade, various clients from the U.S and other markets have time and again hired the services of coders working at HireIndianProgrammers. With that experience, we know that websites and business websites in particular cater to different segments of people. In addition to that, the proliferation of the internet powered mobiles mean that client’s website and applications must run efficiently across devices.
In this blogpost, our programmers seek to list out the top tools to test your application with ease. All these tools satisfy certain criteria in some or the other way and have different levels of user control. Experiment around and opt for the tool that is most suitable for your needs.
Screenfly
With Screenfly, programmers can test their client’s website on any screen size including desktops, tablets and mobile phones etc; Developers can also add any custom size they want. The provision of simple tools to rotate, scroll and click makes this tool an easy recommendation for us. What’s more? If you are working as a team of developers hired by a big client, you can share your designs across and work on it together in their browser itself.
Responsive Design Checker
This is a great tool for programmers preferring to manually tweaking the controls. It displays your creation i.e website into a window under different orientations without really having to changing the browser size – be it mobile or desktops. Developers will also find it useful to take screenshots for later assessment.
Google Mobile-Friendly Test
SEO is no more a technical term. Tech savvy clients who are starting their online business are very much aware that their website must follow Google’s standards so that their page ranking may improve. Clients hiring dedicated programmers expect them to invariably incorporate it. With this tool, developers and coders can see for themselves the visibility of the webpages that they have developed. This tool is also useful for programmers in that it has the mechanism to recognise those issues and places where the website might be sluggish. It allows for easy fixes. However, it is limited to only mobile devices.
Responsive Web Design Testing Tool
The emphasis of this free tool is ease of use. This simple tool allows developers to type in the URL in the space provided and compare your output across orientations within a few clicks. Developers can also use this tool for testing in a set environment.
Lambda Test
With two versions of this tool available for programmers – the lite one and the paid one – LambdaTest is one of the better options in this list for the following reasons. In addition to making it possible for programmers to take screenshots, this tool can achieve a lot more. It allows the programmers to test in a holistic way checking all parameters – compatibility, user experience and so on in a real time scenario. The paid version enables programmers to debug errors, if any.
Designmodo Responsive Test
This tool is loaded with a lot of features and toggles. Another reason for developers to really check out this design testing tool is the clean interface. Programmers hired along tight deadlines will find this small thing to be a boon. The free tool also has colour accessibility options and bootstrap templates to improve the overall website design.
XRespond
XRespond allows programmers to check the consistency of their websites. This will be especially useful in cases where the client has a large base of customers of different kinds. For instance, suppose a client is hiring a programmer or hiring a developer to develop or improve an e-commerce website. Now, regular customers do online shopping from different devices, increasingly more of smartphones – be it android or iOS. In such a scenario, programmers would find it extremely useful to test their design responsiveness across devices at the same time.
Hope this article gave programmers of different calibre an idea on how to go about choosing a good tool for testing design responsiveness.
To hire our programmers for any web development projects, contact us here.
Are we heading towards a Single Browser Web?
The advent of the internet in the 90s saw the rise of the first gen web browsers like Lynx, Mosaic, Netscape, Internet Explorer and many more. Long story short, until the last decade, there were a number of browsers catering to end users. However, fast forward to 2019, programmers and consumers are stuck to mainly 3 browsers with a significant market share namely Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge have a paltry share.
Anyone in business would acknowledge that competition is desirable, encourages innovation and brings out the best in everyone. But, given the current scenario, it looks like Google’s dominance is here to stay. So, where does that leave programmers and developers and what does it entail for them in a single browser world?
For a long time, Microsoft was ruling the web. Then Mozilla’s Firefox and Google’s Chrome happened and it literally changed the browser game. These two browsers prioritised speed and ease of use and consequently became a haven for web designers, developers and hard-core programmers. Companies providing a wide array of web development services preferred these browsers that provided the latest features. End users almost always turn a blind eye to the default buggy Internet Explorer and use it only once – just for installing Chrome or Firefox. Things took a dramatic turn with the boom of smartphones and the not-so-gradual shift of consumers towards mobile browsing.
Given that Google bought Android and Apple pioneered the touchscreen, it was show-time thereon for both these companies. While Chrome was the default browser on android phones, Safari was the default browser on iphones. When it comes to browsers, users and developers, tend to stick with the default option provided by the Operating system, representing huge entry barriers. This is especially true with mobiles.
Developers must be aware of the problems posed in such a scenario, where one huge player dominates the market – case in point Google. It does not augur well for a truly open web. Tying the browser with the OS reflects a practice of anti-competition. For webdevelopers, this means that they have to design for one major entity and bend their designs as per the directions of the player.
On the other hand, having just one browser means easy work for developers, right from design to testing and maintenance. If there were a large number of browsers, they would have to deal with each one of them, leading to more time consumption for things like browser testing.
However, things are bound to change in a market. There might be a new player in town, posing a serious challenge to Chrome or Firefox itself could rapidly re-engineer themselves or Microsoft may be able to finally deliver on the Internet Explorer we really need or Google could fall prey to any legislative policy changes. Anything might happen and programmers must be on the lookout for such signs. They must be able to quickly adapt to the new browser – the one end users are likely to shift to. Developer forums could of be of use to individual developers because they will stay connected and be aware of the current trends.
Looking to hire a programmer to initiate your online business or develop a new rich website from scratch? Our programmers at HireIndianProgrammers provide a range of web development services covering the software development life cycle in its entirety. Having been in the field for over a decade and a half, we guarantee that you will be satisfied with our output delivered by our dedicated programmers. Proceed to check our space to know more about us and our previous projects.
Designing the Search for Your Mobile App
The search bar has become an integral part of our lives. With a few clicks, people are able to look up on something they want to know. The advent of smartphones has transformed the search process even more. Most mobile applications too have Search integrated into it. As the scope for mobile-online business models widens, web developers will have to look for ways to design the Search functionality innovatively. Doing so will directly and indirectly result in more end sales. After all, when it comes to mobile applications, it is all about convenience. Hiring dedicated android developers or iOS developers will enable clients to develop rich applications aimed at bringing positive in-app experiences.
Our developer team, providing a variety of mobile app development services, delve into the process of designing Search. It is influenced by factors such as context, app functionality and depth of information.
The first thing that mobile app developers must know before attempting to designing Search is the difference between desktop visitors and mobile app visitors. The latter category of people wants a faster and convenient experience. But owing to the limited real estate in the case of mobiles, the significance of the Search bar becomes more realised.
We will look at two aspects in designing Search – the layout and physical design of the Search bar itself and the displaying of results as per the app.
With regard to physical designs and layouts, there are many kinds such as a top/ bottom layout, bar/ tab/ magnifying glass designs etc; Clients who want to hire mobile app developers would do well to provide information of their business and what they want to achieve with their mobile app. This information will be useful in formulating the design elements and layout of the Search.
A top layout is relevant for mobile apps driven by search, or in other words, visitors open your app primarily to search for information on products – eg: cab aggregator apps focussed on pickup and drop destinations. On the other hand, a bottom layout Search enhances the primary purpose of the app.
Depending on the screen space for your mobile app, you can appropriately design the Search – be it bar/ tab/ magnifying glass. For instance, if you have used the YouTube app, you might have noticed the magnifying glass for a Search. This is due to lack of space in the top navigation bar that is occupied by the logo and the upload video functionality. Therefore, adhere to intended purpose of app and implement it effectively.
The second aspect – presenting the results – is more related to the target segment of your business. There are different kinds of searches namely simple, filtered and predictive search. In Simple search, it is left to the visitor to type the relevant query. Mobile developers can display results according to the search keyword.
Filtered searches are appropriate for online businesses selling products, especially those that sell a vast inventory of products. Visitors will be able to customise and narrow their searches.Clients can communicate to their hired mobile app developers on how they want to display their results (products) in an appealing manner. Predictive search is useful for apps containing large amounts of content. It helps the visitors to come to know related search queries as they type. This search also greatly aids in smooth repeat purchases – case in point – cab aggregator apps that display recent ride destinations even before they type.
The team at HireIndianProgrammers has a mix of both android and iOSdevelopers. We have developed several mobile app development projects for our clients, both android and iOS. Our mobile app development services also cover support and maintenance with no messy contracts. If you are in the stage of developing an online business venture or expansion of the same or improve upon your mobile app, you can hire an iOS developer or an android developer, depending on your needs.