Apps have made a significant improvement to the way we live our day-to-day lives. We can start a conversation with our friends on the other side of the world in a matter of seconds, or quickly find the route home from work with the least traffic each night.

The ideas for the apps that provide these capabilities started somewhere. They were worked on, and improved over many years to become the products they are today.

Ideas are easy to come by — it’s the refining of an idea that truly shows its potential or lack thereof. …

Apps can be built in many different ways. Your project requirements will ideally dictate which development approach is the right one for you to take. But, being able to align your requirements to an approach is a difficult task, even for those in the industry.

Knowing the different application development methods, however, is fundamental to choosing intelligently. Today I’m going to discuss these methods and outline where one might be used over another.

Web

A web app gets accessed via a user’s web browser, either on a desktop computer or on a mobile device. One of the key qualities of a web app is the wide platform support that it offers. Nearly all computers and hand-held devices come with a built-in web browser — which is all that’s needed to access a web app. …

Till recently, there has been a clear distinction between web applications and mobile apps. A web application is accessed via a web browser, either on a desktop, tablet or mobile device. Mobile apps, on the other hand, are installed via the App Store or Google Play. Each have their own benefits and limitations — web apps are more accessible, but mobile apps provide better functionality and performance to mobile device users.

However, the divide between the two app types has recently been bridged by a new type of technology called the Progressive Web App (PWA). …

The once in a century situation that we see ourselves in leads to great uncertainty for everyone. The stress of not knowing what our employment status might be in three months’ time, let alone six, can have a significant impact on our happiness and well being.

It’s times like these when you might find yourself wondering what you can do to diversify your income streams, particularly if you have a single employer.

Therefore, now is as great a time as any to talk about financial diversification. …

Heard of Cloud-Native Applications (aka Cloud Apps)? This has been a buzz word for a few years now — since Matt Stine’s 2013 Pivotal talk, in fact. Think of them as the next generation of web or mobile applications.

In this article, I’m going to talk about what makes Cloud Apps so great.

Also, why you should be seriously considering migrating your traditional applications to Cloud Apps, if you haven’t been already.

But first, let’s start with the basics …

What is a Cloud-Native App?

The fundamental concept behind a Cloud App is that it’s designed for, packaged for and deployed to Cloud infrastructure.

(In case you’re also wondering what Cloud infrastructure is — think of it as virtual hardware and services that are offered to, and managed for you by a Cloud hosting provider, such as AWS, Azure of Google Cloud…

You have an idea… You know that it’s a good idea, and it doesn’t look like it’s been done before. So, you decide to try your luck in creating a business based on it. Like most entrepreneurs, you will be hesitant to bring anyone on board if it means splitting equity. This is where the concept of bootstrapping comes into play.

Bootstrapping is the process of funding a new business venture with your own finances or revenue. It involves little or no outside capital, with the primary benefit being that you don’t have to give up any equity.

Can I bootstrap?

Bootstrapping is not for everyone. Those that are not in a stable financial position should avoid it, and you will need some cash reserves built up to be able to do it properly. Also, if you have access to capital elsewhere and don’t mind giving up some equity, there are other options out there which may be more suitable for you. …

For the uninitiated, it’s a steep learning curve when trying to break into the Startup space. Technological decisions made in the early stages of product development often have a lasting impact throughout the entire course of a project. The majority of Startup founders look back on their experience, and can count many situations where they would have made a decision differently.

But hindsight is 20/20. The best we can do is to leverage the experiences of others, and to try learn which problems can be avoided altogether.

So, let’s look at some of the most common technological mistakes that Startups tend to make. …

Creating a prototype, an MVP or an early product version is the first step in the typical startup journey. This first release is great for validating assumptions and for learning more about target audiences.

But to grow a business, it’s necessary to increase the value provided it’s customer base. This is not only for the sake of enticing new customers, but also for the retention of existing ones. We then come to the question of what to enhance, improve and optimise, and in what order.

We then come to the question of what to enhance, improve and optimise, and in what order. This is where the process of feature prioritisation comes into play. Knowing where to put your limited resources to their most effective use is critical in the quest for the success of any product development team. …