Wednesday, 24 February 2021

[2021]: Modern Web Design & UI Trends to Lookout For

 

Every year website and app designs get rejuvenated and redesigned with modern techniques and hot elements embedded into the previous custom patterns. With a tint of freshness, simplicity, and definition, the design elements can be mixed and matched to reach the heights of realism.

Breathing life into the digital world, website designing has been leveraged and leveled high to render exceptionally-engaging and communication-oriented websites powered by digital product development.

And it is to no surprise that,

“Designs Speak Louder than Words and play a Significant Role in Business Conversions!” 

Out of the 2020 website designs, many are extensions of the previously predicted patterns but also include some unique ones that help you create mind-boggling websites that are worth exploring for modern users.

Best Website Design Trends bringing Heavy Conversions & Superior User Experience

#Congenia Colors

Scrutinizing the digital nature of the job market today, coloring a website with just the right elements of cheerfulness and hope can derive an uncommon user experience. Web designers today put a sheer focus on color schemes and target the ones being easier on the eyes.

In 2021, they will focus on bringing something outside the extremes of light and dark will ground to soft and muted colors that will tend to relate to a more natural feel. Not all website visitors are fond of dramatic innovations and connect more with faint and subdued backgrounds, making the design feel much alive and talking.

The below image is a combination of subtle distortion of light and dark that is well rounded in its web design ambiance, more concerned with accessibility and comfort.

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#Scrolling Transformations

While scrolling a website, a user is doing more than navigating the website.
He’s interacting!

Scrolling transformations is a way to develop a focused interaction with the user, allowing him to participate or involve in the things happening on the website. It’s one of the subtle and indirect forms of communicating with the user where sometimes each scroll can feel like a new website page.

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Horizontal or vertical, both types of scrolling patterns can be put to best use along with where they can serve as a practical way to disclose secondary information progressively, say an image gallery, a new update, etc. 

[Prefer Reading: “UI-UX Design Duo: The Necessary Integrand of a Successful Digital Product.”]

#Dark Mode

The dark mode is everywhere and with its increasing popularity, it’s been made available both in browsers and mobile devices where one can toggle between light and dark modes within a fraction of time.

Being the latest web design of 2020, dark design mode will last for long as it offers high visibility and contrast using soothing colors and provides an optimum user experience without much eye strain. 

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Dark color impacts the overall vibe of the website message and content, so designers must experiment carefully with the color palettes that create an engaging visual feel and do justice with readability and functionality.  

#Parrallax Design

Parallax designs were very commonly witnessed in classic video games but recently became a fashion in the web design world. This cool trend is now seen as a part of the scrolling feature of a webpage that comes across as equal parts real and surreal.

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The complex programming into the foreground and background extremes, separating the page elements perfectly render a parallax effect, that is gaining high traction in web-based animation.

Its major differential is its depth of transforming a screen into something more analogous and relative to a theater stage. The technique used stimulates 3D depth by moving the background slower than the layers in the foreground which can be compared with a real-life scenario of viewing passing scenery while driving. 

#Black & White Illustrations (Colorless UI)

It’s true that minimal plain design can still be an engaging experience. Adding a tint of dynamic effects, animations, and micro-interactions black and white theme illustrations are still famous and a preferred choice of many.

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These simply include flat drawings (with or without animations) or big bold content letters that puts a heavy impact on the user with their whimsy playful nature. Colorless website designs seem more real, influential, and in-the-moment and are known to glue visitor’s attention on the website, holistically.

These illustrations seem to “match” almost any design aesthetic as well, making them a popular option for all kinds of industries or website types.

[Prefer Reading: “Can Design-Development Phases be Leveled with Prototypes?”]

#Big Bold Typography 

To make the written language legible, readable, and appealing, big bold typography took over and eliminated the need of adding images or graphics. 

It’s rightly said and seen, the bigger the letters, the heavier the impression. When you have fewer words that aim to speak everything, this trend works the best irrespective of choosing any thick or thin font style.

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The bigger size of the font seeks all the heed and can be blended with busy backgrounds, fancy images, or flat interfaces for your content/text to stand out. This website design can be well-matched with the gaussian blur pattern that adds further enhancement to it.

Pro Tips:

  • Keep a trendy typeface
  • Choose a simple background, and
  • Manage text corresponding to vertical/horizontal spaces
    Just commit these three to the memory and you’re good to go!

#Gaussian Blur

This trend helps you focus on images and gradients and is used in more prominent spaces in web designs. A pleasing gaussian blur of color is a subtle design option that is known to perfectly capture the eye lens.

“Simple can be Extraordinary!”

Colors can be mixed and matched or simply used for creative and cohesive web designs with gaussian blur in the background. Nor did they make web designs refined and refreshing, but also mobile applications and other sorts of interfaces and artworks.

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#3D Representations

The three-dimensional illustrations are known to bring reality and virtual reality together that has given web designers a wide spectrum to play with almost everything using 3D. Adding color transitions, this trend can be just the right option to seek in the creative process.

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With a delightful and more captivating appearance, 3D elements are inexpensive to implement where designers and companies embrace this evergreen web design to create triumphs that are admired by users. 

Adding to the overall user experience, three-dimensional representations can go with the flow with minimalist layouts, making a huge impact.

#Abstract Art Compositions

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Shapes including geometric primitives (squares, lines, circles…) are seen as minimalist and sophisticated design patterns that can be restrictive or be used to exude freedom. In 2021, photography would take a backseat and would be surpassed by abstract art elements, however, can still be peered with images and figure illustrations.

Websites possessing abstract art designs can compose to be more impressive, expressive, and alive, even in the absence of familiar human faces.  

Let’s Light Up Your Web Design!

The above-mentioned designs, whether they are extensions of the previous year or are the latest in the field, will be all at their best performance when designed and combined with a thoughtful and intentional scheme.

Dedicated website designers at NetSet can leverage these design trends and make them highly usable, layer-able, and playful for your next website development project. They can help you optimize your website with synthesized designs and patterns that will deliver highly-engaging web design results.

Tuesday, 23 February 2021

Do Businesses need to Bet on BaaS (Blockchain-as-a-Service)?

 Block chain

Blockchain has shown its revolutionary potential, to transform the world, in almost every field of human endeavour. With its deployment in diverse domains like medical, finance, engineering, supply chain, government operations, cross-border trade, etc. the technology has proved itself to be scaled for much broader use next to Blockchain Development.

With the burgeoning demand and implementation of Blockchain, businesses have found ways to harness the power of this robust technology and have buckled up to offer Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS).

“A Cloud Service modality that aims to facilitate the use of Blockchain Technology.” 

The emergence of BaaS has developed another type of market that forms an important part of the blockchain economy. Let’s delve deeper into the category and explore the new branch budding out of Blockchain.

Blockchain as a Service (BaaS)

Blockchain as a Service (BaaS)

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BaaS has gained significant traction where this service allows consumers to use cloud-based solutions to build, host, and use their blockchain solutions, functions, and smart contracts. Third parties install and maintain blockchain networks for a company’s technologies and support them to build blockchain-powered products under an established blockchain ecosystem.

All in all, businesses offer fully functional blockchain platforms as per the customer needs.

(The developed blockchain landscape is monitored and administered by cloud-based service providers.)

Even though the concept adheres to the working and engagement principles similar to that of Software as a Service (SaaS), nevertheless, its adoption has accelerated the fixation of complex issues, facilitating transparency, efficiency, and cost at a recognizable level.

The advantages offered by the technology have urged many IT organizations to explore it strategically, but the inherent technical complexities and deficiency in domain expertise often led them to lose pace on the adoption plans.

Moreover, not every organization may need high authentication, or not all developers within an organization would have experience working on the platform. This what led big tech giants to adopt BaaS and offer blockchain integration solutions to better adopt, operate, and configure the technology for operational use.

The Working

 

Blockchain-as-a-Service works relatively with Blockchain as a service provider who is responsible for orchestrating the entire blockchain implementation and maintenance of its nodes. 

As per the business needs, blockchain service providers handle all the backend and complex services while taking strenuous care of the crucial artefacts of blockchain technology like hosting requirements, security protocols, bandwidth management, optimisation of resources, and much more.

One can consider BaaS similar to web hosting. As you get various options of hosting your website with its maintenance like you manage to have your own server or a computer, or you hire staff for website handling or ultimately you opt for choosing a specialised company that hosts your website on their server and takes over all the responsibilities.

Blockchain-as-a-service works likewise where you get their complete network and is one of the best approaches for mass adoption of blockchain. 

Top Features

#Quick Deployment

Get fast deployment of blockchain integration without complex configuration concerns. Blockchain-as-a-Service offers extensive services without any inconvenience or hassles.

#Application Access

To amplify the pace of application development, Baas offers blockchain SDKs, standard Fabric SDKs, built-in connection information, etc.  

#Security Service

Keeping high on security, the service supports cryptographic algorithms and SGX security protection, creating a multi-dimensional blockchain security network.

#Organization Management

The service allows managing enterprises that are in business as well as the users of the organization and grants access to the blockchain application.

#Chain-code Management

BaaS allows managing chain codes (smart contracts) for overwriting installation and creating instances, and further updating them in the network.

#Permission Management

Allows enterprise-ready management and monitoring.

#Monitoring

The blockchain service gives real-time updates and automatic alerts of the state of the blockchain while monitoring connections to CloudMonitor.

Primary Elements to Evaluate Blockchain-as-a-Service

To value the adoption of Cloud with Blockchain (BaaS), here we list significant parameters that must be examined before betting on the service.

Take a rundown:

#Suitability of the service:

Depending on the context where you want to apply the blockchain, you have to take into account which implementation to use, the architecture of the solution, and find the right service that satisfies all the requirements of the case of use.

#Adaptability: 

Here we refer to the possibilities offered by the corresponding service when configuring it to our liking: number of nodes, location of the same, consensus, time, sizes, etc.

#Cost: 

Like all cloud services, this service has its associated cost. A detailed cost assessment is required, which varies depending on the use case and the service provider.

It is essential to carry out a preliminary analysis study in order to make the best decision. After all, like the technology itself, these services are evolving and there are times when it is better to deploy on-premises.

[Prefer Reading: Blockchain: What it Holds for Businesses Today?”]

Thursday, 11 February 2021

UI-UX Design Duo: The Necessary Integrand of a Successful Digital Product

 

It’s a Human-Centered World!

People work for People.
Technology works for People.
Even the devices built, work for People.

When every innovation or advancement, taking place, revolves around users, customers, and their variegated experiences why do businesses still believe that a good product or service could essentially sell itself?

Again, read the first line. Did it strike something?

No matter the industry or sphere you work in, this materialistic audience crave enhanced digital experiences at each step of progression. 

Let’s commit a few facts about User Experience first:

  • User Experience is the most Voluminous Keyword of the Internet Product Development sphere.
  • User Experience has an upthrust and crosses every bar of the ladder each day. (growing user expectations)
  • User Experience begins within 17microseconds of a visitor/user landing up to a website, a device, an app, or even while utilizing a service.

I believe these certitudes are enough to make you realize the significance the term carries with itself. 

Grabbing the conceptual and contextual theory, let’s slide towards the business perspective of UX and spotlight some major aspects concerning the keyword.

User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX)

User Experience defines and describes each interaction your customers have with your product or service or brand.

User Interface is what the user is going to use or the part of your product/service he interacts with (like screens, buttons, icons, features, etc.) 

Concerning both these terms, remember: 

“The exposure of your brand and its assets is no longer limited to just knowing about the product, instead, it expands to the experience of purchasing and using the product as well.” 

A good experience with a good impression always reflects great benefits in visits, conversions, sales, and ROI.

UX is the UI?

As a matter of fact, a user interface is an interface between the customer and the business.
Thus, the UX design is UI design we build by all the effective means through which the business and customer connect.

While experimenting with a product, say an application, we don’t realize that when we evaluate the user experience, we unknowingly gauge the usability of the product and the vice-versa is also true.

UI/UX Design, What it is all about?

UI/UX Design is a design philosophy that seeks to create products that solve the problems or needs of users, achieving the highest satisfaction and the best possible experience when using them and with minimal effort.

The maxim of this way of designing is to build a product that manages to satisfy as much as possible what the customer demands thanks to knowing it thoroughly.

User experience design can be applied to any type of product: from a refrigerator, a television to a car or software.

And it is that what has to be clear to you is the objective of the UX: to create a unique experience adapted to your client.

In other words, when it comes to web pages, it makes it easier for users who visit your website to navigate so that they can find what they want and what you offer in the simplest way possible.

Therefore, you need to know what needs your users have, align them with the objectives of your business, and taking into account your technological or technical limitations. 

A perfect UI/UX design checks on the following critical factors that further offer conversion opportunities and competitive benefits:

The Usability
It is simply to improve the ease of learning and efficiency. The usability of your product gets enhanced when the interaction designers make it easy for users to learn and experiment with a new product in the most natural way. 

Information Architecture
Its the element that is responsible for meeting the needs of the visitor by connecting users with content in an organized and classified way, making it easier to locate.

Graphic Design
The visual and graphic elements (fonts, colors, icons, images, etc.) are used to attract the attention of users and make their browsing experience more pleasant and positive. 

Mobile First
Keeping mobile phones at an arm’s distance, UI-UX designs must be adapted to the mobile environment which means the design and layout must be perfectly visible both on computer and mobile alike with the standard settings. 

Prototyping
Prototypes guarantee a good web design by testing their preliminary versions and ensure their feasibility and suitability as per the purpose of the project. It’s a useful element that gives an idea about the functionality of the design before applying it. 

The Satisfaction
If your UI-UX designs combine usefulness and usability, provided your product delivers value and quality then it will certainly reach the expected levels of user contentment. The user’s greatest satisfaction is proportional to the value and experience rendered in terms of performance, quality, and vision.

[Prefer Reading: “Can Design-Development Phases be Leveled with Prototypes?”]

What makes a Good UI Design?

User Interface and User Experience are similar in a context where they have a proportional dependency too, thus, it can be said that a good user interface can create a positive user experience.

A good user design at its core is:

  • Useful: 

The content of your website has to be original and satisfy the needs of your client.

  • Usable: 

our website has to be easy to use and navigation has to be simple and intuitive.

  • Desirable: 

Your website has to generate emotions and good feelings in your users through the images, the corporate image, the identity, your brand. This part is more focused on UI design but it must also be taken into account in UX.

  • Findable: 

The content of your website has to be navigable and locatable both within your own page and outside (SEO).

  • Accessible: 

Your content must be visible to your users and accessible to people with disabilities.

  • Credible: 

Everything you publish on your website has to be reliable and as transparent as possible. You have to create a sincere connection with the user.

  • Valuable: 

You have to make sure that the content and information you offer is unique and of value to your user.

All in all, it is compelling, delightful, and emotive that fulfills a user’s inward desires when first interacted with your digital product. 

“A human-centered design understands the end-user.” 

Thus, the present need is to build Human-Centered Designs that focus on Research, Empathy, and User Experience. 

The vital sections of a website or an app that derive their most interest are:

  • The Logo
  • Main Navigation Menu
  • Search Box
  • Feature Image
  • The Content
  • The Bottom/the End

This proves that first impressions are 94% Design related where the look and feel of your digital product are highly responsible for influencing the audience. Poor UI/UX design is associated with rapid rejection and mistrust that adversely affects the user’s first impression of using your product or service.

[Prefer Reading: “How does Personalization help to Scale App User Experience?”]

Where NetSet Can Play a Role?

UI and UX are a world to discover and we at NetSet help you explore their realm in the most efficient way, taking a fast track. Our design experts are able to bring life to design ideas, employing the best practices during the entire design process, from start to finish.

Get human-centered user experience designs ready for your next digital product that offers an irresistible and inevitable user interaction within a stipulated interval of time. We ensure your UX is your X-factor, helping you with every step of your user experience design journey.

Wednesday, 20 January 2021

Mobile App Personalization: An Opportunity for Business Disruption

 

The digital world is all about bringing innovation via buzzing ideas, technical advancements, immersive applications, smart tools and devices, and more in order to make a successful world where greatness and uniqueness are normal.

Following a multidisciplinary approach, businesses today intend to deliver quality services without making any compromises to achieve enhanced customer experience (CX).

Do you know that our globe accommodates 2.2 million smartphone users where all together 37.8 billion apps were downloaded in the second quarter of 2020? 

With great statistics upfront, businesses need to realize that there is a massive opportunity to empower users, leverage customer experience, strengthen the online presence, and generate hefty revenues.

Global App Downloads Quarter-Wise (in Billions)

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Nevertheless, it’s easier said than done!

When the talk is about leveraging CX in strategic form the two fueling fragments namely customization and personalization can’t be missed to get the fire on. Where Customization is merely applying changes as per the user, Personalization goes a step ahead and focuses on rendering a user much more than expected.

Given the level of competition in the mobile app development industry, the personalization of apps is the next evolutionary step that comes after customization and is considered a meaningful differentiator for app creators.

Scaling retention, powering user engagement, and deriving consistent conversions is possibly practical by integrating a strong and effective personalization

“When done Right, Personalization lends focus and adds beauty to your App Design.”

A significant shift towards personalization is evident as virtually all industry segments are performing it already but there exist many personalization failures that indicate not to take it sparsely.

The Need of the Hour: Mobile App Personalization 

“Personalization is a step beyond Customization.”

98% of marketers state that personalization advances customer relationships where nearly 89% of the digital businesses have pivoted the liver to invest in personalization.

Personalization is a dynamic process that happens in real-time and in the context of apps it’s about tailoring the app experience effectively aligned with user-specific needs. A user wants to be understood, feel special, and demand for his requirements to be met, and the sword of personalization hits the same.

Mobile app personalization is about drafting everything just for the end-users, all of it individualized and relevant to the user. This implies that your personalized mobile applications can include push notifications (obvious and for sure), recommendations, discounts, tips, and much more centric to the desires of users.

One needs to go beyond the obvious to survive in a hyper-competitive environment. Addressing uses by names, sending them birthday coupons, etc. is old school and not enough. User’s expectations have gone to the next level where they demand to witness tailor-made customer experience right from the first-time app launch.

Let’s learn it from Starbucks.

Occupying more than 14.2 million active U.S. rewards program members, the brand continues to solidify its digital relationships by bringing mobile payment with personalized features of earning rewards and making in-store purchases, but in an exceptional way. 

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The app renders an excellent level of convenience to the users for making their product payments via scanning a barcode (from their smartphone) linked to their registered Starbucks Card. Further, it also gives the option of ‘Shake to Pay’ i.e by shaking their device they can activate the pay screen feature, thus, allowing ease of comfort over one of the obligatory app functions. 

Additionally, the app allows customers to earn stars in the form of rewards via its My Starbucks Rewards program where users can track and redeem their rewards, manage their accounts, and gain access to new product information and promotions.

With this one can deduce that

Personalization Attracts & Enhances
-User Engagement
-Retention
-Individual Relationships
-In-App User Experience
-Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction

[Prefer Reading: “Survival of the Digitalist: Technology Driven Customer Experience.”]

Tips and Tricks to Deliver Highly Differentiated User Experience

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NetSet deeply understands the significance of one-to-one personalization across different platforms and devices and comes with some strategic techniques that are followed during digital product development.

Let’s take a rundown:

#1 Set the User Data & Analytics Backbone in Place

Getting a personalization strategy in place proves to be effective if appropriate user data is gathered and utilized to expect favorable outcomes out of it. 

Before developing a mobile application a deep R&D is required to collect the right demographics, device-type information, geolocation, etc. that helps to capture the fundamental data parameters at the time of the user onboarding stage. (registration/login)

While constructing a mobile app for all-type users, one must get a unified view of every user in real-time that will further refine your techniques. Factors that contribute:

  • In-App behavior
  • Actions and inactions
  • Responses and interactions
  • Product search history
  • Payment mode chosen
  • Common paths leading to conversions
  • And more

Orchestrating user data efficiently and analyzing their traits will get you granular actionable insights to forge relevant user segments.

[Prefer Reading: “Grocery Shopping App Features: Basic, Advanced & Miscellaneous”]

#2 Start Personalizing the App from the First-Time Launch

Remember what I stated above: ‘User’s expectations have gone to the next level where they demand to witness tailor-made customer experience right from the first-time app launch.’

Modern users possess unique characteristics where one cannot apply the ‘one size fits all’ fact. Delivering a high-level personalized experience on the first time launch of the application can get you a positive response, recognition, and recommendations too.

With the collected demographic data points, you can deliver a personalized user experience initiating from the app homepage where you can well manage the homepage screen to educate the operators over key features, functionalities, and usage. 

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#3 App Navigation be Tailor-Made

Personalization doesn’t limit itself to merely adding exceptional functionality it can further be explored utilizing other parameters like gender, seasons, time zones, seasons, weather, and much more.

Your app can be harnessed by personalizing CTAs, images, offers, trending products, etc., and be further optimized as per the most common factors that lead towards the path of conversion, thus, individualizing the mobile app navigation journey and offering users exactly what they want.

Haptics and advanced features within the mobile application can increase the chances of user engagement, being an add-on to the app navigation.

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#4 Add a Tint of Personalization to the Search Experience 

Big organizations are paying a huge amount of money to know the intent of a customer. 

With this development within AI assistance businesses today can easily acumen the intent of the customer ie: whether the customer wants to purchase the product, book something or want to consume something. 

With the clarity of the consumer intent, you would be able to push the user faster towards what he/she exactly wants. 

You can also easily gather the content or product’s recommendations based on the partial or full search terms written in the search tabs where the AI assistance could further consider the historic searches made by the account. 

The assistance will show a continuous rise in its accuracy with every search user will make, which will reduce the gap in the customer buying journey from the discovery of a product to its purchase. 

For example: Assume you are an expert in selling cosmetics on eCommerce platforms, you can start suggesting the most relevant product recommendations for lipsticks when a user searches for a particular brand of lipstick.

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#5 Deploy Live Contextual Recommendations

Text messages still haven’t lost their value and can be best made to be put as in-app messages while focusing on optimizing content personalization by triggering relevant product or service recommendations.

Your user engagement technique must focus on the context of the user content or search and offer product suggestions, knowing their clear intent. This can help you with cross-sell and upsell opportunities, raising the probabilities of increased average order value.

Thursday, 7 January 2021

Essential Features a Chat Application Can’t Afford to Miss

 

The digital world has been revolutionized by the innovations taking place in the app development industry where enormous experiments take place each day to turn a desire or need into something tangible.

With mobile applications being highly multifunctional, the bar of their significance is laddering towards the peak, eliminating all major physical limitations. Mobile phones transformed ordinary communication while mobile apps have taken the reach of communication to the next level.

Thanks to the innovations brought up in the mobile app development industry which is one of the fastest-growing verticals in business. Let’s take a look at the 2020 app statistics which press upon its growth and vitality:

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Global mobile phone messaging app users (2018-2022)

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What users expect from a Chat/Messaging App?

  • Convenience
  • Ease for multitasking
  • Real-Time Text Transmission
  • Unique Stickers/Emojis
  • Chat History & Records
  • 5G Connectivity

Seen globally, expectations of users have gone far and wide where they expect much beyond sharing a text or an image. Feature-rich e-devices and the availability of high-speed internet have encouraged tech businesses and enthusiasts to pay heed to chat app development/ instant messaging apps.

After the rapid growth of social media, there was no chance left to underestimate chat applications which further led to their extensive development making them more popular than ever.

In present times, messenger apps are not only limited to conversing with friends and family, however, have an added scope of targeting businesses and improving their prospects. They have become a key method of communication with customers.

“Chat applications are just a subtype of social media apps with restricted public functions and are expected to ladder revenues in 2021 & beyond.”

A modern chat application must possess remarkable functionalities that can be adapted to any type of chat solution. An ideal chat application has the potential to offer solutions for business-level communication, customer-centric business communication, eCommerce chat, and personal chat.

[Prefer Reading: “Chatbot Development: Enhance the Prospects of your Business Success in 2020 & Beyond.”]

Basic Functions to Embed in a Chat Application

Although the main idea of a messaging app is to send text messages, users love to communicate using other available means too. 

  • Voice Calls & Messages

One can create an instant messaging application with support for voice communication, allowing users to record messages or call other users in re

  • Video Calls & Messages

The same goes here, add support for video calls, messages, or support. Group video calls are tough to implement but are a necessary element as users love this feature and must go for adding it into your app.

Messaging App Essential Features

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“A modern chat application must possess intrigue functionalities & must be flexible to adapt to any type of a chat solution.”

#User Login

With a maximum percentage of the populace possessing a smartphone, a chat app keeps no restriction to age or gender where a layman could make use of your app for making a video call.

Thus, the process for user login must be kept as simple as a cakewalk and end up the process within mere 3steps, verifying the user via the phone number or email. The easier you make it for your users, the easier it becomes for you to gain its popularity.   

#Data Encryption

With heaps of data being produced every single day from millions of resources, security, and privacy parameters arise concerning the protection of the crucial and sensitive data. Data encryption forms the basis of preserving confidentiality within an app.

Encryption is a way to secure communication between persons/parties exchanging data. Your app must embed end-to-end encryption that ensures your messages are linked with keys that are useful to decrypt the information making it readable for the other party.

Encryption is inevitable for a chat application and is obligatory for enhancing online privacy. 

#Cloud Synchronization

A tremendous amount of data being generated, certainly, needs space for storage. Moreover, the alterations needed must be updated as and when and applied automatically to all other devices.

This is the need of today and is enabled via Cloud Services. Developing a messaging app would require securely store and preserve chat histories and files sent/received. This is made possible with Cloud synchronization that updates and manipulates data on time that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. It’s the best option to

#Geolocation

Today, most messaging and chat apps accommodate the feature of sharing live location with the near ones. Scrutinizing the user demands today, this feature plays a significant role in businesses like transportation and cab services as the current location helps customers to get real-time updates/availability regarding their products.

Adding geolocation features has become one of the necessary traits to be added in the messaging app which further helps to enhance its business prospects.

#Data Persistence for Offline Usage

An application that effectively works in offline mode or possesses such capability is the one favored by all. Where some app features (like wifi or the internet) eats up the phone’s battery, users expect mobile applications to even work in the offline mode, allowing them enhanced flexibility that further adds up to the extended mobile app experience.

#Notifications

Notifications form an important part of your messenger app that lets a user know about the arrival of a message and also becomes a part of an MVP when the actual app is on trial.

[Prefer Reading: “Enhanced User Experience? Think Chatbots”]

Miscellaneous Features that Stand Out

 

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  • Scheduled Messages
    An option that helps a user to schedule and send messages as per the selected time and date.
  • Chatbots
    Chatbots in a chat application? So predictable and obvious. As they can be used to set predefined answers for customer/user queries or messages. Chatbot Development is one of the best business monetize techniques as well if used professionally for doing business.
  • Stickers
    Stickers add a boost to the standard set of features and act as a key factor in leveraging customer experience. Unbelievable, many chat apps (like Viver) have gone way beyond user expectations by offering their own sticker packs.
  • Games
    If you wish to derive user engagement, in-app games are a considerable option to boost an app’s global reach and popularity, especially if you have a specific demographic group to target.

There is no magic that can make an app renowned overnight or can attract ‘n’ number of downloads, just create a unique user experience and offer exclusive, alluring, and intuitive features that are appealing in the eyes of the users.

[Prefer Reading: “AI-Powered Chatbots: Enhancing Business Communication” ]

Factors Influencing the Cost of Creating a Chat Application

#Target Platform

An app is built to be highly compatible while running on an operating system. iOS, Android, and Windows are the platforms to target which calls for a decision to be made to either go for developing a native messaging app or a hybrid one.

Certainly, the cost of development would rise with the demand for platforms chosen for development. 

#Backend Development

Backend is responsible for the app’s security and involves the exchange of data between the app and the database. Thus, it requires robust technologies and algorithms to support data encryption which becomes the second major reason to make your pocket heavy on its development.

#Third-Party Integrations

Third-party integrations of libraries, APIs, frameworks, etc. is an accountable task for enabling various functions in real-time within the mobile chat application.

However, with modern ways, third-party integrations are now easy to embed but add a cost factor indeed.

#Admin Panel Development

The admin panel is sort of a dashboard that helps to monitor and operate the passive functions to be handled by the administrator end and plays a pivotal role in the development of a messaging app.

Operating the app, managing users, analyzing the app statistics, updating app content are some of the functions that combine admin panel development, and involve a considerable cost.

#Customization

Undoubtedly, customization and personalization are cost-adding factors and are a bit high in price as compared to building standard/basic components. 

Animations, graphic designs, special effects, customized app features drive the cost up, thereby, leveraging customer experience, and mobile app experience.