In the past, automation was about simplifying the tedium with precision and greater efficacy as there would be no point in replacing a human worker with anything but the best. Nowadays, automation has taken a new path rife with cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning. There is also its magnitudinous impact on the internet that allows a series of commands to successfully enable separate instances across the web.

This has been incredibly beneficial to the marketing industry as there is a moderate amount of tedium that inhibits the ability of even the most adept marketers to focus on what is important in their workday. Automation allows for the seamless integration of distinct tasks which allows for a vastly more efficient system of work. In this article, we are going to offer a brief overview of the automation industry and where it is going next.

The past: how automation came to be

While the inception of truly automated apps could be traced, rather reasonably, to the cotton gin, its true origins lie in the annals of General Motors. In fact, the year 1947 saw the introduction of the term automation in the mainstream as GM had just launched its automation department. The application was simple in theory, by using electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, and so on, they could allow for automatic machines which, in turn, would run parts of an operation without human assistance.

Years into the development, industrial automation machines started to land in plants across the world. Their use increased efficiency and reduced cost, but their dreams of completely self-sufficient factories were still a long shot. In the 1980s the auto manufacturing sector tried to spruce up competition by making factories that could run for days on end with the use of automation. 

While they pushed as much as they could, fully automated factories would still not be a viable practice. The automotive manufacturing sector, specifically in America, slid dramatically and so did the technology. Years later, in the late 2000s, automation started to peek its head out of the brush as businesses started to use the technology again, but for completely different reasons.

Its immediate benefit in the field of digital marketing was both apparent and impactful. This contributed to the expansion of the automation sector in the technology industry today. Automation’s uses today, however, are far more complex than could have been predicted.

The present: how we’re using automation now

In its current form, automation is a tool used by many different industries for a myriad of purposes. Its multifaceted nature makes it the ideal technology solution for almost any tasks. As stated previously, its uses in marketing are second to none as it reduces the tedious actions that are ever present to a state of practical non-existence. This not only increases productivity, but it also reduces the cost of operating dramatically and saves precious man-hours for more important, abstract work.

As with any new and revolutionary technology, it has its visionaries that believe we can achieve automation within the automotive industry and are not far from human AI. While that may be further down the road that can be assumed, some applications are closer than they sound. Active translation and machine learning have picked up considerable speed and may be upon us, in consumer from, faster than we might predict. In any case, the use of automation today has reached new and unexpected heights.

Its uses in traditional manufacturing are still improving yearly and have been a source of constant speculation regarding the future of work. The future, which is becoming clearer every day, clearly holds more than we can comprehend, and the evolution of the technology could mean the evolution of everything. 

The future: how automation will evolve

Presently, automation is still a technology that is not uniformly understood in modernity. However, the expansion of technology is so rapid that by the time we’re caught we may be too late. Regardless, the future is bright and full of wonder as visionaries have different opinions on its future as well as different innovations in mind. One thing is apparent, automation could be potentially used in every industry in some way from home goods to automobiles. 

The consumer applications are endless as well as the business possibilities. Automation may one day provide us with humanoid robotics or just a few really good toasters. In either case, it is a technology that will evolve, and it should be watched with a keen obsession and companies need to look into the cost analysis especially when one must need to deploy resources in getting apps developed.  

Conclusion

In the next few years, we will see how far automation can truly go and what surprises it has in store for us. It has come a long way in the last 60 years and it continues to improve yearly. It is an industry that has heavy investor involvement and sees massive volume daily. The public is slowly starting to love their smart assistants and smart home devices which helps the growth of automation tremendously.

We might, one day, see the innovation of actual AI in humanoid robotics which would change the world. Automation is already impacting our daily lives and, in time, may shape our future. Therefore, it is a technology to watch for the foreseeable future and one that cannot go unnoticed.

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When you think of UI, you probably think of visual design elements, such as radio buttons, text input boxes, and splash screens. These are important facets of a user interface, but they do not always represent what makes UI great.

Making great user interfaces requires an intuitive understanding of the placement and presentation of your design elements. Simply copying visual design elements from other successful applications may not result in a suitable user interface for your application. 

Use negative space effectively

This is because the user interface is as much about the negative space of your application. When we’re creating user interfaces, we often get lost in the visual details of design, transitions, and animations. 

What’s more subtle, however, and more important, is the spacing between the visual elements. How far are the buttons from one another? Is this comfortable for the user? Instead of looking at these visual design elements separately, we have to look at them as a whole. 

So while many of these elements may look visually appealing, you must make sure that they make sense together. This is going to be hard to notice. It’s easy to get lost in the minutia and miss the big picture.

Wireframing is essential to UI

This is why the wireframing process is so important. When you begin sketching what your application looks like, screen by screen, you’ll be able to get a feel for its overall design. Even though the initial stages of creating your application may seem dull, these first stages are integral to creating a cohesive software product.

During these first stages, you will want to keep it as simple as you can. Wait to add any embellishments until the end of the process. These changes should be saved for the revision process. This will help give your app a more cohesive look as well. 

Because you won’t be worried about creating the exact specifications of all the design elements from the very beginning, you’ll be able to concentrate on important functions of UI, such as negative space, ease-of-use, and the overall user experience.

Keep a critical eye

After you done the wireframing for your project, revised your designs after consulting with the UX designer, and added your own embellishments, it’s time to take a break. This may seem counterintuitive, but this is an important step if you wish to build better user interfaces. In whatever way you can, you need to distance yourself from the designs you’ve created. 

Because you were so close to all these designs during the entire process, the result will be difficult to analyze. You can’t see the forest for the trees. 

Return to your project after a few breaks

This means you need to cleanse your palate. You won’t be able to accurately assess your designs until you take a few steps back. You may want to move onto another project, help out the UX designer with his or her tasks, or bring on an outside UI designer to help you zoom out.

After you’ve taken a break from your design process, it’s time to look at your designs with a discerning eye. The revision process is arduous and requires you to be objective and shrewd without being overly or unnecessarily critical. 

Collaborate with designers and users

Collaborating with other designers will help you reach the proper balance needed for truly constructive criticism. Great designs are never made in a vacuum — reach out to the design community, bring on a few of your co-workers or designer friends, and start brainstorming how you can make your designs better.

Finally, it’s time to turn your designs over to prospective users. After the designs are finished and your app is released to beta users, it’s time for your team to collect all the information you can. 

Conclusion

Ask important UX design questions:

• What do users think of your designs? 
• What improvements do they suggest? 
• How easy did they find the application to understand and to navigate? 

Take all of the input you can and use the most useful and relevant feedback to go back and improve your designs once more.

Building better user interfaces is a methodical process that requires a great deal of practice, dedication, and research. It’s possible to build better user interfaces simply by stepping back, zooming out, and looking for an overall design. 

It’s important to also note that the spacing between elements, ease-of-use, and the user experience are important components that should be accounted for. When in doubt, ask your friends, colleagues, and beta testers how you can make your designs better. You’ll get meaningful feedback that will help you improve your designs.

The post How to Build Better User Interface appeared first on SiteProNews.

This is why it is important to know how to hire a freelance full stack developer so that you do not waste your time and money.

1. Consider utilizing full stack developer freelance pools

Businesses like Upwork, Toptal, Lemon.io and Guru have large pools of freelance developers who are vetted and tested to make sure that they are competent. 

These companies can be an invaluable resource in the hunt for the right freelance developer. They go through the trouble of identifying their skill level so that you can focus on things like culture fit and personality. 

This makes the process of finding the right freelance developer much simpler and much faster.  

2. Write a compelling full stack developer job description

The full stack job description is one of the most essential parts of finding the best developer. However, it is oftentimes overlooked. 

Some descriptions simply list the required skills and nature of the project. This, however, does not provide the information necessary to work in cooperation with the team. 

Instead, focus on providing the most detailed description possible listing all technologies required and the full project document.   

3. Prepare an interview script with technical full stack questions

Preparing a script is critically important when crafting the technical section of your interview. Full stack developers know a great deal of coding languages and design structures which makes it even more important to ask only those technical questions that relate to the specific project. 

It is necessary to treat freelance full stack developers as full employees in order to assess them accurately. The script should contain questions that prod the intellectual base of the candidate as well as their general knowledge of the technologies required.  

4. Use video conferencing software to connect with remote talent

Remote freelance talent provides certain advantages over office work that should be considered when searching for your ideal candidate. 

However, some find it difficult to connect with employees through traditional email and messaging. In that case, it is essential to have video conferencing like Skype or Zoom. 

These phenomenal applications allow you to video conference with multiple developers at the same time. This will allow you hire remote developers which save on cost without sacrificing efficiency.  

5. Thoroughly examine their portfolio

The portfolio is, arguably, the most essential part of the hiring process. The developers’ portfolio should reflect the work that they have accomplished and their thought process. 

Thoroughly examining the portfolio will tell you everything you need to know about how full stack developers organize their thoughts and how they structure their code. 

This is useful for understanding the programmer and their methods of coding. These are integral pieces of information in determining if they will fit within your development system.

6. Ask full stack developers about their passions during the interview process

Ascertaining the technical prowess of your potential candidate is vital, but, it is not the only thing that should concern you. Asking about their passions will show you how important technology is to them and will give you a sense of their personality. 

This will help you determine their fit within your team and will elucidate the finer points of their knowledge base. If they are passionate about history and your project is an artifact database, then that might be the perfect fit. 

So, finding their passions can give you a unique perspective on their character which can pinpoint those candidates who would fit within your company.

Conclusion

Hiring freelance developers can be a frustrating task given the number of freelancers and options for services. 

However, remembering to get to know them and studying their portfolios intently will give you the insight you need to make the best decision for your dev team. 

Hiring a full stack freelance developer should not be an arduous process, and with sites like Guru and Toptal, it doesn’t have to be. 

Using their services in conjunction with the right interview methods will guarantee that you find the right full stack developer for your company.

The post Top 6 Tips to Hire Freelance Full Stack Developers Swiftly appeared first on SiteProNews.

For developers, the design is the real challenge as not every application can be a massive success like Pokemon Go, unfortunately. The augmented reality market is a great place to develop, but, it means nothing if you cannot design an attractive app for augmented reality users expecting an engaging experience. In this article, we are going to examine what it takes to create a great user experience for AR applications and how great design keeps users engaged.     

What Makes Augmented Reality Unique

The unique position that AR posits is that it has a true leg up on VR in the mobile market. Chances are, if you’ve been on your smartphone’s app store recently, you have seen an advertisement for an AR game revolving around incorporating your physical space into the game.

This is the really impressive aspect of the technology: your environment is part of the application that you are using. It is what really separates the technology from any other reality augmenting device.

In the more recent months, augmented reality has begun to take off in a larger way than ever before. Businesses are now beginning to see the unending potential with the technology and its potential upsides that grant access, unlike anything before it.

Augmented Reality is More Engaging

Augmented reality also has an impressive library of video games for mobile that helps engage users and force them to interact with their worlds. Pokemon Go is the greatest example of this technology work as it uses AR to great effect as it brings its creatures to life in real time.

Pokemon Go has led to massive communities and a craze that is still ongoing with no signs of stopping any time soon. It is a true testament to the power of the technology and what it can accomplish when designed well. Mobile crazes like Pokemon Go are just the beginning. 

Thoughtful and educational apps like Google Arts and Culture and The New York Times AR are beginning to crop up, too. In apps like Google’s, we can experience art the way we’re supposed to — in three dimensions. As users of the app, we’re attracted to the physicality of augmented reality. Augmented reality can bring the digital to life.

It is clear that creating an engaging user experience is no easy feat. However, it is far from impossible thanks to intuitive development practices and the innate nature of sensory experience that most of us share around the world. One thing can be said, however, that AR is a superb technology that hasn’t even begun to be tapped to its fullest potential.

Customers are Attracted to Brands that Dare to Adopt Augmented Reality

AR allows for companies to actually come into your abode and take up physical space through the digital lens of a smartphone or headset. There have been great examples of this, namely the AR Ikea app that shows what the furniture will most likely look like in your home before you buy a thing.

Google has also used it famously with the Goggles application that allows users to take photos of things they see and have Google tell them what it is or even translate a name if it’s in another language. These applications only start to scratch the surface of a much larger interactive market that is pushing the technology.

Conclusion

Augmented reality expands what our phones can do. Mobile design has been changed forever.

Mobile developers should, at the very least, consider developing for AR as it has to be one of the hottest technologies on the market today. AR and VR are taking the consumer tech market by storm and developers everywhere are trying to make the next great killer app for AR.

Do not fall behind the trend. Start developing for augmented reality now and find out what can be achieved through the power of this sensory technology. Reality augmentation is the way of the future for consumers everywhere. Make sure that your product is an essential one for AR users around the globe.

The post How AR Is Affecting Mobile Design and User Experiences appeared first on SiteProNews.