Category: Services

4 Steps to Take Before Hiring a Mobile App Development Agency

Posted on by galaxy-admin

So you’ve got a great mobile app idea and you’ve done your research to understand the competitive landscape. And you’re probably reading this because you’re well aware of the tech space and the potential it has to offer, but you also understand that you need the right mobile app development agency to unlock that potential. 

But before you go about hiring an agency here are some things you need to do before starting your development journey. Any experienced agency will walk you through these steps. 

In this blog we’ll cover what to do after you’ve finalized an app idea. Let’s see what these next steps are:

  • Understanding of Feasibility and Bottlenecks
  • Having clarity about Funding
  • Preparing Go-to-market and Customer Acquisition strategies
  • Planning a Monetization Model

1. Understanding of Feasibility and Bottlenecks

When you’ve identified your competition, it becomes easier to learn and understand the feasibility and bottlenecks the existing players in the market face.  

Validate your idea against these players. Would it be possible for one person to accomplish all the non-technicals of that model, funding development, and take a competitive share of the market at the same time? And is the general technology capable of executing your vision? 

If you don’t have all the answers it’s alright, because that’s why you have development agencies like Galaxy for. Our experts will help you validate your ideas and suggest possible workarounds for bottlenecks. 

2. Having clarity about Funding

This stage is more about understanding where the money goes and if you’re trying to understand costs you can follow how much it costs to build a mobile app in 2021? 

Let’s see what all you’ll be paying for bringing an app to market to ensure that the budget estimates are on point.

  • The visual identity
  • Product minimum viable product (MVP– the first version of your app)
  • Continuous feature development
  • Support & infrastructure
  • Marketing & customer acquisition

To help you with a rough estimate of costs we’ve covered what it costs to build an app in great detail. We say rough estimates because these costs are variable depending on your skills, your network, your partners (if any), the complexity of your app, and your business model. 

For instance, if you come from a development background, perhaps you can handle some of those mock development responsibilities or your partner from a marketing background could tackle some design and promotion responsibilities. 

All this means that the cost factor can vary from person to person. A simple app could be done with little to no outside help and in contrast, an app could cost millions to bring to the market if it requires rare expertise, innovation, intensive advertising, and is complex to build. 

3. Preparing Go-to-market and Customer Acquisition strategies

You don’t necessarily need a perfectly detailed plan to get your idea to market. You’ll probably be hiring outside help for this because this kind of creative heavy-lifting is better left to people with product or marketing expertise. 

Even though you’re probably going to hire someone else for planning, it’s highly advised that you have at least a rough or high-level idea for bringing your app to market and customer acquisition. 

A common mistake that businesses make is that they think marketing and user acquisition can be dealt with after the production. User acquisition is just as important as your design or development, it requires serious strategy, efforts, and money to bring in users to make your app successful. The earlier you start thinking about it, the greater the chances of success become.  

4. Planning Monetization Model

When building apps people forget to factor in the costs of maintenance and infrastructure. This expense is an ongoing one and you need a good monetization strategy to offset these costs alongside the building costs.

There are plenty of monetization models to choose from. For instance, you could go with one of the most popular ones, the freemium with a subscription fee model. It’s a difficult route but an honorable one for starter apps. Earns you loyal customers.

Here are some parameters to factor in when you’re choosing the freemium monetization model:

  • The App Store cut (15%-30% of in-app transactions)
  • The expected conversion rate from free to paid (2.5% on average)
  • Your recurring subscription fee

This will get the ball rolling for you. You can also explore other monetization strategies that are more relevant for your business and app. Ad-based monetization can be tempting at first, but we highly recommend seeking other options unless ads are necessary. 

Conclusion

You can push boundaries and ship your idea quickly but only if you have the right partners by your side. They’ll walk you through research, funding, and maintenance-like aspects beforehand to ensure that you’re well aware of the risks and benefits of the field. 
Galaxy is here to help you validate your ideas and make your app the next big thing. Get in touch with us here.

Aligning UX Strategy With Business Goals

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Businesses are ruled by customers and what they experience when they use your products or services. UX strategies help create coherent experiences across all the customer’s touchpoints. It comprises the plans and processes that would mold the design and development of your products. 

Here are some tried and tested key steps for aligning your UX design with your business goals and, ultimately, building a strong UX portfolio and a successful company.

Define business goals and objectives

Your design team should be aware of the business goals and a perspective on the various requirements and needs that your product is going to address. By sharing this information with the design team, they would give due diligence to the business goals while developing the product. 

To align UX strategy with the business, you need to understand and make everyone aware that UX is not a single person’s responsibility; everybody involved in product development is responsible. This implies that every team member will have ownership of the product. 

Keeping it simple helps in almost all the scenarios. When you are communicating business objectives to UX designers, try and do the same. Involve everyone from product leaders, stakeholders, designers and possibly, developers.

Start by answering these for clarity:

  • Users – Who are the users? Who do you target?
  • User needs – What are the problems that you want to solve through the product?
  • Product goals – What do we want to achieve? Be specific 

Introducing a framework can streamline your process and improve collaboration. We suggest you go with the User-Centered Business framework. It is very detailed and thorough. It is designed to highlight every important aspect of the product, business, and its users.

Here we have used a Nutrition and Workout app for example to showcase how the framework looks like. You can clearly see traits of users, what are their motivations, fears, and problems. And also how the app aims to solve problems and what is its unique offering.

Aligning

This framework focuses on –

  • Existing solutions – Initial research of what you’re competing against
  • Early adopters – Enthusiasts who test your products and do interviews about it
  • User fears – Addressing user fears with communication before it becomes a major pain point

Creating user personas

While building a product you need to find out what your users need. Once you find out what those needs are, then release features fulfilling that need. 

Personas are based on assumptions. However, you can identify and validate these assumptions with research and ensure that your personas fit the description of your target users.

A UX designer can take the help of these personas while designing for a paying user. They will know what benefits to talk about and what fears to address based on the persona’s fears, motivation, and goals. But everyone in the team must truly understand the product and its users to accomplish this. 

Aligning user needs with business goals

There is often a disconnect between user needs and business goals. And it’s no single person’s fault. Designers are just executing and the Product team is just building what stakeholders need. But in this vicious cycle, user needs remain unaddressed. 

When you start working within a framework–like User-Centered Business Canvas– and according to identified user personas, the business needs to start to follow suit. You just need to ensure that you define the business goal behind it with every stage of the framework. Like if the stage is Onboarding, you would have to define your business goals for onboarding and your expectations from users.

Here are some essentials to align business goals with user needs:

  • Test everything
  • Conduct interviews to validate the assumption 
  • Sort and prioritize features

Conducting design reviews

Feedback is a crucial part of any design process. It’s the only way to know if there’s any room for improvement. Design Review is an exercise to provide meaningful feedback to designers. All the attendees get a role assigned to them so that every individual can observe the design from a different perspective.

Here’s how to get started:

Invite everyone in the team, designers, developers, and stakeholders. Here is what we recommend- 

  • Assign roles
  • Present the designs
  • Work individually and collect remarks
  • Discuss and prioritize

For example – 

Person 1– looks at the facts

Person 2 – looks for problems and potential risks 

Person 3 – looks at what is good in the designs

Person 4 – looks for ways to improve the product

Wrapping up

Knowing your product and its users is essential for striking a balance between a usable product that users desire and a product that meets stakeholders’ business goals.

Our process will help you make beautiful-looking products that users like and stakeholders love.

About Galaxy

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

Dos and Donts to Keep in Mind for Building an Ecommerce Website

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Despite stiff competition from the brick-and-mortar stores, the Ecommerce space is thriving. 

  • Digital Commerce 360 estimates that the consumers worldwide spent nearly $4.29 trillion online in a pandemic-fueled 2020, up from $3.46 trillion in 2019. 
  • By 2023, Ecommerce sales are expected to double to an astounding $6.5 billion.

In the post-pandemic world, people are likely to opt for online shopping for their regular and not-so-regular shopping. If you currently run an online business or plan to launch an Ecommerce venture soon, you have a great chance of success. 

We would however like to point out that attracting and retaining customers largely depends on how your Ecommerce website is built and the user experience. Failing this, your customers are likely to abandon their efforts to purchase your products or services. 

How can you ensure that your Ecommerce website meets (or even exceeds) the expectations of your customers? We have listed 8 ‘Dos and Donts’ that you must keep in mind while developing your Ecommerce website. 

Do These Things When Developing an eCommerce Site 

#1 Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail 

Whether you’re starting an online store, redesigning your website, or preparing to launch a new marketing campaign, solid execution needs careful coordination of numerous activities. Therefore, we recommend that you start with a plan that covers all the contingencies. Your plan should include key objectives as well as a timeline for when you want to reach certain milestones. Aside from that, it should include key metrics for measuring your progress and success. Don’t forget to plan financially to help get your business off the ground and save for future investments.

#2 Ensure Your Website is Responsive

A web search accounts for approximately 39 percent of global Ecommerce traffic — and with more people using their mobile devices than ever before, you’ll likely have a good number of prospective customers who will try to visit your site from their smartphones. If you’re wondering why you need a mobile-friendly website, one good reason is that a non-responsive website will immediately deter anyone who finds your site on their phone or tablet. When you hire a company to create a custom web design for your Ecommerce business, make certain that their work is responsive. Otherwise, you risk alienating mobile customers who are otherwise eager to place an order.

#3 Focus on Shopping Cart Design

Customers will not take the risk of checking out if the shopping cart does not function properly. It is preferable to have a cart that allows the customer to easily add different products and quantities as well as make revisions or deletions. You must provide pricing transparency, especially when discount codes or gift vouchers are used, and allow customers to get a clear idea of the shipping charges they may incur before proceeding to the next step in the process. If a product in a customer’s shopping cart sells out before they can buy it, it’s a good idea to include special notifications. 

#4 Open Source or SaaS – Choose wisely

You’ll have a significant decision to make as you enter the world of Ecommerce, depending on a variety of factors such as your company’s current and future needs, as well as budgetary and other constraints. Should you host your online store on an open-source or SaaS platform?

If you don’t need a highly customized online store and instead want to focus your energy and time on running and scaling your business rather than managing technology, a SaaS platform will suffice. It will save you a lot of time and money while allowing you to focus on your business goals. 

If you want a highly customized shopping experience, open-source is a good option.

Avoid These Habits When Building an Ecommerce Site

#1 Don’t Make Customers Do the Work

You’ll want to make the customer’s journey as clear as possible with any type of custom web design. This is especially true for Ecommerce websites, where any confusion or frustration can cause a customer to abandon their cart. Make certain that your website is simple to use and that there are no inherent complications that would cause anyone to reconsider placing an order. Your custom web design should be created in such a way that achieving any specific result requires only a few clicks. In general, you should not waste the customer’s time.

#2 Don’t Forget Call to Action

A call-to-action is essential, especially when encouraging customers to make an immediate purchase. While you should avoid overcrowding your custom web design with too many buttons, links, or pop-up advertisements, you should also not pass up an opportunity to create an incentive. Weigh your options carefully and ensure that all calls to action serve a specific purpose and can demonstrate real pay-off.

#3 Don’t Think Ecommerce as a One-time Project

Setting up Ecommerce for your business requires a great deal of care and attention to detail to ensure that everything is perfect. You must update your website regularly to reflect the most recent products and their prices. Check that all of the pages and links are functional and that the checkout process is working.

#4 Don’t Try To Do Everything at Once

While it is true that juggling multiple activities is required to achieve online success, keep in mind that you cannot do everything at once. Attempting to accomplish everything right away will work against you, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and discouraged. Instead, plan wisely, set realistic goals, and carry out your activities per your pre-established schedule. 

Wrapping Up

An Ecommerce website has the potential to completely transform your business. It can not only increase your sales but also help you establish your company on a global scale – all without the hassle of opening a physical store.
Developing an Ecommerce website indeed necessitates a significant amount of sweat, time, effort, and money. A good Ecommerce site, on the other hand, can not only increase sales but also retain more long-term customers than you could ever expect if you know the right techniques.

Our team at Galaxy prides itself in designing some of the best Ecommerce solutions for businesses globally. Contact Us right away for a free consultation!

8 Prerequisites to Ensure Before Launching a Mobile Application

Posted on by galaxy-admin

You‘re done with the various stages of development of your app and now are getting ready for deployment and a flashy launch. While you are overburdened with numerous issues that crop up in the testing and deployment phase, you must give due diligence to the pre-launch. 

From building dedicated websites for your application to search optimization to email campaigns, the pre-launch phase is all about presenting your fruits of labor to the right audience in the way it’s intended. 

Here are the 8 pre-launch commandments that you should staunchly follow.

1. Design a Dedicated Website

Your user should be able to access and/or interact with a website if they need more information about your application. A dedicated website/ landing page provides information and an overview of what you offer. It also acts as a gateway to your App Store page. The page should be neatly designed and highlight the main features and the value that the app provides. 

You should also have a signup form on this website, cleverly placed, always visible but shouldn’t distract the user. This is crucial because all the social media efforts and other marketing campaigns will be directing the traffic to this website. 

Here’s a website checklist to ensure you don’t miss any imperative information:  

  • App logo and tagline
  • A brief overview of the app
  • Social Media buttons
  • A Launch Notification Sign Up
  • Details highlighting main features and USP of your app
  • HQ screenshots and Videos of the App
  • Reviews section highlighting reviews by media and influencers(Hidden until post-launch if not applicable)
  • About us page along with contact us form.

If you don’t have time to develop a dedicated website, then don’t. Hastily designing a website and getting it ready for launch in a time crunch can have a bad impact on your overall promotion. It is highly advised that you partner with a website design and development agency to build this. Talk to us here.

Post-launch changes

Here are some website changes you may have to make after the launch:

  • Make Reviews section visible if it wasn’t earlier
  • Links redirecting to all the app stores where the app is available
  • Launch notification sign up changed to a newsletter subscription for important updates

2. Publicize through different channels

Reach out to your industry-specific media outlets and influencers to get your app reviewed or feature a press release. Posts, releases, and reviews from authoritative figures can help generate an initial user base. Don’t forget to use the omnipresent social media channels to create some buzz around your app.  

3. Create a Press Kit 

Your Press Kit will have detailed information about the app which is essential for proper press coverage. This will make the promotions easier for media, bloggers, and influencers. 

Just like a dedicated website here’s your Press Kit checklist of must-haves:

  • App logo and icons
  • App description
  • App Screenshots and video
  • Links to your website and social media
  • Your contact information

4. Open your app to Beta Testing

Most of the successful applications opt for beta testing when they introduce new features. While it is not mandatory, we would highly recommend it. In the Beta testing environment, the user cohort gets exclusive access to the app before it goes completely public. The user cohort is required to report bugs, inconsistencies in the UX, logic gaps, or any general feedback about the app. 

There are plenty of tools like TestFlight to host a beta test. You can choose the one that fits your needs and the scope of your app. There is one major advantage of opening your app to Beta Testing. The testing group reviews your app for the first time, and therefore, can point out issues that you may have missed in the first release. This can help you identify potential problem areas that you can address. 

5. Email Campaign

A well-written and beautifully designed email campaign can have a big impact on your launch. You can include early-bird discounts and bonuses in your emails which can, in turn, boost your downloads. 

Here are best practices for creating an impactful email campaign

  • Personalize subject and greeting 
  • Create a value proposition
  • Place a strong CTA in the launch email
  • Showcase your app through high-quality images or video

6. App Store Optimization (ASO)

The visibility of your app is crucial to its success and it can be ensured via App Store optimization. Optimization helps your app to be recommended to people who are not exactly searching for your app. To accomplish this, you’ll have to do your research about your competition and target market. This will help you identify the keywords people are searching for and which designs yield better results in terms of traffic. 

App Store Optimization includes: 

  • App name with keywords
  • Descriptions that attract users
  • Focus Keywords for rankings
  • Eye-catching app icon
  • Screenshots of the five most important, unique, or interesting features of your app, with accompanying descriptive text
  • Video of the app in use to show UI and UX (optional but highly recommended)

7. Integrate Analytics

We recommend that you integrate analytics in the pre-launch phase. Likely, this integration would not be an easy feat after the launch. 

8. Choosing the Launch Date

It might not seem that important at first but the difference between a well-timed launch and a badly-timed one is of day and night. You’d want to avoid times when big sharks like Apple, Google, and Facebook are making their announcements or launching their apps. Apart from that, you will also need to factor in the time for approval from the App Store. Your launch date and campaigns won’t make sense if it isn’t approved by the App Store. 

Lastly, we would like to close this informative piece with a stat that might help you with your launch date, a 2015 Sensor tower research concluded that weekends are the best time to launch an app. 

We know that in the pursuit of designing and developing the perfect app, the launch efforts might take a backseat, but with these prerequisites and some help from experts you can get the best possible jump-start for your app. Feel free to talk to us if you have any queries related design, development, and deployment of an app.

About Galaxy

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

Top 7 User Frustrations on the Web and How To Fix Them

Posted on by galaxy-admin

What were the most challenging aspects of the website’s user interface that you encountered today? Users are often dissatisfied with minor details that go unnoticed. Vitaly Friedman, the famous author of Smashing Magazine, summarized the key areas that may exasperate your users. If you do not fix these issues on your website, it may harm your user experience. 

In this article, we’ll go over the top 7 most common user frustrations and how to address them. 

#1 Scroll hijacking

Scroll hijacking is when a website’s scrollbar is manipulated to behave differently. Scroll hijacking is commonly used to display specific animated effects. Crisp illustrations and fine animations, on the other hand, do not always make for a great web experience.

How to fix the issue?

So, how do we apply this incredibly cool effect practically and rationally? 

First, you must evaluate the user group and the type of experience you are attempting to create.

  • Is the group accessible to everyone?
  • How high is the visitor’s traffic?
  • Does it use multiple devices? 
  • Is the website ADA compliant?

Are you planning to create a website for a niche group, such as a med-advanced tech user, an early adopter, or device-specific? If you are contemplating adding parallax scrolling effects, you can consider this example –

Source: Valaire

This page scroll design is fantastic! You don’t get the impression that a robot has taken over your ability to navigate the content. You have complete control over the scroll speed and your position on the page. It’s a fun experience that makes me want to go out and explore more! The location indicator is useful, and the sticky menu items provide a sense of stability to an otherwise erratic design.

#2 Tiny click targets

The smaller the interactive elements (links, buttons, and other user interface controls), the more errors the user will make when interacting with your website.

How to fix the issue?

  • Touch targets should be easy to use with your fingers. The touch target should be 9mm x 9mm in size on average. According to Material Design, touch targets should be at least 48 x 48 px in size.
  • Padding should be added around touch targets. Microsoft recommends padding between touch targets of 10mm.

#3 Not working “Back” button

One of Jakob Nielsen’s ten usability heuristics for user interface design is user control and freedom. It states that users require a marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted action without having to go through a lengthy process.

How to fix the issue?

The Back button in a browser is the equivalent of an emergency exit. If you are concerned that users will lose their data by clicking the Back button, it is best to warn them by displaying the message “Your work will be lost” when they click the Back button.

#4 Small-sized text

Despite the recent popularity of video formats, the majority of information on the internet is still written. As a result, good readability and legibility are critical for a positive user experience.

How to fix the issue?

  • The font size should be at least 16px. 16px for body text is a good starting point, but keep in mind that the larger the screen size, the larger the text.
  • Line height should be 1.5em or 1.6em for best readability.
  • Always test your designs on a real-world device.

#5 Unexpected content shifts

You’re about to press the link. You move your cursor over the link and click it, only to realize you’ve made a mistake. Instead of the intended link, you click on the ad. Isn’t that the case?

Typically, the content shift occurs as a result of dynamically loading content. Because this operation is asynchronous, dynamic content is inserted into the page and replaces existing content.

How to fix the issue?

To work around this issue, measure the height of the dynamic content and hardcode it as a (min-height) for the container in CSS as done in this verge webapp.

Frustrations
Source: Verge

#6 Sign up walls

Sign-up walls are a requirement to create an account to use a service. Sign-up barriers keep users from exploring the service.

All software, including websites, should be built with this principle in mind: You should always try before you buy.

How to fix the issue?

Users usually try something new, form an opinion, and then decide whether or not to use a service. In the context of news websites, for example, it is possible to provide a limited number of articles that users can read without creating an account and then ask them to create an account only when they engage.

#7 Confusing forms

Forms are an important part of the user journey; they are used to log in, sign up, check out, and so on. As a result, it is critical to provide clear instructions both before and after submitting the form.

How to fix the issue?

  • Avoid relying solely on color to denote an error. Always provide actionable feedback to facilitate a correct entry.
  • If the form is too long, consider dividing it into logical sections and displaying a progress bar to show the user where they are in the process.

Wrapping Up

One of the most important aspects of creating a great web design is keeping up with industry trends and implementing the ones that will work best for your web product. Contact our UI/UX design experts if you want to create custom software with a pleasant and unique user interface.

5 Tell-tale signs that your mobile app needs a design overhaul

Posted on by galaxy-admin

With hundreds of apps being released every day, keeping up with the competition has become quite difficult. Testing and developing an app is still fine, but keeping up with daily challenges and new user requirements can be a mammoth task.

Moreover, most people either wait too long before making a redesign (which can be critical, especially when it comes to mobile and web apps) or can’t stop making redesigns, which influences user behavior and brand development negatively.

That is why we have decided to write about 5 signs that can assist you in identifying “just the right moment” to make a UI/UX refreshment.

#1 Heard of new cool service/trend in your niche

It gets a little complicated when there is a buzz about a new startup/ product that is in direct competition with yours. New apps are constantly being released in the market, and your users can easily switch if they think they will get a better user experience with your competition. 

It’s important to keep your finger on the pulse of the market, but you also need to work in iterations: create a redesign, gather feedback, see the new UX in action, and move on to the next redesign. This process usually never ends, especially if you started from the MVP stage and need to expand functionalities.

So, if you’re a growing product, the best solution is most likely to have an offshore design partner or in-house design resources to assist you.

For example, if you need a redesign to improve user experience and market growth, you can create a step-by-step redesign and transition from one flow to another. The most important aspect is to work with the designer to define the workflow and iterations by conducting in-depth analyses of the entire design solution.

#2 Received multiple bad user feedback

Who says your current design will be popular indefinitely? There is always room for improvement, and you must constantly analyze the user feedback. But don’t rush! You’ll need to collect enough data to define the main clusters and prioritize them. Only after key pain points have been identified should the redesign be entrusted to the design team.

You will be able to understand (or the design team will suggest) what changes are needed based on the feedback from users. Many people nowadays hire designers solely for this “audition document” and then work on the design themselves. How often do you think it produces good results? Nearly never.

#3 App and website’s bounce rate is growing

The most common reason for redesigning a website is a high bounce rate. A high bounce rate is not a good thing for apps (when users stop using an app after downloading it and delete it) or websites (when leads and sales are decreasing).

The true reason could be that your UX is not measuring up. In most cases, the bounce rate is not about the visual aspect (though it is still extremely important), but about the user experience. The bounce rate would be lower if your app was simple and interesting to use.

To improve the situation, it is preferable to conduct an audience analysis, review all feedback, and redesign the interface completely. Begin at the beginning and include the following in the redesign:

  • UX research in collaboration with the market, users, and best practices analyses;
  • The new function list and screen map; UI design;
  • Update the branding and graphic designs.

#4 Your most recent refreshment was more than 1.5 years ago

In our fast-paced world, the normal life cycle of a design is 1.5 years. “Do I have to pay for design and development over and over again?” The answer is a resounding Yes!

To begin with, users may become fatigued with a single design solution. Second, while you are doing nothing to improve your design, your competitors are. At the same time, new solutions are being introduced to the market. Third, are you certain there are no changes in your company that you would like to share with the community in the next 1.5 years?


Though a complete redesign is not required, a visual refreshment is required. Adding no functionality will not increase development costs, but you will begin to earn more leads, partners, and clients instead.

#5 You have a design that was created using a template or by a developer

Many people prefer to make very small investments in design at the start of a product’s lifecycle. 

Now that your mobile application has become successful, you need a one-of-a-kind, fully customized UI/UX design. In this case, conducting best practices analyses, selecting good references, and creating a new UI design that presents your brand’s advantages to the market will suffice.

Wrapping Up

The redesign is very likely to bring you new customers who are delighted with your mobile application. However, keep in mind that only a good redesign has a positive impact on the audience, and this is where things get tricky. Only work with reputable companies when redesigning your home.

The criteria could be as follows: a good company will present you with an audition of your current design solution, as it is critical to identify the key flaws in the current UI/UX part. Talk to our UI/UX experts today, if you can see any of the above signs in your present app or website.

About Galaxy Weblinks

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

7 Signs Your Business Need a Mobile App And How To Build One

Posted on by galaxy-admin

A majority of people conduct their business on their smartphones. Moving to mobile is thus a smart way to reach your target audience. However, you must ensure that your application will be beneficial to both your customer and your brand. 

How would you know if an app is right for your company? And once you’ve made that decision, how do you decide what to include in the app? Here are the 7 signs that should tell you that your business needs a mobile app.

#1 Increase clients’ access to your brand

An app is created with the goal to increase the number of ways for clients to access the portal from any location and at any time. Furthermore, it translates into improved customer communication. Having a mobile app also covers increased attention and brand strengthening.

#2 Increasing number of e-commerce shoppers

Most businesses would benefit from developing a mobile app for their customers. People shop online all the time and more often than not using their smartphones. If you are an e-commerce business, you need to get a mobile app developed, pronto! Not having an application would result in lost sales. We recommend gathering information from your customers and competitors to determine what your mobile app requires to succeed.

#3 An app could improve your product

If you have a specific digital product offering or a physical product that can be enhanced with an app, create an app. For example, if you sell any type of recurring subscription product, an app may be useful in assisting customers in tracking orders and purchasing additional items.

#4 Grow your business with a mobile app

Businesses should consider offering an app, but only if it has the potential to help them grow their business. Your app should be linked to your business plan, and businesses should not just get one for the sake of having one. Businesses should also consider how their online audience interacts with them. What is it that is causing them to make a purchase? What role would an app play in that strategy and how would it lead to sales? 

#5 An app to complement your website

A website provides all the functionalities required for a typical small business. Many times, small businesses decide to develop a mobile app that users will not download. It is not worth the investment because the app’s functionality is already available on the website.

#6 Your competitors have mobile apps

Simply looking at the competition will reveal that all of your competitors most likely have a mobile app. Consumers and even ordinary people are increasingly connected to their phones, emphasizing the importance of an app. It would require a link to your website, push notifications, and contact and support information.

#7 Your customers are requesting one

Listening to your customers is the best way to determine whether you need a mobile app. Consumers today are very vocal about their expectations of businesses. If you’re curious, you could create a survey and post it on social media or your website. Ask users if they want a mobile app, and if they do, come up with some feature ideas for the app. Post a second survey and use the most popular responses.

How To Get A Mobile App For Your Business?

After determining whether or not your company requires a mobile application, the next step is to develop one. Developing a successful app is a journey, not a one-step process. You must understand what goes into creating a mobile app and devote time to making it better in meeting the needs of your customers. That being said, the following are the keys to developing a successful mobile application.

#1 Have a problem

The goal of any invention is to solve a pre-existing problem. Therefore, if you want your app to have an impact, make sure it solves a problem. You can consider the issues that your customers are facing and then create an app that addresses those issues.

#2 Determine a requirement

Always keep an eye out for what your customers are looking for. This way, you can be certain that you are creating an app for which there is a market. Validation can be accomplished with the help of essential tools such as the Google Keyword Planner. Alternatively, you can create a landing page where you can describe your app idea and allow your users to provide feedback.

#3 Outline the key features

You will be able to determine what your users want once you have validated your app idea. Determine which features are most important to your target audience and avoid those that aren’t. It also aids in resource conservation. You can continue to add features in later updated versions of the app. 

#4 Everything revolves around design

The UX/UI of your app is included in the design. Ensure that your app’s User Experience (UX) is satisfactory and that the app’s appearance is appealing to your potential users. These are important features that can make your app more appealing to your customers. As a result, you should understand the significance of UI UX when developing your mobile app.

#5 Seek the assistance of a developer

You can now hire an app development company to assist you in creating an app that meets your business needs. Check out their website’s reviews as well as their portfolio. This way, you can be certain that you are hiring a reputable app developer. And that they will provide you with an app that is appropriate for your needs.

#6 Create apps for Android and iOS

Android and iOS are the most popular app platforms. Developing an app that caters to both platforms is critical to ensuring that all customers can use your app comfortably. Using the cross-platform app development framework is a low-cost way to create an app for Android and iPhone users.

#7 Perform app testing

There is a chance that users will use your app in ways you never imagined. As a result, it is critical to test your app before releasing it. Allowing real users to use your app allows you to detect any flaws in the app. You can use feedback from app testing to improve your app and make necessary changes. Users can also provide insights that can help you understand your customers’ expectations.

Conclusion

Almost any business can benefit from mobile apps for business. If you’re still undecided about whether you need a mobile app, we hope the arguments in this article will help you make the right choice.

The most important thing to remember is that any product or tool must solve specific problems while also contributing to the company’s growth. With this in mind, it is necessary to plan the work and create a list of the functions that will be required for a future app.

About Galaxy Weblinks

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

Why is the Offshore Model better for UX design projects?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Note: This is an updated version of “Offshore UX | An option or need of the hour?” initially published on May 26, 2020. 

The world of business has changed dramatically since the pandemic. Real-time data and advanced analytics tools allowed the companies to adapt their strategy instantaneously. As witnessed after the outbreak of COVID-19, technology also facilitates instant communication with your team, no matter where they are located. Offshoring UX is now seen as a viable option. 

The consumers of technology expect a simple, intuitive, and visually appealing user experience. This was once considered aspirational and the domain of premium brands, necessitating months of research and large budgets. What was once exceptional is now a standard for all digital touchpoints, regardless of brand or budget. So, how can mid-tier firms with smaller budgets and shorter deadlines meet this expectation?

This challenge existed even 2-decades ago when the small businesses and big enterprises began offshoring software and product development. This approach is well understood and widely accepted and can be adapted to meet the needs of modern user experiences. 

In this post, we’ll talk about why it makes sense for your business to hire offshore contractors to handle your next UX design.

UX design has become a requirement

With the increase of technology in our daily lives comes increasing demands from consumers. Interfaces must be able to compete with the increasing standards. More products will begin to need UX designs. Being a market leader in your space, or even just staying afloat, will require it.

Even if you haven’t needed a UX designer in the past, there’s a good chance you will in the future. With that in mind, let’s talk about why offshore UX is a good business decision for your current or future UX designer needs.

Local talent can be hard to find

Because of the demand for UX designers, it can be hard to find local talent that is also available for full-time work. This is especially true if you want to hire top talent, which will command a higher price and be harder to keep on staff without some other company coming along with a better offer.

Thankfully, some of the same skills you look for in a full-time employee are what you’d look for in a remote employee. For both, you want someone who is a self-starter and will get the work done on time and as per specifications with minimal oversight on your part. As top UX designers realize they can make more work for themselves and takes on multiple jobs at multiple firms throughout the year, it becomes easier to find a qualified person for the job without having to commit to a full year’s salary.

The economics of developing nations

In the countries where the cost of living is low, the highest-paid professions may receive a little more than you would pay a UX designer. This means that UX designers in those nations can price themselves very competitively compared to western nations and still live a very comfortable life relative to their peers.

Of course, you’ll have to put some effort into finding the right candidate when you look outside English-speaking countries. Residents of most countries learn English as a second language, but you want to make sure that they speak it well enough that no language barriers exist. With offshoring, you’ll save money and provide someone with a better income than they could get in their economy alone.

Technology breaks down boundaries

Because it is such a visual art, there was a time in the past when doing UX work remotely would have been extremely difficult. This may be why there is still a reluctance on the part of many to embrace outsourced UX designers.

We now have technology that allows us to video conference and share our screens easily. There are cloud-based solutions, such as Miro and Invision, that allow for collaboration on even the most advanced projects so you’ll be able to give feedback to designers in a professional manner and ensure that nothing gets lost in the translation.

Combine that with the fact that all but the poorest of countries have access to high-speed internet, it is now possible to engage in real-time feedback even for visual projects like UI and UX. The boundaries that once stood in the way of taking UX design off-premise have now been torn down by technological advances.

Offshoring is flexible

If you’re a large business, you already have a design department with competent directors and senior designers. In that case, it will be the additional workers that take the vision of the senior members and help implement it that would make prime candidates for offshore workers.

For small businesses, it is impossible to hire a full-time staff to do your design work. Offshoring makes finding someone for a one-off job even more affordable.

Better Cost Control

Working with an agency allows you to control costs in a way that hiring someone in-house does not. After signing a statement of work (SOW), agencies are required to follow the scope of work outlined in the contract.

This specific type of agreement gives you more control over when work begins and ends, as well as how much money you commit to the project.

Increased Time to Value

Because agency design teams must meet tight deadlines, they typically adhere to strict, time-tested procedures. Whereas an in-house hire may take a week or two to get up and running, a good agency can ramp up and begin delivering within two to three weeks.

Often, agencies can simply do the work faster. For example, our UX team at Galaxy has been able to completely redesign relatively complex SaaS applications in less than three months, whereas an in-house team would typically take at least twice as long.

The bottom line is that agencies can move your project more quickly to the point where your investment begins to pay off.

Conclusion

For most companies, hiring designers locally is the way it’s always been done. With the coronavirus pandemic teaching us that remote work is not only possible but very practical, it may be a good time to consider the more affordable option. Now that we know situations can arise to force us into our homes, it would be a good time to take what we’ve learned from the outbreak and use that to experiment with new, cost-effective, and disaster-resistant forms of business.

Transforming Businesses Through Effective UX Audit

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Did you know that a well-designed user interface could raise a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%, and a better UX design could yield conversion rates up to 400%? This isn’t just a statistic; it’s a wake-up call for businesses to recognize the immense potential of a robust UX strategy. 

In the digital world, users have grown accustomed to seamless, intuitive, and enjoyable digital interactions, making UX a critical factor for businesses. A UX Audit, therefore, is the compass that guides businesses through the intricate journey of creating a user experience that not only delights but also delivers measurable business outcomes.This comprehensive analysis isn’t just about improving the visual appeal; it delves deeper into how a product resonates with its users, aligning business goals with user needs.

The Essence of a UX Audit

A UX Audit involves a methodical evaluation of a product’s user interface (UI) and user experience. It’s like a health check-up for a website or an app, diagnosing problems and prescribing solutions. Why is it crucial? Because it identifies usability issues that hinder user satisfaction and conversion rates, impacting the bottom line directly.

The Critical Role of UX Audit in Business

A UX audit is crucial for businesses to optimize their digital storefront, ensuring every element is optimized to meet user expectations and drive business goals. A Forrester Research report shows that every dollar invested in UX brings $100 in return, highlighting the direct correlation between effective UX and enhanced business performance. For example, ESPN.com saw a 35% increase in revenue after incorporating community suggestions into their homepage redesign.

Integrating UX Strategy with Business Vision

UX Strategy is about creating a vision for a product that aligns with the business goals. It’s crucial for Product Managers and Business Executives to understand that UX is not just a phase in development; it’s an ongoing process of learning and improving. 

A well-crafted UX strategy bridges the gap between user needs and business goals, fostering customer loyalty and enhanced user experience . For example, by understanding and addressing the needs of users, Slack grew rapidly, attributing its success to its obsession with customer experience and feedback.

Actionable Insights: Elevating Business through UX

The following are some specific measures that businesses can take:

  1. Conduct Regular User Research:
  • Why It’s Crucial: User research is the backbone of any successful UX strategy. It provides insights into your users’ behaviors, needs, and expectations.
  • How to Implement: Engage with your audience through surveys, interviews, and usability tests. To better understand your target audience, create user personas.
  • Real-World Impact: Companies like Airbnb have consistently used user research to understand their customers, leading to redesigns that significantly increased bookings.
  1. Implement A/B Testing to Refine User Interfaces:
  • Why It’s Crucial: A/B testing allows you to compare different versions of your website or app to see which performs better. It’s a data-driven approach to improve UX.
  • How to Implement: Test elements like CTA buttons, page layouts, and content placement. Use tools like Optimizely or Google Optimize for streamlined testing.
  • Real-World Impact: E-commerce giants like Amazon use A/B testing extensively to refine user experiences, resulting in higher engagement and sales.
  1. Track User Behavior and Find Pain Points using Analytics:
  • Why It’s Crucial: Analytics offer a window into how users interact with your product. When determining where improvements are needed, this data is essential.
  • How to Implement: Utilize tools like Google Analytics to track metrics such as bounce rates, page views, and user pathways. Analyze these metrics to understand user behavior patterns.
  • Real-World Impact: Companies like Netflix leverage analytics to tailor their user experiences, leading to increased viewer engagement and subscription rates.
  1. Regularly Update Your UX to Align with Evolving User Needs and Technological Advancements:
  • Why It’s Crucial: The digital landscape is ever-changing, and so are user expectations. Regular updates ensure your UX keeps pace with these changes.
  • How to Implement: Stay abreast of the latest UX trends and technological advancements. Periodically revisit and revise your UX to ensure it remains relevant and effective.
  • Real-World Impact: Tech leaders like Apple consistently update their UX, contributing to their reputation for innovation and customer satisfaction.

A Lesson from Dropbox

Dropbox’s success story is a great example of the power of user-centric design. By simplifying its design and focusing on usability, Dropbox increased its conversion rates and user engagement, leading to significant business growth.

Conversion Optimization: A UX Driven Approach

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is a critical outcome of effective UX. By enhancing the usability and user journey on a website or application, businesses can significantly increase the likelihood of converting visitors into customers. Moreover, a focus on simplifying navigation, improving page load times, and creating intuitive user journeys can lead to remarkable improvements in conversion rates, as evidenced by Walmart’s online sales boost by 1% for every 100ms improvement in load time.

UX for Business Growth

UX is way beyond just the aesthetics; it’s a strategic tool for business growth. Several companies have leveraged UX for substantial business growth. Effective UX can lead to increased customer loyalty, higher customer retention rates, and more effective customer acquisition. 

For instance, Airbnb redesigned their website and improved the user interface, they doubled their bookings. This is a testament to how impactful UX can be in scaling a business.

UX and ROI: Measuring and Maximizing Impact

Measuring the ROI of UX is about understanding its impact on user behavior and business metrics. Enhanced user satisfaction, reduced customer support costs, and increased sales are tangible indicators of a successful UX strategy. These help businesses understand the value derived from their UX investments.

Crafting Digital Excellence with Galaxy Weblinks

In today’s business ecosystem, where user experience is the battlefield, a UX Audit is your strategic advantage. At Galaxy Weblinks, we don’t just design; we innovate and create experiences that translate into measurable business success. Our approach is rooted in a deep understanding of both user needs and business goals, ensuring that every project we undertake maximizes both user satisfaction and business growth. Let Galaxy Weblinks be your partner in navigating the complex world of UX, helping you turn user experiences into a powerful engine for business growth.

Native vs Hybrid – How to Choose the Right App Type for Your Business?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Once you have decided to develop your idea into a mobile application, you need to make a few important decisions. These include-

  • Who will be the right mobile app development partner?
  • What would be the cost of building the app? 
  • How much time will it take to launch your app?
  • Whether to opt for native mobile application development or cross-platform?

Identifying the development approach to choose for building your app – the native or the hybrid route is among the most important considerations. Which approach is better? What are the advantages of each? How do I choose which type of app to develop?

So, if you are wondering whether you should take the native or hybrid approach for creating your mobile app, we will try to help you get answers to these questions in this article. Let’s first understand the meaning of native and hybrid apps. 

What is a native app?

A native mobile application is a smartphone program, written specifically to operate on a specific mobile device and its operating system platforms (mainly Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android). 

It is developed considering the technical and user-related guidelines of the operating system. This type of digital solution offers a higher level of performance and reliability and hence makes it more user-friendly. However, they are developed specifically for each platform, which means that it is expensive and needs more team expertise to launch applications on multiple platforms. Native Android mobile apps are commonly developed using Java or Kotlin, while Native iOS apps are developed using Swift or Objective-C. Facebook, Twitter, Gmail are a few examples of native apps.

What is a hybrid application?

A hybrid mobile application is a software program that combines the elements of both native and website applications. Hybrid applications have been growing in popularity as they can be built and released across multiple different platforms using the same user interface. The development and maintenance of hybrid apps are faster and is cost-effective as it takes less time to develop and needs fewer developers given the need to create only one codebase. Hybrid mobile apps are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are then condensed in a native application using a wrapper like Xamarin or Apache Cordova, or React Native. Hybrid apps then use third-party plug-ins and APIs to retain complete access to the mobile device’s features. Amazon, Instagram, Uber are a few examples of hybrid apps.

Comparing native and hybrid applications

To help you native and hybrid apps better, we have listed below a few key differences.

  • Codebase

Native mobile apps have different codebases for each operating system. However, hybrid apps are developed using a single codebase and then can be run on all devices regardless of the operating system.  As a result, native app development requires separate development teams with expertise for each platform that leads to higher development costs. 

  • Performance

Native mobile apps are designed specifically for an operating system and device. Native apps use the visual elements, structure, and contents that are already on the device, hence, they are faster for instant loading, more reliable, and thereby providing a seamless user experience. On the other hand, hybrid apps are slower than native apps as they have only a wrapper that is downloaded to the user’s phone (which may or may not contain all the navigational elements) with most of the data being loaded from the server. 

  • User experience (UX)

UX is a crucial component in the success of any app, both app types address this. Native apps however offer the best UX in comparison to hybrid apps. To offer a good UX with a hybrid app, a good user experience architect/developer is needed so that he can integrate the different style guidelines across different platforms. 

  • Development cost and time

A native app takes more cost and time to develop as it requires different codebases to be written for each platform. Additionally, developing native apps requires bigger team sizes with expertise across each platform. On the other hand, developing a hybrid app is less time-consuming and needs less effort. 

  • Security

Enhanced security is one of the key benefits of native mobile apps in comparison to hybrid apps. Native apps enable developers to integrate various functions such as two-factor authentication that help ensure data safety and privacy. On the other hand, hybrid apps always have some Native code (for instance to start a Web container like a WebView), which makes them susceptible to vulnerabilities that affect web browsers. Essentially, there is more work involved in securing your hybrid apps versus native apps.

Native vs Hybrid apps – key differences

ParametersNative appHybrid app
Cross-platform deploymentNoYes
Code reusabilityNoYes
PerformanceHighSlower than native apps
DesignGreat user interfaceGood user interface
DevelopmentNeeds skilled developers with expertise across platformsSkilled developers are still needed but do not require platform-specific expertise
Development timeTime consumingFaster development time
BudgetHigher than hybrid appsLower than native apps
Offline accessYesNo
SecurityEnhancedGood

Factors determining the selection of Native or Hybrid

Having gone through the definitions and comparisons between native and hybrid apps, we have now listed the key factors that should determine which app would be the right selection for your business. Both native and hybrid apps have benefits and limitations, and the right selection will be determined based on answers to these questions.

  • What is the objective of building your app?
  • What are the key features to be included in your app?
  • What is your budget to develop the app?
  • How quickly do you want to develop the app? 
  • Are you more interested in building an MVP across different platforms?
  • Do you want to build it in-house or outsource? 

Conclusion

The debate around hybrid and native apps will continue to exist because there’s a place and need for both. Ultimately, the right app type would depend on your business needs. We know how important it is for you to get things right as your business is in question. If you’ve any doubts related to mobile app development and if you need assistance developing one then feel free to talk to us here.