Author: galaxy-admin

Unveiling Android 12 | Updates and Enhancements

Posted on by galaxy-admin

The developer preview of Android 12 is now available and Google has placed heavy emphasis on app compatibility, privacy, and accessibility of all users. As always, Pixel phones will be the first to receive the update probably around September 2021, followed by billions of other android phones.

In this preview, the UI receives some tweaks and features enhancements in Android 12 (Code-named Snowcone). Let’s see what they are-

Change in Accent Color

The white background color in the drop-down menu and settings menu is now being changed with a pale light-blue tint. It can be seen in both light and dark themes.

Nearby Share for Wi-Fi passwords

Connecting to a new Wi-Fi is now easier with the help of ‘Nearby Share’ for sharing Wi-Fi passwords. The QR code scanner option is present; if you scroll down, you will spot this new option which will look for devices near you for sharing the details.

Changes in Notifications

There are changes seen in the layout of text and visuals along with tweaks in transparency and background. The overlay is lighter in shade and the background is more translucent.

Also, the new notifications snooze now comes with three different time-durations – 30 mins, 1 hour, or 2 hours. Although this option is disabled by default, you can enable it from settings by going on the ‘allow notification snoozing’ under the notification head.

Editing Screenshots 

One can add text in varying fonts and colors on the screenshots. The markup menu will also feature emojis just in case your screenshots need extra flair.

Along with edits for screenshots, you can edit any outgoing image file via a share sheet. When you share an image file, there will be an ‘Edit’ option that enables you to make edits to your selected file.

Media Player Interface 

In the drop-down menu, you will notice a change in the media player. The widget now occupies more space, expanding till the screen edges and takes more space on the lock screen as well when in use.

You can select which apps are shown in the media control and which are restricted. This can be done via Settings > Sound and vibration > Media.

Changes in Accessibility Settings   

Accessibility settings are also reorganized. Font size, display size are grouped under ‘Text and Display’. There was a horizontal line that used to divide different menu options which are now removed.

Privacy Settings

Privacy toggles can be used to block the usage of the camera and microphone. Users will be notified when an app uses either of these functions. In the Privacy Settings, the preview also features an option to disable the phone camera and mute the microphone completely.

Some rumored changes are also creating buzz, like:

  • OS updates could be done directly from Play Store. If this is implemented, it will lead to more frequent updates.
  • Audio-coupled haptic feedback/effects could be seen in Pixel phones. As of now, only the Pixel 4 is believed to have the hardware to implement this feature. This signifies that there can be vibrations in the haptic motors to match the rhythms of the music played.
  • Double-tap gesture for Pixel phones on the back of the phone. This can be done by activating Google Assistant. It can be used for other options as well like taking a screenshot or pausing/ playing media, etc
  • ‘One-handed’ mode is believed to have a feature called, ‘Silky Home’ which will push features further down, making them more accessible. Apart from this, one expects more blank space to be left on the top of the display.

We are eager to see how this update pans out and what effects it will have on app design and development. If all goes well, it will give a lot more control to users’ hands.

About us We, at Galaxy Weblinks, are all for new ideas and experiments. We believe that being up-to-date in this fast-paced world gives us adequate time to explore and implement new changes. Our analytics team is proficient in building apps that are well aligned to our client’s and platform requirements. Contact us for a free consultation!

Streamlining Software Design with Effective Diagrams in 2024

Posted on by galaxy-admin

In 2024, the complexity of software development projects continues to escalate, driven by advancing technology and market demands for faster, more reliable applications. Within this landscape, the clarity and efficiency of the software design process have never been more critical. Effective diagramming techniques stand out as indispensable tools for architects, developers, and project managers aiming to navigate this complexity, transforming abstract ideas into tangible, actionable design plans.

The Importance of Software Design Diagrams:

Software design diagrams are fundamental tools that go beyond mere illustration to play a pivotal role in guiding the software development process. They help us “talk” about complex software architecture, design choices, and how different parts of a system work together, making it easier for everyone involved—from the tech wizards to those who might not speak “tech” as fluently—to stay on the same page. As we dive deeper into 2024, with projects needing more teamwork and different departments working closely together, the importance of using diagrams to keep everyone aligned has grown significantly.

A study by Lucidchart shows that teams using diagrams and other visual tools work 43% more efficiently and cut down on having to redo work by 32%. In a world where teams might not share the same office or even the same time zone, and where project goals and needs can change quickly, diagrams have become key tools for several important reasons:

  • Better Communication: Diagrams act as a bridge, connecting different people on a project, from the ones who build the technology to those who make sure it meets the user’s needs. They turn tricky technical concepts into something everyone can grasp, making sure the whole team is moving in the same direction.
  • Spotting Issues Early: With a clear visual of the project’s structure, it’s easier to see problems or snags early on. Catching these before they turn into bigger headaches saves time and effort later.
  • Making Smarter Choices: Diagrams give a bird’s eye view of how everything fits together, highlighting how information moves, where things link up, and where there might be weak spots. This overview helps everyone make better, informed decisions as the project moves forward.
  • Speeding Up Development: By laying out design choices clearly and helping everyone understand them, diagrams cut down on confusion and backtracking. This means the team can move faster, turning great ideas into reality sooner.

Types of Software Design Diagrams and Their Applications:

  • Unified Modeling Language (UML) Diagrams: 

UML diagrams, including class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and use case diagrams, provide a standardized way to visualize system architecture and object interactions.

  • Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERDs): 

Essential for database design, ERDs help in mapping out the data landscape of an application, highlighting the relationships between different data entities.

  • Architecture Diagrams: 

These diagrams offer a high-level view of software architecture, showcasing the system’s structure and the interaction between its components.

Streamlining Software Design with Diagrams:

Enhancing Communication: 

Diagrams act as a universal language, bridging gaps between technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring everyone has a clear understanding of the project’s architectural vision.

Facilitating Problem-Solving: 

By visualizing complex systems, diagrams allow teams to identify potential issues early in the design phase, saving time and resources.

Improving Documentation: 

Well-crafted diagrams serve as valuable documentation, aiding new team members in coming up to speed and providing a reference point for future maintenance and scalability efforts.

Effective Diagramming Techniques:

  • Start Simple: Begin with high-level diagrams to outline the system architecture before delving into detailed component or class diagrams.
  • Iterate and Refine: Treat diagrams as living documents that evolve with the project, updating them to reflect design changes and decisions.
  • Choose the Right Tools: Leverage modern diagramming tools that support collaboration, version control, and integration with development environments.

Selecting Diagram Tools for Software Design:

The choice of diagramming tools can significantly impact the effectiveness of your software design process. In 2024, tools that offer intuitive interfaces, collaborative features, and compatibility with industry standards like UML are in high demand. Whether it’s cloud-based platforms enabling real-time collaboration or desktop applications with extensive customization capabilities, selecting a tool that fits your team’s workflow is crucial.

Choosing the Right Tools for the Job:

Navigating the software design landscape in 2024 means having the right tools in your toolkit, especially when it comes to diagramming. With the sheer variety of tools available, each boasting its own set of features, choosing the right one can significantly impact your project’s success. Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular diagramming tools out there:

  • Lucidchart: 

This cloud-based tool shines with its extensive template library, real-time collaboration capabilities, and seamless integrations with many development tools. It’s a go-to for teams looking for flexibility and ease of use.

  • Draw.io: 

Perfect for those on a tight budget or small teams, Draw.io is an open-source, web-based tool that’s straightforward yet effective for basic diagramming needs.

  • Microsoft Visio:

For projects that demand intricate diagrams, Visio is a powerhouse desktop application suited for complex, enterprise-level undertakings with its advanced features.

  • PlantUML:

If you prefer working with text to create UML diagrams, PlantUML is a standout choice. It’s praised for its simplicity and how well it works with version control systems, making it ideal for developers who like to keep things straightforward.

Choosing the best tool for your project isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. It depends on various factors, including the size of your team, your budget, the specific needs of your diagramming project, and how you like to collaborate. Trying out different tools can lead you to the one that best fits your team’s workflow and project requirements. In the quest to streamline software design with effective diagrams in 2024, picking the right diagramming tool is a crucial step towards ensuring clear communication, early problem detection, and a smoother development process.

Best Practices for Creating Software Diagrams:

  • Maintain Consistency: Use consistent notation and symbols across all diagrams to avoid confusion.
  • Focus on Clarity: Avoid cluttering diagrams with excessive detail that could obscure the overall design intent.
  • Engage the Team: Encourage contributions from all team members, fostering a collaborative design process.

Visualizing Software Architecture in 2024:

As software systems become more complex, the ability to effectively visualize architecture is paramount. Architectural diagrams in 2024 serve not just as design aids but as strategic tools for decision-making, helping teams to choose between design patterns, frameworks, and technologies that best meet their project’s objectives.

The Business Impact of Streamlined Software Design:

Streamlined software design, facilitated by effective diagramming, directly contributes to project success, reducing time-to-market, enhancing product quality, and increasing stakeholder satisfaction. In an era where digital transformation initiatives drive business strategy, the efficiency of the software design process becomes a competitive advantage.

Boosting Your Software Design Strategy with Galaxy Weblinks

In the rapidly evolving software development landscape of 2024, the strategic use of effective diagrams has emerged as a critical factor in streamlining software design. Galaxy Weblinks recognizes the power of visual tools in transforming complex system concepts into clear, actionable designs. Our team of experts specializes in employing advanced diagramming techniques and leveraging the latest tools to refine your software design process, ensuring your projects are not only successful but also aligned with the latest industry best practices.

Partner with Galaxy Weblinks to harness the full potential of effective diagramming in your software design projects. Together, we can build a foundation for clarity, efficiency, and innovation that propels your software solutions forward. Reach out to explore how we can help you to streamline your software design strategy, ensuring your projects lead the way in 2024 and beyond.

Code Review | Foolproof Your Software Quality

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Code reviews can be tedious and if the code is somebody else’s then some frustration is justified. However, code reviews do save a lot of time and keep breaking errors in check.

Based on the scale of your project you can either go with peer review or with group review. When you’re confident about your code and are in a time crunch, you can choose to get your colleague to review your code. This way, you get an error-free code that can be pushed for production. On the other hand, if the project scale and team size are larger, you can opt for a group review. Let’s explore both these options –

What is a Peer Code Review?

Simply put, when you ask one of your teammates to see if there are any mistakes or areas of improvement in your code.

The Process

Typically, when the code is complete and ready for review, the developer creates a request to get it reviewed and forward it for release once approved. The assigned reviewers then approve or reject the pull request depending on the quality of the code. If approved, it implies that the code is ready to be merged in the release branch. Just to an additional layer of assurance

To ensure the highest code quality and keep a check on code churn, practice heads like development lead and engineering head are also added default reviewers. They are notified via emails about the requests along with developers that are doing the review. These reviews are dynamic and are done as and when the pull requests are created.

What to Look for During the Review

Even though there are multiple sets of eyes involved, there’s a lot that can still go wrong with peer reviews, if not taken seriously. Blanket approvals will only set you back further. Different teammates might have different standards of code quality, in that case, a checklist can help people align.

Peer-review Checklist 

peer-review-code

This checklist can help the reviewers prioritize what matters and find out defects before the code goes for production.

What is a Team Code Review?

It’s like peer review but more people are brought in for this and review the code as a group. The motive here is to bring different sets of people with different expertise onboard to test the overall feasibility of the code. Think Developers, Testers, Architects, and Managers gathering weekly for code review.

The Process

Since a lot many people are involved in a group review, it calls for a slightly different approach than the one used in peer review.

  • The developer presents the user story to the entire team.
  • Review of the design as per the user story implementation.
  • Then the code is discussed and reviewed by the review group.
  • Test cases are compared with the business rules implemented in a user story.
  • Code walkthrough is done to get the logic across to every individual, sanitizing the code in the process
  • SQE group presents the test cases based on the user story.
  • Database dependencies like table schema, initial data scripts, data upgrade scripts are then reviewed by the DB team.
  • The Release Engineering team is then brought in to discuss and review the dependencies on the deployment scripts.
  • The performance team then gets inputs and benchmarks performance for the user story.

Who looks for what during these reviews?

Developers will use other stories as a basis and compare from a coding perspective to see if there are any dependencies.

Testers will look for business rules that are part of the test cases and try to circle out the ones that are not if implemented.

The architect ensures that everything is as planned and according to the initial blueprint. And if all the design principles and best practices are employed to ensure software quality.

Teams like Database, Release Engineering, and Performance Engineering will look for dependencies in their area of expertise.

Why Team Code Review

  • It helps break the practice and mentality of working in silos which prevents interaction across teams.
  • It’s easier to spot errors with multiple eyes on your code
  • Testers help identify functional gaps before it’s too late
  • The architect will keep shortcuts in check
  • The shared services team will get inputs for executing the corresponding steps in their area of expertise.

Code reviews can seem like a marginal change to your process but the results are quite significant. One of the most overseen benefits of these group code reviews is to bring teams together. And when they are working as a whole instead of domain-made silos, great products emerge. It also serves as a learning opportunity for a lot of people. People who come from different domains and junior resources are just starting.

And of course, this bi-directional learning process will help keep your code symmetrical across systems while keeping it maintainable, scalable, readable, and of the best quality.

About Galaxy Weblinks

We specialize in delivering end-to-end software design & development services and have hands-on experience with large, medium, and startup business development requirements. Our engineers also help in improving security, reliability, and features to make sure your business application scale and remains secure.

7 Best Practices For React Security

Posted on by galaxy-admin

React is undoubtedly one of the most popular JS libraries to build applications. It is also one of the most actively developed libraries which means instant bug fixes and security patches. React has many advantages, but may fall susceptible to security threats. Here are a few recommendations that we share based on our vast experience of working with this technology.

(Know more about our proficiency in Front-end Technologies)

Cross-site scripts and URL injections are some of the most common and serious attacks that affect applications in general. These vulnerabilities are targeted to steal sensitive user data and capture user input to steal credentials and card information.

We have made a list of some best practices that will help you enhance the security of React applications. Do have a look!

Protection against XSS

Your application may have some vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit and insert data in your code that your app treats as part of the code. This in turn gives the attacker the access to make requests to the server and even captures user inputs to steal sensitive credentials.

The injection might look like this:

Code!<script>alert(“malicious code”)</script>

Here’s what the same thing looks like with some protection against XSS:

Code!&lt;script&gt;alert(“malicious code”)&lt;/script&gt;

&lt; and &lt; being interpreted as < and >, the browser won’t confuse the data for code.

You can also use:

  • Using the createElement() API.
  • Using JSX auto escape feature.
  • Using dangerouslySetInnerHTML to set HTML directly from React instead of using the error-prone innerHTML.

Adding End-to-End Encryption

Almost every real-time communication application that you’re using comes with End-to-End encryption as standard.

End-to-end encryption means that nobody else other than the parties involved can read the messages. It’s made possible by encryption technology that ensures that the message is encrypted just as it leaves the sender and can only be read once it reaches the intended receiver.

To get E2E in your React application you have to rely on a vendor that provides the tools and kits to ensure secure encryption. Virgil for example is a vendor that provides a platform and JavaScript SDK to create, store, and offer robust E2E secure encryption via public/private key technology.

HTTP Authentication

There are several ways to make authentication secure in your application. Pay special attention to the client-side authentication and authorization because typically they’re ones subject to security flaws.

You can use one of these to ensure your application safety

JSON Web Token (JWT)

  • Move your tokens from localstorage to an HTTP cookie since it’s fairly easy to extract from local storage.
  • Keep, sign, and verify the secret keys in the backend
  • Avoid decoding the token on the client-side and ensure that the payload is small.
  • HTTPS over HTTP under any circumstances

Other methods:

  • OAuth
  • AuthO
  • React Router
  • PassportJs

Rendering HTML

You should always sanitize dynamic values that you assign to dangerouslySetInnerHTML. The recommended sanitizer to use is DOMPurify.

Import purify from “dompurify”;

<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html:purify.sanitize(data) }} />

DDoS prevention

Denial of service happens when the app is not secure or it’s unsuccessful in masking the IPs of services. As a result, some services stop because they can’t interact with the server.

One way to deal with these issues is to just limit the number of requests to a given IP from a specific source.

Or you can always- 

  • Add app-level restrictions to the API.
  • Make calls on the server and NOT on the client-side.
  • Add some tests to secure the app layer.

Keep Your Dependencies Updated

There are a lot of third-party dependencies that you use that are patched regularly for security reasons. They can prove to be risky if not updated.

Update your dependencies regularly via security patches and ensure that you leave no backdoor vulnerable for attacks. Try using npm-check-updates to discover dependencies that are out of date. And update if needed to ensure that you’re covered.

Keep An Eye On Library Code

Third-party libraries. Useful? Yes. Risky? A little.

These libraries, modules, or APIs in most cases will help you fast track your development but sometimes they might take your application down with their flaws.

That shouldn’t stop you from using some great third-party offerings. Just a word of caution though, ensure that you are aware of the vulnerabilities, their scale, and workarounds.

And lastly, keep them updated and patch the old ones, just to make your application airtight.

We hope that you find these practices useful and employ some or all to keep your React applications secure and in shape. Do let us know if you’re struggling with some enterprise-wide dependable implementation, we are here to lend a hand. Get in touch with us here.

5 Tools For Efficiently Managing Technical Debt

Posted on by galaxy-admin

In our previous article, we talked about what is technical debt and how one strikes a balance between juggling code quality and its timely delivery. In this new blog, we have come up with a list of tools that will help you and your developers for assessing and acting on the analysis of your technical debt.

Let’s see what the tools are.

SonarQube

SonarQube, early known as Sonar, is an open-source platform that assists developers in improving their code quality. It comes with two customizable dashboards, called Global and Project. This makes it very clean as you can add or remove widgets as per your requirement. It supports more than 20 programming languages.

Widgets provide information like the number of days required (in terms of human resource) to fix code base issues, your technical debt ratio, technical debt pyramid, and many more details. All this makes your developer and QA testers’ life a bit easier and helps in keeping the reins of technical debt in check.

Bliss

Bliss focuses on your coding and testing quality. It’s a dashboard that uses numerous static analyzers for any reported flags and consolidates the said data for your team. Bliss helps in understanding the origin of how your technical debt accumulated over some time to a certain extent.

Integration with code repositories like Github, BitBucket keeps you informed on how your team code is and helps you understand what can be changed.

SQUORE

Squore is a commercial tool, but the setup is pretty easy. Squore is split into two sections, on the left are the projects, artifacts, and technical debt indicators, on the right, are various widgets.

It considers four factors for calculating technical debt. This includes efficiency, portability, maintainability, and reliability. When there is a violation detected in code, it’s added to the indicators and goes in the subset of that particular indicator as well.

You will also be able to see the distribution of your technical debt across functions, making it easier for your team to prioritize their tasks.

Teamscale

Yet another commercial tool Teamscale helps in assessing and controlling your code quality. It promotes transparency among your team members via clone detection for any redundancies in your code, unwanted dependencies with the help of architecture conformance analysis, and bug detection.

It is compatible with all major languages and version control systems. Using an incremental analysis engine delivers speedy feedback and sheds light on the root causes for potential issues. You will also get various IDE options, like plugins for Eclipse, NetBeans, IntelliJ, and Visual Studio.

Kiuwan

Kiuwan is a SaaS-based commercial solution for code quality management. It has plans which offer static analysis, duplicate code detection, technical debt computation, what-if analysis, and possible solution road maps. This all is presented in user-friendly and customizable dashboards.

The dashboard is very easy to understand. On the left side of the dashboard, you will find a list of your analyzed projects and on the right, there will be quality analysis information. Kiuwan uses the “Checking Quality Model” which consists of five indicators, maintainability, reliability, portability, efficiency, and security for assessing your projects. And with this, there is a risk index and efforts to target the index as well.

All the tools mentioned above have been here for quite some time but unless you consider your resources and prospects, picking one will be difficult. But as the experts say, you can not go debt-free ever, neither debt is negative in every scenario. You need to strike a balance between timely code delivery and least compromise on quality ensuring that your technical debt never boomerangs back on you.

You can get in touch with us for any technical debt issues and maintaining manageable levels of the same, we are just a click away.

Managing And Minimizing Your Technical Debt

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Technical Debt – also known as Code Debt, Design Debt, or Tech Debt is often the byproduct of speedy deliveries of the software.

There are times when the project manager has to make a strategic choice between speedier delivery and code quality. There may be scenarios where along with a tight deadline, you stumble across some new bugs or want to add on some interesting features in your product. The project managers may choose to opt for shortcuts and temporary fixes to speed-up the deliveries and come back to the bugs after the release. This leads to technical debt.

Technical debt is inevitable as software design and development decisions are also driven by business goals and deadlines. However, like other debts, it has to be paid off within a certain period to avoid defaults and even complete rework. We have also covered some tools that will make the payoff and technical debt management easier.

A Technical Debt leaves you with two options, either fix everything wrong in the code and miss the deadline or fix only what’s necessary and come back to the rest on a later date (without fail). However, many fail to do so, subsequently adding to the existing debt, which is even worse. So how to deal with it?

Let’s learn more about Technical Debt, its relation to software quality, and where to draw the line.

So, when is Technical Debt unavoidable?

  • When another high-priority feature/ functionality needs to be attended because of a high opportunity cost.
  • You are on a mission to get your product tested with your real users and can not miss the launch deadline. This implies you choose to go-live with a working product over a ‘flawless code’.

When is technical debt beyond tolerance?

  • It’s hindering your user experience in numerous ways
  • There’s a mountain of older debt that was never attended to in the first place
  • It’s coming in the way of your product’s scalability and expansion plans
  • Technology and tools used are obsolete in the current scenario.

Is there a connection between Software quality and Technical debt?

The answer is a yes, but not necessarily in a negative way. If someone claims that their technical debt level is low, it can mean several things. They could have missed many deadlines, deployed more resources (in terms of employees, efforts, and time) than required, or even went down the rabbit hole of over-engineering.

And the opposite can also be true. The answer varies from person to person. Finding the right balance isn’t easy, but one can always strive for it.

Managing your technical debt efficiently

As discussed above, there is a good and bad side to everything, technical debt included. A perfect, error-free code is never a possibility. There will always be some small bug, patchwork done to meet deadlines.

However, technical debt should not be the culprit behind sleepless nights. Here is how we manage it for our clients:

  • Schedule regular clean-ups that go to the root of your technical debt. This means that you will have a spare more than a day regularly to keep your product’s technical debt within manageable limits.
  • Make sure that any shortcuts, omitted code lines, or such trade-offs decisions are taken in your development stage are documented in a single and accessible place. Also, it must be recorded in a way that every team member can understand it and don’t end up wasting time in decoding the documents themselves.
  • Inform stakeholders about your present technical debt levels. This will ensure that there is no surprise sprung on them when certain deadlines are missed.
  • Implement automated unit tests during development stages. This will provide faster feedback and lead to quicker iteration cycles.
  • Be on the lookout for newer technologies and possible industry disruptors. This will help you in anticipating the current relevance of the technologies deployed in your product. Also, when finalizing the tech stack of your products, ensure that the tools and technologies selected will be around for a long time and have active communities.
  • If possible, have a dedicated team (can be a small one) exclusive for managing technical debt. Unanimously decide on the permissible level of technical debt with this team. And keep them involved in your development and testing process.
  • This is specific to legacy codes. Factor in the relevance, time and efforts required, possible delays, testing, and team capabilities before you deep dive into it.

Leaving behind loads of technical debt is no wise decision. In the future, your team will dread going back to it, or even think of rewriting the entire code. But it is complementary to quicker iterations and release cycles. So ensure that you follow through with technical debt reviews regularly.

Feel free to get in touch with us here for any discussions on this or newer projects. We are always up for challenges and unique ideas!

About Galaxy Weblinks

We specialize in delivering end-to-end software design & development services. Our engineers also help in improving security, reliability, and features to make sure your business application scale and remains secure. Get in touch with us here.

Prioritizing Your Product’s Features – Dos And Don’ts

Posted on by galaxy-admin

“Is this a must-have?”
“That one is good to have.”
“Is this functional or just a visual aid?”

As project managers, this is just one of the many conversations that you may have when it comes to deciding on the features for your product. Given the numerous options and limited resources, feature prioritization is inevitable. As you continue reading, you will find the non-negotiable dos and don’ts of this process. 

Place your features into themes

You need to start by categorizing all your current features and future feature requests. This can be done with the help of ‘themes’. These themes can be established or you can make use of the existing vision, growth plans of your product, product’s current roadmap, or even time-bound milestones. 

For instance- for deciding on the product features, there are communication channels, engagement, integrations available, user flow, etc. Time-sensitive milestones can be like increasing our newsletter subscribers by x% by the next quarter or reducing the churn rate by a certain percentage. 

Asking questions related to a feature’s implementation 

Saying yes or no to a feature that can aid in your growth plans is a tough call. But you can start by asking the right questions that will back you and your team’s reasoning, like:

  • Can the proposed feature’s functionality be fulfilled with existing features, or with some minor tweaks?
  • How much effort, time, and cost will be needed for development and implementation?
  • How good is the ROI?
  • Will it be vital in attracting new customers?
  • How will it help the current customers?
  • How many customers will benefit from it (an approx estimate)?
  • What will be the usage frequency?
  • Do your competitors have the said feature? How is it working out for them? Is there any data available for the same?
  • If the feature is unique, how will you educate your users for its utility? 

The list may look a little long, but it will give you enough information to back your final decision.  

Collaborate and bring all ideas to the table

Collaboration is important for ideation and bringing out something unique from a mixed bag of ideas. Therefore, it’s vital that you talk to all stakeholders, and encourage maximum participation. You can ask your teams to answer a common set of questions (like the ones mentioned above). 

This gives everyone a fair chance to validate their suggestions and their implementation. Have open discussions about shortlisted features and brainstorm with other team members about the execution. As a project manager, you are the center point of interaction among teams and you can facilitate communications regarding your product with ease.  

Get feedback from your customers on the selected features

Your existing group of customers and their feedback is a great way for understanding their needs. You can ask users to volunteer for testing your features and get their first-hand reactions to them. One can also go for focus groups, in case you are just starting.  

All the responses can then be cross verified with assumptions and expected results. If possible, you can also give some incentive to your users to sign up for the trial runs and be a part of the beta testing group. 

All the points mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg, we know a lot goes into feature prioritization. 

Thanks to our wide experience, we also believe in what should not be a deciding factor of this process, here are the absolute don’ts:

Heavy reliance on gut feelings  

You and your team’s “gut feeling” can not be in the driver’s seat of feature prioritization. Like said earlier, there must be a good support for passing on or implementing any feature. No one wants to retract features after it goes live, it’s a lot of unnecessary workloads which can be avoided.  

Ad hoc requests implementation

Once in a while, urgent implementation of features is understandable, but it should not be a habit. This goes for all requests, internal ones, short-lived inspiration from competitors, and even customer requests. And this should not be seen as a barrier to creativity. You need to ensure all your teams understand this. We suggest that take the time to ascertain the viability and feasibility of a feature before you dive into the execution. 

Prioritizing many options 

Prioritize a limited number of features. And this does not imply that you are refusing all others, make sure that you keep revisiting old requests. Focus on the bigger features, but ensure that the smaller iterations are also taken into consideration from time to time. 

Doing internal/ external evaluation only

This may seem obvious but always gather internal and external feedback, especially for major feature rollouts. Relying on just one at any point in time can backfire, so try to take a holistic decision and get inputs from a majority of stakeholders.

As pointed earlier, these dos and don’ts are ones that you can not go without. Planning your features takes a lot of effort and to stay ahead of your competitors and in your user’s mind, some extra thoughts will not go waste. While no one can guarantee a 100% success rate of all the new features, going by the experts’ advice can help you in being a step closer to your organization’s goals. Get in touch with us for more discussions about your product and its features.

Google Analytics 4 | The Vital Updates That You Need To Know

Posted on by galaxy-admin

A lot is happening at Google, particularly on the analytics front with the new GA4 version. Apart from some practical UI choices, this Google Analytics update has made some much-needed amendments for user privacy, as well. A long-awaited successor to Universal Analytics, let us explore what this version has in store for all of us.

Web and Mobile analytics combined

GA4 will combine your web and mobile numbers for you. Your marketing team will be able to leverage this for their campaign results. And as a brand, you will be able to assess your user behavior across platforms in a single place. All this is possible because Firebase Analytics is now deployed in the backend by Google.

Increased focus on user privacy 

GA4 will not rely on tracking pixels (cookies). Instead, it will cash in on Google Signals and machine learning for the assessment of user behavior.

Changes in reporting and UI 

UI changes are visible in this update. Reporting categorization has changed, like the early Audience, Acquisition, Behavior, and Conversions groupings are replaced with Engagement, Retention, and Analysis. What remains unchanged is that data visualization is on the right and report selectors are on the left.

You will also find an ‘Analysis Hub’ that will assist in creating reports with ease. The region, device used, device model, user resource, age, language preferences, etc all can be seen in a single place under user properties. These changes reflect that shortly, your users and their experience is all that matters.

Enhanced Built-in event tracking capabilities 

This upgrade is all about tracking and measuring real time conversions. It includes page scrolls, video engagement, outbound link clicks, etc. Via this, you will be able to engage with your users right from the beginning and grab their attention for a longer duration.

This reporting is a major shift and focuses on event based tracking as opposed to session based tracking in Universal Analytics. Additionally, you do not need additional code for all this or even setting up event tracking in Google Tag Manager.

AI powered predictions 

GA4 will leverage AI and machine learning for predicting trends and decoding patterns in customer centric data. Marketers can benefit from this data in various ways, like seeing the surge in demands in a particular product, potential revenue and churn rate estimates, and plan their marketing campaigns accordingly.

Greater flexibility

GA4 enabled the option to create custom reports as per their requirements. Pre-made reports are a thing of the past now. You will see only the data relevant to your business and a clean dashboard that is also easy to get a hold of.

Some more noteworthy updates 

  • There is no bar on the volume of data that you send to the GA4 property but there is a limitation on the number of unique events that you can use.
  • Free BigQuery export for all (free version included) and you can access raw data and even run SQL queries.
  • Cohort analysis will help in grouping your users with specific common characteristics, say the average time spent on your app/ website or users who signed up for your newsletter, etc.
  • The bounce rate has now been replaced with the engagement rate. And many other new engagement metrics are seen like engagement time, engaged sessions per user, etc.
  • You will find debugging in the reporting interface itself.
  • You can also find total unique users from various platforms in the reporting view present in the GA property report.

The GA4 train is all set to jump into the future. It’s best to get on board as early as possible as  Google has ensured that the updates are done in anticipation of the future user needs. If you need someone to do the migration for you or handle analytics for you in the future, do get in touch with us.

About us 

We, at Galaxy Weblinks, are all for new ideas and experiments. We believe that being up-to-date in this fast-paced world gives us adequate time to explore and implement new changes. Our analytics team is proficient in building apps that are well aligned to our client’s and platform requirements. Contact us for a free consultation!

DevOps For Enhanced Business Growth

Posted on by galaxy-admin

DevOps has been around for a good number of years now. Thanks to the promise of streamlined business and growth operations, it has gained a lot of popularity as well. However, many organizations when faced with numerous implementation challenges, are unable to make a complete transition.

Everyone needs to up their game to thrive in such a highly competitive business world. DevOps will help you in fulfilling many customer expectations like:

  • Prompt bug fixes
  • Fast release of new features and functionalities
  • Responsive feedback system
  • Storage of customer data and its safekeeping

So let’s see how you can leverage DevOps to minimize implementation challenges and provide an enhanced user experience.

Continuous Iteration and Continuous Delivery

The essential rule here is to keep iterating the code numerous times for removing any errors and bugs. CI and CD help you in getting real-time feedback from your website and iterate accordingly. When your program code is entered into a repository, it will be assembled and tested (more on this below) before it goes live. This will create a streamlined CI/CD pipeline, assisting you in numerous ways.

  • Less number of bugs reach your production cycle and QA engineers
  • Iterative deployments cycles will help in releasing new features quickly
  • You are at a lesser risk of causing high disruption as the changes are done in smaller batches
  • Deployments are automated hence your time, especially in the smaller iteration done

Automated Testing

When customers see the 404 error, they may never return to your website. Automated testing can help you avoid such situations. It works on predefined conditions and removes any new bugs that may hamper your user experience. You will benefit in the following areas:

  • The system detects errors before they snowball into bigger problems and fix them with minimum human interventions
  • The right QA tools will decrease the possibility of human errors
  • Your teams can focus on building new test suites and kits

Cultural Shift

DevOps integrated with Agile methodology will result in a lot of changes within your organization. DevOps is driven by a responsible, responsive, and collaborative approach to change.

Automation in processes and tools will lead to a learning environment. Developers, designers, and testers should come together to solve issues before it hampers the user experience. There needs to be a balance among organizational, technology, and innovation goals. Developers and QA engineers can collaborate to create products that end-users demand.

Security 

Any misuse of your user’s data can cost you dearly. DevOps helps you build a secure website so that you can collect, process, and secure your customer’s sensitive data like personal information, payment modes, and banking data. All this can be ensured via:

  • Server updates to be automated
  • SSL/ TLS configurations to be done correctly
  • Code vulnerabilities especially from a security point of view to be checked regularly
  • 2-FA for an added level of security
  • Data encryption
  • Source control
  • Restriction on data access

All the points above are an integral part of DevOps. Its implementation will build a more secure environment for your customers. Given below are a few questions that we encourage our clients to think about before they go in for a complete change.

  • Is your current setup ready to handle faster updates and features?
  • How much transparency and visibility is there throughout your SDLC?
  • With no new cost, can your current infrastructure generate more revenue?
  • How receptive is your team for new changes and an everlasting optimization process?
  • Which processes are you ready to automate right away and the ones in near future?
  • In the current setup, how are you planning on increasing the stability and performance of your business?
  • How much financial liberty is available for future expansion plans?

All these questions are pretty intense but so will be the transformation that you wish to take on. Agile and DevOps go hand in hand. If you have any doubts or need to talk to a DevOps expert, contact us here and we will be happy to help you.

How To Build An Easily Maintainable Application

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Among the many operational challenges, businesses continually face the question of how much time and money they should allocate to application maintenance.

A robust and high-performing application delivers expected business functions with rare instances of manual intervention. If you can succeed in building such an application, you have with you the very coveted almost-zero maintenance app.

However, the drive toward zero-maintenance has its own set of drawbacks. By over-optimizing the applications, the software development process may become “less friendly” to the business. You may face issues such as increasing budgets for future-proofing the solutions, unwillingness to accommodate “unrealistic timelines,” denying complex changes, etc.

End-to-end optimization may be theoretically attainable, but from an ROI perspective, the cost of achieving it may not be justifiable. Zero maintenance, as an objective, may not be easy to achieve. On the other hand, as an initiative, it can be a driver for delivery improvements. In sync with the best practices to build easily maintainable applications right from the initial stage of the development lifecycle, you can expect transformational results.

In this article, we will help you understand the significance of software applications maintenance, just like the maintenance of any other business asset. We’ll also cover the best practices to build an easily maintainable web application.

Why should application maintenance be more of a thing?

Your system’s specifications will change from time to time. They are much more likely to be in constant flux: you learn new facts, business priorities change, architectural changes due to system growth, old platforms replacements, users request new features, legal or regulatory requirements change, previously unexpected use cases, etc. Complying with new regulations, altering a particular table, upgrading to a newer release, interfacing with a different OS, or porting an application to a new server – all necessitate application maintenance.

By ensuring high maintainability practices in your software development, you will be able to:

  • Fix issues or add new features without introducing new bugs.
  • Improve performance or other attributes.
  • Adapt to a changing environment efficiently.
  • On-board new developers quickly.
  • Have a minimal impact on other components because of change to one component.
  • Establish test criteria effectively and efficiently.

Best practices to build an easily maintainable application

Eliminate Dependencies To Clear Technical Debt

Technical debt piles up as we add more and more code, by nature. If the imported code gets updated by the owner, then that code needs to be updated in the programs that use it as well. So, the tech debt that you incur is all the code that you borrow, and all the code they borrowed from, and so on.

Refactoring has made life easier as we started to understand the development processes. For example, rewriting some business logic or it could be switching to different frameworks, etc. You can pick a small chunk of tech debt in every sprint so that you don’t have to suddenly stop taking new features, and clear tech debt.

Adopt Test Driven Development

We all know that the development process is not complete if you haven’t tested your code. No doubt, writing tests might seem like extra work in the beginning. However, you will notice values of test cases when you are about to commit buggy code, only to find out that one of the test cases has failed. Test cases help to make sure that the new piece of code isn’t breaking any available functionality.

But tests become part of the maintenance overhead of a project. Badly written tests are expensive to maintain. For example, ones that include hard-coded error strings, are themselves prone to failure. It is possible to write tests for low and easy maintenance under the guidance of the right TDD team, for example by the reuse of error strings, and this should be a goal during code refactoring.

Balance Modularization And Re-Usability

A modularized solution with reusable components is one of the best practices to design a maintainable solution. Adopting modularization of every single feature and highly reusable components will require expert developers, which may increase the cost. But, these aspects will be significant in the long run due to the decreased cost of flexibility to make changes and maintenance. Every developer must still consider these aspects while writing code, irrespective of the fact that most of these aspects can be handled by using a good framework.

Incorporate Automation

Automation is the crucial part of every app development because it speeds up the delivery of products, simplifies developers’ workflow, and requires the use of fewer tools. There are two ways you can do that by making code testing a shared responsibility. Quality assurance (QA) and developers share the same goal in the SDLC: delivering a quality product on time and on/under budget. To ensure cooperation and alignment towards this goal, developers should share the responsibility of quality testing or can use required automation tools for visual QA as well. Every module must include meaningful regression, functional, and unit tests.

Following the agile methodology, all members of our team (including development and QA) are responsible for testing code. The build is then thoroughly tested including unit and integration testing via a CI process, and then reaches the QA department for black-box testing. it has already been thoroughly tested. Load tests are applied to make sure that undesirable situations are caught.

Create API And Method-Level Documentation

It is far better to not rely on inline comments to explain the logic and write self-documenting code. Although, this does not mean you should adopt zero documentation. This is especially needed when working with multiple teams or when developing an extensible application or consumable library. Because zero documentation leads to poor code readability and hard maintenance for other team members. For example, the public API should be documented precisely, describing the functionality, outputs, and inputs. This enables API users to understand and use the available functionality.

Conclusion

The zero-maintenance journey can be effective only if adopted holistically:

  • From the initiation stage, always involve key stakeholders cutting across multiple IT layers, to derive synergic benefits.
  • Look for improvements in key focus areas such as infrastructure, tools, services, operating models, and processes.

Your task is not over even after you’ve leveraged mobile/web app maintenance. Application maintenance requires frequent attention as it is not a mere one-time task. You would need to continue to monitor it to stay ahead of your competitors or have a competitive advantage over them. Regular monitoring will keep your app/system bug-free and will ensure an efficient and seamless user experience.

About Galaxy Weblinks

We specialize in delivering end-to-end software design & development services and have hands-on experience with automation testing in agile development environments. Our engineers, QA analysts, and developers help improve security, reliability, and features to make sure your business application and IT structure scale and remain secure.