<h2>Machine learning can be complicated, especially for founders. Below, we dive into all the details you need to know about machine learning to make implementing machine learning much easier for your entire team.&nbsp;</h2><h2><strong>What Is Machine Learning?</strong></h2><p>Machine learning is a computer science discipline dedicated to creating algorithms that allow computer systems to analyse data and make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed for that specific task.</p><p>To accomplish this, developers must create machine learning algorithms that account for all the variables the computer system must consider before making decisions or predictions.</p><p>Basically, this discipline uses statistical and mathematical models to perform tasks and adjust based on feedback. The models are supposed to learn from the feedback, allowing the machine learning model to produce more consistent and reliable results.</p><p>Founders can apply machine learning models and algorithms to various fields and products. It's ideal for identifying complex patterns, giving recommendations, and even making autonomous decisions.</p><p>Machine learning plays a major role in the development of artificial intelligence, and it's slowly becoming a mainstay in modern technology, which is why it's something founders should consider when developing an app.</p><h3><strong>Why Machine Learning Is an Integral Part of Modern Software Solutions</strong></h3><p>Machine learning is very important for modern technology and society. These data-driven models allow for better and more accurate decision-making while making unlocking valuable insights much easier. This is because machine learning algorithms are designed to intake and process large amounts of data at a time.</p><p>This is why a well-developed machine-learning model provides founders with great insights while streamlining the app's overall functionality. By training algorithms to make better decisions based on certain feedback, data scientists can create very powerful models that identify trends that usually go unnoticed.</p><p>Additionally, machine learning technology can improve the efficiency and functionality of various platforms. Machine learning algorithms use the training data sets to make decisions or predictions on the app. This allows you to fully automate certain processes, which is especially beneficial for repetitive processes. That way, you get to reduce human error while boosting the entire app's functionality.</p><h3><strong>Types of Machine Learning</strong></h3><p>There are various types of machine learning that you need to understand as a founder. Each machine learning algorithm and approach has its benefits and drawbacks, but choosing the best one for your product is important.</p><p>The types of machine learning include:</p><ul><li><strong>Supervised machine learning:</strong> This model learns from labelled examples and uses the given input and corresponding output to make decisions based on the data it receives.</li><li><strong>Unsupervised machine learning:</strong> Unsupervised learning includes training data with unlabeled examples. This approach provides only the input, allowing the algorithm to learn patterns, structures, and more.</li><li><strong>Reinforcement learning:</strong> This type of machine learning uses a trial-and-error approach to develop the algorithm. There are rewards and penalties for each action of the algorithm, which trains the data and model to respond to how the developer plans it.</li><li><strong>Deep learning: </strong>Deep machine learning focuses on artificial intelligence and neural networks that have multiple layers. This approach leads to accurate data predictions and decisions due to the large amount of data that these algorithms can process.</li></ul><p>The type of machine learning model you choose will greatly impact your product's functionality and effectiveness. So, make sure to take your time figuring out the best model for your needs.</p><h3><strong>What Is the Best Language for Machine Learning?</strong></h3><p>There is no best language when it comes to machine learning. Each machine learning developer tweaks the language and approaches they use based on the project. That way, they can develop algorithms tailored to the founder's needs, creating a more functional and efficient final product.</p><p>While the best language for your machine learning app depends on personal preferences, app requirements, and many other factors, there are many common languages that developers use when developing machine learning models, including:</p><ul><li><strong>Python:</strong> Python is one of the most versatile and popular languages for a machine learning system. This works with artificial neural networks, supervised learning algorithms, and more. This is why machine-learning engineers often use this language for their machine-learning programs.</li><li><strong>JavaScript/Typescrip</strong>t: this is not only the leading web development language for both front-end and back-end, but also fully supported language by the leading machine learning development solutions and tools like&nbsp;<a href="(https://www.tensorflow.org/js)">Tensorflow</a>, <a href="https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface.js/index">Huggingface Solutions</a>, <a href="https://microsoft.github.io/onnxjs-demo/#/)">PyTorch</a>.</li><li><strong>R: </strong>R is a language that many machine learning engineers use when developing programs for statistical analysis, which is why it works great for reinforcement learning, a supervised learning algorithm, and more.</li><li><strong>Java:</strong> This is a general-purpose language, which means it has many applications, including neural networks, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. This language has one of the steeper learning curves for machine learning engineers, but it offers great versatility, which is why it's a common language for machine learning systems.</li></ul><p>With all the current coding languages available, it's impossible to single out one as the best. This is why you need to determine which language best suits your project's needs. Each language has its drawbacks and benefits, and it's up to the founder to figure out which one fits the project.</p><h2><strong>Common Misunderstandings About Machine Learning</strong></h2><p>There are many common misunderstandings about machine learning, but the most common one is that it’s a mystical solution that automatically solves any problem. With how machine learning is portrayed in the media, it’s easy to see why many people land on this oversimplified assumption.</p><p>To clear things up, here are some things you need to know about machine learning.</p><h3><strong>Machine Learning Needs Human Help</strong></h3><p>While machine learning algorithms learn trends and make predictions based on data, they need to be set up, trained, and evaluated by a human developer. Many of the foundational elements of a machine learning algorithm, such as data gathering, preprocessing, feature engineering, and model selection, must be performed by a human. This is why machine learning algorithms cannot exist without proper human development.</p><h3><strong>Data Quality Is Crucial</strong></h3><p>The accuracy and effectiveness of machine learning models depend on the quality of the data being fed. It’s important that the machine learning models receive good and unbiased data to give accurate impartial predictions. This is why it’s crucial for teams to clean, preprocess, and validate data before feeding it into a machine-learning model.</p><h3><strong>Machine Learning Isn’t a Cure-All</strong></h3><p>Don’t get us wrong; machine learning is a very powerful tool that can handle a lot of your programs’ problems and issues. However, this isn’t a one-size fits all answer to your product’s issues. There are certain jobs and domains within your program that may not be suited to machine learning or may actually affect the machine learning model’s effectiveness. This is why you need to understand your problem, explore different solutions, and then decide whether a machine-learning model is the right approach for your organisation.</p><h3><strong>Interpretability &amp; Explainability</strong></h3><p>Machine learning models can be incredibly hard to understand, which is why some of them are called <strong>“black boxes.” </strong>This is why many people worry about how well these models can be explained and how easily people can understand the concept. While interpretable machine learning methods are improving, this is the expectation, not the norm. So, make sure that you have this in the back of your mind when using machine learning for important or crucial areas of your program.</p><h3><strong>Ethical Considerations</strong></h3><p>Machine learning can repeat the biases present in the data that they were trained on. This is why you must consider the ethics, justice, and potential biases in the data that you feed machine learning systems. If you feed biassed data into the model, you will receive biassed predictions. On top of that, founders must ensure that they use their machine-learning systems responsibly to avoid causing harm and discrimination.</p><h2><strong>How to Find a Suitable Machine Learning Developer for Your Project</strong></h2><p>Every machine learning developer has their own strengths, weaknesses, and skills. Your app's needs when it comes to machine learning will help determine the best engineer for your project. When you lay out the requirements, it will be much easier to see which approach will work best: supervised learning, unsupervised learning, or even clustering algorithms and neural networks.</p><p>From there, you can look at the market to find the right machine learning engineer for the job. When interviewing different candidates, always refer back to your product's needs. That way, you can clearly see whether or not certain candidates have what it takes for the job.</p><p>There's no harm in taking the time to find the best developer for your product. This is because there are many things to consider when developing machine learning models, and it will take the right engineer to take your app to where it needs to be while also meeting your goals.</p><p>When you interview candidates, consider their technical ability and compatibility. Whether you're creating a deep learning or supervised learning model, your developer must have the technical skills necessary for the algorithm. However, it's also crucial that your developer can develop a healthy and safe working relationship with your team for a much smoother development process.</p><h3><strong>Essential Skill Sets Every Machine Learning Developer Must Possess</strong></h3><p>It's paramount for your machine learning developer to have a diverse range of skills, particularly when aiming to develop an impactful and seamless operational model.</p><p>The specific skills necessary for the job vary from project to project, but some of the things you should definitely look out for include:</p><ul><li><strong>Programming Language Knowledge: </strong>Machine Learning is very complex and requires knowledge of various developing languages. That way, the engineer can choose the ideal language for your project's needs and effectively apply it in their natural language processing or other tasks.</li><li><strong>Machine Learning Experience: </strong>It's important that your engineer understands the world of machine and deep learning. This usually requires them to have spent many years in the field, which means they have a lot of hands-on experience with different algorithms. That way, finding the deep learning model that's best for your project will be much easier.</li><li><strong>Mathematics and Statistics:</strong> This branch of computer science deals with many mathematical and statistical data. It's important for your engineer to easily understand, tabulate, and analyse these data points so that they can tweak your model to serve your app's needs.</li><li><strong>Problem-Solving: </strong>There's a high chance that your team will run into roadblocks and development issues when creating your product. This is why machine learning engineers must possess good problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to make it easier.</li></ul><p>Each machine learning project requires a different skill set. However, it's important that the engineer for your project possesses these basic skills to get the job done.</p><h3><strong>How to Evaluate a Machine Learning Developer's CV</strong></h3><p>There's a high chance that you'll interview and consider multiple candidates when finding an engineer for your neural networks. It's important that you evaluate their CV properly to gauge how well they can input data, and whether or not they can develop your artificial neural network.</p><p>When candidates hand you a CV, one of the first things to look at is their educational backgrounds and qualifications. You should look at which machine learning techniques they understand, where they learned how to develop supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms and the different fields they have worked in. That way, you get a general idea of their technical skills and ability.</p><p>It's also recommended to consider the projects that they've worked on before and what machine learning methods they have used. Remember, machine learning algorithms are complex systems, and it's important for your engineer to understand how to develop machine learning platforms effectively.</p><p>Another thing to consider when viewing a CV is the candidate's dedication to continuous learning. Try to see if they've attended any classes or workshops in recent years, as this shows whether or not the developers take continuous learning and improvement seriously.</p><h3><strong>How to Evaluate a Developer's Portfolio</strong></h3><p>A developer's portfolio tells you a lot about their skills and experience. Again, many machine learning applications are out there, so developers usually have varied skills and experiences. That's why you need to pay close attention to your developer's portfolio, as it gives you a lot of information, especially if you're determining whether or not they are the right choice for your project.</p><p>First, you need to determine whether their project history aligns with your needs. Again, data mining methods and the approach to your machine learning model largely depend on your platform's needs and the type of project. So, try to see if the developer has worked on projects with similar needs or requirements to yours, as this will make it easier to determine if they are a good option for your team.</p><p>Additionally, try to look at the level of complexity of their project history. There are many complex tasks that developers need to perform when building a machine learning algorithm, and it's important that they have the experience to handle them.</p><p>Lastly, try to look at the actual portfolio they submitted. Is it laid out properly? Can you clearly see the data and project history? If so, this shows a certain level of professionalism, which is very important when hiring machine learning engineers.</p><h3><strong>Ace the Final Interview: Expert Tips for Meeting the Ideal Candidate</strong></h3><p>Everyone’s team has a different approach to finding the best data scientist and developer for their machine learning needs. Again, every project has unique needs and requirements, so one team may look for certain qualities in their candidates, while another may look for completely different qualities.</p><p>It's very important to tweak your selection process based on your project's needs so you can easily find the perfect addition to your development team. To make it easier for you to choose the best candidate for your needs, here are a few key tips to keep in mind during the final interview:</p><ul><li>Prep the interview questions: Machine learning is complicated, so you must prepare the questions you want to ask the engineer beforehand. That way, you can stay consistent during interviews and learn if the candidate has the qualities you need for the project.</li><li>Give them a chance to talk: The final interview is your chance to learn more about the candidate. This is why you shouldn't cut them off or give them questions that merit short answers. You need to learn as much as possible about candidates before bringing them on the team, which is why you should feel free to let the candidate talk as much as they need to.</li><li>Discuss the project: To learn if a candidate can handle the task, you need to explain the project's scope and requirements. Again, you should be as open as possible with project details so the candidate can assess whether or not they have the skills for the job.</li></ul><p>When interviewing your candidates, take your time to really get to know them. Remember, the final interview is your last chance to choose the best candidate for a project, so it shouldn't be rushed.</p>

Machine Learning for Founders: Practical Guide to Kick-Off

Founders & Startups: Software Architecture as the Starting Point of any Application

<h2><strong>What Is Back-End for Founders?</strong></h2><p>Every business needs an engaging website nowadays. Since everyone is online right now, having an online store or site where customers can order products, avail of services, or learn about your company is crucial.</p><p>But your website shouldn't just look good - it should be functional too. We highly recommend that founders hire back-end developers to handle the technical side of web development. That way, anyone who visits your site gets a complete and comprehensive experience. Not only does it make it easier for people to learn about your company, but it also improves business, especially in the digital age.</p><p>Back-end development refers to basically everything that happens behind the scenes of your website. While front-end developers focus on the overall web design, back-end development primarily deals with the different programming languages used to establish your website's functionality.</p><p>It's important that founders are familiar with the back end of their application. While this doesn't mean learning everything you can do with a certain programming language, having basic knowledge of back-end development goes a long way.</p><p>When you understand back-end development, you'll have an incredibly easy time communicating with your team and streamlining the entire app development process.</p><p>Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about back-end development for founders.</p><h2><strong>What Is Back-End Web Development?</strong></h2><p>The components essential to an application’s backend largely depend on the technological stack and the app’s needs. That said, there are still some common parts that you’ll find in most backend applications, which we’ll dive into below.</p><p>Kicking things off are <strong>servers</strong>, which are responsible for running backend applications and replying to user requests, giving the relevant data, and performing appropriate actions. Servers are either standalone hardware or cloud-hosted servers which use virtual computers.</p><p>Next up are <strong>databases</strong>. Most back-end programs use databases to store and manage information. Typically, databases are relational (like MySQL or PostgreSQL) or non-relational (like MongoDB and Redis). There are many ways non-relational, or NoSQL databases vary from relational ones. Here are some ways these two databases differ.</p><p><strong>Relational databases</strong> group rows and columns according to a predetermined schema. With <strong>non-relational databases</strong>, there are either no schemas or very flexible ones, allowing them to store various data formats.</p><p>Another thing to note about relational databases is that they are vertically scalable. This means that as the workload increases, you can add more powerful hardware sources to the server. With horizontal scalability, you manage higher workloads by adding more servers, which is one of the benefits of non-relational databases.</p><p>The next aspect of backend applications we’re talking about is <strong>data linkages</strong>. These are essential for data integrity enforcement in relational databases. With non-relational databases, data is stored in denormalised or nested forms, so they don’t need explicit relationships while improving efficiency.</p><p>An SQL, or structured query language, is used in relational databases for various tasks like data modification, insertion, retrieval, and deletion. The query strategies for non-relational databases range from non-relational databases to key-value graph-based and column-oriented queries.</p><p>If you want organised data with set schemas and predetermined relationships, relational databases could be ideal for you. These databases offer much more data flexibility. You may be better off with a non-relational database if you want semi-structured, unstructured, or polymorphic data.</p><p>Relational databases are required to adhere to ACID, or the Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability criteria. On the flip side, high availability, horizontal scalability, and eventual consistency shine in non-relational databases.</p><p>Both relational and non-relational databases offer advantages and disadvantages, so you must choose one based on your individual needs. Before selecting a database, consider the data you work with, the size of your database, query frequency, and the level of data consistency you need.</p><p>One very important factor in backend development is <strong>application programming interfaces, or APIs</strong>. These components make data and functionality available to other apps and front-end components.</p><p><strong>Frameworks</strong> are another common component of backend development, and they are comprised of libraries and tools that are already created. These shorten the development process by providing uniform structures and features that are ready to use.</p><p>On top of that, it’s important for the backend to include <strong>authentication and authorisation</strong>. It’s important to authenticate and authorise users, which is a task handled by background programs. These programs are in charge of checking IDs, restricting access based on the user, and maintaining sessions.</p><p>Another key component of backend development is <strong>business logic</strong>. These are the application’s rules and algorithms that you can find in the backend. The logic controls all the data processing, manipulation, and execution. In fact, even data integrity is taken care of by logic.</p><p>Lastly, many back-end programs employ a method called <strong>caching</strong>. This is done to speed up the time it takes to access data frequently while saving resources by preventing multiple database requests for the same data. There are also backend programs that have additional duties independent of front-facing functions. Examples of these are data processing, email alerts, and report generation.</p><h3><strong>Popular Back-End Programming Languages</strong></h3><p>The programming languages you use in back-end web development play a huge role in your site's or app's functionality, scalability, and maintainability. That said, back-end developers have unique preferences when it comes to programming languages, and your back-end developer will likely choose a programming language based on your app's overall purpose and needs.</p><p>To give founders a better idea of what languages to use for your app, here's a quick look at the different back-end programming languages developers use.</p><h4><strong>JavaScript</strong></h4><p>Javascript is one of the most popular programming languages that's mostly used for front-end development. However, this is a very versatile and easy-to-use language. This is why it's easy to find back-end developers ready to use Javascript for the server side of your app.</p><p>Many famous companies rely on Node.js and JavaScript for their backend development. Here are some well-known examples:</p><ul><li>PayPal</li><li>LinkedIn</li><li>Netflix</li><li>Mozilla</li><li>Uber</li></ul><p>Typically, developers use runtime environments like Node.js to run the language on the server side.</p><p>At DataMix, we use a full-stack JavaScript approach, increasing our flexibility and facilitates seamless alignment with the founders’ vision. Let’s take a closer look at the two frameworks that are integral to our development process.</p><h3>Nest JS</h3><p>Nest JS is a Node.js back-end application framework designed to work seamlessly with TypeScript, enabling the development of efficient and scalable server-side applications.</p><p>By using TypeScript in Nest applications, we benefit from compile-time error detection, which ensures the integrity of our code and minimises errors when working with multiple microservices that share the same response mode.</p><p>With NestJS, we can create exceptional microservices that are well-organised and lightweight. The framework enforces a structured approach where controllers, services, and repositories are written in specific locations and conform to a defined pattern.</p><p>This streamlines the development process, mitigating the need for extensive code refactoring in the future and allowing us to focus more on designing endpoints rather than the intricacies of the application's structure.</p><h3>Express.js</h3><p>Express.js is a bespoke back-end application framework specifically crafted for creating Representational State Transfer (REST) APIs using JavaScript. However, it also excels in providing server-side functionality.</p><p>Express.js is commonly employed in tandem with Node.js to establish a server framework that empowers Node.js to serve as a back-end scripting language. This powerful amalgamation enables the development of resilient server applications and efficient handling of HTTP requests.</p><h4><strong>Python</strong></h4><p>Python is another versatile programming language with many uses, and it's also a nice option for back-end development. The language has a unique readability to it, and with all the pre-built modules available, you won't have a hard time using Python for back-end development.</p><h4><strong>Java</strong></h4><p>Java is one of the best programming languages for enterprise-level applications. This is one of the most secure and stable languages for back-end development, which makes it such a great option. So, if you're looking to build this type of app, make sure your back-end developers consider using Java for development.</p><h4><strong>Go</strong></h4><p>One of the newest programming languages for back-end developers right now is Go. This is a young language developed by Google specifically for web applications. Since it's designed for web applications, Go is a simple, easy-to-use, and scalable web development language. On top of that, this programming language is very commonly used for server-side development, so you may want to ask your back-end web developer if they want to use Go for your web app.</p><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/back-end-article/what-is-back-end-development.jpg"></figure><p>&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>What's the Difference Between Back-End vs Front-End Development?</strong></h3><p>While they seem similar, front-end developers and back-end developers are very different. Front-end developers focus mostly on everything you see on a website or application. On the flip side, back-end developers are experts on the server side of the app and web development.</p><p>While there are some back-end languages and front-end languages that overlap, these types of developers have a unique skill set and offer different web services. When developing an application, it's best for founders to have a good development team that contains both front-end developers and back-end developers or a full-stack team.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br><strong>How to Find the Best Back-End Developers</strong></p><p>There are always new apps and websites in development. This is why you won't have a hard time finding tech professionals in the UK or EU ready to handle your app's back end. However, it's important to take your time to find the right back-end developer for your project.</p><p>Your web developer has a huge impact on the final functionality and performance of your website. But with all the options available, it's sometimes hard to pick the best one.</p><p>So, here are a few tips to keep in mind to help you find the best back-end developer for your app.</p><h3><strong>Understand Your Needs</strong></h3><p>The first step in choosing the best back-end developer for your needs is determining what type of web development you need. Typically, your back-end developer specialises in a specific type of app or website.</p><p>Some developers may focus on website applications, while others can help you build an online store or even a business portfolio. So, before even considering your options, try to figure out exactly what type of web development services you're looking for.</p><h3><strong>Prioritise Experience</strong></h3><p>Whenever you choose a back-end developer, it's important to consider their experience. Server-side development is really complicated, and you'll need more than just classes and education to become a back-end developer.</p><p>The best back-end development professionals have been in the field for years. If you're looking for the smoothest experience when building the server side of your app or website, it's best to contact and hire an experienced developer for the job.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br><strong>Consider Soft Skills &amp; Technical Knowledge</strong></p><p>While front-end developers focus on the website layout of your website, back-end web developers need to understand different server-side languages and have a basic understanding of front-end languages, too. So, when choosing a professional for full-stack development, make sure to test out their technical skills and know-how.</p><p>If you're interviewing web developers, we suggest asking questions like what back-end programming language they use, what server-side software development they've done in the past, and more. That way, you get a full idea of how well the backend developers can build the server side of your web applications.</p><p>On top of that, back-end developer skills should also include soft skills. Examples of soft skills for back-end developers are communication, punctuality, compatibility with the rest of the development team, and others.</p><p>Developing websites and web applications take a lot of work; most of the time, your developer should be able to do much more than just write code.</p><h3><strong>Take Your Time</strong></h3><p>One of the biggest mistakes when hiring a back or front-end web developer is rushing the process. Remember, many developers claim to offer a seamless user experience. But if you don't take the time to learn about their skills and experience, you might choose a poor fit for the job.</p><p>So, don't worry if finding full-stack developers takes longer than usual. The more care you take when choosing the right candidate, the better the fit will be. Also, it will save time in the future development itself.&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>Different Types of Back-End Developers Based on Experience</strong></h3><p>There are different types of back-end developers, and it's important to choose one that fits your needs.</p><p>Here are some of the different classifications for back- and front-end developers based on their experience.</p><h4><strong>Junior</strong></h4><p>Before people become full-stack developers, they need to apprentice as junior developers. There are junior developers for both back- and front-end development. These individuals only know one or two back- and front-end programming languages and have just a few years of field experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br><strong>Mid-Level</strong></p><p>Mid-level developers have spent a bit more time in the field and have much more experience in back-end programming languages. When you hire these individuals for backend development, you can trust that they've worked on various projects and can handle whatever task you throw their way.</p><h4><strong>Senior-level</strong></h4><p>These are the highest-ranked back-end developers based on experience. These individuals have had extensive field experience and usually have experience working on large-scale projects. As a result, they should know various programming languages and can easily handle heavier, labour-intensive projects.</p><h2><strong>Basic Skills for a Backend Developer</strong></h2><p>A good back-end developer or software engineer should have a certain set of skills to be able to handle the job. The back-end developer skills you need can vary from project to project.</p><p>However, here are some of the most basic skills that any back-end developer would need to take on a job.</p><ul><li>Proficiency in various back-end programming languages (understanding how front-end works may be a good bonus, will increase the efficiency and velocity of the team a lot)</li><li>Knowledge of databases and data storage</li><li>A good understanding of API development</li><li>Proficiency in version control software</li><li>A full grasp of data security</li><li>Proficiency in SQL (Structured Query Language) to manipulate the data in SQL databases</li><li>Comprehensive understanding of web development</li></ul><h2><strong>What Are Back-End Developers' Responsibilities?</strong></h2><p>When you hire a professional for the back end of your app or website, they will have different responsibilities than the front-end developer you hired for the face of your app or website. Before choosing a professional for the job, it's always best to understand their responsibilities.</p><p>So, here's a quick list of the different responsibilities of a backend developer.</p><ul><li>Design and develop the app or website's architecture</li><li>Integrate databases and data storage into the project</li><li>Ensure app scalability</li><li>Maintain the app</li><li>Write clean and efficient code</li></ul><h2><strong>Let Datamix Take Your Project to New Heights With the Best Back-End Development Services on the Market</strong></h2><p>If you're looking for a top-tier team to handle your back-end development needs, we've got you covered.</p><p>DataMix has a team of some of the best developers in the game who can help you develop the app of your dreams. We ensure all our clients receive the service they're looking for, so you can trust us to tailor our approach for your project.</p><p>To learn more about our services or set a meeting with our team, contact us today!</p><h2><strong>FAQs</strong></h2><h3><strong>What is a back-end developer?</strong></h3><p>Your back-end developer is the person that focuses on the server side of app or website development. These professionals know how to use various programming languages and ensure the best user experience for your clients.</p><h3><strong>What skills do back-end developers need?</strong></h3><p>Your back-end developers need to have good knowledge of web development, know which languages to use for different situations, and understand how to troubleshoot some of the problems you may encounter during development.</p><h3><strong>How much does it cost to hire a backend developer?</strong></h3><p>The cost of backend development varies depending on the team you hire and the type of project you're launching. However, it's always best to take your time to choose your back-end developer and don't hesitate to make an investment for the best possible services.</p><h3><strong>What are some of the basic tools for any back-end developer?</strong></h3><p>Some of the basic tools that all back-end developers use include:</p><ul><li>Design tool (Postman, Insomnia, etc.)</li><li>Integrated development environment</li><li>Web server</li><li>Testing frameworks</li><li>Version control system</li><li>Database management system</li></ul>

Founders & Startups: What is Hiding Behind Back-End Development?

<h2>DataMix Calculator Guide</h2><p>Our estimation calculator gives you a rough estimate of how much your project might cost you. The estimate includes all the services, functionality blocks, and other things you’ll need for your app. We’ll also have an accurate and transparent cost for each service together with timelines we need to develop them.&nbsp;</p><p>That said, you need to input a fair amount of information to get an accurate cost estimate. So, let’s dive into the details you must include in our calculations to make it easier to get a precise estimate!</p><h2>Step 1: Estimation Settings</h2><p>When you open our calculator, you will be asked to choose your estimation settings. These are the foundation of your estimate. So, it’s important to input accurate information and select the right options. That way, you can get a more accurate estimate.</p><h3>Estimation Type: Standard vs MVP Estimate</h3><p>The first consideration is the type of estimate you’re getting. Our calculator offers two options, a standard, and an MVP estimate. The MVP (minimum viable product) is your product in its most basic form. It is fast to launch, but unscalable in the future. This is great for testing your idea and covering the basics. The standard estimate is like an extended version of the MVP that considers more details and factors. It has scalable architecture and is ready for continuous development.&nbsp;</p><h3>Application Type</h3><p>Next, you have to determine what kind of app you’re launching. You have two options for this: web or mobile. Web applications are designed to be used in web browsers, but they usually come with a mobile-friendly version. Mobile apps are specifically designed for mobile devices as standalone apps and use technologies such as Dart and Flutter.</p><h3>Additional Options</h3><p>Before proceeding with the next step, you have to input a few additional options. Our calculator will ask you if you want to choose the tech stack the app is built on and whether or not you wish to build a Web3 (decentralised) app. These two options can be confusing, so we’ll discuss the details in the next section.</p><p>If you are unsure what to choose, we suggest ticking off both options, as you will be presented with an additional step where you can choose between the different technology stack options we offer. This includes code, frameworks, servers, and databases.</p><h2>Step 2.0: Tech Stack [Only Visible if You Want To Choose Your Preferred Stack of Programming Options]</h2><p>A technology stack, or tech stack, combines all the different technologies you use when developing your apps. This includes coding languages, frameworks, databases, and more.</p><p>These can be quite difficult to understand, but it’s important to list down all the tech you’ll stack to develop your app to determine how much the whole thing will cost.</p><h3>Back-end Preferences</h3><p>Back-end refers to whatever happens behind the scenes of your app. This includes code and frameworks, servers, where this code runs, databases, etc. In other words, it’s everything you don’t see when you open the app. As Javascript full-stack developers we propose to choose NodeJS.&nbsp;</p><p>One of the main advantages of NodeJS is its high code execution speed due to the use of Google's V8 JavaScript engine. This makes NodeJS an ideal choice for developing web applications that need to quickly serve a large number of users. NodeJS also has a large community of developers and numerous community solutions that can be used for application development. The same situation is with NodeJS frameworks.</p><p>"If you want to be flexible when creating your MVP from scratch, NodeJS and a full stack team of JS developers is a nice option. The development will go faster and you as a founder will be more flexible. Each team member will be able to easily switch from back-end to front-end tasks and vice versa. Also, each team member can be easily replaced by other developers during vacation or any other reason, so your deadlines will not be shifted"</p><p>Maksym Osovitnii,&nbsp;</p><p>CEO, Co-Owner</p><h3>Front-end Preferences</h3><p>For the front-end preferences, you can choose between Svelte, Vue, and Vanilla Javascript/Typescript. The first two solutions work great, but if they limit your developers or if using Svelte/Vue is overkill for your needs - Vanilla Javascript/Typescript is the better option for your front-end needs.</p><p>Vue and Svelte are powerful solutions for creating front-end applications. They also have a lot of out-of-the-box solutions. Svelte is one of the newest and fastest frameworks on the market. It is also considered one of the most sustainable as it needs much fewer code lines than competitors. Vue is a great choice if you would like to have a full-stack team and to be able to work faster. Vue usually goes together with NodeJS.&nbsp;</p><p>Vanilla Javascript/Typescript is the classic approach for building any web application. Is it worth building applications without using libraries/frameworks? If speed is critical for you or you don't have a big app where using out-of-the-box solutions is redundant - you might want to consider this option. But if you just don't want to use out-of-the-box solutions for no particular reason - you'll get a lot of bumps on your forehead, because out-of-the-box solutions already take a lot into account and are designed and updated by big senior communities.</p><h3>ML/AI Preferences</h3><p>We’re slowly entering the age of machine learning and AI. Many apps on the market right now use machine learning and AI to boost their functionality further. The type of ML or AI you have in your app can influence the final cost. So, it’s best to include your preferences in our calculator for an accurate estimate.</p><p>You can choose between Pytorch and TensorFlow on our calculator. Pytorch is a deep-learning framework initially developed by Facebook. A number of famous deep learning apps are built on top of PyTorch, including Tesla Autopilot, Uber's Pyro, Hugging Face's Transformers, PyTorch Lightning, and Catalyst.</p><p>However, Pytorch is known for being a simple and easy-to-use framework, making it a popular option for many apps.</p><p>TensorFlow was developed by Google and it’s a very scalable and flexible framework for deep learning. This is an end-to-end framework, which makes it easy to tweak so that it can support various platforms. If you’re looking for an ML platform for dataflow programming, this is arguably the best option available.</p><h2>Decentralised Applications</h2><p>It’s becoming more and more evident that Web3 will take over soon. This is the phase of the internet that incorporates the blockchain and cryptocurrency. With these decentralised applications, you can bring your app to the next level.</p><p>Aside from allowing your app to incorporate the blockchain, decentralised applications can also affect your app’s functionality. This is because these apps don’t run on a single server. Instead, the server workload is spread out between multiple computers.</p><p>If you’re looking to build a decentralised app with DataMix, make sure to select the option on our calculator so we consider that when estimating the cost.</p><h2>Step 2.1: Pick Your Functionality</h2><p>The next step in using our calculator is choosing your functionality. Your app’s functionality consists of various functional blocks. Developers then stack these blocks on top of each other to create a fully-working app that satisfies certain needs.</p><p>That said, there are many different functionality options to choose from with our calculator. You don’t have to click all of them, and getting overwhelmed is easy.</p><p>So, here’s a breakdown of the different functionality options on our calculator to help give you the most accurate possible estimate.</p><h3>General</h3><p>General functionality blocks include the SRS (system requirements specification) writing. This is a write-up that consists of the detailed description of the app structure, functionalities, how they can be built and what clients and users can expect from this app.</p><p>These functionalities also include documents that describe your entire system, multilingual support, SEO support, and testing the workflow. This is a crucial part of the process, but you don’t need to do everything.</p><p>So, assess your app’s needs and choose the general functionalities that apply to you.</p><h3>Design</h3><p>Our design functionalities are split into two options; prototype development and UI-KIT &amp; Design development.</p><p><strong>Prototype development</strong> involves creating a rough mock-up of how your app looks and how clients can use it. This is a very integral part of app development as it allows you to gauge the app’s overall look and useability before launching it.</p><p>On the other hand, our <strong>UI kit</strong> is a collection of different graphic files to show how your elements will look in the final product. Your UI kit contains everything your product uses, from fonts and design files to buttons and design components. The complexity of your UI kit largely depends on your app, but having one gives you a bird’s eye view of your app’s design.</p><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/calculator/datamix-calculator.png"></figure><p>&nbsp;</p><h3>DevOps</h3><p>There are six options when choosing DevOps on our website.</p><p>The first option is <strong>continuous integration</strong>. These operations involve regularly compiling and combining developer work to ensure all their code changes work smoothly and reduce the number of accumulated bugs.</p><p>The next option is <strong>continuous delivery</strong>. Like CI, continuous delivery involves constantly merging code changes and putting them in a testing environment. That way, you can spot any functionality and useability issues immediately. This can result in a much smoother development process.</p><p><strong>Dockerize</strong> is another option readily available with Datamix. This is great for MVPs and complex products by placing different applications and processes in digital “containers”. It makes organising much easier while also simplifying the troubleshooting process.</p><p>We also offer front- and back-end monitoring DevOps. It’s important to constantly monitor your development so you know all the issues on both "sides" and how your apps are currently performing.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>&nbsp;</p><p>Lastly, we also offer <strong>log aggregation</strong>. Basically, this is a clean collection and record of all the important events that happen in the app. That way, developers have an easy way of finding the source of problems and checking all the processes going on simultaneously.</p><h3>Static Resources</h3><p>Static resources are separate from your product. This is a complete website of your app where you can find all the information you need. You can even link your website to your log-in page to attract more visitors.</p><p>That said, you might already have a website for your product. If so, feel free to skip this entire portion of the calculator.</p><h3>Authorisation</h3><p>Authorisation means the way users can access your product. For example, you can require users to login and create an account from scratch. Or, you can also give them Single sign-on or SSO options so they can create their accounts using their existing Facebook, LinkedIn, Apple, or Google account.&nbsp;</p><p>You can even set up 2-factor authentication to further boost the app’s security. That way, your users need to prove their identity in two ways. This allows users to secure their accounts and stay safe from hacks.</p><h3>Profile</h3><p>You may want users to create profiles and identities on your product. DataMix offers services for that, which you can include in the estimate. You have full control over how users create and use their profiles on your platform, and you can choose whichever approaches are best suited to your app.</p><h3>User Management</h3><p>User management is very important for your product. You need to have ways to assign different roles to users. For example, you can have admins for your app or even separate how users can access the app depending on their subscription.</p><h3>Payment</h3><p>There’s a significant change that your app will require users to pay or conduct transactions. If so, it’s important that you have a property system built into your app to ensure the safety of your user’s funds as well as the functionality of your website.</p><h3>E-Commerce</h3><p>You may be planning to set up an online store in your app. This is a great way to bring in funds and boost income. However, setting up an e-commerce platform within the app can be complicated. So, it’s important that you include this in your estimate so that you have realistic expectations for the cost of developing the app.</p><h3>Chat</h3><p>Real-time chat is an essential part of apps. You can include various real-time chat options on your platform. This includes one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many communication channels. This aspect of development includes formatting the text and more.</p><h3>Audio Chat</h3><p>Audio chat is a great function to include in your app. You can set up audio chat the same way you do real-time chat. However, the cost of audio chat development is separate from real-time chat, so it’s important that this is included in your estimate.</p><h3>Video Chat</h3><p>Developers and founders can develop video chat functions for their apps. This is a great way to communicate, and this feature has many development options. But again, this cost is separate from other chat options, which is important to remember.</p><h3>Search</h3><p>If your app features a lot of content or different products, you might benefit from a search function. This will allow users to easily access different parts of the app, whether it’s the user and profile settings or other products or people on your platform.</p><h3>Support</h3><p>Your users may run into problems when using your app. No matter how easy and accessible your features are, there will likely be issues somewhere along the way. This is why it’s important to set up a support system that allows users to easily access help and find solutions to their problems.</p><p>There are various ways to set this up, from setting up a live chat system to setting up a ticketing system. You can choose either of these options on our calculator, and we’ll include it in the cost estimate.</p><h3>File Storage</h3><p>It’s great to set up a file storage system in your product. This can make accessing certain documents or files easier for your clients. You can set up cloud storage while determining the types of files you can upload, whether or not previews are allowed, and even dictate the access levels for different users.</p><h3>Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence</h3><p>This step refers to adding machine learning (AI) to your web application. To complete this section, please refer back to “ML/AI Preferences” which we have already covered.</p><h3>Dashboard &amp; Reports</h3><p>A good dashboard is essential for any product. It allows users to view data, charts, and more. The goal of the dashboard is to give all the necessary information you need at a glance. When calculating the cost of your project with us, you have to include how many elements you need in your dashboard. This means the type of information you want to display in the form of charts, blocks, or widgets.</p><h3>Custom Functionality Blocks</h3><p>There are some blocks that we weren’t able to list down on our calculator. However, depending on your app's needs, you can always add more functionality blocks. We work to accommodate all of your preferences when building your product. So, you can also list down the number of functionality blocks you need for your product right on the calculator.</p><h3>3rd Party Integrations</h3><p>Adding 3rd party integrations adds to your app’s functionality. We can help you develop integrations for your application. The cost of this largely depends on the number of integrations you need, so just tell us how many integrations you need, and we’ll give you a rough estimate.</p><h3>Email Notifications</h3><p>You can set automatic email notifications in your app. For example, when a user does something on the app, you can notify them about that action. That way, the user always stays informed about what’s happening on their profile or account.</p><h3>In-App Notifications</h3><p>It’s important that you push certain notifications to users when they open your app. The cost of this depends on the number of triggers for the notifications. So, the more actions that trigger a notification, the higher the total cost.</p><h2>How Do I Use the DataMix Calculator?</h2><p>We want all founders to have an easy time using our calculator. Before building an app, it’s important to get a rough estimate of your project's cost. That way, you, the investors, and other stakeholders can build the funds needed to produce the app.</p><p>This is why we have a comprehensive calculator for our services. While it might seem intimidating to use initially, we assure you that it’s relatively easy once you understand the different functions you need to choose between. All you have to do is check certain boxes or options depending on your needs.</p><p>To start, you need to choose the type of estimate you need. We can offer a standard estimate or a standard estimate that also includes an MVP estimate. From there, you need to select your back- and front-end preferences; these are coding languages used to develop the product.</p><p>After determining the basics, you must determine the functionality blocks you need for your app. We work to make sure that your product meets all your needs and expectations. This is why we offer many options for founders when using our calculator. You input all the blocks you’ll need, from the design to notifications and integrations.</p><p>It’s important to check all the boxes that apply to your app. If you miss out on certain blocks, it will affect the final estimate. So, take your time when checking the functionality blocks you need, especially if you’re looking for an accurate estimate.</p><p>Once you’ve clicked all the options, you can submit the form. Our calculator works fast, and you’ll have the necessary information within a few seconds - without signing up for anything. The estimate includes all the services, functionality blocks, and other things you’ll need for your app. We’ll also have an accurate and transparent cost for each service.</p><p>This allows you to view exactly what you’re paying for if you decide to move forward with us.</p><p>While our calculator gives an accurate estimate, remember that things can change rapidly when developing an app. You can add more features and functionality blocks along the way, and this can add to the total cost.</p><p>So, the calculator will give you a decent estimate. However, be prepared for the price to vary a bit from the estimate when you start the development of your product.</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the details of the https://calc.datamix.space. However, it’s important that you go through all these details to get an accurate estimate of the development costs for your product.</p><p>Even if all the terms are intimidating, they’re pretty easy to understand if you use this guide as a little handbook if you’re unsure of something. So, now that you’re familiar with all the information you need to input in our calculator, all that’s left to do is head to the website and use the tool yourself.</p>

DataMix Calculator: Easy way to estimate your project without engaging developers

<h2>Founders &amp; Startups: What Is Front-End Software Development?</h2><p>If you're planning on developing an app or website, front-end and back-end are terms you'll hear a lot. But if you know nothing about web development and the tech world, these words might not mean anything to you.</p><p>That's why we've made this guide to front-end development for founders. This is a handbook specifically made for founders looking to understand the importance of front-end web development and how to find a good front-end developer for the job.</p><p>To kick things off, it's important to know what the front end is. Basically, the front end of your website or app is everything the user sees. This includes user interfaces, images, logos, buttons, and more.</p><p>Some people call this the "client-side" of the app, as this is what the client sees when logging on to your page or software.</p><p>To bring clients to your app or website, you need a good front-end developer for the job. These professionals are skilled in various programming languages and can help you develop the best user interface for your product.</p><p>So, read on to learn more about front-end web developers and how to find the best one for your idea and product.</p><h2>What Is a Front-End Web Developer?</h2><p>As you might guess, a front-end web developer is in charge of the front-end or "client" side of your web page. These professionals use various frontend languages to create your website and ensure users have a great experience when visiting your page.</p><p>Whenever you log into a website or open an app, everything you see has been created by a front-end developer. That said, note that front-end developers aren't web designers. So, they won't create mock-ups of your website with PhotoShop and similar applications.</p><p>Instead, they use code to bring your idea and website design into the digital world.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/front-end/what-is-front-end.jpg"></figure><p>&nbsp;</p><h3>What Does a Front-End Developer Do?</h3><p>A front-end developer handles the coding side of your website's appearance. To create beautiful and engaging web pages, you need to use various coding languages, frameworks and libraries. A good front-end developer understands these tools and when to use them.</p><p>That way, they can ensure the web designer's vision is brought to the computer screen. Doing so requires a solid understanding of the platform and close attention to detail. For most websites, front-end developers play crucial roles, which is why you can't skimp out on one when developing a website yourself.</p><h3>What Languages Do Front-End Developers Use?</h3><p>You'll need more than one programming language or tool as a front-end developer, as each language has its own advantages and drawbacks.</p><p>While the most common technologies needed for front-end developers are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it's very common for a front-end developer to use a wide range of other tools.</p><p>Some of the tools that front-end developers use include everything from markup and styling languages to programming languages, as well as frameworks and libraries. The combination of these different tools helps speed up software development.</p><p>Still, it can be confusing to understand the differences and how they each function together, so we have broken it down to help you understand it better.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>&nbsp;</p><h3>Markup Languages &amp; Styling Languages</h3><p>Markup and styling languages are used to organise and structure content, enhancing and making the software visually appealing. When combined, these languages create attractive, functional, and responsive software applications.</p><p>Some markup and styling languages include:</p><ul><li>HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)</li><li>CSS</li></ul><h3>Programming Languages</h3><p>Programming languages are essentially the brain behind the application. They are used to perform specific tasks or solve particular problems and allow the software developer to write instructions that the computer can execute.</p><p>Some programming languages include:</p><ul><li>JavaScript</li><li>TypeScript (based on JavaScript, extra functionality for JavaScript)</li></ul><h3>Frameworks &amp; Libraries</h3><p>As the name suggests, frameworks and libraries based on JavaScript provide developers with pre-written code which can be used when developing software. Pre-written code offers tools and functionalities that not only make it easier to build and optimise software but will also speed up the development of the application.</p><p>Some frameworks and libraries based on JavaScript include:</p><ul><li>React (library)</li><li>Vue (framework)</li></ul><p>While your front-end developer may use any technology they want, understand that the programming language doesn't affect the end-user or the client. Users are always looking for a functional and aesthetically pleasing page, and a front-end developer can create one with any language.</p><h2>How to Hire a Front-End Web Developer</h2><p>Hiring a good front-end developer isn't straightforward. Many front-end developers are available right now, and each of them claims to have their own strengths and advantages. However, it's important that you choose the best front-end developer for your website.</p><p>The best frontend developers prioritise quality. At DataMix, our team is made up entirely of Middle and Senior Developers who have been with us since day one. Their vast experience and dedication to excellence at what we do are the foundation of our success.</p><p>While it can be tempting to bring on junior developers, they may require more guidance and assistance from their colleagues, leading to poor quality and slower development times. On the other hand, if you work with middle and senior developers, you will notice that they’re more capable of working autonomously and setting the direction for the project.</p><p>Middle and Senior Developers bring a wealth of experience and strategic vision to development projects. While it may be more costly, the long-term benefits of choosing senior developers are well worth the investment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>While some front-end developers can accomplish a task quickly, you need to find front-end engineers who ensure that your website is high-quality and easy to use.</p><h3>Hire Front-End Developers Based on Gradation &amp; Experience</h3><p>Another great way to judge someone's front-end development skills is by looking at their experience. A tech background is one of the primary requirements for a front-end developer, which is why you need to ensure that they're experienced.</p><p>The most attractive front-end developers are the middle and senior developers. These are the most experienced developers in the field, usually having three or more years of experience.</p><p>However, at DataMix, we take great pride in the expertise of our team members. That’s why our Middle Developers have a minimum of 5 years of experience in the field, while our Senior staff has at least 8 years.&nbsp;</p><p>This gives them enough time to understand what features work for websites and how to execute them properly.</p><p>That said, it is perfectly acceptable to hire a junior front-end developer when creating a single landing page or a website with multiple pages. As most junior front-end developers have between 1-3 years of experience, ensuring they have good knowledge of CSS and HTML is essential. That way, they will have the necessary skills to create the project's visual components and solve more specific and complex problems when implementing certain features.</p><p>So, while experience is a very important consideration, it shouldn't be the only consideration when hiring a front-end developer. Instead, you should hire a developer based on the complexity of the task at hand. Hiring a junior developer is okay when it comes to websites, but for web applications, you will need middle and senior staff.</p><h2>Where to Find a Good Front-End Developer</h2><p>There are many places where you can find a top-tier front-end developer. To start, various freelance developers offer their services online. You can find an experienced front-end developer on LinkedIn, Upwork, Toptal, Turing, and other social networking platforms. However, if you're looking for the best professionals for the job, you might be better off going to a development agency or studio.</p><p>When you hire front-end development sources from an agency, you're sure that the team has been vetted and meets high standards. That's how you know they are familiar with all the necessary front-end programming languages like TypeScript and JavaScript.</p><p>This allows the team to tackle a wide range of problems that junior freelancers won't be able to solve. On top of that, you can hire a team for both front and back-end development, making it much easier to create and launch your site or website app.</p><p>When developing applications, the layout and features play a huge role in attracting new users. This is why you must take the time to determine the qualities and front-end skills you need from your front-end developer and scour the market for a professional who meets those needs.</p><h2>The Main Responsibilities of a Front-End Developer</h2><p>You can expect your front-end developer to handle a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities include:</p><h3>Optimising User Experience</h3><p>The primary goal of a front-end developer is to optimise the user experience. Front-end developers work to ensure that users have an easy and fun time on a webpage or web app. Certain programming languages for front-end developers help them solve specific problems and add new features, making for a smooth and easy user experience.</p><h3>Solve Problems</h3><p>The entire development process for your web app or page is complicated. And more often than not, you'll run into coding problems along the way. So, you'll need a front-end developer that can handle all these different problems and create a better user experience for your clients.</p><h3>Site Development and Maintenance</h3><p>Another one of the front-end developer responsibilities is site development and maintenance. This means the developer will ensure that your site's layout matches your vision while allowing for a great user experience. On top of that, they will maintain your site to ensure that everything is always at 100%.</p><h2>Skills Needed in a Front-End Web Developer</h2><p>When hiring someone for front-end development, you'll find that the front-end developer skills and responsibilities sometimes overlap. It's crucial that your developer can handle all the typical responsibilities of a front-end developer while also tailoring their services and their approach to your website.</p><p>Some of the key skills you need from a front-end developer include the following:</p><ul><li>Knowledge of various languages and technologies</li><li>Creating mobile and web pages</li><li>Develop websites for different browsers</li><li>Full stack development (sometimes)</li><li>Site maintenance</li><li>Responsive design</li><li>Frameworks and libraries</li></ul><p>On top of the skills mentioned above, front-end developers also need soft skills. These include:</p><ul><li>Creativity</li><li>Patience</li><li>Teamwork</li><li>Problem-solving skills</li></ul><p>So, when hiring a good front-end development team, look for these qualities and skills in the professionals. That way, you can rest assured that the team can handle all of your needs.</p><h2>Questions to Ask Front-End Developers When Interviewing</h2><p>The best way to find a front-end dev to do the job for you is to interview the candidates. Aside from looking at front-end developer qualifications, you must get to know the person you might hire for your website. That way, you get a feel of their personality and whether or not they are the right match for your company.</p><p>That said, coming up with interview questions for a front-end developer isn't easy. So, we’ve asked our highly qualified Tech Lead Maksym Osovitnii, what the best questions to ask a front-end developer during the interview process are. That way, you will get a better idea if the candidate you’re interviewing is suitable for your front-end project!</p><p>Let's look at some common interview questions you may want to bring up when talking to front-end developers.</p><p><i>“Can You Tell Us About the Most Interesting Project You’ve Ever Worked On?”</i></p><p>The answer to this question provides insight into the candidate’s experience with non-standard tasks and their ability to tackle out-of-the-box challenges efficiently.&nbsp;</p><p>Developing software is more than just programming: it requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills.</p><h3><i>“Can You Provide an Overview of the SSR, SSG, and CSR Rendering Approaches and Recommend the Most Suitable Approach for Development?”</i></h3><p>In recent years, front-end application development has undergone significant changes compared to a decade ago. Technology has evolved a lot and will only continue evolving and improving as time goes by, resulting in a multitude of formats and approaches for building web applications.</p><p>For developers working on SPA applications, being familiar with different rendering approaches, understanding their features and recognising the optimal ways of use is essential. These factors include the optimisation of the application for search engines, whether it's for internal use only, and its intended goals, among others. A thorough understanding of the various rendering approaches is necessary for building effective and responsive applications.</p><p>Asking a software developer this question during the interviewing process can help you evaluate the candidate’s technical expertise, analytical skills and ability to make informed decisions when building complex front-end applications.</p><p><i>“Is Javascript Single-threaded or Multi-threaded, and What Is the Underlying Mechanism of JS?”</i></p><p>All programming starts with fundamental knowledge of the language and its usage. If a developer doesn’t understand the basics of the language he is using and how it functions, you cannot expect high-quality results - even if said Developer has years of experience using the language.</p><p>When asking a candidate this question during the interviewing process, you will get a better idea of the developers understanding of the language’s fundamentals, which can help create optimised and high-quality code that is logical and understandable to everyone.</p><h3><i>“What Are the Basic Principles of Object-oriented Programming (OOP), and What Is Its Purpose?”</i></h3><p>The use of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) versus Functional Programming (FP) is an ongoing debate you can find among many software developers. While many developers lean towards FP, knowledge about both OOP and FP is crucial.</p><p>That said, OOP should be fundamental knowledge that any developer should possess, which is why this question also gives a lot of insight into their understanding of the fundamentals of software development.</p><p>Asking this question during an interview will give you a good idea about the developers' problem-solving abilities and a clearer picture of their overall experience and qualifications in the field.</p><h2>From Idea to Product: Let Datamix’s Front-End Developers Bring Your Vision to Life</h2><p>If you're searching for exceptional front-end web developers, look no further than DataMix.</p><p>Our team helps turn your ideas into investable and scalable solutions. We specialise in end-to-end development for small to medium businesses, so we'll easily handle your front-end needs. And don't worry- you can rest assured that we have some of the best front-end developers available.</p><p>We aim to help our clients develop their solutions with technology. With the DataMix team by your side, you won't have to worry about any front-end development because we'll take care of it for you. So,<a href="https://datamix.space/contacts/"> contact us</a> today to learn more!</p><h2>FAQs</h2><h3>What Technical Skills Does a Front-End Developer Need?</h3><p>Some of the technical skills that front-end developers need include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other programming language and frameworks knowledge. It's also important to stay updated on the latest front-end technologies and innovations in coding.</p><h3>Which Programming Language Is Used for Front-End Web Development?</h3><p>To create visual components on websites that users can interact with, front-end developers use a range of programming languages and libraries. Programming languages provide developers with rules and syntax to write the code. On the other hand, libraries are pre-written pieces of code that provide developers with the necessary tools to simplify and streamline the development process.</p><p>There are various languages used in front-end development. Some of the most common languages include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Regarding libraries and frameworks, the most common examples include jQuery, React, and Vue.js.</p><h3>What Do Frontend Developers Do?</h3><p>Front-end developers ensure that your site's layout and user experience is top-tier. They will ensure that whenever a client or user lands on your page, they have a good experience and an easy time finding and using different features of your web application.</p><h3>What Are Some Key Front-End Developer Skills?</h3><p>Front-end developers need to be great at problem-solving, have a creative approach to development, and have the patience to go through the ups and downs of coding a webpage.</p><h3>What Questions Should I Ask Front-End Developer Candidates During the Interview?</h3><p>The most important question to ask a front-end dev during an interview is how they can help develop your idea from scratch. That way, you have an idea of how they approach different website applications and whether they can provide you with what you need.</p><h2><br><br><br>&nbsp;</h2>

Founders & Startups: What Is Front-End Software Development?

<p>A successful design sprint is only possible with an effective design sprint team. In this guide, we outline the six critical roles you need to build your next sprint team. The five-day framework of a design sprint was originally invented by Google Ventures to help tackle design challenges before you invest tonnes of money into a project. Startups and founders across the world now use this popular problem-solving methodology, and it’s easy to see why. Design sprints help you shrink months of preparations and discussions into one focused week by bringing together experts from multiple areas and facilitating collaboration through a number of exercises.</p><p>A beneficial side effect of this is rapid decision-making. So, not only will your project launch much faster, but this style of collaborative team building sets the tone for the whole development progress upfront. Tap here to read our full in-depth step-by-step guide to the design sprint and how we use it for our customers. There are two important rules to building an effective design sprint team:</p><ol><li>The team should cover all the critical expertise.</li><li>The size shouldn’t exceed seven people.</li></ol><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/green-article/design-sprint/design%20sprint%20plan.jpg"></figure><p>Below are six critical roles you should include in your next design sprint team:</p><h2>Who should be in a design sprint?</h2><h3>The decider – product manager.</h3><p>The informal leader of the sprint team. Usually, this is a VP of Product, or the CEO of the company. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what the person's title is. But it's the person responsible for the whole product development - the one with decision-making power. Must haves:</p><ul><li>Decision-making power.</li></ul><h3>The facilitator.</h3><p>The design sprint leader. This person ensures that any pre-sprint work has been completed and that the team features all the skills and personalities it needs to be successful. There are lots of moving parts in any design sprint. Between booking conference rooms, organising lunch, taking notes, setting timers and interviewing customers, it can be tough to keep the entire project on track. The facilitator is the organisational force that keeps everything running smoothly during an intense, five-day sprint. Must haves:</p><ul><li>Organisational skills.</li></ul><h3>The customer expert.</h3><p>The one who knows your target customers. This person is the one who spends the most face-to-face time with your ideal users. They should know how to simplify the sales language, slash the jargon and step up to identify your customers' real and pressing pain points. Must haves:</p><ul><li>Past customer experience.</li><li>Ability to converse with client base.</li><li>Bonus: Marketing experience.</li></ul><h3>The design expert.</h3><p>Naturally, every design sprint team needs a talented designer. This person serves several critical roles that go beyond making things look great. They help the team visualise ideas and make abstract thoughts a reality. A great designer also helps the team stay grounded and sets expectations of what is possible and what is not. Must haves:</p><ul><li>Previous design experience.</li></ul><h3>The engineer or tech logistics expert.</h3><p>Some teams may not have an engineer among them, but there are several reasons you should include them in your next design sprint. Engineers are valuable for testing prototypes. They may also produce software, hardware and other real-world product prototypes that can help drive your sprint forward in an effective and streamlined way. Must haves:</p><ul><li>Experience testing prototypes.</li></ul><h3>The marketing expert.</h3><p>Having a great marketing expert on your design sprint team is essential. To get your product under the noses of your ideal customers, you’ll need marketing experience to help you communicate the value of your product to your target audience. Including a marketer at this early stage helps you get your product ready for market quicker. Must haves:</p><ul><li>Copywriting skills.</li><li>Bonus: previous knowledge of the market.</li></ul><p>&nbsp;</p><h3>How many people should be in my design sprint team?</h3><p>The size of your design sprint team shouldn’t exceed seven people. Adding other specialists outside of those listed above is viable, but you've got to remember the bigger your team is, the less time each team member will have to express their ideas and the more effort it will be to facilitate. As an alternative, Google Ventures recommends inviting any additional specialists for short interviews.</p><p>We hope you found this guide useful – why not share it with someone else? <a href="mailto:?&amp;subject=Check%20out%20this%20article%20&amp;body=Hey, I found this DataMix guide really useful and I think you might enjoy it too. Here's a link: https://datamix.space/blog/SWAPME">Tap here to share this article</a></p>

How to build the perfect Design Sprint team?

<p>Design Sprint 2.0 is the unofficial, but most up-to-date version of the original design sprint framework that was invented by Jake Knapp at Google Ventures in 2014. It has been proven to be even more effective than the original methodology. In this article, we go through the main differences between Design Sprint and Design Sprint 2.0 and how you can use the problem-solving framework in your next project. The original design sprint was created to help teams tackle design problems before investing money and time into creating and building. We have a complete guide on the benefits of following the five-day process and how to run a design sprint here. The most notable difference between the original process and Design Sprint 2.0 is that the latter is optimised to work not just for startups, but also for large organisations that don’t necessarily have the time to commit an entire week to the full process.</p><p><strong>In 2.0, there are two major differences:</strong></p><ol><li>The new version reduces the sprint down to a four-day process by changing up the order to make it flow easier and more efficiently.</li><li>You only need the full design sprint team for two of the days instead of the full five. This is specifically designed to cater for larger businesses with senior stakeholders who struggle to clear their calendars for the full five days. Below, we run through each design sprint process to help you decide which one is right for your next project.</li></ol><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/green-article/design-sprint/design-sprint-2.0.png"></figure><h3>What are the five stages of a design sprint?</h3><p>The original design sprint has five steps, and the idea is to spend a full day on each of the concepts.</p><p><strong>Day 1: Empathise/Understand.</strong> Learning and research – take an in-depth look at your idea, and any pre-existing research, reports or data gathered that is relevant to the project. At DataMix, we carry out a lot of preparation work in advance to make sure this session is dedicated to team discussion, rather than research.</p><p><strong>Day 2: Define. </strong>Pick one focus and stick to it. It might be tempting to try and tackle multiple challenges during one sprint, but it's a lot more efficient if you stay focused on the most critical and essential part of your product. Even if you have grand plans for your product in the future – for example, a multi-functional SaaS platform targetting different customer segments – it's important to dedicate the sprint to just one area.</p><p><strong>Day 3: Ideate. </strong>Time for the creative part – bring all your ideas to the table, even the craziest. Note down your ideas on sticky notes and start to visualise them.</p><p><strong>Day 4: Decide</strong>. Discuss all ideas in order to fully understand every idea and see if any ideas intersect. Then, vote to select the best ideas that are must-haves in your MVP.</p><p><strong>Day 5 part one: Prototype </strong>. The must-have ideas should now be visualised in a prototype. At DataMix, this is a job for a UX/UI designer and we don’t expect clients to dedicate the full day to this stage.</p><p><strong>Day 5 part two: Validate.</strong> Carry out a series of user tests and follow up with in-depth questions about your MVP. Gather feedback from users to help guide you in your next steps.</p><h3>What makes Design Sprint 2.0 different?</h3><p>The first thing you’ll notice about Design Sprint 2.0 is that Friday is gone. Of course, you can always use this extra day to tie up any loose ends, but the new version squeezes everything into four days. Two of the days are non-negotiable and remain the same as the original process – a full day dedicated to prototyping and another for testing. At DataMix, those days are completed by our team and not by the client, so it’s even less work for you. The remaining two days are split into two – with one focus area in the morning and a different one in the afternoon.</p><h3>Day 1: Learning and finding solutions.</h3><p>The first two days of a traditional design sprint are squeezed into one day in Design Sprint 2.0. This is to keep momentum and energy levels high and work more efficiently.</p><p><strong>Part 1: Define the challenge. </strong>Start out looking at expert interviews and asking ourselves, “How might we…” This helps teams take a deep dive into the problem they’re trying to solve and get a better understanding of the challenge. This is followed by creating a “passible” map of the product and choosing a focus area for the sprint.</p><p><strong>Part 2: Produce solutions. </strong>The afternoon kicks off with “lightning demos” to help you think about potential solutions to the problem. When you’ve got some standout ideas, start to visualise them in sketches ready for tomorrow.</p><h3>Day 2: Storyboarding and visualising</h3><p>Tuesday is essentially the same as Wednesday (or day three) in the original design sprint process. During this stage, you’ll start to storyboard your ideas individually and then come together to vote on which ideas are going to be used in the prototype.</p><h3>Day 3: Prototyping</h3><p>Day three of Design Sprint 2.0 is very similar to day 4 of the original process – it’s time to create the prototype. Again, this is a UX/UI designer job, and we don’t expect clients to dedicate the full day to this stage.</p><h3>Day 4: Thursday – Testing</h3><p>The final day is dedicated to user testing. This is where you can gather feedback from customers and ask questions to help guide you in your next steps. This video from AJ&amp;Smart talks about some of the most effective questions you should be asking your users in this phase:</p><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/OPJaZ4ZRcp4"><div style="height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%;position:relative;"><iframe style="height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;top:0;width:100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPJaZ4ZRcp4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>Design sprints are brilliant for helping you identify and solve key problems before investing money and time into building your full product. Startups and companies across the world have used the original design sprint to help launch successful digital products. Meanwhile, Design Sprint 2.0 is a great choice if you’re short on time, struggle to clear the calendars of some of the key stakeholders and want to optimise your process even further.</p><p><strong>DataMix develops robust applications from scratch, helping founders, startups and entrepreneurs take their ideas from MVP to enterprise scale. If you’ve got a project in mind or want help visualizing your idea, get in touch with our team.</strong></p>

Design Sprint 2.0: An even more efficient way to run a design sprint

<p><strong>A design sprint is a five-day framework to help you tackle design problems before investing tons of money and time into a project. In this article, we look at this problem-solving methodology in detail and help ambitious startup founders and project managers. We also look at how a design sprint could help them transform how they launch their next project. If you search “What is a design sprint?”, you’re met with blogs on a similar narrative: definition, process, steps and conclusion.</strong></p><p><strong>We wanted to go beyond this, revealing our real-life design sprint process and how you can follow it. In this guide, you’ll learn:</strong></p><ul><li>What is a design sprint?</li><li>Who should use a design sprint?</li><li>Are design sprints only for startups?</li><li>The importance of prototypes</li><li>Step-by-step design sprint process</li><li>An outline of the five-day process</li></ul><p><strong>When starting something new, we often fall into one of two extremes:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li>We focus on the obstacles in the way.</li><li>Or we charge ahead without considering the challenges.</li></ul><p>Both extremes are dangerous, whether you are starting a business or trying to snowboard. A design sprint allows you to minimise both risks by helping you unravel myths and assumptions about your endeavour before you get started. In our opinion, project planning becomes more exciting when starting with a design sprint. Boring RFPs and panning sessions become questlines with a series of creative tasks. And, they give everyone more confidence to do their best work.</p><h2>What is a Design Sprint?</h2><p>Design sprints bring clarity by allowing you to develop a hypothesis, prototype an idea and test it rapidly with as little investment as possible in as realistic as possible environment. <strong>Invented by Jake Knapp from Google Ventures in 2014, design sprints are defined as “a unique five-day process for answering crucial questions through prototyping and testing ideas with customers”</strong> as Knapp outlines in his book Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just 5 Days.</p><p>Google gives a similar definition: <strong>“a proven methodology for solving problems through designing, prototyping, and testing ideas with users”</strong> The primary objective of every design sprint is de-risking and cheap validation. We’re lucky that modern prototyping tools like Figma and InVision allow us to test a product with real users before writing a single line of code.</p><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/design-sprint/What%20is%20Design%20Sprint2.jpg"></figure><h3>Who should use a design sprint?</h3><p>Anyone can use a design sprint – when done correctly, you can apply it to new apps, packaging, business processes or even personal life. But, since we’re a digital product development company, all our examples will revolve around this topic. So, you’re an ambitious startup founder, or you’re responsible for the IT sector in a company that wants to launch a mobile app... Or, maybe you’re a project manager, and your next big project requires you to create something digital. If any of the above sounds like you, keep reading.</p><h3>Are design sprints only for startups?</h3><p>You don’t have to be a newly-established business to be a startup. In fact, once we start using the term “startup” in a much broader way, we can begin to change our mindsets and plan for success. Every time you create something new, you’re an entrepreneur. And every time you’re an entrepreneur, you’re working on a startup.</p><p>This concept is taken from Eric Ries in his book The Lean Startup: “The concept of entrepreneurship includes anyone who works within my definition of a startup: a human institution designed to create new products and services under conditions of extreme uncertainty… I believe ‘entrepreneur’ should be considered a job title within all modern companies…” It’s these “conditions of extreme uncertainty” that makes a startup founder and Netflix’s product manager similar. Let’s compare a design sprint to a spaceship launch. Your new digital product – or startup – is the spaceship itself. And to launch your spaceship, you need a project blueprint, an engineering team to build it and a professional crew to operate it. But what happens if the ship explodes mid-air? This is where a design sprint comes in...</p><h3>The importance of prototypes</h3><p>SpaceX launched 14 Starship prototypes until SN15 was a real success. A prototype is a simple-yet-effective idea: it either works, or it does not. But it answers the question above. If it works, perfect. But, if critical issues are found, you start working on them without risking your crew or cargo. According to classic DS process, prototyping is a Step #4. However, if we come back to the point that you’re dealing with a startup under “conditions of extreme uncertainty”, your goal will be to remove or minimise this uncertainty. You’re looking for what Ries calls “validated learning” - and this is one of the most valuable assets a startup can acquire. In other words, you may not have the resources to do something, but as soon as you know how to do it, it becomes a matter of realisation. Therefore, this is why we started by telling you about the importance of a prototype as a critical tool for running user tests and getting this validated learning. It’s much easier to understand the design sprint framework if you know this. So first, we do a lot of prep work to fully grasp an idea and decide what should be our current focus, then we visualise it into a prototype and finally, we get to hear what users think about it.</p><h2>Step-by-step design sprint process</h2><p>A design sprint is the structured art of bringing together the elements of success of your future startup. Below are three key ingredients you need:</p><ul><li>Fundamentals</li><li>Cross-functional team</li><li>Process</li></ul><h3>Design sprint fundamentals.</h3><p>The fundamentals of a design sprint are the principles and approaches that lie at the core of the framework:</p><ul><li><strong>Design thinking</strong> as a tool for creating human-centric products.</li><li><strong>Agile methodology</strong> for quick and flexible actions.</li><li><strong>Ongoing teamwork</strong> to fully cover all the expertise needed to solve a challenge.</li></ul><h3>A cross-functional design sprint team.</h3><p>Design sprints shrink months of preparation and discussion because they unite cross-functional teams. Using collaborative exercises, a design sprint covers a broader range of topics and often brings new opportunities to the table during brainstorming.</p><p>The side effect?</p><p>Rapid decision making.</p><p>Not only will a design sprint make your startup happen much faster, but collaborative team building also sets the tone for the whole development process upfront.</p><p>There should be no more than seven people in your team and you should consider inviting at least one of each of the following:</p><ul><li><strong>The decision maker </strong>– usually the CEO or VP of Product.</li><li><strong>A facilitator</strong> – someone who can organise everyone and facilitate the sessions.</li><li><strong>A talented designer</strong> – someone who can visualise your ideas and set expectations.</li><li><strong>An experienced engineer</strong> – someone who knows how to test and create prototypes.</li><li><strong>A customer expert</strong> – someone who knows how to speak your customers’ language.</li><li><strong>An expert marketer</strong> – someone who has marketing knowledge and experience in your industry.</li></ul><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/design-sprint%2Fdesign-sprint-team.jpg"></figure><h3>A clear design sprint process.</h3><p>A design sprint is a five-day process, but what should be done on each of these days?</p><h3>Empathise (Understand)</h3><p>This step is all about learning. Take a look at the idea, existing team developments, research and blitz reports created by each specialist. At DataMix, we do a lot of prep work ahead of the sprint, so that during the workshops our team can already discuss relevant questions and be on the same page with our client’s team.</p><h3>Define</h3><p>Define what your main focus is during this design sprint. Avoid trying to tackle everything all at once, as this will make your sprint less successful. While it’s okay to have a vision of a future SaaS platform with multiple functionalities, customer segments and several monetisation models, it’s impossible to try and start everything all together at once. Pick something critical to your customers and essential to be tested during this sprint.</p><h3>Ideate</h3><p>This step is the most creative part of the sprint. Your team should reach for the skies and bring all ideas to the table – even the craziest. Note your ideas on sticky notes or start visualising them in sketches.</p><h3>Decide</h3><p>Discuss all ideas to understand every idea and see if any ideas intersect. Then, vote to select the best ideas that are must-haves in your MVP.</p><h3>Prototype</h3><p>The must-have ideas should now be visualised in a prototype. At DataMix, this is a job for a UX/UI designer, and we don’t expect clients to dedicate the full day to this stage.</p><h3>Validate</h3><p>Carry out a series of user tests and follow up with in-depth questions about your MVP. Gather feedback from users to help guide you in your next steps. It’s no surprise that design sprints are becoming more and more popular among companies of all sizes and in all sorts of industries. Since 2016 when the methodology was published, they have been a powerful tool for teams to identify and work around “blind spots”. We hope you found this guide useful – why not share it with someone else?</p><p><strong>DataMix develops robust applications from scratch, helping founders, startups and entrepreneurs take their ideas from MVP to enterprise scale. If you’ve got a project in mind or want help visualizing your idea, get in touch with our team.&nbsp;</strong></p>

Design Sprint explained: What, when and how to apply it for problem solving

<p>Could an MVP save you thousands of pounds and months of development time? We explore the benefit of minimum viable products for software startups and founders.</p><h2>What is an MVP?</h2><p>In short, an MVP – also known as a minimum viable product – is the most basic version of your product. It has just enough features and functionality to meet the needs of your early customers. But, why would you go to the trouble of developing a basic version of your idea when you could build and launch the full version straight away? After all, it’s important to remember that while some MVPs may be able to be built in a couple of weeks, if you’re a FinTech, HealthTech or Aerospace startup, it may take longer. However, without building an MVP, you cannot test your ideas with end users and investors. Let’s take a minute to explore the benefits of MVPs for startups and entrepreneurs.</p><h2>What is the purpose of an (MVP) Minimum Viable Product?</h2><p>In software development, the goal of an MVP is to allow you a chance to collect essential information about your idea before spending lots of money and time. Launching an MVP allows you to:</p><h3>Gather early feedback from potential customers.</h3><p>With an MVP, you can get your idea under the noses of your customer very early on and receive initial feedback from your target audience. The insights you gain from testing your MVP with potential users are invaluable and allow you to make any necessary changes or adjustments to your product based on real-life customer feedback. For example, you may find that you can remove unnecessary functionality from your app or software or that you should expand on a popular feature or area. Meanwhile, speaking to customers during this early stage could uncover other ideas and push you in an entirely different – but more successful – direction from what you initially thought. All of this could prevent you from making serious and costly errors as you progress with developing your full product.</p><h3>Test your product’s viability.</h3><p>Likewise, an MVP gives you a chance to see if people will hand over their hard-earned cash for your product. Did you know, out of the 9/10 startups that fail, 42% of them say that the lack of market needs for the product was the biggest factor? While you might think your idea is genius, an MVP can confirm if it’ll solve a real-world problem and give you a return on investment. Without testing your product’s viability, you risk wasting money and time developing something that no one will use or buy.</p><h3>Build a relationship with your target audience and potential investors.</h3><p>Perhaps an overlooked benefit of creating an MVP is the fact that by talking to customers and investors early on in your business journey, you can begin to build strong customer relationships – and potentially nurture a community – with early adopters. This is brilliant for when you come to launch and market your product – you have a group of people invested and ready to buy your product.</p><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/MVP-article%2Fwhat%20is.jpg"></figure><h2>Three Key Characteristics of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)</h2><p>At DataMix, we use three main principles of successful MVP development:</p><ul><li><strong>Functional</strong></li><li><strong>Scalable</strong></li><li><strong>Investable</strong></li></ul><p>Sergii Sereda, our Marketing and Strategy Director explains each of these principles:</p><h3>Functional</h3><p>First, you need to understand the basic functionality required to provide a full user journey for your customers. Your user journey should outline everything from when the user initially signs up or logs in right up until achieving their goal/receiving their result. For example, the result/goal could be finding a customer with the help of a matchmaking SaaS platform or receiving a nutrition plan based on your blood analysis. Some steps in your user journey may be done manually and not programmed. But, ultimately, the end user should receive a full experience and – in the end – associate the service with your concrete product. You may want to use a design sprint to help you understand your idea and figure out the end product by mapping out a clear roadmap. We talk in-depth about our design sprint process in this article.</p><h3>Scalable</h3><p>Scalability is something investors love. If you build a scalable MVP, you can demonstrate that you can continue with further development right after the idea is tested and your round is closed. Developing your MVP with scalability in mind makes it easier to support your app and build new functionality that may have been discovered during testing and the design sprint. It also helps you save time on rewriting and code optimisation, which is beneficial for your pocket and much friendlier for the environment. Read about how we are taking actions to code more sustainably here.</p><h3>A quality implemented MVP from a technical point of view:</h3><ol><li>The implementation is as simple and cost-efficient as possible. But at the same time, it should be flexible and extensible.</li><li>Have the most suitable tech stack. Not only in terms of your MVP, but also the future product.</li><li>Take the decision on the selection and integration of third-party services (e.g. Stripe for payments) beforehand.</li><li>Keep in mind that this is not a “rough draft” that has been made in a hurry and will be thrown out and written from scratch after completion.&nbsp;</li></ol><h3>Investable</h3><p>At DataMix, our main goal is to provide an investable MVP for you. From a technology perspective, this means it’s built properly and there is no need to waste investors’ money on rewriting. From a functional perspective, this means you’re able to show users see the value in the product. Founders have a lot of things to prove to investors. And we try and take care of this side of things to make sure that the technology is one of the selling points of their product.</p><h2>How to build a minimum viable product?</h2><h3>Brainstorm</h3><p>Building an MVP usually starts by collecting the general requirements. This is carried out in a series of Q+A workshops, where we talk with founders about their ideas. This brainstorming stage allows us to get a general understanding of the product and formalise all your ideas on paper. It also allows developers and founders to get on the same page and set expectations regarding the functionality of the product. While it might be tempting to charge ahead and start creating a product, this brainstorming stage saves a huge chunk of time and money during the development journey.</p><h3>Visualise</h3><p>Our product managers and designers help visualise your product. We turn it into a clickable prototype, so you can actually see how your product will look.</p><h3>Build</h3><p>When you’re happy with the prototype, our Delivery team prepares the development plan and the journey starts. Our main goal is to have everything prepared beforehand to help make your budgets and timelines predictable.</p><h3>Be Flexible</h3><p>Of course, the nature of a startup means that there may be some changes along the way, but we ensure you have a general direction and clear understanding of your product once built. We try to make it as easy as possible because we know you’ll be spending time talking to investors and getting potential users onboard for launch.</p><p><strong>We've actually created </strong><a href="https://calc.datamix.space" target="_blank"><strong>PRODUCT CALCULATOR</strong></a><strong> to help you understand how your full-featured product may be built and how to optimize your cost depending on your current challenges from investors or market.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/MVP-article%2Fcalculator.jpg"></figure><h3>What we can learn from Airbnb’s MVP.</h3><p>A classic example of an MVP in action is Airbnb. They designed their MVP to get the idea into the hands of users as quickly as possible and test their assumptions. Their assumption was: people would pay to stay with strangers. With their MVP, they demonstrated a market for paid room rentals to attract enough users to the platform. Airbnb’s first website was very basic – it didn’t even have functionality to collect payments. You had to exchange money with the host in person.</p><p>As Michael Seibel from Y Combinator points out: “Everyone tells these kind of magical stories about how everything was perfect from the beginning. Airbnb was not perfect from the beginning.”</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hHMwLxN6EM"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1hHMwLxN6EM" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><h2>MVP FAQs</h2><h3>What is meaning of MVP?</h3><p>MVP stands for minimum viable product and is usually a product that has just enough features and functionality to meet the needs of your early customers.</p><h3>What is the MVP used for?</h3><p>MVPs are used to help startups gather feedback from early customers, test out a product’s viability and gather interest from potential investors.</p><h3>What is the role of MVP?</h3><p>The role of an MVP is to test out a product’s viability and trial an idea before spending lots of money on development.</p><h3>What is an MVP in software?</h3><p>Software companies use MVPs to test ideas and get reactions and feedback from potential customers before launching a full-scale development project.</p>

MVP explained: The real value of a minimum viable product

<p>Software is critical to supporting a green future, but with its carbon footprint rapidly rising, do we need to think greener about the way we code? Below sustainable software developers share their top tips.&nbsp;</p><p>From tackling deforestation to reducing carbon emissions, technology - and more specifically, software - is an integral part of combatting climate change.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Over the last few decades, technology has helped us digitise a huge slice of our everyday lives - reducing our reliance on paper and natural resources.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Many of us have switched to homeworking, which in theory lowers the carbon we use to commute to and from our offices.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>However, an often-overlooked aspect of software’s green story is its mushrooming carbon footprint.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Currently, <a href="https://theshiftproject.org/en/article/lean-ict-our-new-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">digital tech is responsible for 4</a>% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions – and its energy consumption is climbing by 9% every year. &nbsp;</p><p>In 2021, <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q1/turn-off-that-camera-during-virtual-meetings,-environmental-study-says.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">research from Purdue University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed the environmental impact of video conferencing</a> – scientists estimate that an hour of video calls with the camera switched on can emit up to 1kg of CO2 (the equivalent of half a litre of petrol), two to 12 litres of water and damage the Earth’s surface the size of an iPad Mini.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>So, while apps may be reducing our need for a daily (and polluting) commute, software itself is fast becoming a major contributor to our carbon footprint. &nbsp;</p><p>In fact, it is predicted that information and communications technology <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S095965261733233X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">will account for as much as 15% of the total global carbon footprint by 2040</a>. That’s more than half of the worldwide transport sector, to put it into some context.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The core problem lies in the way we develop our software – which is good news because this is something, as software developers and product owners, we can challenge head-on.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>We need to think about the way we design, develop, and deploy if we are going to create software that truly supports our future on this planet.</p><figure class="image" style="margin:auto !important;padding:50px 0 50px 0;width:70%;"><img src="https://blog-files.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/green-article%2Fgreen2.png"></figure><h4><strong>Why should I be investing in sustainable software?&nbsp;</strong></h4><p>Aside from the obvious benefit of a greener, cleaner future, sustainable software has some clear rewards for product owners and app development companies.&nbsp;</p><p>Firstly, sustainable software reduces energy consumption, which in turn can cut down on how much you spend on energy.&nbsp;</p><p>Secondly, green software is designed to be as efficient as possible, which can translate into a higher-quality product that is even more fit for its purpose.&nbsp;</p><p>And, on top of this, a greener application helps to keep employees and stakeholders happy as a commitment to sustainability becomes more of a priority for both individuals and companies.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niRLkXWVsWs"><div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/niRLkXWVsWs" style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></figure><p>&nbsp;</p><h4><strong>How do I develop sustainable software?&nbsp;</strong></h4><p>The conversation about sustainable software has already begun, with thought leaders sharing their insights into how to develop green software.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>We have outlined just a few to get you thinking about how you can become more sustainable in your projects.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Firstly, we spoke with Asim Hussain, Green Cloud Advocate for Microsoft about how we can start to build software that emits less carbon:&nbsp;</p><p>“Reducing carbon emissions of software and making software become a part of the climate solution requires three actions: using less physical resources, using less energy and using energy more intelligently. And the scale of the problem is enormous,” Asim tells us.&nbsp;</p><p>“It is estimated that there are <a href="https://www.daxx.com/blog/development-trends/number-software-developers-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">26.9 million software developers</a> worldwide, and the number is projected to reach 45 million by 2030. At the same time GitHub, the software development platform,&nbsp; estimates that there are <a href="https://github.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">over 73 million developers</a> worldwide, including students and part-time developers.”&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4><strong>Principles of Green Software Engineering.&nbsp;</strong></h4><p>Asim has created the <a href="https://principles.green/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Principles of Sustainable Green Software Engineering</a>, which is a core set of competencies needed to define, build and run green and sustainable software.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The eight principles are as follows:&nbsp;</p><ol><li><strong>Carbon</strong>: Build applications that are carbon efficient.</li><li><strong>Electricity</strong>: Build applications that are energy efficient.</li><li><strong>Carbon</strong> <strong>Intensity</strong>: Consume electricity with the lowest carbon intensity.</li><li><strong>Embodied</strong> <strong>Carbon</strong>: Build applications that are hardware efficient.</li><li><strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Proportionality</strong>: Maximize the energy efficiency of hardware.</li><li><strong>Networking</strong>: Reduce the amount of data and distance it must travel across the network.</li><li><strong>Demand</strong> <strong>Shaping</strong>: Build carbon-aware applications.</li><li><strong>Measurement</strong> <strong>&amp; Optimization</strong>: Focus on step-by-step optimizations that increase the overall carbon efficiency.</li></ol><p>“Considering this global magnitude, it became clear to us that spreading the message of sustainable software—or as we call it, <a href="https://greensoftware.foundation/articles/what-is-green-software" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">green software</a>—is something that a few companies, however big, are unable to handle on their own. It requires a more concerted global effort,” Asim continues.&nbsp;</p><p>“This is why we started the Green Software Foundation. Building green software, and doing it to scale requires the creation of a trusted ecosystem of people, standards, tooling and best practices. The mission of the <a href="https://greensoftware.foundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Green Software Foundation</a> is exactly that.”&nbsp;</p><h4><strong>Our strategy for sustainable coding.&nbsp;</strong></h4><p>At <a href="https://www.datamix.space/about/">DataMix</a>, we’re always looking for new ways we can become more environmentally friendly in our work:&nbsp;</p><p>“We always allocate quite a big chunk of time in terms of any major project release to involve our team leads to help optimize, refactor and review the codebase,” Delivery Director, Maksym Osovitnii explains.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“The main target for us is to optimize the number and efficiency of operations, which reduces our electricity consumption and helps us to be more green.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Meanwhile, as our Technical Director Ruslan Leliushok explains, we use Auto-Scaling when designing infrastructure for <a href="https://www.datamix.space/portfolio/">our software development projects</a> to consume less power:&nbsp;</p><p>“The principle behind Auto-Scaling is to automatically increase server power during high demand/load, to keep the performance at the same level, or to reduce the number of computational resources during times of low demand. In this way, we only use the required amount of processing power at a given time and do not consume more than necessary. It allows our solutions to be more environmentally friendly.”&nbsp;</p><p>In addition to this, we have also become <a href="https://climateaction.tech/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ClimateAction.tech</a> participants, which is a group of tech workers advocating climate action in companies, organisations and industries. The group has attracted a global membership of students, graduates, developers and creatives who work in tech across a wide array of industries.&nbsp;</p><p><i><strong>DataMix is a studio with a HQ in Kyiv. Please support Ukraine in its fight for freedom and visit the Ukrainian Government Initiative: </strong></i><a href="https://u24.gov.ua/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><i><strong>https://u24.gov.ua.&nbsp;</strong></i></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

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