Minimalist Website Design

In today’s time when minimalism is trending, the less has become more. Wherever you look be it on social media or websites, designers have moved to content creation with minimal elements.

Minimalist the approach has become quite popular these days. Now, it’s more about how you, as a designer can optimize the space on a web page.

A web page should not only be optimized for the right space but also be eye-pleasing to the user. You should also keep in mind about the user-experience while building a website.

But how will you create such a website? Well, creating a website that requires minimal efforts to navigate through, and the one that helps the users to focus more on important elements requires you to understand the minimalistic approach.

Get Creative with White Space

White space, or negative space is a pivotal element of your design that can have a huge effect on your site’s appeal. Using white space in a smart way may land you a stunning website that appeals to your customers.

Did you know? Two websites selling the same stuff can have different sales rates just because of how they appeal to people.

An overcrowded website with no or very less white space may confuse customers where to focus. Resulting in ineffective sales pitch even through great CTAs (call-to-actions)

Whereas a simple website with proper usage of white space will enhance the appeal of your site and will help your customers to easily navigate through important content.

For creating a good minimalist website, using white space in the right manner will be quite helpful.

Use Large & Vivid Photos

Visuals attract attention effectively. So, using a large & high-definition image on your homepage is a sure way of creating a buzz about your website.

Remember, the more visually you present, the more attention you grab. Use eye-pleasing images that resonate with your business model or the products you sell. The more relevant the image you will use, the more connected the people will feel towards your brand.

Focus On Typeface

Fonts are the basic elements of your website. They effectively affect how your data is going to appear to your visitors. Fonts will even affect your web design so learning how to perfectly use typeface is helpful in building the perfect minimalistic web design.

Styling the fonts to match the theme of your website, or the overlay image will positively impact your web design. Get more creative and use colors that best describe your branding.

You can make a statement by using the perfect typeface that brings out the best in your website.

Optimize for Lesser Elements

Minimalistic websites are all about using less and gain more attention. So, what’s the best way to achieve that? By keeping only vital elements and removing the rest.

For example, you can ditch the traditional menu and employ the Hamburger menu instead. This will give you the advantage to use large and vivid photos on your homepage and ditch the cluttered menu style.

Changing some basic elements can contribute to creating a stunning minimalistic website.

Summit It Up

Minimalistic the approach can take you places. And the methods we talked about in this article are just a few ideas, you can get creative and create a totally different approach to create an appealing minimalistic website.

Big Data

Lately the term ‘Big Data’ has been under the limelight, but not many people know what is big data. Businesses, governmental institutions, HCPs (Health Care Providers), and financial as well as academic institutions, are all leveraging the power of Big Data to enhance business prospects along with improved customer experience.

So, we know for sure that Big Data has penetrated almost every industry today and is a dominant driving force behind the success of enterprises and organizations across the globe. But, at this point, it is important to know what is big data?

What is Big Data?

Big Data refers to complex and large data sets that have to be processed and analyzed to uncover valuable information that can benefit businesses and organizations.

However, there are certain basic tenets of Big Data that will make it even simpler to answer what is Big Data:

• It refers to a massive amount of data that keeps on growing exponentially with time.
• It is so voluminous that it cannot be processed or analyzed using conventional data processing techniques.
•  It includes data mining, data storage, data analysis, data sharing, and data visualization.

The term is an all-comprehensive one including data, data frameworks, along with the tools and techniques used to process and analyze the data.

Types of Big Data

Let’s have a look at the forms of big data:

Structured

By structured data, we mean data that can be processed, stored, and retrieved in a fixed format. It refers to highly organized information that can be readily and seamlessly stored and accessed from a database by simple search engine algorithms. For instance, the employee table in a company database will be structured as the employee details, their job positions, their salaries, etc., will be present in an organized manner.

Unstructured

Unstructured data refers to the data that lacks any specific form or structure whatsoever. This makes it very difficult and time-consuming to process and analyze unstructured data. Email is an example of unstructured data.

Semi-structured

Semi-structured data pertains to the data containing both the formats mentioned above, that is, structured and unstructured data. To be precise, it refers to the data that although has not been classified under a particular repository (database), yet contains vital information or tags that segregate individual elements within the data.

Characteristics of Big Data

These characteristics are enough to know what is big data. Let’s look at them in-depth:

1) Variety

Variety of Big Data refers to structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data that is gathered from multiple sources. While in the past, data could only be collected from spreadsheets and databases, today data comes in an array of forms such as emails, PDFs, photos, videos, audios, SM posts, and so much more.

2) Velocity

Velocity essentially refers to the speed at which data is being created in real-time. In a broader prospect, it comprises the rate of change, linking of incoming data sets at varying speeds, and activity bursts.

3) Volume

We already know that Big Data indicates huge ‘volumes’ of data that is being generated on a daily basis from various sources like social media platforms, business processes, machines, networks, human interactions, etc. Such a large amount of data is stored in data warehouses.

Advantages of Big Data (Features)

• One of the biggest advantages of Big Data is predictive analysis. Big Data analytics tools can predict outcomes accurately, thereby, allowing businesses and organizations to make better decisions, while simultaneously optimizing their operational efficiencies and reducing risks.
• By harnessing data from social media platforms using Big Data analytics tools, businesses around the world are streamlining their digital marketing strategies to enhance the overall consumer experience. Big Data provides insights into the customer pain points and allows companies to improve their products and services.
• Being accurate, Big Data combines relevant data from multiple sources to produce highly actionable insights. Almost 43% of companies lack the necessary tools to filter out irrelevant data, which eventually costs them millions of dollars to hash out useful data from the bulk. Big Data tools can help reduce this, saving you both time and money.
• Big Data analytics could help companies generate more sales leads which would naturally mean a boost in revenue. Businesses are using Big Data analytics tools to understand how well their products/services are doing in the market and how the customers are responding to them. Thus, they can understand better where to invest their time and money.
• With Big Data insights, you can always stay a step ahead of your competitors. You can screen the market to know what kind of promotions and offers your rivals are providing, and then you can come up with better offers for your customers. Also, Big Data insights allow you to learn customer behavior to understand customer trends and provide a highly ‘personalized’ experience to them.

Applications:

The people who’re using Big Data know better that, what is Big Data. Let’s look at some such industries:

1) Healthcare

Big Data has already started to create a huge difference in the healthcare sector. With the help of predictive analytics, medical professionals and HCPs are now able to provide personalized healthcare services to individual patients. Apart from that, fitness wearables, telemedicine, remote monitoring – all powered by Big Data and AI – are helping change lives for the better.

2) Academia

Big Data is also helping enhance education today. Education is no more limited to the physical bounds of the classroom – there are numerous online educational courses to learn from. Academic institutions are investing in digital courses powered by Big Data technologies to aid the all-round development of budding learners.

3) Banking

The banking sector relies on Big Data for fraud detection. Big Data tools can efficiently detect fraudulent acts in real-time such as misuse of credit/debit cards, archival of inspection tracks, faulty alteration in customer stats, etc.

4) Manufacturing

According to TCS Global Trend Study, the most significant the benefit of Big Data in manufacturing is improving the supply strategies and product quality. In the manufacturing sector, Big data helps create a transparent infrastructure, thereby, predicting uncertainties and in competencies that can affect the business adversely.

5) IT

One of the largest users of Big Data, IT companies around the world are using Big Data to optimize their functioning, enhance employee productivity, and minimize risks in business operations. By combining Big Data technologies with ML and AI, the IT sector is continually powering innovation to find solutions even for the most complex of problems.

Cryptocurrency Benefits

Cryptocurrency has become a dubious wonder in today’s world. As of late, specialists, just as common individuals, we're having a similar inquiry: is it another word in the worth trade circle or only a promotion that won't keep going for a really long time?

Today, we see the propensity all the more unmistakably. Bitcoin keeps on affecting the macroeconomy, and basically, everyone accepts (or needs to accept) that computerized money will realize a brilliant future. All things considered, an ever-increasing number of ventures and organizations are consolidating this innovation into their usefulness.

The main reason is clear: the probability that Bitcoin is going to become a universal asset is high. 

Let’s discuss some advantages of cryptocurrency in e-commerce.

Decentralized payments

Maybe, the best thing about cryptocurrency is a decentralized exchange. This means that a single authority, be it a bank or any financial corporation, does not control the process. Instead, all payments are regulated by blockchain, an advanced database that stores, displays, protects, and transfers money. All transactions are transparent and can be viewed at any time by anyone. Operations are controlled by smart contracts technology that allows users to exchange money and other values transparently without any services of the third parties. All obligations are enforced automatically, so there is no room for cheating. 

No-fee transactions

Credit and debit cards are dependent on third parties, which charge transaction fees for online payments. As we have already mentioned, cryptocurrency is decentralized. As such, there is no one to charge fees for your Bitcoin transactions, and they happen between two people only. Still, there are online exchanges that help users convert cash to cryptocurrency and one coin to another. As a rule, such actions do have additional fees. However, transferring money from person-to-person doesn’t require any commissions.

Instant payments

There are numerous benefits of Bitcoin, including fast transactions made in a couple of seconds. Operations performed in the cryptocurrency network are immediate because they don’t have to pass any instances like banks and settlement organizations. Ecommerce companies, especially the large ones, have high transaction demands, so fast payments can improve the way they work significantly. The high capacities of blockchain allow performing multiple transactions per second. On the contrary, traditional currency transactions may need hours and even days to reach a payee.

First mover advantage

Remember when online credit card payments were just emerging? There were a few companies that started using this method when it was still in its infancy. For example, PizzaNet took a chance and normalized the idea of online payments. The same is going to happen with cryptocurrency and those businesses that embrace technology early on. When more and more companies adopt cryptocurrency, its popularity and demand grow. As such, massive acceptance approaches faster. 

Anonymity and lower theft risk

Another reason to use cryptocurrency is surely its security. Blockchain uses advanced cryptography and encrypts the path of every transaction. As such, it becomes impossible to identify neither a sender nor a recipient, which provides anonymity to both. Cryptography also serves to protect the system from hackers and thieves, since all the transactions are connected and cannot be changed manually. It is impossible to sneak into the network and transform the data because of complicated security algorithms that cannot be broken by a human being. This technology also saves cash from double spending, since every record is unique.

Bitcoin and other types of cryptocurrency provide fantastic opportunities for decentralization, safety, and transparency. Everyone can use this technology and create new types of coins.

Digital currency opens a new environment, where sellers and buyers can cooperate more efficiently. Encryption methods make it impossible to steal money or falsify information because all transactions are controlled automatically by the algorithms, and no human being can influence the process.

As such, cryptocurrency has the potential to change the world of e-commerce fundamentally.  

Adapting it now might put you and your business ahead of the game.

Successfully Build A Mobile App

From the minute we wake up to the moment we nod off, mobile applications have become a permanent piece of our lives. The quantity of cell phone clients is a gauge to arrive at 4.68 billion this year! With a buyer-driven economy setting down deep roots, organizations must adjust to what the shopper needs and where he needs it – readily available and whenever it might suit him. There are a couple of crucial focuses to remember when building up a mobile application and this blog will talk about a couple of them.

Top Points to Follow While Developing A Mobile App

Building up a mobile application is certainly not a little venture. Research shows that it could take speculation of more than $270,000 to configuration, manufacture and dispatch an application and could be a lot higher relying upon the multifaceted nature of the application. Considering the speculation in question, you would imagine that it would be a programmed achievement. However, specialists state that 66% of applications will neglect to arrive at 1,000 downloads in the main year.

Stunning numbers, right? Cost issues, awful tech, rivalry, inability to comprehend the real need of the client and different variables add to this disappointment. This is the reason it is crucial to have every one of your affairs together before you get to mobile application development. Here are a couple of tips to guarantee that your mobile application sees success and doesn't join the numbers as a failure.

1. Understanding Need

Customers are not going to use your app if they do not see the value in it for themselves. That goes much beyond simply displaying your products or services and giving them away to buy it through the app. The important question is: Why will the user download the app, make space for it on their phone and use it to engage with your business? This will only happen if they have a use for it and an emotional connection to it. That involves understanding customer behavior and how to cater to it.

Understanding what the needs of your customers are, will help you determine the motivation factor. Recognizing the features that make your app more user-friendly, will help you influence the ability of your app. Finally, using technology like machine learning to understand the right time and the right way to introduce the right product will lead to greater success. This will push them to engage with your app and consequently with your business.

Preparing a proof of concept is an important factor in understanding if there is a need for your app and the motivating factor for customers to use the app. What are the challenges faced by your customers? Are there solutions to these challenges and how will your application provide it? These are the first questions to be addressed before you start on development. The research will help you determine who your customer is, what they need and how you can provide it. This will help you plan the functionality and design of your app in a way that will encourage downloads and engagement.

  

2. Selecting the Right Platforms and Database

As important as it is to get the design and the code for the mobile app right, it is equally important to decide which mobile platform you will need to build your app on. This is the foundation on which your code will rest. Of the many mobile platforms that came and went, iOS and Android have made their mark among consumers and it looks like they are here to stay. Now taking these two as the base point, you will still need to determine which mobile platform your app will be used on.  You should also consider if your interests will be best served if you design for both or opt for a hybrid platform.

Since the language used by the developers will have to be natively supported by the platform you choose, this factor is vital. Your budget, the time and resources you employ, and the ultimate success or failure of the app will be influenced by this decision so tread carefully. Give careful consideration to your customer demographic. Are they predominantly Android users or iOS? What are the costs of designing the app on each platform? Will it be better to consider native app development or close-platform? Choosing the right database is also an important factor to consider as this will be crucial to the performance of your app.

3. Design Goals

This is where it all boils down to – Design and functionality. A mobile form design should be intuitive, clear and engaging.

Specification: The first consideration should be about what you want users to do once they have the app open. Decide what you want to include and what might be redundant to users. Listing functional and non-functional requirements clearly is the start line of the development.

Visual Design: Information presented in a clean and focused manner is vital to draw the attention of users in the direction you want to lead them. Using single fields of input and optimizing the information, appears like a conversation you are having with your client is important.

4. Security Considerations

With mobile applications, collecting sensitive information and gaining access to other information on their mobile devices, consumers want to know that their information is safe. They want to know that adequate measures have been taken to comply with data protection laws. The integration of payment gateways in the application adds another level of concern when it comes to security.

This is why the onus lies on you to ensure security. For this, you will have to secure the app’s code from the ground up. Encryption of the code, files, and databases securing network connections on the back-end, enabling authentication and identification technologies, and other robust security measures are vital in mobile app development.

What is Blockchain?

Android brought the frenzy for mobile apps and programmers hopped to create different technologies, flatforms, and dialects. This, thus, prompted increasingly more portable applications to create. Mobile devices by step began getting the Internet to advertise from the work areas and workstations. Thus, Mobile applications supplanted web applications.

Initially, mobile apps did not catch on. However, the app developers soon realized that they can design it to suit all sorts of needs. Yes, they understood that it was just about programming. And the strategy worked and we have seen a boom in the mobile app market. Nowadays, mobile apps are all but a necessity.

Experts opine that the possibilities of blockchain technology, in development and business are somewhat similar to that of mobile applications. Blockchain technology is in its early stages and there are only a few Blockchain applications as the mobile app has in 2010. So, we may see a similar pattern of growth in blockchain technology and blockchain applications coming years.

Blockchain technology and Business Applications Democratizes Industries

Peeping into history, we have seen that technological advancement has always strengthened democracy in the long run. For example, The Internet has democratized learning process as everyone has access to more or less the same amount of information. Web and app development processes further helped in democratizing business processes.

It seems obvious; Blockchain will disrupt the present capital-intensive business models. It will, therefore, provide an opportunity for smaller businesses. It can create a more level playing field and will empower individuals and MSMEs to compete with corporate giants. Amalgamated with Artificial intelligence and Internet of Things Blockchain technology and its business applications could disrupt not only the present business models but also the community patterns.  Of course, it will disrupt even governments. It could bring a revolution in several sectors including banking and finance.

Blockchain will further establish a sense of democracy and equality through its disruptive power. Probably, the greatest disruption possible with blockchain is the characteristic of an impartial democracy applicable to anyone.

What is Blockchain?

First, the Blockchain is an “incorruptible digital ledger”. Since the development and growth of the internet, the word digital ledger is a well-known one. However, it is stored in a central server. Hence, there is a great chance of manipulating and corrupting the data. Whereas blockchain has no central server and the data is stored in multiple computers. This is a democratic process that makes it incorruptible.

Initially, Bitcoin has triggered the development of Blockchain technology. The central theme of this digital currency is encryption. Hence, the Bitcoin and like ones are named as cryptocurrency. Because of the encryption, one cannot corrupt the data.

Next, Blockchain can “record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value.” So, Blockchain is useful for recording anything of value. And, here is the opportunity. We know that any business operations have transactions. There is no business without transactions. Blockchain, therefore, can be used for recording anything in any business. Similarly, governments and other organizations also move with transactions. Hence, the Blockchain will be a necessity for them in the coming days.

The trend in Blockchain technology Business Applications

Blockchain is already grabbing the eyeballs of governments, industry conglomerates, tech companies, and programmers worldwide. Bitcoin has triggered a revolution in blockchain technology. People have increasingly launched cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. We have also seen a surge in ICOs. Large numbers of these ICOs are fetching investor attention. Although the crypto economy is much smaller than the fiat currency market, it is successful in attracting people.

Data security is a major concern nowadays. Social media giants like Facebook has failed to provide data security and it raised a concern among governments, corporations, financial institutes and the people at large. Moreover, big companies have control over data to date and this is also a major concern. Nowadays, data is the soil where business foundations are laid. They reign who have control over data. This has given enormous power to the corporate giants gathering and controlling data. This has also created several problems in government and businesses. Blockchain technology in Business applications can solve the problem. 

The democratically distributed incorruptible digital ledger

Blockchain technology is based on “democratically distributed” “incorruptible digital ledger”. Hence, it shows light in the dark. Blockchain technology is addressing two major concerns of the day. First, corrupting the data is impossible in blockchain digital ledgers. Next, no central authority is the owner of the data.  More and more people, therefore, are now relying on blockchain technology for recording transactions.

Experts see opportunities in application blockchain technology in a large number of industries including currency and finance.

What is Hadoop?

Apache Hadoop is one of the most widely used open-source tools for making sense of Big Data. In today’s digitally driven world, every organization needs to make sense of data on an ongoing basis. Hadoop is an entire ecosystem of Big Data tools and technologies, which is increasingly being deployed for storing and parsing of Big Data.

Definition of Apache Hadoop

It is an open-source data platform or framework developed in Java, dedicated to store and analyze large sets of unstructured data.

With the data exploding from digital media, the world is getting flooded with cutting-edge Big Data technologies. However, Apache Hadoop was the first one that reflected this wave of innovation. Let us find out what Hadoop software is and its ecosystem. In this blog, we will learn about the entire Hadoop ecosystem that includes Hadoop applications, Hadoop Common, and Hadoop framework.

 

How did Apache Hadoop evolve?

Inspired by Google’s MapReduce, which splits an application into small fractions to run on different nodes, scientists Doug Cutting and Mike Cafarella created a platform called Hadoop 1.0 and launched it in the year 2006 to support the distribution of Nutch search engine.

Apache Hadoop was made available for the public in November 2012 by Apache Software Foundation. Named after a yellow soft-toy elephant of Doug Cutting’s kid, this technology has been continuously revised since its launch.

As part of its revision, Apache Software Foundation launched its second revised version Hadoop 2.3.0 on February 20, 2014, with some major changes in the architecture.

 

What is Hadoop streaming?

Hadoop streaming is the generic API that is used for working with streaming data. Both the Mapper and the Reducer obtain their inputs in a standard format. The input is taken from Stdin and the output is sent to Stdout. This is the method within Hadoop for processing a continuous stream of data.

Hadoop is an application that is used for Big Data processing and storing. Hadoop development is the task of computing Big Data through the use of various programming languages such as Java, Scala, and others. Hadoop supports a range of data types such as Boolean, char, array, decimal, string, float, double, and so on.

Why should we use Apache Hadoop?

With evolving big data around the world, the demand for Hadoop Developers is increasing at a rapid pace. Well-versed Hadoop Developers with the knowledge of practical implementation are very much required to add value into the existing process. However, apart from many other reasons, the following are the main reasons to use this technology:

·         Extensive use of Big Data: More and more companies are realizing that in order to cope with the outburst of data, they will have to implement a technology that could subsume such data into itself and come out with something meaningful and valuable. Hadoop has certainly addressed this concern, and companies are tending toward adopting this technology. Moreover, a survey conducted by Tableau reports that among 2,200 customers, about 76 percent of them who are already using Hadoop wish to use it in newer ways.

·         Customers expect security: Nowadays, security has become one of the major aspects of IT infrastructure. Hence, companies are keenly investing in the security elements more than anything. Apache Sentry, for instance, enables role-based authorization to the data stored in the Big Data cluster.

·         Latest technologies taking charge: The trend of Big Data is going upward as users are demanding higher speed and thus are rejecting the old school data warehouses. Realizing the concern of its customers, Hadoop is actively integrating the latest technologies such as Cloudera Impala, AtScale, Actian Vector, Jethro, etc. in its basic infrastructure.

 

Why do we need Hadoop?

The explosion of big data has forced companies to use the technologies that could help them manage the complex and unstructured data in such a way that maximum information could be extracted and analyzed without any loss and delay. This necessity sprouted the development of Big Data technologies that are able to process multiple operations at once without a failure.

Some of the features of Hadoop are as listed below:

·         Capable of storing and processing complex datasets: With increasing volumes of data, there is a greater possibility of data loss and failure. However, Hadoop’s ability to store and process large and complex unstructured datasets makes it somewhat special.

·         Great computational ability: Its the distributed computational model enables fast processing of big data with multiple nodes running in parallel.

·         Lesser faults: Implementing it leads to a lesser number of failures as the jobs are automatically redirected to other nodes as and when one node fails. This ultimately causes the system to respond in real-time without failures.

·         No preprocessing required: Enormous data can be stored and retrieved at once, including both structured and unstructured data, without having to preprocess them before storing into the database.

·         Highly scalable: It is a highly scalable Big Data tool as you can raise the size of the cluster from a single machine to thousands of servers without having to administer extensively.

·         Cost-effective: Open-source technologies come free of cost and hence require a lesser amount of money for implementing them.

Web Design and Development trends in 2019

The new year is quick drawing nearer with a guarantee to carry imaginative approaches to work, new trends and improved software. There are specialists from a few seaward web design companies  who are anticipating the fate of web design and development trends in 2019. We have gathered a rundown of the up and coming website design slants that will assist your site with staying current, focused and, above all, remain effective. In case you're an entrepreneur whose business is principally determined with your site, at that point it is basic to remain side by side with the website design trends 2019. I can't think about any entrepreneur who won't prefer to keep over the web patterns. Site is the thing that each buyer and client checks first thing when they know about the brand name. Your site is your most significant brand diplomat and you don't wish it to get out of date.

There is a lot that changes in a year – best practices, visuals, algorithms and trends. Rather than following every trend, you need a professional, experienced and genuine web designer who can tell you the difference between trends that are fad and the ones that will make an impact. With an impressive user-interface you can make a difference in your site visits, and it will also improve your bottom line.

There is one thing that all our experienced offshore web designers echoed – the top web design trends for 2019 will be speed, mobile-design, immersive video background, and asymmetrical layouts. We haven’t listed an astounding and eye-catching web design as it goes without saying. Let us give you a few details about each of these points based on the inputs from our top-tiered web designers.

Speed

We all know that consumers are getting impatient. Thanks to mobiles, we expect things to come to us instantly. So, you have 3 seconds to make your website sticky. If consumers are not impressed within the first 3 seconds, you will lose them.

Many expensive web designers might lure you into getting a beautifully designed website, but one that doesn’t load quickly. The beauty of the website is trash if it doesn’t help you convert. In addition to it, Google prioritizes websites that load faster for its rankings.

Mobile-design

Mobile websites are overtaking desktop websites just as Google prioritizes mobile sites over the ones that aren’t mobile-friendly. You can’t assume that the desktop website will work equally well on mobile devices. Enriched user experience on mobiles that are quick to load will help meet the demands of mobile users.

Immersive video background

You might think that videos might slow down a website but with immersive videos, you have something compelling to get users’ intent. Trends show that websites that have videos in the background can grab users’ attention and make the stay on the website for longer. The longer they stay, the chances of conversions increases many fold.

Asymmetrical layouts

Web designers are moving towards fast, flat and minimalist design. With asymmetrical designs, web designers maintain consistency and alignment when they add content. The use of white space, unusual placements, use of varied colors and textures, repeating irregular patterns, and use of creative typography.

If you are seeking attention-grabbing visuals or a minimalist design that can stun your visitors, you need to work with professional and experienced web designers.