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All You Should Know About Bootstrap

All You Should Know About Bootstrap

An outstanding front-end design takes a great deal of multi-functioning properties, easy navigation, and some captivating visuals that enhance the aesthetic game. Building a perfect front-end design that incorporates these fundamental properties is an achievement for every front-end developer.

These properties may appear easy but their execution takes a lot of time, hard work, dedication, and continuous struggle of writing codes. To put an end to this hassle, a genius team of developers came up with a framework that helped ease off the burden in the front-end community. This framework is referred to as Bootstrap.

What is Bootstrap? Why do we use it?

Bootstrap was developed by Mark Otto and Jacob Thomas from Twitter. Initially, it was created for internal use only but later on the founders decided to release it as an open-source product. Then, it served its purpose as the means to develop user interfaces present at all sorts of complexity.

Bootstrap is a CSS framework to create responsive and mobile-first websites. The user range of bootstrap frameworks is quite wide, from independent developers to full-fledged companies, all use bootstrap frameworks. However, the main part of its application is the front-end companies. Ever since its launch, it has been the most famous framework ever developed for front-end developers.

It consists of CSS and HTML-oriented designs for buttons, tables, navigations, typography, forms, image carousels, modals. Moreover, JavaScript plugins are at times also included. The best part about Bootstrap is the liberty it gives its users to develop responsive designs. The designs can ultimately fine-tune to enhance the look of every small and big gadget.

How is does bootstrap help?

Now, let’s talk about the latest Bootstrap 5 and how it helps web developers.

Bootstrap 5 alpha

Bootstrap 5 alpha-1 was launched on June 16, 2020. It took a lot of time to enrich the framework with months of long processes. The official release, however, was at the beginning of May. There have been some major developments that make Bootstrap 5 alpha a treat for the front-end developers. The development team has verified that the latest version of Bootstrap 5 is in the Beta version.

What is the difference between Bootstrap 4 and Bootstrap 5?

1.  Jquery

Bootstrap 4 version coordinates well with Jquery and supports all of its plugins. While, in Bootstrap 5, JQuery has been eliminated and the version has switched to vanilla JS which has fewer functional plugins.

2. Card Decks

In Bootstrap 4, the card decks are employed to develop cards of the same height and width. However, in Bootstrap 5, the card deck class has been taken off.

3.  Internet Explorer

Bootstrap 4 facilitates Internet Explorer 10 and 11. As for the New Bootstrap 5, Internet Explorer 10 and 11 are not supported.

4.   SVG Icon Library

Bootstrap v4 does not have an SVG icon library of its own. While Bootstrap v5 consists of Custom SVG Icons Library.

5.   Gutter Width Unit

Bootstrap v4 uses the font size ‘px’ with ‘.gutter’. As for Bootstrap v5, the font size ‘rem’ is used with “.g*”

6.   Navbar Optimization

Bootstrap 4 contains an inline-block feature and has a white color drop-down set as default for the dropdown-menu-dark class. Whereas, Bootstrap 5 has inline-block property removed and has a black dropdown set as the default in the drop-down menu dark class.

7.    Jumbotron

Bootstrap 4 supports Jumbotron whereas, Bootstrap 5 doesn’t support that.

8.   Utility modification

Utilities can be modified in Bootstrap 4. For Bootstrap 5, the user has a choice to modify and develop their own utility. The user can also use Sass to create the utilities and can also use the utility API of Bootstrap.

9.   Bootstrap Icons

Bootstrap 4 does not contain its own SVG icons and the user has to use a font. While Bootstrap 5 has its own SVG icons.

10.  Grid

Bootstrap 4 grid has 5 tiers such as xs, sm, md, lg, and xl. However, the Bootstrap 5 grid has 6 tiers such as xs, sm, md, ld, xl, and xxl.

11.   Color Options

Bootstrap 4 does not have a wide range of colors; the options are quite restricted. For Bootstrap 5 there are extra colors with variations such as $blue-100, $blue-100 to $blue-900. The variations help enhance the look of the app by staying on the same page. The user can also change the color palette with his or her own choice with the help of a color shades generator.

Bottom Line

There are various reasons people choose Bootstrap 4 or Bootstrap 5. However, we suggest that if you are using React or Vue.js and you are confused as to which Bootstrap you should be opting for, go for Bootstrap 5 and get rid of the jQuery dependency. With an outstanding color palette, RTL, and grid system, Bootstrap 5 can be your best choice.

Web agencies and web developers prefer Bootstrap for it is the most responsive CSS framework and it gives them a variety of themes and libraries. You can choose your preferable version by evaluating your requirements.

Saima Naz

Nov 13, 2021

An overview of Usability Testing

An overview of Usability Testing

Most of the time when a user tries an app, he or she gives it a single try to judge if the app works fine. In one go, they decide whether they want to use the app. If the app does not suit their needs or has issues, the user will not care about the app or the hard work you have put into it eventually, it will be discarded.

Therefore, it is imperative for you to make a smooth and highly functional user experience which is where usability testing comes in. Before we proceed, we need to understand what usability testing is.

What Is Usability Testing?

Usability testing is a procedure that is carried out beforehand to check how the app works with real users.

During a usability testing session, a researcher (also known as facilitator or moderator) asks the participants to carry out a few tasks. Mostly the tasks comprise a certain interface. The researcher then observes every participant while they complete the task and later on, their feedback is required over it.

When the usability testing is conducted, every problem and confusion a participant encounters are taken into consideration. The problems are analyzed on the basis of which designs are critically examined. If more people encounter the same issue, it is suggested to formulate solutions for those usability issues.

What is the Purpose of Usability Testing?

Usability testing is performed to achieve a few goals which are:

  1. Uncover problems
  2. Discover opportunities
  3. Learn about users

Uncover Problems

The first purpose of usability testing is to unveil the problems a participant or a user might be having. The design-based issues are strictly monitored to understand the underlying problem that can be fixed to help enhance the app.

Discover Opportunities

It is certain that when a problem is discovered it will automatically open the door of learning for the user. Efforts are then made to improve the designs to strengthen the overall progress.

Learn About Users

Another purpose that unfolds with the help of usability testing is learning about the users. When your participants perform a task and encounter problems, you will learn their behavior and pattern. It will educate you of the concerns that may or may not come across to your target market when the app or your product is officially released.

Basic Element of Usability Testing?

The entire usability testing activity involves a few important elements that are the pre-requisites of the tests such as

  1. Facilitator
  2. Tasks
  3. Participants

Facilitator

The purpose of a facilitator is to be a guide. He or she is there to help the participants throughout the testing process. They are like an invigilator during the exams who examines students’ moves, their behaviors and keep an eye on them. A facilitator is responsible for understanding the problems that a participant comes across.

The job of a facilitator is to make sure that the test results are valid and high in quality. They have to make sure to not change or influence the behavior of participants which is a tricky job as it is easy to lose this balance.

Tasks

Tasks are the activities that a participant has to perform. They are the evaluation criteria of the app that is developed. With the help of bringing in realistic tasks and how a participant performs them, it is assessed whether the app is worth the user’s time.

Tasks are mostly open-minded and specific research questions are designed according to the app and usability testing.

Participants

Participants are the players in the usability testing. They study the product or the service that is there to be provided and put forward their issues regarding the tasks. A participant’s feedback is extremely important as the whole testing process primarily depends on it.

The condition of being a participant is to be a real user of the product or services meaning that the user must have previously used the products or services in their lives. A participant may also have a similar background to be able to target the user group.

Mostly, the facilitators ask the participants to explain their actions as they performed every task. This approach aids the facilitator in understanding the participant’s purpose, thoughts, and behavior.

Types of Usability Testing

There are two types of usability testing

  1. Qualitative usability testing
  2. Quantitative usability testing

Qualitative Usability Testing

Qualitative usability testing highlights the insights and anecdotes on how the product or service can be used by the users. It is best suited for discovering the problems of the user experience which helps improve the service or product. Qualitative usability testing is more commonly used as compared to quantitative usability testing.

Quantitative Usability Testing

It focuses on the evaluation parameters of the user experience. This usability testing is used to assess the benchmark for the product or services.

There two most important and common metrics for quantitative usability testing:

  1. Task success time
  2. Time on task

Bottom Line

Remember that usability testing is here to give you a user’s perspective for many product-based or app-based issues. It helps you look at the issues differently and ensures that no minor or major errors slip away from the development team.

Saima Naz

Nov 1, 2021

Introduction to Design Pattern

Introduction to Design Pattern

Three decades ago, when the software industry was not as big as it is today, software professionals had to use Alexander’s Principles of Urban Design. This task brought about the concept and implementation of design pattern development.

History of Design Pattern

The idea of design pattern was then adopted by four authors: John Vissides, Richard Helm, Erich Gamma, and Ralph Johnson. By using this idea, they published a book called Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software. In this book, the authors applied the design patterns for programming purposes.

The book quickly became the bestseller because it gave 23 amazing solutions to many software designs. It was named “the book by the Gang of Four” or “the GoF book”.

What is Design Pattern?

Design patterns are like a guidebook to all your repetitive and conventional object-oriented problems. They are developed to provide ease to the developers and the general issues that they come across during software development. These reusable solutions have been obtained by regular trial and error by many developers over a period of time.

Design patterns do not recommend the direct implementation of any solution. They are merely an outline or structure that highlights the properties of the solutions that are required and are designed according to the needs of every developer.

With the help of design patterns, software developers get ease in designing new software easily and efficiently. The prerequisite is to understand the software system that a developer is currently working on.

Design patterns present a common language that can be understood by everyone and communicated effectively for a better understanding. When the team of developers gets the idea of every solution, they are able to perform better and exhibit problem-solving skills.

Types of Design Pattern

The GoF design pattern are divided into three categories

  1. Creational Design Pattern
  2. Structural Design Pattern
  3. Behavioral Design Pattern

1.    Creational Design Pattern

The creational design pattern is specified to the class instantiation or the creation of an object. This allows the designers to enhance the flexibility of their method and reuse the code. To get into the depth of this design pattern, it is classified into class-creational patterns and object-creational patterns.

For the use of efficient inheritance in the instantiation, the class-creation pattern is used while with the help of the object-creation pattern, effectual delegation helps the job to get done.

There are three types of Creational Design Pattern

  1. Factory Method Pattern
  2. Builder Pattern
  3. Singleton Pattern

Factory Method Pattern

Factory Method Pattern is the commonly used GoF Creational Design pattern. This is the design that uses the logic of object creation outside the client and then encapsulates it in a class to form a Factory. It gives the interface for object creation in a superclass that changes the object type that has been made.

A Factory Pattern is used when a developer does not want to hand over the control to accessing and implementation of classes to clients. This pattern provides Dependency Inversion.

Builder Pattern

The builder pattern is used when the creation of complex objects is required that can be in any of its components. It lets the developers create complex objects step by step. This pattern enables developers to create various types and representations of objects which is possible when using the same construction code.

The best example of Builder Pattern is the StringBuilder class in Java. StringBuilder makes possible the creation of a String object. String object consists of many strings and its combination with new String object for concatenation.

Singleton Pattern

Singleton is the GoF pattern that is utilized for the creation of one object of a class only. The developer creates the object inside the class and its constructors are declared private to make sure that the instantiation of the class cannot be done from anywhere else.

2.   Structural Design Pattern

A structural design pattern is only concerned with the composition of class and object. By using the concept of inheritance, interfaces are composed that helps define the method for the composition of the object to get new functions.

There are two categories of Structural Design Pattern

Decorator Pattern

It is a structural pattern that allows developers to link new behaviors to object. They place objects inside special object wrappers that have behaviors.

Façade Pattern

Façade pattern gives a simplified interface to any library, complex set of classes, or framework.

3.   Behavioral Pattern

The behavioral design pattern is specified with building and identifying communication between objects. Their focus is algorithms and assigning and creating responsibilities among all objects. Some of the behavioral patterns include Observer, Strategy, Mediator, Iterator, Visitor, Template method, and more.

Behavioral pattern is categorized into three groups such as

Observer Pattern

Observer Pattern helps define the mechanism of subscription and informs objects about events.

Strategy Pattern

Strategy Pattern helps developers to define the algorithm family and place them in different classes and makes objects exchangeable.

Chain of Responsibilities Pattern

Chain of Responsibilities Pattern passes the request with the chain of handlers.

Bottom Line

In the blog, we learned about the design pattern and their types introduced by the Gang of Four. You may use these to strengthen the basics of object-oriented programming and increase your knowledge of the design patterns.

Saima Naz

Oct 25, 2021

Top Ranking Military Apps

Top Ranking Military Apps

Modern technology has brought a great deal of comfort to our lives. And mobile phone technology has emerged as a windfall for all and sundry in this day and age. When it comes to cellular technology, the significance of apps cannot be ruled out.

In today’s world, apps are ubiquitous and have become an inseparable part of our lives. Even for the military people and their families, some apps have turned out to be extremely useful; they are replete with all kinds of information about the latest weaponry, soldiers, and cutting-edge equipment — all just a tap away.

Therefore, we have a list of top-ranking defence tech apps that are essential for the people on the battlefield. Let’s take a look.

MilGPS

MilGPS is developed by an Australian software developer, Karl Urdevics for SAR personnel, soldiers, and professional navigators all across the globe. The app makes the use of United States National Grid (USNG) and Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) to plot locations on the map.

The prominent features of this military app include the display of real-time locations with and without cellular signals. The app also helps military men to create and navigate waypoints of their choice. It is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and needs iOS 8.0 version or above.

iSurvive

iSurvive serves as the tech-based survival manual for military men as it has a set of necessary information such as signaling, communication, evasion, medical aid, procurement of food and water, navigation, and personal protection. The app contains educational content that is displayed as the survival manual for the users.

iSurvive was created by a software developer in Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) and it is supported by iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone and it requires 2.2 or later versions of iOS.

Tactical NAV

Ace software developers created Tactical NAV as a military-grade GPS navigation platform for military men, first responders, law enforcement officials, and search-and-rescue (SAR) teams. It uses MRGS to map locations with high military accuracy and graphics.

The idea for the development of this app was presented by a US Army soldier when he was deployed in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. Tactical NAV enables the user to make safe transfers, locations, and waypoints via email, Facebook, and text messages. The app is available in iTunes App, Store, and Google Play.

Military Pay

To make transactions easier and monthly budgeting smoother, Military Pay allows military men to keep a check on their base pay and the amount of money that mostly comes into their bank account. What they need to do is enter their information in the app and they are good to go. The app can also be updated when necessary. The app also helps military men to keep track of their extra bonuses such as hazard pay and flight pay.

Avenza Maps Pro

Avenza Maps Pro is one of the recommended apps for military and Intelligence communities all over the world. It is a mobile mapping app used for offline mapping and navigation. The app can be downloaded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) personnel.

Developed by Avenza Systems, a software development company, this app has high-quality tools which allow the user to download maps on offline mode for offline applications. It uses the GPS of the host’s device to provide location in remote areas and without having an internet connection.

The Bottom Line

Military technology is an extensive field that has wealth of information on defence tech, and military-grade apps play a central role in its digitalization. These applications serve as the best battlefield tools that are of great significance in a military environment.

 

Saima Naz

Oct 18, 2021

What is Personal Branding

What is Personal Branding

Branding has always been a business-oriented concept for us.

We have heard people talking about branding as a medium to establish their name in the world. That’s true. But this idea is not limited to businesses only.

In today’s world, anything can be a brand. You, as a person can become a brand if you know the right way of doing it. A brand can be a place like Disney Land or a person like Elon Musk or Imran Khan. Do you know what has worked in their favor? They know the art of personal branding.

First, let’s discuss what is personal branding

What is Personal Branding?

Personal branding is the practice of marketing yourself in a way that gains you recognition. With the help of personal branding, you become a household name if you stick to the reputation and impression you have created.

KFC was originated in 1952 and to date, it is the name everyone in the world is familiar with. Yes, it is due to the quality of the food they have worked on but also the how they have branded themselves all these years.

If I ask you what is that one thing you want to be remembered for?

Even if there is one thing that comes to your head, maybe you can work on it for your personal branding. Personal branding is a combination of your skills, experience, and how you promote yourself. All of these properties combined can make you bring your or your brand into a leading light.

You do not necessarily have to own a business to initiate your personal brand. You can use your personal story or what inspired you into going big. It is the online world and all you need are smart strategies and a sense of creativity to brand yourself in a magnanimous way. It is a slow process but it is worthwhile.

Why is Personal Branding necessary?

1.      Builds your audience

With the help of personal branding, you gain a larger audience that you or your brand requires. How can you do it?

You may start by making Facebook ads, create videos that promote you or the services your brand provides, and so on. Make the best use of content marketing to win in the digital world, this alone can help you earn a larger audience.

2.     Gain recognition

The purpose of personal branding is to gain recognition. Marvel Cinematic Universe, Justin Trudeau, Titanic, Game of Thrones, Roger Federer. These are some of the countless names everyone knows of. Although they are different in every way. Their agenda, their profession, their idea, their genre, all have probably nothing in common. But everyone knows them.

They have created awareness about themselves. They have worked hard on personal branding for people to know that they are the big shots. Your objective, your stance, and your agenda are one of the few things that will set you apart and give you the recognition you truly deserve.

3.     You are easy to find

Personal branding increases your reach and allows you to be found by the audience.

It helps our audience reach out to you and avail your services or understand what it is for them to learn from. Even if the world knows who you are yet they do not know how to find you indicates that you have not touched the finish line.

Take personal branding as a tool to let people connect with you, understand your objective, pay attention to you, and get inspired.

As much as personal branding is imperative, there are myths are surrounding the idea of personal branding that prevents people from practicing it. Let’s discuss a few myths about personal branding and bust them to empower you to go for it.

Myths about Personal Branding

1. Personal branding being famous

There is a misconception that everyone’s objective is to get famous via personal branding. It is not like that; you do not become a celebrity by personal branding. It just helps you achieve your respective goal. You can influence people and keep your privacy intact.

2. It is unnecessary

Some people believe that skills alone are enough and you do not have to promote yourself. Well, this is not how the world works now.

Skills alone are the half-won battle. People must be aware of your skills or what you have to offer and personal branding enables you to achieve that. When people talk about you or your brand behind your back, that’s when you know how important it is to educate people about you or your brand.

3. It’s a hype

If you believe that personal branding is a new trend in the market that will die down with time, you need to recall a few names such as Charlie Chaplin, Elvis Presley, or a historic event such as World War. These names are even older than you and I are but people know about them. Why? Because they have been planned and branded this way.

In a nutshell

Like every other job, building a personal brand is not a piece of a cake too but if you do it right with the right intentions and planning, you can achieve your desired goal through it. Stay focused as to what you want out of your personal brand and work on it, you will certainly get there.

Saima Naz

Sep 10, 2021

Why is Vue.js a popular framework?

Why is Vue.js a popular framework?

The JavaScript ecosystem is awash with options, with several reliable web development frameworks and libraries to choose from. One of these frameworks is Vue.js, which is gaining considerable traction these days.

There are tools such as frameworks that are available for developers’ ease, paving the way for a strong development process. Simply put, the language is a building block and the framework is the architecture. It helps developers’ lives easier and allows them to build the structure and maintain it well.

You must be familiar with the JavaScript framework and market trends. The main in the list of JS framework is React and Angular. Additionally, Vue.js is one of the core JS frameworks that have shown substantial progress of 229% in the span of a few years.

If you are interested in learning about Vue.js, this blog is the perfect place for you to be. So, let’s get started.

What is Vue.js?

Vue.js was developed in 2014 by Evan You with the help of different ideas from other frameworks.

Vue.js is one of the popular frameworks for JavaScript that is designed to create web interfaces and one-page applications. Vue.js is used for both desktop and mobile app developments by making the use of the Electron framework.

Vue.js is the preferred front-end tool as it has a JS base and the HTML extension to make it superior to others. It is used for constructing frameworks and to build user interfaces. Vue.js was built with the idea of making it completely adaptable, unlike the rest of the monolithic frameworks available.

Its main library highlights the view layer only and it presents an easy pathway to be incorporated with the rest of the libraries or pre-existing tasks. Vue smoothly runs a Single-Page application that is combined with modern tooling and supporting libraries.

This framework has a unique name to it, Vue, which sounds like the English word “view”. It has been named this way as the view depicts the UI of an application and the library of Vue.js has its major emphasis on the view layer by default.

Why is Vue.js important?

There are many factors behind the much-acclaimed popularity of Vue.js. However, the basic reason is that Vue.js offers a simple and smooth development process. Not only that, the learning curve increases twofold with the help of the framework.

Vue.js is considered easy and flexible with high efficiency. It has a wide variety of genius tools along with the Vuex (a state management pattern) and routing possibilities (Vue Router).

The framework gives an amazing speed to the development with the help of easy and plugins that are ready to use. This enables it to be a problem solver and stay cost-efficient for product development.

Let’s take a detailed look as to what are the highlighting factors of Vue.js?

What makes Vue.js a go-to framework?

1.     The ecosystem

The ecosystem of Vue.js is formulated quite clearly. This presents as a huge benefit to the developers who use this framework allowing them to pick a solution for every problem diligently. Now, developers do not have to waste their time in choosing the right and effective framework as Vue.js is readily available.

Although the main focus of Vue.js is the view layer, however, by using Vuex, Vue CLI, Vue Router, and Vue Test Utils, it offers a great deal of solutions to basic development concerns. It not only provides higher speed to the developers but also joins projects together.

The ecosystem of Vue.js is also adaptable that enables it to be an excellent choice for all your development tasks.

2.    Easy framework

Developers prefer Vue.js because it is the easiest one to learn and practice. Developers tend to start learning from this framework and once they get a good hang of it, they master it like a pro.

All one needs to do is get some JavaScript lines to start with a bit of HTML. Vue.js polishes developers’ skills by enhancing the potential of every learner and transforming them into one amazing development team.

3.    For AngularJS and ReactJS

Vue.js was built with the idea of overcoming the weak points of AngularJS but when combined, it was discovered that it is the best and the desired attribute for the two: AngularJS and ReactJS.

With the help of Angular, Vue.js helped enhanced the syntax in the ongoing projects, and React gave Vue the finest approach, a speedy and efficient performance, component-based method, and the most important part is the understanding of the crucial aspects of the management of apps and web development.

4.    Time-efficient

Vue.js saves the time of developers. With the help of Vue CLI, a system that is built to support the Vue Cire Team which assists in time reduction of the procedure.

Vue CLI’s third version is a different world. It assists the project by providing solutions to the set of question regarding the project that helps the app development to be right on schedule.

Bottom Line

Developers have always given positive feedback about Vue.js. They say that it is a fun and brilliant framework that strengthens the development. The learning curve of this framework has enabled developers to be the best in their game.

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Saima Naz

Aug 24, 2021

Role of Business Analyst in an IT Company

Role of Business Analyst in an IT Company

To cater to the needs of an IT business, it requires legions of professionals to be able to execute the needful. As the IT industry is growing, working with other companies, and taking care of a big international clientele, there have to be experienced people on board to strengthen the efficiency of the business and generate maximum revenue.

One such role includes Business Analyst in an IT company. First, let us understand who business analysts are, why you need them in an IT sector, and how they help in the betterment of the systems and operations.

Who is a Business Analyst?

BA or Business Analyst is essentially involved in taking care of the structure of the business. BA plays the role of a mediator between the business requirements and IT to help enhance the overall productivity of the IT business.

Business analyst in an IT company improves every product, service, or process with the help of software applications by analyzing data properly. When the gap between IT and the business is efficiently bridged, that’s where the BA is applauded.

Moreover, BAs are also responsible for the proper employment of software applications and the latest technology tools to upgrade entire business operations and structure. This helps in the transformation and evaluation of the challenges the business may face in the future.

What is the Role of a Business Analyst?

1.     Research

A Business Analyst conducts research and executes them to understand and achieve business goals. This includes the research of developing prototypes, your market competitors, the documentation, the analysis of the documentation, and coordinating with the experts responsible for the project.

With a whole lot of necessary data and research, they gather the information and arrange the meetings with the stakeholders such as end-users, senior management, sponsors, and customers.

2.    A link between developers and stakeholders

A business analyst is a link between developers and stakeholders. At times, they run the team of developers and work as the lead to deal with the projects’ stakeholders in an IT company. A BA’s job description is also to assess every requirement and demand of the stakeholder and to understand the bigger picture in order to comprehend product specification and what has to be delivered as the end result.

They are the source that needs to get the raw information from a customer or a client and carry out surveys and interviews to deliver what is required from the team.

3.    User acceptance test

Business Analysts are sometimes not part of the final testing of the product as software testers are on board to carry out the test. The result of the test ensures the life of the product and if it can flourish for the benefit of any IT company.

At times, business analysts also take care of the user acceptance test in software development projects to highlight the user support and management on the project.

4.    Preparation of documents

Once business analysts understand the requirements of the project, their next step is to prepare formal written documents. When the document is prepared, it is shared with every stakeholder to ensure transparency of the process.

How you present what you create is equally important to its creation. Hence, BAs act as the greater benefit when they have the understanding and expertise of presenting the end product correctly to the client.

5.     Coordination with Developers

When the project initializes in an IT company, it first goes to the stakeholders who establish their requirements and expectations from the project. Once the requirements are approved, the business analyst coordinates with the developers to give them a better idea of what needs to be done.

For developers in an IT company, BAs are the guide to take the help from in the whole process. They ask them questions and discuss their queries for further clarity of the task.

6.    Evaluation of the process

One more thing that falls into a business analyst’s job description is to supervise the business process. The features, functions, requirements, domain, and more are the important fields that need a business analyst’s attention.

BA introduces new tools and features in the business resources to modify the process. This implies that an IT business analyst can enhance, modify, and amplifies the project execution if he or she knows how to introduce new features and how to make smart use of the pre-existing ones.

7.     Multiple projects

IT business analysts work on more than one project at a time. They supervise multiple projects and expand their system by dipping their toes into various tasks simultaneously. They handle the larger scope of the business by participating in the pre-project analysis and help provide the opportunity for strategic addition to the process.

Bottom Line

If you plan to pursue a business analyst career path, we hope that these guidelines have proved to be of great help for you. IT business analysts can offer you great professional growth. All you need is a great place to start and correct guidance.

Saima Naz

Jun 18, 2021

Git Branching Model: Types, Pros & Cons

Git Branching Model: Types, Pros & Cons

Git is the finest tool that provides a great feature on the virtual front. It controls the information for the code of when and how they can be properly kept. Git is presented as a distributed tool and can allow you to get the bonus changes upon collaboration with a series of repositories.

What is a Git Branching Model?

A git branching model outlines the branding strategy Git entails. It explains how and when a developer can make alterations according to their needs and connect them to your codebase.

Git branching model showcases the simple tricks to accelerate the process of feedback delivery to developers. The major purpose of the Git branching model is to develop the patterns that are designed to conquer the challenges that you can construct with Git.

Types of Git Branching Models

Here are some of the Git branching models along with their pros and cons.

1.      Git Flow Branching Model

Git Flow consists of two essential branches:

  • Main branch or Master branch
  • Development branch

The main branch acts as the production branch. The code placed in this branch is considered to be the most stable.

While the function of the development branch is to integrate all the changes that are required in the system. First, the code is tested, and then it is merged with the main branch.

The branching strategy you choose decides the supporting branches that will be involved in the process such as release branches, feature branches, and hotfixes, to name a few.

Pros of Git Flow

The Git Flow is the best model for the development lifecycle as it assists in the stability of a release. This allows the developers to follow a pattern that is specifically designed for each. The trick is to keep the development branch and main branch separately for the safety of your production code.

Cons of Git Flow

Since there is no association of the branches, it gives a troublesome history to comprehend the cause of issues that may occur. It creates problems for the developers as Git Flow complexity takes quite some time in the merging process even if fewer merge conflicts are causing the delay in the release.

2.     GitLab Flow Branching Model

GitLab Flow highlights the future-oriented development procedures.

What sets GitLab apart from the Git Flow branching model?

The main difference that helps differentiate GitLab from Git Flow is the issue tracking feature and the environment it is set in.

In GitLab Flow, the main branch is the base branch. To work on codes, the developers have to utilize the feature branch. This further proceeds with the pull request when the task is complete. When it is approved, the changes are then merged into the main branch. Subsequently, they are taken out in the environment for testing purposes.

Teams who make use of the GitLab model require a pre-production environment, staging area, and post-production environment.

Pros of GitLab

GitLab is the safe haven for premature codes as it allows us to keep them separate. This presents as a huge advantage, unlike Git Flow where the history is cleaned.

GitLab helps in ruling out the issues in the main branch in case of finding them out in the production phase.

GitLab gives complete transparency between code and the issue tracker. This allows in detecting errors and keeping a record of the history.

Cons of GitLab

With the variety of environments in the GitLab, it gets a little tricky to implement CI/CD. Hence, when the code goes through a multitude of staging areas, the delay in the release is expected.

3.    GitHub Flow Branching Model

In simpler terms, GitHub Flow is a more straightforward and easier version of Git Flow. It is best suited for smaller groups as is there is no task for the management for several environments and versions.

The process begins with the main branch that is checked by developers to perform their respective tasks. Once the change is complete, it opens up a pull quest, the work is assessed and, on its basis, it is merged back to the main.

The GitHub flow branching model has similar properties as the trunk-based development.

Pros of Git Hub flow

GitHub is easy and quite light which helps in the workflow for CI/CD. It is perfect for smaller teams because they are mainly automating, testing and operating in a single branch. Since the work is essentially done off the main branch, it helps in tighter controls and testing.

Cons of GitHub Flow

Every change is merged into the main branch due to which, there is a risk of production staying unstable.

For bigger teams, this model can get costly for the merge because when everyone merges into a single branch, the transparency of other team member’s work is greatly compromised. Therefore, to make up for it, a big team uses tagging that enables the developers to understand the stability measure. However, with time these tags become confusing and outdated.

In a nutshell

Git has proven to be extremely useful in the past couple of years for some solid projects that require a great workforce and a strong branching model for understanding. It is hoped that the basics of Git branching model and its types serve the best purpose in your development journey.

Saima Naz

Jun 9, 2021

Machine Learning in iOS

Machine Learning in iOS

Machine learning is an integral element of today’s technologically-driven world.

It has become a source of making programming scalable in a way that helps developers in the perfect production of apps and users to make the most of the high-tech systems.

But first, let’s take a look at what machine learning is.

What is Machine Learning?

Machine learning is the use or implementation of artificial intelligence in which the machine or computer learns the behavior of past activities and predicts future actions accordingly. Without following specific instructions, machine learning makes use of an algorithm that helps in analyzing the data and form the regular patterns of the data.

Basically, it is the application of artificial intelligence-based systems that allows automatic learning and enhances the system without having to be individually programmed for the purpose. The advancement and development of computer programs with which the data is easy to access and can be learned are possible via machine learning.

The learning cycle of machine learning depends on how well the data has been observed and consumed. The data may include a list of instructions, regular data patterns, and experiences that enable in contemplating and making a decision itself. The objective of machine learning is to ensure that the machine learns and performs an action without any external human assistance or adjustments.

Machine learning is as diverse as primary learning is. There are methods of machine learning based on their algorithms, such as

Supervised machine learning algorithms
Unsupervised machine learning algorithms
Semi-supervised machine learning algorithms
Reinforcement machine learning algorithms
1.     Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms

These are the algorithms that learn from past experiences and implement them in developing new data with the help of labeled instances for future events. This learning algorithm makes predictions for future outputs simpler. The targets are then associated with the input for the effective results. The output is also capable of comparison to find the accuracy of the results and modify accordingly.

2.    Unsupervised Machine Learning Algorithms

The unsupervised machine learning algorithm is used for non-labeled or non-classified data. It learns the raw structures of unlabeled data to deduce the results. It cannot comprehend the exact output however, this algorithm studies the data set and draws conclusions based on the data sets of hidden raw structures of the unlabeled data.

3.    Semi-Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms

A semi-supervised machine learning algorithm is a mix of supervised machine learning algorithms and unsupervised machine learning algorithms. This is the type of hybrid category of the two as it uses both labeled and unlabeled data for the training.

The systems based on this algorithm can invariably enhance the precision of unlabeled data. Although, obtaining unlabeled data does not need external resources, but semi-supervised learning is preferred in cases where labeled data demands the use of solid resources for their training and learning.

4.    Reinforcement Machine Learning Algorithms

The reinforcement machine learning algorithm is special as it provides a learning method where a connection is maintained between error or rewards and actions. The highlighted feature of this method is the trial-and-error search and delayed rewards.

This algorithm enables all machines and software agents to automatically figure out the correct behavior of the context to capitalize the overall performance.

Applications of Machine Learning

There are many mainstream and trending applications of machine learning in today’s world. Let us discuss a few.

1.     Speech Recognition

When you are browsing on the search engine, it also gives you a choice to search by speaking up that comes under the banner of “Search by Voice”. This feature falls into the category of speech recognition. It establishes a process of converting your speech to text.

The latest trends such as Cortana, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri are marvelous examples of speech recognition technology that follows voice instructions and performs the desired functions.

2.    Self-Driving Cars

You may have come across the images and the idea of self-driving cars which is as thrilling as it sounds. Machine learning greatly contributes to self-driving cars. It is the unsupervised method of machine learning algorithm that has made self-driving cars an exciting reality. The methods train cars and distinguish every object and person on the drive. Tesla is one the finest examples of self-driving cars that the world is aware of.

3.    Image Recognition

The identification of people, places, objects, digital images, and more is a form of an image recognition system. When your phone unlocks itself once it recognizes your face is one of the daily life examples of image recognition. Moreover, when you post a picture on social media with a friend and it automatically generates tagging suggestions with names is how the primary step of the image recognition algorithm works and that is commonly known as face detection.

4.    Traffic Detection

Machine learning has made it easier for you to know if your required route to a destination will face traffic. It predicts the recent traffic situation of the place you want to go to and shows you the correct and shortest route on Google Maps.

It also tells you the duration to reach the destination, slow-moving or heavy traffic with real-time locations, and the average time that has been consumed in the past days.

In a Nutshell

Machine learning has made our lives easier in many different ways we were not aware of. So far, we had no idea how much of our lives’ technological use depends on machine learning. With this blog, however, we hope that you have gained insight into this domain.

Saima Naz

Jun 1, 2021