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An app development framework that is making a strong impact in the market is a software development kit named Flutter. Flutter is a part of Google’s long-term vision in creative expressivity for design, design tools involved, it defines the true meaning of using a few lines of codes in numerous ways platform for interactive content. Mr Matias Duarte, Google, VP of Design has tweeted:
“Google is committed to making our digital worlds more usable, beautiful, delightful. Not just for ourselves, but Google wants to help you bring the worlds of your imagination to digital reality.”

​What is Flutter?
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Flutter is an open-source mobile application development SDK (Software Development Kit) created by Google. It can be used to develop high performance, high fidelity hybrid applications for mobile devices, tablets running operating systems such as Android and iOS, it is more importantly the primary method of creating applications for Google Fuchsia which is also open source. The keyword here being “open source software” for which the original source code is made freely available.
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It is Google’s first portable UI platform or toolkit for designers, developers and creative coders to building aesthetic, natively compiled, easy access applications and digital content across all platforms, be it mobile phones, smart watches, car systems, web applications, tablets, televisions and desktop/ laptop  from an original single codebase for an ambient computing world. It enables smooth and easy cross-platform mobile app development for Android and iOS platforms; all you need is a single code base and ability for performance on any device or platform.
 
Flutter’s Framework Architecture

Flutter is free and open-source (original source code is made freely available). The basis of which is Dart (a programming language which is fast and focus oriented, tart like a dart. Flutter apps provide a look and aesthetic feel without compromising on ease of access, navigation and developers own custom app design. This means you can choose what you want to see regardless of platform or device limitations.
Let us see what the framework comprises of to begin with:

Dart Platform
Flutter apps are written in the Dart language. They make use of “many of the language’s more advanced features running on just-in-time execution engine”. Fast developer experience is what each one is looking for without compromising the quality.

The Power of Flutter, It’s Engine
Flutter’s engine is primarily written in C++. It provides a low-level rendering support using Google’s Skia graphics library. The Flutter Framework gives access to a new, responsive framework with a varied set of platforms, track layout and foundation of building new and optimised widgets. Google Fonts is also available on Flutter. Can you imagine 34 Trillion fonts to start with?

Basis of the Foundation Library
The Foundation library in Dart, provides backward compatibility in order to supporting future designs and functions. APIs and numerous interfaces to communicate with the primary engine. It’s a “build as you grow approach” which makes it stand out easy and ergonomically.

The Motto is Simple- Everything is a Widget
Flutter has an in-depth collection of visually appealing, structurally balanced, interactive library of widgets. This feature enables developers to build UIs (User Interfaces) more quickly and easily.
Also do not forget, most UI is basically text; WYSIWYG is an acronym for “what you see is what you get.” But more than the seeing part of it, Flutter is all about the feel, aesthetic, design part of it. It allows updated code assimilation into ongoing Dart Virtual Machine, enabling quick reflection of the Accessibility, Basics, Material Components and Interaction Models in line with styling and text.

Benefits of Flutter
Now, let’s take a look at some of the advantages that mobile app owners obtain by using Flutter for their app.  

Multi-Paradigm Programming Architecture
Essentially, Flutter follows a multi-paradigm programming architecture (Functional, Event driven, Reactive, Imperative, Declarative, etc.) where the UI contents are updated automatically when the variables in the code are updated speeding up time considerably.

Editing
You can change the logos, buttons, each and every pixel on screen can be controlled, changed, tweaked, replaced in real time basis. 
 
Faster Code Writing
For developers, Flutter presents the opportunity for faster and more dynamic app development. Keeping in mind, simplicity to make changes into the code and reflecting as you type in real time basis. Google calls it Hot reload. It gives developers the freedom to add new features and fix bugs in a ‘type as we speak and see as you type’ manner. With added speed and flexibility, an app can take 2-3 months starting from scratch and every step can be visualised like walking with a flashlight in the dark.

Flexible Framework
The framework is extremely flexible from the word go, as it offers a library of scalable widgets that incorporates dynamism for the developer’s advantage. Developers can tap into their artistic side for app designs with ease.

Two Platforms One Effort
Only one codebase is written by the developers for both, Android and iOS platform – the same app can be deployed on two platforms.

Testing
Since Flutter can be deployed on both platforms, the effort for testing also reduces. Quality Assurance will need to do less work as they have only one app to check.

Flutter in 2020 and Beyond – How is Flutter Going to Evolve?
How many of you care about your app size? Developers, users, anyone?  If you remember the term used at the start (hint: Less is more), we do care about giving away our storage capacity across devices. Flutter enables you to save space and time.
Flutter makes it a cakewalk for app development and allows developers to focus more on the user and less on the device. It enables team contribution as it is open source it is bound to grow every single minute of so many developers, engineers and artists across the paradigm contributing to Flutter. Beautiful, Fast, Open, Productive are the four pillars of Flutter. Google plans to invest more in terms of control, performance and fidelity.

Flutter allows you to attach wings to your imagination. Flutter is the canvas on which designers, developers can let their ideas, colours and thoughts flow to create an artistic digital masterpiece, every day. If you wish to understand Flutter better or deploy it in a mobile app, you can contact the App Scoop Vancouver Mobile App Development Team.

​Most companies in the business world are taking a leap towards imbibing a digital strategy for their company. In these competitive times, it is difficult to stand out and get noticed. But don’t worry, the super power of the internet will help you carry out a competitive analysis that can help you pace ahead of your competitor’s digital marketing strategy. Let’s go through a step-by-step process on how to build your digital strategy. 

Identify Your Competitor’s
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The first step that you need to do is identify who your competitors are on a granular and general level.
General level of identifying is to see the ranking of your competitor’s on Google. Different brands position themselves differently and have different keywords that they use – for example, ‘influencer marketing’ will rank different than ‘marketing gurus’, etc. You need to identify the key word, in this case, ‘marketing’; so that you can understand the industry’s sub-sectors and major players that fall within them.
Granular level of identifying is to explore more about competitor’s in your industry and checking up on how your digital strategies are compared to theirs. You need to note things like where they are driving traffic from, top sources of referring traffic and your competitor’s competitor. 
“SimilarWeb can be used as a Chrome plugin that will give you a website’s traffic and engagement statistics. You can see the sources that are bringing users to that site. You can also see direct competitors by choosing your industry, and find the list of websites that are getting the most traffic.”

Conduct a Competitor Audit

One of the key components of creating a digital strategy is to mark the competitor’s online presence against your own. This doesn’t mean that you need to check the number of followers or likes; but to note the following points:

• Type of content created
• Time-frame within which the content is shared
• Type of content that has the most likes, shares and commented on
• Number of videos and images shared v/s content posts
• Social media influencers following them
• Number of networks that they are active on – for example, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.

Plot Your End Goals
After doing a competitive audit, the next step is to plot your end goals to save your time, man power and money. The question that you need to ask yourself is, “what is the burning question that I need an answer to while auditing my competitor’s digital strategy?” This will help you gain valuable insight from a competitor’s marketing campaign or SEO results. It could also help you determine on how to market your company’s USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and attract customers.
You can either note down the goals and make them SMART or write a SWOT analysis – this will help you determine your end goal with complete certainty.

Develop a Better USP
As we’ve discussed in the earlier point, it is important to develop a USP to attract your customer’s attention to gain a larger market share in the industry. A good USP helps improve branding and building trust. Using the customer’s psychological response, you can turn random traffic users into loyal customers, persuade people to buy your products by creating a unique heading, posting pictures or a short video to grab their eyeballs, or encourage people to share your content and website.

Using Competitive Audit Tools

SEMrush: The tool offers reliable, LIVE data on organic keywords, competitors’ URLS and real-time traffic.
Quick Sprout: An SEO tool that analyses up to 3 competitors’ sites and reveals what internal factors improve so as to get more organic traffic and rankings.
Ahrefs: It is a backlink research tool that searches the web by picking up your backlinks and the exact anchor text used. It helps you to find out where your competitors get inbound links and to improve your corporate governance.
Alexa: This intelligence tool will help you to reveal audience demographics and site rank in specified countries.
Open Site Explorer: This tool reveals the Domain Authority and Page Authority of a particular domain name and is great for backlink research and analysis.
Open Link Profiler: This tool will help you determine the industry and influence a particular competitor, as well as the exact number of active backlinks.
Majestic: This tool will help you source backlinks and referring IP domain names for a given site URL.
Google Keyword Planner: This is the number tool for keyword research tool.
Buzzsumo: Check how popular a particular keyword or URL is in the social space or how many times the user has shared your post.

​Run a Complete SEO Audit
Another to do strategy is to run a detailed SEO audit that includes the following information:

• Title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, headings, etc.
• Anchor text used for internal linking
• Conducting redirect audits
• Robots.txt file functionality
• Duplicate content and URLs that need rewriting
• Broken links and link-cleaning
• Image file sizes and alt text on a particular page
• Google Analytics code

​To Conclude

Competitive auditing works wonders if done correctly. The main goal is to not blindly copy their strategies or strategize your social media marketing based on their followers; it is to create digital marketing strategies that are best for your company or product. You’ll not only need to keep in mind your competitor’s strengths but also be able to point out their weaknesses and not repeat their mistakes.
The ideal way to ensure that your digital strategy works is to engage with your own customers and note their likes, dislikes or wants from your products. If you can use digital strategy to convert your current customers to loyal customers – then gaining new customers is just a matter of time.
Increasing page authority, creating inbound links and concentrating on social media are some of the few key components that make your digital marketing a success.
If you need more help in auditing your competitor’s digital marketing strategy, you can contact the App Scoop Team for assistance. 
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​Here at App-Scoop, we are committed to providing the best mobile development services for our clients. You can promote your business successfully with our development projects that will escalate the outreach and efficiency of your company. We work with you to formulate a customized framework that follows our values of integrity, excellence, collaboration, and pursuit of excellence. It is our honor to be recognized by Clutch as an Industry Leader in Canada within the Development Industry.

​You can also find us on Clutch’s sister sites, The Manifest and Visual Objects. The Manifest allows for the intersection of quality design work and expert-based advice to meet. Visual Objects, on the other hand, recognizes quality work through the means of portfolios.
 
Software development can be integral to the success of a company. We understand its importance but also the individualized needs of every company, and want to integrate those goals with our experience to create the best for you. If you are interested in working with us, please contact us!

Humans spend around 8 to 10 hours a day interacting with computer screens, and other smart devices. Technology has entered our daily lives and are often replacing human interaction. But users still expect a human and personal touch in technological devices. Hence, the challenge for most UX designers is to turn something impersonal to personal – no one wants to deal with a robotic robot. It is very difficult to gain loyal users especially when it comes to apps because there are so many competitors in the market offering the same service with more perks.
So, what is the best way to help users engage with your app? – it is by giving it a personal touch, i.e. creating a user persona for the app.

What is User Persona? ​

A user persona means creating a personality for an app based on the target audience. It is framed by researching the needs and goals of the users and by observing the behavioural patterns of the user – basically the person creating the app needs to get into the mind of the app audience. Ideally, it is done by developing a storyline by creating hypothetical user scenarios.

Creating a User Persona
User personas should be drafted keeping into account the real data collected during the user research phase. Let’s take an example of a grocery shopping app and create a user persona:

• Get a group of potential users who would use a grocery shopping app – either interview them or observe them
• Look for patterns in their behaviour, responses, actions and group the people that display similar patterns together
• Based on these groups create stereotypical characters of people
• Build user personas based on each group by drawing out details of context, behaviour, need, etc.

Now, based on the above criteria points, it is advisable to create nothing more than 4 user personas. In the case of building a grocery shopping app; you could create 4 user personas, viz.

• Housewives
• Young single adult living in a new city
• Married couple
• Office going men and women

​The description for each of these user personas, should be drafted by using the following points:

• Name, age and gender
• A photograph
• Description of what the person does in real life; in this case housemaker, office-going, etc.
• Experience in using a certain app – in this case, a grocery app; here a housemaker will look for best deals to feed a family, young single adult will look at small potions, etc.
• User’s goals for using the product; in this case, quick delivery, less hassle of picking up grocery bags, saving time, etc.
• A quote that will help describe the persona’s attitude for using the app

Creating User Persona for UX Design 
While creating the user persona for an app, the designers need to understand how a persona will act while interacting with the app. Also, sharing the final user personas with the entire product team is extremely important to the app project as a whole. Stakeholders also need to internalize the user personas to find value in them and create a product accordingly. As the team builds an association with the user personas, they will automatically start thinking and speaking of them as real entities.
The importance of user personas for UX design allows UX designers to empathize with the user’s target audience, avoids false consensus effect and creates a solid core that helps them create a good design for the app.
To cut the long story short – UX designers need to put themselves in the shoes of the user personas that they’ve created in order to create an app that has a personal human touch. They can thus, share a similar perspective to the user and identify with the end-user of the product.

​Tracking User Personas After Releasing the App

After the release of the app in the market, it is ideal to check if the user personas that you’ve used to create the app are creating an impact with the user base. There are two ways that this can be tracked by using:

1. Behavioural Analysis Matrix
2. User Analytic Tools

Behavioural Analysis Matrix
A traditional performance manager continues to build for a user persona or the ideal user, while a behavioural performance manager’s decision is based on actual user behaviour. Although, user personas are built after intensive and thorough research, it doesn’t guarantee that the user behaviour doesn’t change in the long run concerning the app. Hence, combining the user persona and behavioural goals with Behavioural Analysis Matrix is a recommended approach, once the app has been released in the market and is being used by real users.

User Analytic Tools
In 2020, it is relatively easier to learn and observe from visual app session data by using User Analytic Tools to view the history of interaction for any particular user or group of users. You can keep a track on not only how users behave in your app, but also filter behavioural moments based on the scenarios that you wish to analyse further. All of this information can be pulled up in a matter of seconds.

In Summary
Creating user personas for your app brings generic group of users to life, so that the product teams can identify with them on a personal level. With the help of empathy, user personas improve the quality and efficiency of design work. Additionally, targeting a specific set of users will yield higher download rates and more importantly, creates a loyal user base that maintains in-app engagement over time.
If you wish to create a storyline for your app and create user personas to help people connect to the app, you can contact the App Scoop Vancouver Mobile App Developers and app development team.    

John wanted to watch a tennis match in the afternoon, but his boss wouldn’t allow him to take a half day. Susan wanted to watch her favorite boxing champion but the match was taking place on another continent. Sarah wanted to see the Australia and India cricket match but there were not tickets available. And just like John, Susan and Sarah, there are many sports enthusiasts who are unable to watch the game in person or Live on TV – and this is reason enough for the sports industry to go mobile. Digitalizing sports events gives access to millions of sports fans to watch their favorite games Live or watch re-runs even after a year – they could stream the winning shot any number of times to feel the glory of their favorite team winning. 

Let’s take a look at some riveting sports app market facts and stats!

North American sports market size is estimated to be worth $76.05 billion dollars by 2020
Dallas Cowboys sports team’s brand value (amounted to $4.8 billion dollars) was ranked as the most expensive one in 2018.
According to the Sports Business Institute, 87% of sports fans second screen during a match; they look at replays, check the scores of other games, or use social networks to boast about attending the game in person.
Reference Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/214960/revenue-of-the-north-american-sports-market/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/278027/brand-value-of-sport-teams–franchises-worldwide/ https://www.sbibarcelona.com/newsdetails/index/105
 
Need for Sports App

Digitalization of sports opens up several avenues for business. Not only can a sports avid view the game at any time at any location, but can also engage in activities such as, buying sports merchandise, interact with their favourite sportsperson, engage in betting on their favourite team or sports player, and playing fantasy sports. Hence, while developing a sports app, ensure that you include features that help you stay competitive, and therefore, successful.
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10 Features to Incorporate in a Sports App

Personalization

While making an app, ensure that the user can personalize the app surface by creating their own user account where they can add their favourite team or player and be intimated with new updates, scores, breaking news, event details, etc.
Also, it is necessary to create a secure payment gateway so that the user can update and store their card details, in case they wish to purchase tickets, sports merchandise, play for their dream team or in certain cases even bet. You can also integrate our payment gateway app with a third party to give the users a wider range sports events and teams they can invest in.

Ticket Sale

Fans don’t want to miss out on a sports event; hence, you can create a feature where they can purchase tickets to watch their favourite team or sports event before the tickets get sold out! By allowing the user to purchase tickets from a third-party gateway, you can make a fee for the same; i.e. you get a fee from every transaction as you generate a new lead for that third-party service.

Sports Merchandise

One of the largest profit generation in the sports industry comes through selling sports merchandise. By creating an aggregated sports app, you can sell merchandise of the most popular sports teams or sportsmen in the app store. Sports merchandise includes, t-shirts, mugs, flags, banners, caps, collectibles, autographed objects such as balls, bats, etc.
There is also an option to create a tie-up with a certain team or sportsmen which would allow you to sell exclusive merchandise and generate an even bigger profit.

App for Fantasy Sports

If you are a gaming enthusiasts, you would know how addictive it is to play fantasy sports; and if you are not then let us explain – fantasy sports is an online game where fans can create virtual teams of real-life sport pros and make them compete in virtual leagues and championships.
Creating a fantasy sports app, can generate a lot of revenue, especially from users who like to gamble. Some examples of fantasy sports app include, the IPL League, NFL, CBS Sports Fantasy, Yahoo Fantasy sports, and more.

Social Media Integration

Social media is also a revenue generating tools that can be exploited if used in the right way. Sports industry is famous for sports enthusiasts who love to report every small move in the game or any update on their favourite sports person.
Hence, integrating social media into the app can allow users to share data from the app to a social media app by just clicking a few buttons; for instance, re-tweeting scores, or an edge-of-the-seat performance shot, etc. Also, instead of creating a user account and re-fill their details, you can allow users to sync with app with their Facebook, Google, or Twitter accounts.

Integrating with Calendar

What better way to be updated on upcoming games or sports events than a simple reminder on your smart-device. In your app, you can also integrate a time ticker that notifies the user the mins and seconds (XX h YY m) left for the game to begin, or break to end.

Sports Team Catalogue

Even though apps need to have functionalities; it is important to include a sports catalogue that has a history about the sports event, information about sportsmen and even a little information about the team, as a whole.

Newsfeed and Notifications

Incorporating the newsfeed functionality in the app will allow the sports app to send regular updates and the news of the sports industry to their user. Newsfeed allows you to send tournament tables, performance of sports teams or sportsmen, etc. If a dedicated app for a certain team or team sports tournament is formed, you should include a Match Day Centre. This information hub contains all the relevant data regarding the games, i.e. the score, highlights from games and press conferences, tournament table, etc.
Sending push notifications or SMS notifications is also a great way to interact with user base. It is a technique of reminding them to visit the app and use it. With the help of push notifications, you can send your users reminders, regular updates when the game is going on, highlights of the game, etc. 

Live Streaming

Live streaming a match builds the core of a sports app; the convenience of streaming matches anytime, anywhere is what can build a huge database of users with the help of exclusive live broadcaster’s content that can’t be found on aggregator apps.
Sports video streaming apps like BBC and Fox, also send users personalized content based on their location and preferences. Another option of live streaming apart from video is audio streaming, for instance the NBC Sports Radio app.

Making Bets

Did you know that in the UK, approximately 40% of people aged 18 to 54 bet 10 to 100 pounds online each month?
Reference Source: https://www.beatingbetting.co.uk/statistics/uk-gambling-data/
There are plenty of people that gamble on sports, some as professionals and some just to raise the excitement and the stakes of the game. Hence, if you wish to incorporate betting in your app, firstly, you will need a gambling license and provide an age verification mechanism to secure your business from potential legal claims.
You will also need to make sure that you create a secure payment gateway on integrate a third-party app. If you are targeting users that are heavy betters, you also need to ensure that your app provides match statistics with live updates and push notifications. You’ll also need to decide if the user can bet with real currency or through in-app currency.

Wrapping It Up

Sports app can be of two types:
Streamlined – where unnecessary data is filtered out, and all types of sporting events are showcased. For instance, 365Scores, has been lauded as one of the best sports apps in circulation, due to its support for ten different sports and a wide range of features, including scores, news, and live notifications about the teams the user is interested in.

One Sports App – where if a user is only interested in one particular sport – be it football, basketball, or baseball – there’s a dedicated app that lets them follow their favourite sport.
If you wish to build a dedicated sports app incorporating features, like discussed above, you can get in touch with the App Scoop Vancouver app developers team.  

Let’s suppose that you are looking for a property and you have downloaded a real estate app on your smartphone. In the app, you are able to find the different properties listed with addresses but you need to now get on to another app, for instance, Google Maps to locate these addresses. Imagine how convenient would it be if this same information was available in the real estate app, where you would be able to view all the property and its locations on the map itself! Adding route planning to your app doesn’t only improve user experience but its convenience ensures that the user retains and uses your app.

There are many apps that track location such as social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat that allows your friends to view your location, Zomato offers the best food deals around your area, etc. The route planning features helps you to send push notifications which leads to user engagement.
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Apps that can Benefit from Route Planning Feature

Real Estate Apps
As mentioned earlier, real estate apps should incorporate the route planning feature so that the user can easily view the properties on the maps, how far each property is from the other if they wish to check out multiple properties in a day, check the neighbourhood and shops around, etc. This feature also helps agents to plan their day and site visits with their customer. Real estate apps should also have additional route planning features like creating live tours which will help uberize the real estate industry.

Healthcare Apps
Healthcare apps that lists doctors and dispensaries could also use the route planning feature for the benefit of the patient and the doctors (in case of home visits). A healthcare app with built-in route mapping would allow the doctor to locate the patient’s address and deliver their services in case of a home visit; on the other hand, it would allow the patient to locate the doctor’s location, the time it will take to reach there and the best possible route.

Travel Apps
Gone are the days where a paper map was used to locate places or navigate or find a route; it’s time where Google Maps save the day by not only providing a route to your destination but also gives live updates in case of a traffic jam, accident, or road closure. Hence, it is absolutely imperative for travel apps to have an in-built route tracker providing all of the same information. Just imagine how convenient it would be for the user!
Say for example, Sarah is backpacking across Italy and she downloads a travel app. She has an itinerary for the day to travel to tourist destinations, visit restaurants and then party at night. A route planner in that travel app will allow Sarah to plan her day by marking the locations of the places that wishes to visit and show her the best possible way to see them all. It can also build routes for walking tours, save them and share them on social media apps.

Parking Apps
For people driving in crowded cities or visiting other countries or cities, a parking app with a route planner would be very convenient. Parking apps like Parke, allow users to find nearby parking spots displaying also the route to reach there from their current destination.
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Advantages of Route Planning
Now, let’s take a look at the advantages of route planning for users. 

Like, we’ve discussed before there are various advantages of route planning. Take for instance, Uber, an that offers car service at the customer’s doorstep. Uber has an in-built route planner that allows the user to track the car and also navigate them as quickly to their pick up location. In case of ordering an Uber Pool, the route planner prioritizes the stops ensuring that there is no wastage of time by running around in circles to pick up passengers.
Route planning also helps the user to manage their time by checking the time taken to reach their destination and ensuring that they are on the correct route. In case, of planning a travel itinerary it allows the user to mark their destinations on the map and then follow a route that is convenient.
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Best Route Planning Software in 2020

Route4Me
Route4Me is the world’s most used route sequencing and optimization software for small businesses and enterprises. This software allows the user to share, create and manage routing plans on their smart devices. The API is free of cost but the app company needs to pay for functionalities like in-app voice-guided navigation, scheduled customer notifications, delivery analytics, and a customer relationship management system. This software is ideal for field sales, field marketing, field merchandising, territory management and optimization.

HERE
One of the big players in the route planning market is HERE. The software provides a route optimization solution that takes into account the starting points and various destinations and allows you to edit routes, calculate a matrix of routes and multiple waypoints, and update past routes. 

Badger Maps
Badger maps is a software that can be used across multiple industries. It provides the tools and applications for sales reps to be more effective in the field. It enables the sales team to manage their by combining Google Maps, route optimization, schedule planning, data from the CRM, and lead generation on the sales persons mobile device. Badger offers the best software mapping solution to map customer accounts and sales routes.

MapAnything
MapAnything is a location intelligence solution that steers the company towards the right direction. This software is a Location of Things solution that streamlines business goals with field activities on a unified platform that is designed for field sales, service teams, and fleet management.

ElasticRoute
ElasticRoute is a route planning solution that is best for third party logistics providers, carrier’s logistics services, distributors, food and beverage delivery construction, waste and recycling management, postal, parcel and courier, etc.
It produces natural cluster-based routes which adds a human touch to the optimization process. ElasticRoute can plan over 1000 stops in 90 seconds (which is a record) and can also deal with challenges like unplanned changes to deliveries.
To view more software for route planning, refer to https://www.capterra.com/route-planning-software/.

To Conclude
Route planning for your app can scale your app within a short period of time with minimum cost. Instead of incorporating the route planning feature at a later stage, we recommend you to consider investing more time and money at the very start to build this functionality within your app.
If you wish to incorporate route planner into your app, contact the App Scoop mobile app developers Vancouver team. We will help you in this challenging task of developing a system that will enable your app users to edit and share routes. We promise to help you improve your user’s experience and hence, improve customer loyalty by providing you with features such as scheduling, real-time chats, push notifications and a support centre.  

The world of coding consists of more than 330 different programming languages. GitHub is an American company where software is built – more than 40 million people use GitHub to discover and contribute to more than 100 million projects.
Source Reference: https://github.com/collections/programming-languages 

The employees of lead technical companies such as Facebook, Google, and Apple bank on GitHub for spreading their open source software. It is a massive code repository that helps developers identify the kinds of languages and apps that the technical industry is actually using. GitHub’s resourcing has been on an uptrend since 2018 – they have been constantly employing new developers.
Let’s take a look at the most demanding programming languages of 2020, according to GitHub.

Javascript  
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One of the most used programming languages by developers in 2020, as per GitHub, will be Javascript. It is being increasingly used in the game development sector and Internet of Things (IoT). It is also one of the core existing technologies of the web, along with HTML and CSS.
 
Features of Javascript:

• Interpreted and light-weighted programming language
• Object-oriented computer programming language, that is commonly used for the purpose of creating interactive effects within the internet browsers
• Plays a significant role in front-end development for popular websites such as YouTube, Facebook, Google, Wikipedia, and Amazon.
• Optional static typing features to the language software can be added by using Typescript which is a superset of JavaScript

 
Advantages of Javascript:

• Speed-driven
• Simple to use
• Interoperable
• Adaptable to rich interfaces
• Extended functionalities

 
Disadvantages of Javascript:

• Security issues from the client’s side
• Security threat for client-side scripts
• Browser support interpretations

 
Further, Javascript can be used in the back-end development with the help of the Node.js framework. Hence, most start-ups use this programming language to handle their back-end processes. It is also used in popular web frameworks such as, AngularJS and React.js. ​

Python 

​According to GitHub, Python is one of the Trending Programming Languages 2020 by popular websites such as Quora, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. The Octoverse report stated that, “And for the first time, Python outranked Java as the second most popular language on GitHub by repository contributors.” 
Python can be used to develop desktop apps, medial tools, machine learning, robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Web applications and network servers. In fact, it has even been used to create famous video games such as, Civilization IV, Vegas Trike and the famous Toontown. It has also been used to create scientific and computational applications such as FreeCAD and Abacus. Framework like Django, Turbo Gear, and Pyramid is also based on this language.
 
Features of Python:

• Easy language for beginners because it is easy to read and understand
• Free, open-source programming language that has extensive support modules as well as community development
• Easy integration with the web services
• Equipped with user-friendly data structures and has a GUI-based desktop application
• Used to develop 2D imaging as well as 3D animation packages such as Inkscape, Blender, and Autodesk
• Useful for developing back-end APIs

Advantages of Python:

• Easy to read
• Scripted instead of compiled
• Encompasses official tutorials, as well as documentation

Disadvantages of Python

• The language doesn’t start with programming basics
• Important basic concepts are sometimes abstracted 

Java  

Owned by Oracle Corporation, Java is one of the Best Programming Languages in 2020. In today’s time, there are more than 3 billion devices that are running on application that are built by Java. Some of the websites such as Google, Twitter, Amazon and YouTube use Java as their backend program.
 
It is also well known for its portability across a wide range of platforms, i.e. from mainframe data centres to the smartphones. New Java frameworks such as Spring, Struts, and Hibernate have also become popular in the market.
 
Features of Java:

• Includes a JVM (Java Virtual Machine) feature which makes Java compatible across all platforms
• Is 99% object orient based language; it can be used on Mac, Android, Window, iOS, etc. due to its Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA) feature
• Uses automatic garbage collection and memory allocation feature

 
Advantages of Java

• Easy-to-learn programming language especially for beginners
• Computer parts such as file system, sound, graphics can be easily accessed and manipulated for any program and can be run on any kind of operating system

 
Disadvantages of Java:

• Need to constantly learn new vocabularies to keep up with the language

C#   

C is said to be one of the most powerful programming languages in the Dot NET framework. Anders Hejlsberg from Microsoft created a language that supports the concepts of object-oriented programming – the C# language. Applications such as Windows, Android, iOS are based on C#. This language takes help of an integrated development environment product that is Microsoft Visual C++. Further, C# is used by Dell, Visual Studio, Bing and Market Watch for backend operations.
 
Features of C#:

• Common programming language that uses the most versatile framework, i.e. the Dot Net Core framework.
• Popular among developers because it is developed and maintained by Microsoft
• Offers many features which makes it easier for beginners to learn the language; mainly used by web, app or game developers

Advantages of C#:

• Hiring developers gets easier, since it is a language that can be learnt quickly

Disadvantages of C#:

• Code needs to be compiled every time a small change is made

 
PHP  

PHP, Hypertext Preprocessor is a language that was created by making Personal Home Pages. Now, it is one of the programming languages of 2020 that is highly in demand. PHP code can be used in an assortment of web frameworks so that web developers can quickly write bulky and multifaceted websites and web applications. Further, there are many tools that can be used to make PHP more efficient.
 
PHP enables a basic structure which makes it simple for the developers to work with web application development solutions; some examples of frameworks include, Laravel, Codeigniter, Symfony, etc.  
 
Features of PHP:

• Cheap, free and easy-to-use; web developers have a plethora of options to pick a PHP framework that are open sources which can be used without paying any licensing fees that fall under full-stack web frameworks and micro frameworks
• General-purpose programming language that runs on a server which is useful for creating web pages written in HTML and web applications
• Programmed with the help of built-in web development capabilities
• Programmers can embed the code written in server-side programming language flawlessly into HTML code throughout the Script tag
• Web development tasks can be done without writing a prolonged and composite code
• Provides useful features and functionalities for web applications

 
Advantages of PHP:

• Fast-paced tailored app development
• Easy to maintain applications
• Added code doesn’t need to be written
• Databases can be handled resourcefully
• Customary development activities can be automated
• Overall costs can be reduced

 
Disadvantages of PHP:

• Instead of PHP, developers need to learn PHP frameworks
• PHP framework quality could differ at times
• Transforming one core behaviour can be challenging due to the lack of choices

 
Typescript  

Created and maintained by Microsoft, Typescript, an open-source language, is Javascript for application scale development. This language is a JavaScript superset that compiles to regular JavaScript. TypeScript files use the ‘.ts’ extension; and once it is programmed with the language, the output your get is ‘.js files’.
 
Features of Typescript:

• Is a robust object-oriented programming language
• Provides extra security TypeScript by type checking
• Migrate Javascript code to use TypeScript features; the TypeScript compiler can then convert TypeScript syntax into standard JavaScript
• Helps you access the needed JavaScript frameworks and libraries due to the seamless integration of declaration files

 
Ruby  

Ruby language is popular due to the Rails framework, which is based on this language. It is a high-level language, but very easy to learn as compared to other languages.
 
Features of Ruby:

• Is an open-source dynamic programming language
• Is more focused on simplicity and productivity
• Allows developers to build an application with less line of code

 
Advantages of Ruby:

• Simple and straight approach to create web applications
• Easy to decipher and refined
• Learning time required is relatively shorter

 
Disadvantages of Ruby:

• Performance is affected due to low runtime speed
• Stability gets affected due to less boot speed

 
C++  

The oldest and the most commonly used programming language is the C language. An enhanced version of this language is C++, which is used for developing applications where performance is a critical issue. For example, for client/server applications, commercial products such as Adobe and Firefox, as well as in the video games. The most significant projects in which C++ language is used is Microsoft Windows, Google and Amazon websites.
 
Features of C++

• Can be used on a large variety of platforms which makes it easy for the language to transported
• Is a high-performance language and one of the most used, as per GitHub
• Highly efficient, high performance and flexible language
• Mostly used to build desktop applications
• Is an object-oriented programming language; for instance, Apple also uses C++ language to develop its IOS operating system

 
Advantages of C++

• Allows the user for much better “control” as compared to the other languages

 
Disadvantages of C++

• Difficult to learn

 
Swift 

Apple’s homegrown language for macOS and iOS apps, Swift has replaced Objective-C and has become the number one language for Apple-related software. Further, SwiftUI, a declarative UI structure design framework for all Apple platforms, was announced during WWDC 2019. In 2017, Swift had made it to the top 10 of the monthly TIOBE Index rank of the most popular programming languages.
 
As per Apple, this language is more than 2.6 times faster than Objective-C and more than 8.4 times faster than Python. It’s also easier to learn compared to Objective-C. Hence, most iOS developers choose to learn Swift straight away. Giant tech companies such as LinkedIn, Vimeo, Twitter, and Fitbit have also chosen Swift instead of Objective-C.
 
Features of Swift:

• Open-source, i.e. it can be expanded to other platforms and can be used for web applications; for instance, applications can be written in Swift and then exported to Android and Windows.
• Requires less coding as compared to other popular programming languages
• Can be easily used with the IBM Swift Sandbox and the IBM Bluemix
• Used in a large number of popular iOS apps such as Mozilla Firefox, WordPress, SoundCloud and also in the game of Flappy Bird

 
Advantages of Swift:

• Future of Apple’s development
• Safe and secure
• Uses modern programming conventions

 
Disadvantages of Swift:

• Major alterations in each release makes it unstable
• Interoperability with third party tools and IDEs is less

 
Golang   

Developed by Google, Go is a simple yet more efficient as compared to C++. It allows the developer to write concurrent programs and work on more large scale and complex applications. Some popular applications developed in Go language include Openshift, Kubernetes, Dropbox, Netflix and InfluxDB.
 
Features of Golang:

• Go is syntactically similar to C, but with memory safety, garbage collection, structural typing, and CSP-style concurrency.
• Is a static typed language; hence, the compiler doesn’t only work on compiling the code successfully but also ensures on type conversions and compatibility
• Provides unit testing features by itself; i.e., a simple mechanism to write unit tests parallel with the code as it helps the developer to understand the code coverage by their own tests

 
Advantages of Golang:

• Concise, simple and easy to read
• Allows multiple processes to run simultaneously and effectively
• Quick compilation time
• Gives a lot of control over memory allocation and reduces latency in the most recent versions of the garbage collector
• Validates for the interface and type embedding

 
Disadvantages of Golang:

• Has no support for generics
• Is not so object-oriented in the conventional sense
• Absence of some libraries especially a UI tool kit

 
Wrapping It Up
​As we’ve seen, programming languages play an essential role in software development. There are many languages that are included in GitHub. The trick to choosing the correct programming language depends on each product – weighing the advantages and disadvantages is of utmost importance.
The above mentioned are some of the best programming languages that should be used in 2020; if you need more assistance, do not hesitate to contact the App Scoop mobile app developers Vancouver Team. 

Imagine downloading an app and not being able to navigate through it? Frustrating, right!? So, what do you think would you do with such an app? – most users would uninstall it in mere minutes. User experience (UX) on an app is of utmost importance to attract new users and keep the old ones to ensure long-term market success. Did you know that 90% of users reported that they have stopped using an app because of its poor performance?
​
Reference Source: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/ux-statistics-insights-infographic

Apps are now defining a way-of-life for humans; for instance, there are apps for booking cabs, operating home appliances, listening to music, watching movies, interacting on social media, etc. Tomer Sharon, the senior UX researcher at Google, stated that “UX is a very much personal experience that a person feels while using the product. UX designs are implemented based on the emotion of the users.” This statement holds true – it is imperative to focus on architecture, visual design, usability, branding and functions of the app.
​
Let’s take a look at few trends that we can expect in UX Design for the year 2020: 

Device Compatibility

Most people, especially in the cities, have more than one device that they use. Hence, it is absolutely essential that the app you create should be compatible with all devices – whether it’s a smartphone, a watch, a laptop, etc.
The social media app, Facebook is a good example. The user can connect with loved ones anytime, anywhere and with the use of any device. This app operates a single continuous operation on different platforms with uninterrupted action.

Keeping It Simple

Keeping an app simple doesn’t mean that it needs to be boring with just a few buttons. While constructing your app, make sure that it is simple for the user to navigate. There are few apps that are built that lose their sole purpose of existence by adding frills and fancies not needed. Therefore, it is always said that app companies must focus on the core functionality and then keep upgrading it as per the user’s feedback or market demands.
Key points:

• Easy navigation
• Minimum pop ups and notifications
• Easy-to-understand language
• Readable fonts/colours

Designing the App

As mentioned in the earlier point, users should be able to read the text and fonts used in the app. Also, it is important that the app is intuitive, for example, the Exit or ‘x’ should always be placed on the top right corner. Mindful designing seems to have a positive impact on user perceptions, as it helps the users to stay loyal to the brand. With the help of UX design, it’s the trendiest way to attract potential customers and enlarge your customer base.

Voice User Interface and AI technology

The year 2019 has made great progress towards personalization of mobile UX. User’s want the device to adapt to their thinking, wants and needs. When it comes to UX design, the key is to design something flexible to the individual. The functionality and the content produced by the app should be based on the user’s history such as their location, purchase patterns, the online communities that they are a part of, events and calendar events. Brands such as Spotify already do this, for example, by curating custom playlists with suggestions based on previous listening behaviours. These playlists are unique to the user and provide a service unique to them
Recently, AI has been widely used on mobile internet; credit for this largely goes to Siri. Artificial intelligence is commonly used in smartphones as a voice assistant and for face unlocking, beautifying, and smart shooting. Following the trend, it seems like, voice and vision functionality will have more advancement the way it has shifted from GUI to VUI.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

There is still a lot of work to be done for augmented reality and virtual reality to manifest in its full form but many apps such as Snapchat, Sephora, etc. are being used from the convenience of their home. For example, the user doesn’t really need to get into a store to find the perfect outfit, instead they can sit on their couch and with the help of AR/VR visually see how the clothes would look on their body. The year 2020 will definitely see more features of AR/VR being added to apps.

Keeping Up With 5G

5G is finally starting to roll out across the globe which means that data transfer speed and latency time will improve significantly. With the time span of the user getting shorter and shorter, they don’t want to wait too long for information to download on the app.
Any mobile services, be it an application or a website optimized for mobile, will need to be optimized to support the speed and full capabilities of 5G networks. Hence, you must make sure that the UX design is compatible with the future speed that is going to be offered to the users.

Voice Assistance

“eMarketer forecasts that nearly 100 million smartphone users will be using voice assistants in 2020. Similarly, comScore data reveals that voice technology will account for 50% of all searches by 2020.”
Source Reference: https://searchengineland.com/voice-search-explosion-will-change-local-search-251776
More brands are starting to invest in voice technology, as more mobile apps are beginning to incorporate Vocal User Interfaces (VUI). At the very least, companies are beginning to integrate VUIs in some capacity to meet the changing expectations of smartphone users. Since these VUIs will differ, UX designers will be required to abandon old techniques and mindsets and get more creative.

​Looking into the Future

2020 is the year to look forward – we can expect the technological world to transform with improvements and enhanced designs. With AI/VR being explored, 5G being introduced to the world; there could be a total revolution.
Staying in sync with these UX trends will help you strategically form a digital world around your product or service that will attract users and keep them loyal to your app. If you wish to stay ahead of the curve, contact the App Scoop Mobile App Development Team for more information.
 

What makes a customer loyal to a product or a company? What exactly is customer Loyalty Program? It is a rewards program offered by a company to drive customer engagement and nudge them to buy the product often and enjoy its benefits. One such Loyalty Program that has caught the customer’s attention is – the Starbucks Loyalty Program. 

Did you know that the Starbuck Loyalty Program holds more money on its affiliated cards and app than many banks have in their deposits? Surprised! Here’s another fact: there are approximately $1.2 billion loaded on the Starbucks mobile app and the company’s loyalty cards. Above that, around 41% of US and Canada-based Starbucks transactions were made through the loyalty card, while around 24% of US-based payments were made through the Starbucks mobile app.
Reference Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/starbucks-has-more-customer-money-on-cards-than-many-banks-have-in-deposits-2016-06-09  
This should give you an idea on how Loyalty Programs increase the company’s revenue and their presence in the market. 

How Did Starbucks Loyalty Program Become Such a Hit?
​
Just like every other company, Starbucks started out with a Loyalty Program to attract more customers. The Loyalty Program introduced initially did work but since, it was very easy to accumulate points, Starbucks cafés had longer queue which resulted in below par customer service. The customers were more disgruntled than pleased. 

After taking into account customer feedback, Starbucks decided to change their Loyalty Program.

• It would take 125 stars to get a free item
• Every $1 spent = 2 stars

The Loyalty Program also features 2 levels:

• Green (0-299 stars)
• Gold (300+ stars)

This persuades the customer to spend more money and unlock better rewards. This also helps to retain the customer and create a long-term relationship with them. Also, ensure that the functionality of the app is easy-to-use. The Starbucks in-app menu has the following tabs: Pay, Stores, Gift and Order – straightforward and simple!   
Now, let’s take a look at the 9 features that have made Starbucks Loyalty Program a hit.

Gathering Customer Feedback and Implementing It
Starbucks launched My Starbucks Idea back in 2008. In that year alone, according to Waterloo, the company received more than 70,000 ideas from customers; by 2015, they had received over 190,000.
Reference Source: http://smbp.uwaterloo.ca/2015/02/my-starbucks-idea-the-starbucks-crowdsourcing-success-story/
Recently, Starbucks uses machine learning which allows the system to make decisions based on customer feedback. It gives the customer a more personalized experience.

Order-Ahead, Pick Up Later
All Loyalty Program users can take advantage of the feature by placing and paying for an order online and then picking it up from the store at their convenient time. This doesn’t only make it convenient for the customer but also intimates the employees to keep the order ready and not rush at the last minute. This helps them improve customer service and it also means shorter queues and quick service.

Exclusive Rewards
Starbucks offers their members access to 3 exclusive features:

• Monthly Double-Star Days (once per month, Gold members can earn 4 stars/$1 spent)
• Personalized Gold Card (quite a nice touch)
• A Reward Every 125 Stars

According to a RedPoint Global survey, 63 percent of consumers expect personalization. These respondents also say they feel recognized by a brand as an individual when they receive personalized offers.
Reference Source: https://www.redpointglobal.com/news/redpoint-global-and-harris-poll-survey-exposes-gap-between-consumer-and-marketer-expectations-for-customer-experience/ 
Here, you need to remember to not make it very simple to get exclusive rewards. The customer needs to feel special if they are paying over and above to get that status. Ensure that your exclusive customers are the only privileged ones to receive exclusive rewards!

Targeting the Right Customer
By pricing 2 stars at $1, Starbucks made sure that all their clients will have an easy time accumulating stars at a decent pace. And when you take things like the Double-Star Days we just mentioned into account, it becomes apparent just how customer-friendly the new Starbucks mobile app and Loyalty Program is.
Many people who complained that this point system was not acting in their favor are the ones who abused the old check-out system in the first place. Starbucks actually managed to target consumers who are truly valuable to their business – people who love spending both time and money at their Starbucks.

Loyalty Program Members Get to Enjoy Mobile Payments
Mobile payments are becoming more and more popular – and they’re directly linked to Loyalty Programs! Most consumers, approximately 70%, state that it doesn’t only make paying easier, but they could also enjoy the benefits of various rewards and discounts. It’s expected that mobile wallets will end up surpassing the use of both credit cards and debit cards by 2020.
Plus, the Starbucks mobile app goes the extra mile. It allows program members to easily check their balance and reload their cards in seconds.
Reference Source: https://home.bluesnap.com/snap-center/blog/22-mind-blowing-mobile-payment-statistics/

Giving It the Personal Touch
The Starbucks Loyalty Program offers their customers access to:

• Member Events

For instance, Gold Members can get a drink of any size, or a single pastry, for 125 stars.

• Free Birthday Rewards

Starbucks gives the customer a free drink on their birthday to make their special day, extra special!

• Product Customization

Starbucks provides personalized suggestions based on the customer’s previous orders. For instance, if the customer often orders dairy-free drinks, the system recognizes this preference and recommends dairy-free products. In addition, the Starbucks app enables users to save their favorite orders and recommends things to add to an order.

• Special Offers

Starbucks loyalty members can find personalized offers in their offer card on their Starbucks mobile app. This offer can be easily redeemed with a simple tap on the app!

• Additional Third-Party Benefits

Starbucks has a tie-up with Spotify which allows the customers to identify the music playing in Starbucks and save the songs to their personal Spotify playlists.

Incorporating Location Functionality
Allow the app to trace the location of the customer (of course, asking for customer permission is mandatory). Incorporating the location functionality, allows the app to cater better. For instance, Starbucks allows its customers to set a location to pick up their order. Moreover, customers can easily find the nearest Starbucks and check the available amenities.
Starbucks also uses the app to send personalized push notifications with different offers to its customers. For instance, it may be information about featured drinks or promo items in the nearest store.

Engaging Customers
Customer engagement keeps them interested. Customers need to be reminded once in a while about your upcoming product or offers. They provide well-timed recommendations – they can predict a customer’s wishes before they even know they want something.
The Starbucks Happy Hour campaign uses a customer’s location data and time zone to send a push notification guiding them to a nearby Starbucks shop for a free Happy Hour drink. When customers get the invitation, they’re led to a screen in the app that explains the promo, then guides them to the nearest location.

Access to Product Information
In today’s date, the dietary preferences of customers have changed, and each of them have their own preferences. It is best that the customer knows the ingredients are sourced and what ingredients are used in the products that they are ordering.
Starbucks is on its way to implement a feature for its mobile app that gives users information on where its packaged coffee is delivered from, where it was grown, and what the company is doing to support farmers in those locations. With this feature, Starbucks also tells users where and when their coffee was roasted and provides tasting notes.
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Wrapping It Up
​

​Let’s summarize what we can learn from a successful customer Loyalty Program like Starbucks:

• Give access to customers to pay conveniently only if they join your Loyalty Program.
• Provide only the most exclusive and loyal members exclusive rewards.
• Incorporate the order-ahead feature – this makes the customer feel special and also makes it super convenient for them.
• Keep the Loyalty Program budget friendly keeping a subtle balance between customers who actually enjoy and love your product versus those who are just in it for free goodies.
• Personalize some of the rewards, so that the members truly feel like your brand cares about them – this will help you build a brand-centered community of loyal consumers that will promote your services.

Designing a successful Loyalty Program like Starbucks in the year 2020, would be the best investment for any restaurant or business. It will help build a following for your brand and making customers feel special. If you wish to create an app and a brand like Starbucks, contact the App Scoop Vancouver Mobile App Development Team or Mobile app developers– https://app-scoop.com.