June 2020 - Page 5 of 5

Finance App Ideas For Startups to Consider in 2021

Posted on 06/06/202007/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

Okay, let’s admit. The adoption of technology in the banking and finance industry has changed the landscape by 180 degrees. Fintech, aka the amalgamation of finance and technology, has not solely added convenience to the ecosystem, but has also made it more secure, quick, and profitable. It has offered a new set of opportunities, cater to the needs of the unprivileged audience, and even bring a significant effect on other businesses.

With all such benefits and opportunities, the global fintech market is predicted to grow exponentially and be of worth $ 309.98 Bn by 2022.

This has not just given an indication that the financial global economy is heading towards fintech, but has also attracted various Entrepreneurs and traditional investors to become a part of this space.

[Since we have made a statement here that the global finance economy is heading towards fintech and not TechFin, you can check our blog on Fintech vs TechFin to find the justification of the same.]

Assuming that you are also an Entrepreneur who also wants to be a part of this mushrooming market, but are clueless about what fintech business ideas will rule the space, here we will be discussing 12 different opportunities.

So, sit on a comfortable couch and start scrolling down.

12 Profitable Fintech Development Fields For Starting A Business

1. Digital Banking

The foremost and most important fintech app idea you can invest in is digital banking.

In the past few years, a dramatic shift has been found in the way people interact with their banks and relish banking services. Users no longer appreciate the need to visit their local banks or ATMs for money transfer and other purposes. They rather are enjoying different advantages of digital banking like the ease of making transactions, investing, opening accounts and deposits, blocking cards, adding beneficiaries, and much more with a few taps on their devices.

With these facilities, the concept of investing in digital banking app ideas have grown a huge momentum in the market. The sector was catering only 9% of the online audience in 2011. But, in just 6 years, it became a part of 69% of the online audience. And what’s more interesting is that it is just the beginning! Various factors like Coronavirus are acting as a catalyst for the market growth.

2. P2P Payment solutions

Seeing the rise in the peer-to-peer payment market, looking ahead to how to develop a P2P payment application is also a nice idea.

The P2P payment apps like Venmo, Google Pay, Zelle, and PayPal are providing consumers with an unmatchable facility to transfer money between bank holders instantly – even when registered with different banks and payment systems. They are cutting down the need for any third-party intermediaries or pay any commission fee for performing any transaction.

Also, these fintech mobility solutions are using the latest technologies like NFC and face and voice biometric technology to streamline the POS processing, enhance risk management, and deliver an optimal customer experience.

3. Personal finance management app

Personal finance management application is again one of the best financial app ideas to consider for diving into this market effortlessly.

With consumers getting more conscious about their earnings and savings, these applications are gaining traction in the market;making both investors and startups look ahead to developing a personal finance app.

These applications are acting as a weapon by which app users can categorize their expenses and incomes, and track them in real-time to get a better understanding of how to manage their finance smartly and effectively. These apps, built on the rulebook of how to develop effective personal finance apps, are also offering them an ease to connect all bank and credit card accounts to automatically get the data updated, along with payment reminders. And the best part, the data is displayed in a visually appealing format, which adds to their convenience.

4. Robo advising software

Robo-advising, which is one of the proven ways fintech is attracting millennials, is also a great area for making an investment in the financial application development economy.

These machine-learning driven software are serving users with the finest of personalized and future-centric financial advice at lower costs. They are also analyzing their expenditures and investments to aid them in increasing their after-tax returns. In addition to this, they are adding convenience to the process with minimal-to-no human intervention.

What’s more interesting is that as per a Business Insider Intelligence report, they will be managing about $1 trillion of funds this year and nearly $4.6 trillion by 2022. Something that’s a clear indication that one must pick this among the ample of fintech startup ideas to rule the market in 2020 and beyond.

5. Loan Lending app

Creating a finance app for P2P lending is also one of the trending app ideas that are getting popular in the fintech market.

A loan lending app (also called P2P lending app) acts as a marketplace where lenders and borrowers can connect and cater to each others’ needs without using the product discovery services of any financial institution. On one side, these applications enable borrowers to set the maximum loan rates they can manage. While, on the other side, they let lenders bargain with each other to offer funds at the lowest rate. And this way, get more customers or borrowers.

6. RegTech App

RegTech applications also come into the category of best mobile app ideas for fintech startups.

These mobility solutions help financial companies comply with all the local and global standards. They enable organizations in automating a major fraction of their processes, including customer identity verification, reports compilation and submissions, transaction monitoring and reporting, etc., and increasing the customer retention rates.

A ripple effect of which is that Regtech apps have landed among the top fintech trends for 2020 and are expected to make a market of $53Bn by the end of this year.

7. Investment and trading app

Putting efforts into the process of app development for investment and trading is yet another decision that can make you enjoy limelight in the marketplace.

Users, these days, are showering love on platforms that let them get a comprehensive knowledge of shares, stocks, forex, and funds, and invest in them efficiently. They are paying more attention to applications that gather investment data from different sources and empower them to calculate the asset valuation and make the right decision.

Considering this, if you are eager to invest in stock trading app development, it is advisable that you firstly get a clear idea of the budget requirements. This is so because shortage of money can halt your project, compel you to remove the must-have fintech app development features, delay your app launch plan, and much more.

8. Digital wallets

Since digital wallets are giving users an escape from carrying physical wallets or credit/debit cards, their market is also rising significantly. These applications are offering users the ability to make payment in a few taps or using biometrics, while getting lucrative coupons and offers in return.

It has been forecasted that the digital wallet market will be worth $7,581.91 Bn by the year 2024. Something that is enough to let you know why to pick this among various innovative app ideas for entrepreneurs to step into the financial market.

9. Blockchain applications

Seeing the growing impact of blockchain in fintech , embracing this technology for starting a business is also an undeniably profitable idea.

Currently, various fintech startups and establishments like We.trade, Circle, LAToken, Veem, and PayStand are relying upon this technology to offer a myriad of options to their targeted user base. This includes:

Performing transactions using cryptocurrencies,
Paying for transportation only once they receive an information that the cargo has reached to the port,
Acting as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), where members work as per the programmatically defined rules that tells who their members can be, what business or activity is allowed, and how tokens or funds can be exchanged.

10. Crowdfunding solutions

Crowdfunding is also emerging as one of the most successful fintech startups ideas to go with.

These digital solutions are proving to be one of the best alternate funding models for Entrepreneurs. They are helping them with raising funds for their new or existing enterprises via collective efforts from different individual contributors and venture capitalists.

Currently, there are a limited number of crowdfunding platforms such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter and the concept itself is popular across the US and UK regions only. However, it has been found that these digital solutions are getting traction in the market, and are predicted to have a market of USD 28.8 Bn by the year 2025.

11. Insurtech solution

As you might be familiar with, insurance has always been a co-running business with banking in the finance sector. They have operated in synchronization with each other in various cases. And now, when finance has turned into ‘fintech’, insurance has also come up with its upgraded solution version – Insurtech.

This subdomain, with the incorporation of latest technologies like AI, IoT, Blockchain, Open API, and Machine learning, is enabling insurance companies in delivering impeccable customer experience by analyzing a heap of user data, checking the market trends, understanding user emotions and needs, offering customized yet quick policy comparison options, managing risks, and much more. And that too, without relying upon any third party insurance broker.

Because of this the global insurtech market, which was valued USD 1.5 Bn in 2018, is anticipated to flourish with a CAGR of 43.0% between 2019-2025. Also, many insurtech firms are gaining significant fundings – a real example of which is that WeFox raised $110M in Series B extension funding round.

It is safe to assume that to bring all the technologies and innovations together, the insurance sector will start deep-diving into insurtech mobile app development guides hand-holding them towards digitalization.

12. Crypto exchange platform

Last but not least, developing a crypto exchange platform like Coinbase is also one of the best finance startup ideas to work on.

These platforms are giving users an opportunity to step into the decentralized market by trading crypto currencies for other assets like fiat money or other digital currencies. In other words, they are letting users exchange one crypto currency for another, get crypto tokens in return of fiat money, and even buy/sell their crypto coins. All while enjoying perks like transparency, lower fees, higher security, and faster processing.

Now as you know the types of finance app ideas you can work on, it is quite obvious that you would be eager to learn where to start with. Considering the same, here we have picked up some crucial steps that you must follow to be a part of the future of the fintech industry.

Things To Consider While Launching Your Fintech Startup

1. Define your niche market

As hinted earlier, fintech is a big sphere to explore. Striving to rule the complete finance world at once can be tricky and nearly impossible. So, it is advisable to pick a particular niche among the different subcategories of the market, which are as follows:

Payment and international money transfer,
Mobile banking,
Personal finance management,
Insuretech,
Trading and lending,
Crowdfunding, and
Data analysis and financial decision making.

Once the niche market is decided, do market research to determine the specific audience your product/service will target, i.e, based on age, gender, occupation, and country. This will help you to launch your fintech startup locally first and then, enter the global market with better success ratios.

2. Learn about compliances

When it comes to the banking and fintech industry, they are highly regulated. So, it is must for one to be familiar with all the specifications and characteristics of this highly complex sphere, which includes legal regulations, limitations, laws, and requirements.

3. Find your startup USP

Due to the increasing set of opportunities and profits, the fintech market is becoming competitive day by day. In such a scenario, it has become even more important for anyone coming up with a new finance app development idea to be sure that his idea beats the existing ones. Aka, the idea they formulate is not something generic; it offers a functionality that is better than ever existed before. Something that could become their brand’s USP.

Now, while doing customer surveys and going through different reports would help, it is a profitable decision to invest your effort in competitive analysis. This approach will help you with finding the common success factor among all the top players, their business and revenue model, the pain points they fail to see, and thus, refine your idea.

4. Raise fundings

While you might have some savings with you, there are various fundraising ways like bootstrapping, crowdfunding, venture capital, and angel investment that are prevalent in the market. So, look forward to these methods for raising enough money to make your fintech app idea financially-backed.

5. Hire the right fintech developers

Believe it or not, even the finest idea can’t survive the market without the right team of financial app developers. So, do not keep your app idea confined to you and look around giving it a shape on your own. Rather, look ahead to hiring a reputed fintech software development company.

A team of professionals who have an expertise in app development and have prior experience in your niche subdomain can help you with choosing the right technology stack, revamping your business strategies, coping up with the hidden barriers, and scaling up your fintech app idea. And that without making a hole in your pocket

6. Get familiar with business and technical challenges

Like that in the case of any other startup, there are various challenges associated with establishing a fintech business, especially those associated with the transformative nature of digital technologies. For instance:

Cybersecurity
Integration of AI and Blockchain
Big data usage

So, it is advisable to gather comprehensive information about these challenges as well as connect with the financial app development companies that aid in mitigating them efficiently and effectively.

7. Launch an MVP

Last but not least, do not feel tempted to develop a full-fledged fintech mobile application. Rather, look ahead to testing water with a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) first.

An MVP not only gives you the privilege to enter the market at a cheaper and faster rate, but also helps to raise fundings.

The Fintech market is mushrooming at a staggering rate. Various fintech app business ideas are entering the market. However, not all startups are enjoying the same set of opportunities and benefits of developing financial apps. The pressure to deliver the finest combination of expertise, creativity, trust, and technology is making their journey tougher than expected.

However, by following the aforementioned steps, you can cut down hassles in your path and get into the list of top fintech startups in no time. So, keep implementing them.

Augmented Reality is Transforming the Retail Industry

Posted on 05/06/202005/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

The Augmented Reality market has grown so colossal that predictions estimate its value to reach $61.4 billion by 2023. AR has permeated into (almost) every field which includes healthcare, gaming, entertainment, retail, digital marketing, education, utilities, et al.

When we narrow it down to Augmented Reality in retail, Wikitude approximates that 32% of shoppers are regular users of AR and 73% of smartphone AR users are highly contented with the experiences. Such Augmented Reality retail statistics prove how the market has accepted the technology and is exponentially growing with its help.

But before we move on to that, let’s have a basic understanding of what the disruptive technology constitutes.

A quick explanation of what AR is
The problem with traditional retail marketing
How augmented retail solutions changed the game
Brands that are innovating with AR
What is the future of AR in Retail

Explanation of what AR is

If you haven’t heard of Augmented Reality or AR by now, then this article should help you to creep out of the rock you’ve been resting under. Keeping aside technical nerd talks, the best way to understand AR and what are its benefits by examples.

You might have seen people picking up their phones and walking in search of funny li’l creatures via the Pokemon Go app or making themselves dogs, ghouls, fairies, superheroes and whatnot with TikTok? Yes, that’s AR. It’s basically a superimposition of CGI (Augment) on your phone screens which appear lifelike hence, the term Reality is used.

The problem with traditional retail marketing

Earlier marketing forms needed a makeover with time as so many technological developments and demand and supply for goods were increasing. Retail shops grew bigger, more people flogged in and the system became more organized. Here are some points that highlight the overall issue:

1. Travelling- The latest impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the retail is a ubiquitous example. While in this lockdown phase, people have to stay put and only go out to buy necessary items, there is always a threat of coming in contact with an affected person.

2. Compartmentalization- Although, this isn’t a problem but it can pose as one. Continuing with the above example, the more time you spend going through various compartments for production, time is wasted and the risk of contracting the disease increases.

3. Insufficient items- One recurring limitation of traditional retail business that you constantly face is items not in stock and you don’t find that out unless you visit it. In times like these with limited resources and mass hoarding, the problem has become fourfold.

4. Money to setup- A brick and mortar retail store is always a costly investment. For SMEs, it may mean risking everything that they have. Therefore, no consumer means loss in businesses which results in winding up of the business.

5. Limited working hours– Unlike online shopping, shops have fixed business hours. And during stressful times like these, policies have become stricter. There may be times when you have to search (properly) and choose which item(s) should be on your cart but you don’t get that much time always.

How augmented retail solutions changed the game

The impact of Augmented Reality on retail has been monumental and has added a lot of benefits to the industry. From streamlining the process to making shopping easier for people (both online and offline), AR in retail is a different ball game altogether. Below are the major advantages of augmented reality in shopping that have been commonly observed by consumers.

Benefits of augmented reality in retail

Personalization of user content

Retailers often customize content to meet the best expectations of the customer. You might’ve seen retailing stores filtering out content for you so that you look for relatable items without wasting time. This has been done in numerous ways. Another technology called VR or Virtual Reality is also rendered for enhancement. Together they provide comprehensive AR VR retail solutions.

Ease of trials/tryouts

Waiting for your turn outside the trial rooms can be highly boring and time-consuming. Therefore, there are virtual mirrors where you can simply find out the size of the dresses you like and in a digital screen in front of you, you can see how that apparel is looking and fitting your body.

This is an amazing role of augmented reality in retail. You can also do this in online shopping too. Suppose while shopping for a pair of glasses, the app will scan your face to place the pair on your digital reflection. These types of gamification techniques play a huge role in driving retail sales.

Combines traditional retailing and online shopping

Shopping is considered a fun activity. Now with so many retail stores and a huge population, it becomes jarring at times to shop for the right things. One of the key benefits of AR in Ecommerce is that it replicates the same ‘fun’ feeling of traditional shopping methods minus inventory costs and never ending lines.

Connecting shoppers with printed content

Printed products will not disappear in the future as they comprise a big chunk in marketing. It’s one of the masterstrokes of augmented reality marketing strategy. Have you ever observed how just by holding your phone over a particular picture you get all the information related to it and also similar items of interest? The augmented reality in retail applications helps you do it. Many companies have adopted this. The New Yorker provides quirky animations on the front and back covers of its magazines.

Increasing brand presence and awareness

AR is an amazing tool to enhance a company’s brand awareness to wider audiences. Mobile apps with state-of-the-art AR features will help a brand provide unique experiences to users. The use of AR for retailer marketing strategies gives a lot of leverage to brands to find ingenious ways for interactions creating a tunnel for instant feedback.

Dissipates barriers of language

Although with so many languages around the world, there are still certain barriers but that’s just momentary. With Google Translate AR mode, you can see any of the 40 foreign languages as your native one. Features of AR based shopping apps channelize language(s) in such a manner that it either is region-specific or, with the help of AR and AI tools, helps you understand its services. Even if you use printed catalogues, the AR content in it will guide you to choose the language of your convenience.

Earn better ROI

AR is modern-day technology which undergoes changes frequently, therefore an e-commerce or m-commerce retailer which provides such facilities will definitely earn much higher than the ones who aren’t using it. Integration of AR in the retail sector has become a mandatory trend these days. And nowadays making an AR app is easy and cost-effective.

Improve the shopping experience

This is like the summation of all advantages and one of the biggest AR/VR trends of modern retail. Whether you’re shopping online or offline, a retailer should provide the most interactive means so that you have worthy experience of shopping and would prefer to visit the shop/store/portal/app again and again. Advanced In-Store Experience with digital/virtual mirrors is an important addition which is improving with the passage of time.

Brands that are innovating with AR

Big names in the corporate world are doing pretty impressive work when it comes to business transformation with the help of AR. Augmented Reality benefits for shopping online and offline have been devised quite convincingly by brands to suit the fancies of a user. Below you’ll find a few companies that have etched their names in AR-based applications.

IKEA

When it comes to shopping for furniture and electricals, IKEA is probably the most synonymous name to reckon with. Its AR technology in retail is really helpful for users as it allows them to take their phones and scan a particular furniture piece and then superimpose that into your room’s image. You can do it for your bedroom, kitchen, lavatory, hall, foyer, lawn, etc. This helps you save a lot of time and energy.

Vespa

After downloading the app, you just need to hover your phone over the magazine as shown in the video and a scooter will automatically pop-up. You can customise the vehicle as per your choice. You can change the colours, add/remove accessories, look for different styles, etc. Isn’t this a quirky use of AR marketing?

Topshop

The clothing giant Topshop is a spitting example of creativity with AR. The company in its retail stores has set up kiosks where shoppers will see a digital reflection of themselves and can try out each individual clothing through the reflective image. Via hand gestures, the dresses can be changed one after the other. The whole process uplifts not just an individual shopper’s mood but also people nearby.

Adidas

Since technology is all about innovation, Adidas testifies the statement with its use case of AR in ecommerce. A while ago, it changed the game with the launch of a new pair of sneakers. At ComplexCon CA 2018, the new AR feature made its debut. Users had to download the ComplexCon app on their smartphones, where it would guide them to head towards a destination in order to buy him/herself new kicks. In certain locations there were AR powered signs and the users needed to just point their phone towards it and follow the instructions. This helped them to buy shoes even without contacting any Adidas Originals employee in person.

What is the future of AR in Retail

Augmented Reality is often termed as a futuristic technology, but it is not true. AR has already made its way into all sectors of the retail market. The time is not too far when you will be sitting in the comfort of your sofa or sipping a cup of coffee in the kitchen, wearing AR-enabled glasses or browsing through the Augmented Reality Mobile Apps, shopping for everything you need. Yes, all this without even stepping out from your home!

The challenges in Augmented Reality Ecommerce also need to be worked upon to reach out to a wider range of audiences and retain existing ones. And whether it’s AR in online shopping or offline, there are certain things that need special attention. Aspects such as advertising, localization, incentives and discounts, personal approach, interaction, discoverability, privacy and UX.

An interesting fact about retail is that despite online shopping and M-commerce getting more precedence day by day, 71% of the consumers (buyers in this case) would like to experience VR in a store than in their smart devices. That’s what Augmented Reality does, keep people of both worlds happy.

Continue reading “Augmented Reality is Transforming the Retail Industry”

Dark Mode Designing: A 2020 Guide for Mobile App Designers

Posted on 03/06/202004/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

While operating in the market for a long time, the talks and then the official launch of Android 10 and iOS 13 brought Dark theme User Interface in the limelight. Both Apple and Google have been dedicating their resources and attention to the dark mode since the past one year.

With several ophthalmologists too getting on board with the dark mode initiative, the general user perception is also now inclined towards the adoption of the theme in their digital experiences.

Delivering the users what has now become a norm for them is something that the mobile app designers has to keep up with.

In this article, we are going to look into how the mobile app designers can get started with delivering a dark mode UI design experience to their users.

Table Of Content:

Why should you pay attention to dark mode?
What makes up for an unhealthy dark mode?
How to design dark theme for Android app?
How to design an app for iOS in dark mode ?
Tips for efficient dark theme design

Why should you pay attention to dark mode?

1. An In-demand Trend

Any trend-focused mobile app design company would tell you that for an app to be in trend, it is necessary that it is designed according to the recent market demands. Dark UI is the one design element that has been in-demand since the past one year. And seeing the present situation, it is only going to grow.

2. Health & Wellness

We all have in one or the other point in our life faced the shock of opening an app in a pitch dark night. The light that is emitted is too high and too sudden for eyes. Prolonged use of these apps have resulted in several instances of dry and itchy eyes among users.

Benefits of the dark mode comes into the picture by making it relaxing for users’ eyes to open and work on apps in the dark. It helps solve these persistent health and wellness issues, thus answering why is dark mode popular.

3. Saves Battery

Dark mode app design helps in prolonging the device’s battery life. Google confirmed that dark mode on OLED screens has been a game changer for the device’s battery life. YouTube, at its 50% brightness saves upto 15% more battery life in dark mode compared to flat background.

The benefits surrounding the holy dark mode are too popularized now to be ignored. But what is less talked about are the ill effects of dark mode UI – one that is UNHEALTHY.

What makes up for an unhealthy dark mode?

When reading a white text on black background, iris opens up more and gets in more light and lens deformation develops a fuzzier focus at eyes. This is called Halation or Fuzzing Effect, a.k.a one of the biggest dark mode app design challenges.

Unhealthy dark mode tends to be very harsh on the eyes because of the high contrast and can strain them very quickly.

If your phone or laptop is on highest brightness, you would have felt how straining it is to read the text on the left image.

But isn’t dark mode supposed to help with extending the battery life? Well, to some extent, Yes. However, it only impacts the devices having OLED and not ones with LCD.

In OLED, every pixel gives out its own illumination meaning to show darkness, the pixel must not light up at all. But since most of the OLED panels are limited to 60Hz refresh rate, scrolling makes the pixels light up and because of the slow refresh rate, a jiggly effect is caused.

Users, when exposed to this effect, end up feeling tired and worn out of their digital experience very soon. This event is what brings in the need and prevalence of design for dark themes.

How to design dark theme for Android app?

Google comes with an extensive documentation support that helps designers get started with understanding how dark theme operates on the Android ecosystem.

The tech giant has established four principles that defines the dark UI design and gives a starting point for how to design dark mode –

1. Dark with grey

When designing a dark mode, use grey color instead of solid black for showing space and elevation in an environment with wide depth range.

2. Color with accents

Apply limited color accents in dark theme UIs, so the majority of space is dedicated to dark surfaces.

3. Save energy

When designing the dark mode in products that require efficiency (such as devices with OLED screens), conserve battery life by reducing the use of light pixels.

4. Enhance accessibility

Accommodate regular dark theme users (such as those with low vision), by meeting accessibility color contrast standards.

There are different properties they have fixed in the Google Material Design Guidelines for Dark color scheme and overall mode –

Elevation: In the process of designing dark theme, the components retain the same default shadow components and elevation levels as in case of the light theme. What differs is the illumination of the surface of elevation levels.

The higher a surface elevation, the lighter would be the surface. The lightness is shown through a semi-transparent overlays’ application. Overlays also make it possible to differentiate between the components and see the shadows.

Accessibility & contrast: The background in dark theme UI design should be dark enough to show white text. They must use a contrast of a minimum of 15.8:1 between the background and text. Doin this ensures that the body text passes the WCAG’s AA standard of 4.5:5:1 when added to surfaces at highest elevation.Colors: The dark theme UI must avoid saturated colors for the induce eye strain. Instead, designers should focus on using desaturated colors for they increase legibility. The choice of primary and secondary colors must also depend upon the consideration of both light and dark UI themes.

Light text on dark backgrounds: When a light text comes on dark background, it must use these opacity levels:

High-emphasis text has an opacity of 87%
Medium-emphasis text and hint text have opacities of 60%
Disabled text has an opacity of 38%

States: States communicate the status of interactive elements for dark theme layouts or components by using the overlays. In dark theme, states must use the same overlay values as the default light theme. There are two containers which inherit the state overlays: Surface and Primary.

Surface containers which use the Surface color must apply an overlay which match the color of text or icon. For the surface containers which use the Primary color, the state overlay must be white.

How to design an app for iOS in dark mode?

With dark mode, Apple has revisited the meaning of UI styling and colors in iOS. Let’s look into the changes that Apple has brought to help you with designing for dark mode on iOS 13.

Semantic colors

For standardising the look and feel of the iOS apps in both dark and light mode, Apple has come up with semantic colors for the commonly applied UI elements. These colors do not come with an absolute RGB value, they directly adapt to iOS interface style.

They have also introduced semantic colors for handling the text and overlay color in the dark mode.

System colors

In addition to the semantic colors, Apple has also come up with 9 predefined system colors which are dynamic and supportive of dark system-wide appearance. This means that these colors adapt to selected interface styles like the semantic colors.

Vibrancy and Blur Effects

With iOS 13, Apple has introduced 4 blur effects and 8 vibrancy effects, which automatically adapts to the iOS interface style.

Here are the blur effects in the dark and light mode:

Apple has also introduced 4 vibrancy effects in iOS dark mode typography suite, 3 in overlay and 1 for separator. Here they are:

SF Symbols

Apple, in their Human Interface Guidelines, offers a collection of more than 1500 symbols for Product developers and designers to use in their applications. They automatically look amazing in the Dark Mode for they have been optimized for both light and dark UI.

Tips for effective mobile app dark theme design

As you must have reckoned, the preparations to provide the users a healthy UI experience is something that both Apple and Google is focusing on through their dark mode design principles.

But as shared above, not giving dark mode design theme its fair share of attention can do more harm than good.

And thus, it is important to know the effective tips for dark theme design.

1. Avoid the pure black color

A dark theme must not be of white text on black background. In fact, it can be difficult to look into a high contrast screen.

When you add dark mode to your app, it is safest to use dark grey as the primary color for the dark mode components, as it lowers the eye strain and also it is a lot easier to look at shadows on a grey surface compared to black.

2. Avoid the use of saturated colors on the dark themes

The saturated colors that look great on the light surfaces can vibrate against the dark background, making the text extremely difficult to read.

You should use light tones for they have better readability and they don’t make the UI unnecessarily expressive, which saves unnecessary eye strain.

3. Consider the emotional side of your app design

When you design a dark theme for your app, chances are that you must be aiming for translating the same emotional feel of your light theme design in the dark theme as well.

But it is unwise to do so. Because, ultimately different colors project different emotions. As a result, your dark mode colors will evoke a different feeling. This is why it is necessary to find a common ground emotional set for both your theme UIs.

4. Test the design in both the appearances

Just like how your users would toggle between both the theme UIs at different times of the day, it is necessary to test the app two times of the day to see how it is functioning in different light conditions. And to ensure it meets your criteria.

5. Incorporate dark theme into animations and illustrations

If your app contains animations or heavy graphical elements, you will have to prepare for their adoption in dark theme as well. In case the illustration contains a subject and a background, it would be good to fully desaturate the background colors to help keep the attention on the subject.

With this, you now know everything there’s to know about designing the dark mode version of your app. The next actionable step is to talk to a team of experts who have implemented the UI in applications. You should see this as a way of getting closer to achieving your intent to offer a healthy experience to your end users.

JVM Language for 2020- Choose Kotlin vs Scala

Posted on 02/06/202004/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

“One man’s misery is the fortune of another”. This saying has become true for the JVM world. With the fall of Java – the programming language that entered the market in 1995 and changed the complete story, various other languages are gaining huge momentum. Developers have not only started using those JVM programming languages, but have also proposed them as the right Java’s alternative for app development.

Three of such programming languages that are enjoying limelight in the market are Kotlin, Clojure, and Scala.

While we will talk about Clojure some other day, let’s focus on the ‘Kotlin vs Scala’ battle today.

Here, in this article, I’m going to paint a picture of ‘What’s what’ scenario to help you make a smart and profitable decision of switching from Java to other JVM language on yourself.

TABLE OF CONTENT

What is Kotlin Programming Language?
A Concise Introduction to Scala
Kotlin versus Scala: A Detailed Comparison of Java Alternatives
Kotlin vs. Scala: Which is Right JVM for 2020?

So, Let’s dive into the Kotlin world first.

What is Kotlin Programming Language?

Kotlin is an open-source, cross-platform, statically-typed programming language developed by JetBrains in 2011. It was recognized as an official Android programming language by Google back in 2019 and has reached the latest version, Kotlin 1.4.

[As we have mentioned about cross-platform nature of Kotlin above, you can learn about it in detail here – Kotlin Vs Flutter: Who Will Rule the Cross-platform App Market? ]

The language offers developers with ample benefits as an answer to Is Kotlin better than Java. A few of which are as follows:-

Benefits of Kotlin Programming Language

1. More Reliable

Unlike other conventional languages like Swift, Kotlin has undergone various Alpha and Beta stages before entering into the market. Because of this, the latest version of Kotlin is highly mature, compatible and reliable to operate with.

2. Kotlin’s Higher Development Speed

Kotlin encourages developers to perform any functionality by writing a less number of code lines. This not only enhances productivity but also speed up the app development process.

3. Fail-fast System

Another advantage of going with Kotlin language is that it avails a built-in fail-fast system which reduces the risk of errors in coding.

4. Easy to Maintain

The language offers extensive support for various IDEs including Android Studio. This makes it possible for developers to build solutions on different platforms and maintain them timely.

Because of such advantages, Kotlin programming language has received support from various recognised brands. A list of which is as follows:

Limitations of Kotlin Language

1. Less Kotlin Developer Experts Available

Despite the sky-high popularity of Kotlin, there are only a few programmers with expertise in Kotlin development in the market. This is the prime limitation of considering Kotlin for JVM based application development.

Now, before you find yourself inclined towards Kotlin language, let’s jump to Scala.

An Overview of Scala Programming Language

Designed by Martin Odersky back in 2004, Scala is an open-source language that facilitates a perfect blend of object-oriented and functional coding in a statically typed programming environment. The language was devised to address the cons of Java programming language in terms of general-purpose and thus, can be an ideal Java alternative.

Scala, whose latest version is 2.13.1, is highly appreciated by various reputed brands, including:-

And the prime reason behind this is the following set of benefits it avail.

Pros of Going with Scala

1. Statically Typed

Scala comes with a highly expressive typing system that demands application of statistical abstraction in a particularly consistent and secure manner. Primarily, the type system supports:

General Classes
Upper and Lower typing limit
Clearly written self-references
Polymorphic methods
As a member of internal class and abstract type items
Variable Annotations

2. Concise Coding

One of the prime reasons why Scala is gaining a huge momentum these days is because it is highly concise. The language, when compared to other programming languages like Java, requires less number of code lines to perform the same activity.

3. Highly Scalable

Another advantage of Scala-based development is that it is highly scalable. Developers can merge different paradigms and introduce a vast range of features into the development environment while working with this JVM language.

4. Typesafed Language

Scala emerges as a good resource in terms of type safety. Besides, it enables you to create your own data types on the top of primitive ones and write a DSL for your project.

5. Enhanced Quality

Since a minimum number of code lines are written in Scala environment, it becomes easier for developers to deliver a bug-free experience, a.k.a, get better results from the Quality assurance process.

6. Multi-Platform Presence

Though Scala primarily targets JVM platforms, it can be a good option for creating software that runs on multiple platforms.

Cons of Preferring Scala

1. Difficult to Understand

Since Scala codes are an amalgamation of functional and object-oriented concepts, the information sometimes gets a bit hard to comprehend.

2. Slow Compilation Speed

Another disadvantage of Scala is that it takes a longer time to compile complex codes. This results into slow compilation speed when compared to what is observed in the case of Java or Kotlin.

3. Issues with Binary Compilation

It is not binary compatible with a few versions. For example, a code that is compiled with Scala 2.1 might not compile with Scala 2.11. This is yet another limitation of picking Scala language.

With this, you have gained all-inclusive information about the two JVM titans. Which implies you might be curious to hop over to the difference between Kotlin and Scala to see which one wins the JVM war.

But, wait.

Before we move on to the section where we compare Kotlin and Scala, let’s have a quick look at how Kotlin’s an improvement over Scala, and vice-versa.

Kotlin versus Scala: A No-Nonsense Comparison of Java Alternatives

1. Market Popularity

Kotlin, with support of Google, has achieved success in making its presence dominant in the market much faster than expected. As per Google trends, there’s a surge in searches related to Kotlin when compared to Scala. This gives a clear indication that Kotlin is more in trend than Scala.

But, if you focus entirely on the job posting platform, you will come across the fact that Kotlin is behind Scala with significant numbers.

Likewise, if you check for the developers’ salary for distinguishing Kotlin vs Scala, you will realize that the values are much uniform.

This, as a whole, concludes that both the languages are far popular and liked by the developer community in one way or the other.

2. Ease of Learning

Scala is a powerful language with highly-advantages features and flexible syntax. So, it is quite difficult for newbies to get their hands on this JVM programming language.

But, it is not in the case of Kotlin.

As reported by Java developers in various organizations, one can easily understand basic Kotlin syntax in just a few hours and start coding within 1-3 days. Also, Google introduced free Kotlin courses for Android developers, which again streamlines their journey in the Kotlin market.

So, the winner of Kotlin and Scala war is the former, if the entire focus is on ‘learning curve’.

3. Functional Programming of Kotlin and Scala

It’s true that both languages are known for their functional programming paradigm. But, when it comes to looking into Scala vs Kotlin comparison in terms of functional programming, the former wins.

Scala is more swayed by functional programming languages like Haskell than Kotlin. It encourages the use of functional coding along with some additional features like pattern matching and currying. Besides, the attempt of possible functional programming is more considerable in the Scala environment.

4. Pattern Matching

As already unveiled above, Scala offers better opportunities for pattern matching than Kotlin. Its match statement enables developers to match any type of data, including its own. Also, it shows full support for higher-end and macros types.

A result of which is that Scala is termed as “Java’s switch on steroids” and is considered as a good fit for Big Data processing tasks.

5. App Performance

Though app performance depends highly on the nature of the app, let’s consider an Android application for comparison of JVM languages.

Scala is a good option for employing highly scalable Android app development services. Whereas, a Kotlin-based application will be easy to code and debug. As a consequence, app performance will be higher in the case of Kotlin when compared to the other JVM language.

6. Inline

In the case of Scala, you are required to request the compiler to inline a method by annotating it with @inline. For example:-

@inline final def f1(x: Int) = x

Here, the compiler has the choice to see if the function is actually inlined or not.

But, in the case of Kotlin, the compiler will automatically consider functions with ‘inline’ keyword as inline. It is the developers’ responsibility to be careful with manual inlining to prevent the risk of inlining duplicates. Something that makes developers favour Scala over Kotlin for using inlines.

7. Null Safety Management Efficiency

One of the prime reasons why developers are showing an interest in other JVM languages is that they offer a better facility to handle hate-bound NPEs (Null Pointer Exceptions). So, it is again the main factor to consider while deciding the right Java alternative.

When comparing Kotlin with Scala, the latter’s approach is quite incompetent. One has to introduce null values with the option in Scala programming, which further adds to code complexity.

So, clearly, the winner of the battle here is Kotlin.

8. Operator Overloading

Though Java does not support Operator overloading, both Kotlin and Scala come loaded with this functionality. So, it is again important to consider this factor to know whether to choose Scala or Kotlin for JVM-based development needs.

Kotlin focuses on making a balance between power and readability. It empowers developers to overload the basic operators, but refrain them from defining new ones. This makes it easier for one to understand Kotlin operators (even to novice developers), but reduces the flexibility.

Scala, in contrast to Kotlin, goes with quite a lenient approach to operator overloading. This makes it easier for developers to write more human-readable codes, and thus, makes it a good fit while creating internal domain-specific languages. But, at the same time, it can result in confusion if used incorrectly.

9. Java Interoperability

Though both Kotlin and Scala are interoperable with Java, Kotlin leads the show if you wish to maintain full compatibility with existing Java-based projects and technologies.

Kotlin is designed to be 100% interoperable with Java. So, you can easily call Kotlin code from Java and vice-versa effortlessly. Likewise, you can employ existing Java-based frameworks like Java Server Faces (JSF), and ‘Vert.x’ framework while considering Kotlin for server-side development.

Whereas, when it comes to Scala, accessing Java classes in the development environment is easy. But, it is not possible to call Scala classes in the Java environment, especially when working with advanced features of Scala as they might lack Java equivalent.

10. Libraries and Frameworks

When talking about libraries and frameworks, both JVM languages are doing wonders in the market.

On one hand, Scala – taking advantage of its long span in the market – facilitates developers with a wide range of libraries and frameworks to work effortlessly with APIs and applications. This includes Cats, Slick, Shapeless, Akka, and Play Framework.

While, on the other side, Kotlin has also come up with a lot of offerings in terms of community libraries & frameworks. A few of which are Ktor, Exposed, and Arrow.

11. Documentation

When talking about Scala, its API documentation is simple, straightforward, and well-structured. It offers search functionality and an option to restrict the number of displayed elements with a filter. However, sometimes you might find it tough to search for pages on a particular topic.

Whereas, using the Kotlin API documentation is a bit tiresome. There’s no search function or filter option. However, it comes with a reference which explains all the concepts in a detailed manner (with examples). This helps Kotlin remain in the competition to Scala in terms of documentation.

12. Use Cases

Though both Scala and Kotlin prove to be good alternatives to Java in the JVM world, they come with different unique use cases.

Kotlin, besides Android app development, can be used for web development and server-side development. Whereas, Scala is a good fit for projects requiring a blend of OOPs and functional programming concepts, for Big Data-based solutions, or for operating with complex Machine learning patterns.

13. Community Support

Being in the market for the past 15 years, Scala has a bigger community than that of Kotlin. This makes it easier for app developers to find tutorials, solutions, and other resources related to Scala over Kotlin.

In fact, if you check in Q&A site Stack Overflow, you’ll find nearly 3.8K questions related to Kotlin and 68.5K tagged with Scala.

So, when focusing on community support, Scala beats Kotlin in the JVM war.

Threats and Opportunities in Travel and Transportation from Digital Transformation

Posted on 01/06/202004/06/2021 by Blogs

In travel and transportation most companies today don’t look at customer journeys as a collaborative exercise. They consider their job done when passengers are delivered safely to their appointed destination for their segment. A railway, for example, may only care that it has moved passengers safely from station A to station B. It ignores the fact station B is an airport, and the passengers it dropped off are actually headed to dozens of different destinations.

To deliver real value to customers, companies need to surmount the cultural and technical obstacles to data sharing to create a true transportation ecosystem. The idea of bridging systems, breaking down silos and sharing data with others raises the fear of companies losing their individual value propositions. The reality, however, is that being part of a connected transportation platform will generate more value than it destroys and will create entirely new opportunities for companies that never before existed. What’s needed is a digital enablement strategy.

Looking across a chain of events

Digital transformation is built around an information architecture that enables companies to look across a chain of travel events for an individual customer or package to identify problems, predict the impact, and automatically develop and execute solutions that keep passengers and freight moving.

New services can be built around a platform like this that help companies differentiate their offerings or add value in new ways, through mobile tracking solutions, or by using analytics to improve warehousing fulfillment and distribution. For examples, sensors in a refrigerated freight car that can sense an elevation in temperature could trigger a maintenance request to repair a problem or move cargo to another car before it spoils.

Passenger transportation companies can tap into these same tools to find ways to extend their brands and expand into the multiple modes of transportation available to passengers. Digital enablement helps companies understand the full passenger journey and allows for a seamless approach, even if the company is not part of the entire chain of events. A hotel notified that incoming guests are experiencing delays could offer weary travelers an added comfort or convenience as a way to differentiate their customer service.

Capabilities like this don’t require wholesale integration. They can be developed and delivered through loosely connected systems that share selected data, understand the most important attributes of a customer’s journey, and have the awareness to detect issues, the context to recognize the impact and the intelligence to take action.