Here I am, as promised, with 5 more important criteria to use when running your Magento vs Shopify 2019 evaluation and weighing these 2 e-commerce platforms' pros and cons.
Or, better said: weighing the benefits and limitations that result once you've put their features against your own particular needs and use-specific priorities.
So, without any further ado:
6. Extensions and Add-Ons Available
The ratio between the 2 platforms is of +100 vs +5000. There's no question about it: Magento reigns supreme in this category...
And with no surprise, if you remember that it's an open source e-commerce platform, backed by a thriving community of developers.
As for Shopify, it might not provide as many apps and add-ons, yet it provides some perfectly curated ones:
you don't need to worry that you'd be implementing buggy, risky extensions on your e-store
from email marketing to loyalty programs, to accounting, you'll find apps and add-ons for pretty much any type of functionality that you might need to integrate to your online store...
7. Magento vs Shopify 2019: The Price Factor
When using the pricing strategy as a criterion for your Magento vs Shopify 2019 analysis you'll realize that:
Shopify doesn't charge any fee for e-store setup and installation; moreover, it grants you a 14-day free trial
Magento is, by definition, a free e-commerce solution; and yet, you'll still need to pay for your hosting and payment gateway
Speaking of transaction fees, you should know that Shopify comes with zero costs if you decide to use their out-of-the-box payment gateway. Whereas in case of Magento you'll need to pay the fees charged by your gateway provider.
No extra costs from Magento in this case, but no built-in payment gateway either...
In short: Shopify charges you a monthly fee, that covers both the hosting platform and the payment gateway for your e-store. On the other hand, Magento's a free, open-source platform, that still “surprises” you with inherent hosting costs...
8. Inventory Management
Another “tricky” category, since it looks that both Magento and Shopify allow you to enter an unlimited number of products into your e-store. And to easily manage your inventory...
Nevertheless, you'll still identify some key differences:
in Shopify, you're limited to fewer options when it comes to administering your inventory
Shopify integrates easily with third-party dropshipping inventory apps (e.g. Oberlo)
since Magento doesn't provide the hosting of your e-store, as well, adding too many items to your store might, at some point, have a negative impact on your host server's performance (and, implicitly, on your page loading speed...)
9. Customization Opportunities
Once you've reached this criterion while running your Magento vs Shopify 2019 evaluation you'll realize that:
Shopify scores better when it comes to its highly intuitive theme editor; you can easily drag and drop content elements across your website
Magento grants you total freedom of customization — you can fine-tune every single aspect of your e-store — but at a cost: you depend on a team of experienced Magento developers to do all that customization work.
In other words, while both platforms are designed to power complex customization scenarios, Magento scores better since it's open source. Therefore, it allows you to custom-tune the look and feel of your online store and to extend its functionality any way you want to.
While both platforms ship with user-friendly, thought-out UIs that empower you to edit your HTML/CSS code directly, Shopify comes with a menu-driven editor. One that you can use to play around with fonts, colors and other attributes of your theme.
10. Multi-Lingual Support
While Magento provides you with multi-lingual support right out of the box, Shopify depends on third-party apps for this type of functionality. Or, you can always custom-write your code to include multilingual features...
Localization, based on a “cluster” of multilingual online stores, is not one of Shopify's strong points, that's for sure.
The END!
What do you say now: judging by your own Magento vs Shopify 2019 analysis, which e-commerce platform best suits your feature needs and best serves your priorities?
Do you value ease of use more than... freedom of customization? Is an impressive collection of advanced e-commerce features more important to you?
Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay.
Adriana Cacoveanu / May 15'2019
It's either one or the other: you're either planning to set up your eStore or to port it to a new platform. So, the question “haunting” you right now must be: "In a Magento vs Shopify 2019 debate, which one's the most suitable for my e-commerce website?"
For, it's a “no-brainer”:
There's no such thing as “the best” eCommmerce platform, but "the best suited one for one's specific e-commerce feature needs". For his/her particular niche specifications and business requirements.
In this respect:
on one hand, you have the “all-in-one” Shopify, a hosted e-commerce solution, famous for its ease of use and high level of convenience for novice e-store owners
… basically, if you have no coding skills or a dedicated web development team and it's a small-medium size store that you have in mind, Shopify empowers you to set it up quick and easy
while on the other hand you have powerful Magento shipping with a heavy load of extensions and advanced eCommerce features, perfectly equipped to power complex, large eCommerce stores
A simple, intuitive UI vs a rich collection of built-in robust features. Ease of use vs a high level of customization... A paid e-commerce solution or a free, open-source one, but with auxiliary costs (e.g. hosting)?
Now, here are the 10 most important criteria to properly evaluate the 2 e-store creation and management solutions.
Note: with each factor that you'll consider, do keep in mind to always look at those results against your own feature requirements, priorities, and limitations.
1. Basic Web Store Functionality
From checkout modules to shopping carts, to product pages, both e-commerce platforms provide you with the essential functionality that you need to get your store up and running.
And still, there are differences that you'll most likely identify when evaluating them based on this criterion:
Shopify is easier to use; thanks to its simple, conveniently intuitive user interface, you can create your new e-Store, unlock and leverage all that basic functionality in no time
Magento goes far beyond the basic functionality that you need to get everything set: it provides you, right out of the box, with all those advanced features that, in case of Shopify, you can benefit from only after you've first added the corresponding extensions
2. Available Themes and Templates
Any Magento vs Shopify 2019 comparison would reveal to you that: both e-commerce platforms are “spoiling” their users with their rich theme and template collections.
And I'm talking here about responsive templates, as well (both free of charge and... with a price tag on).
In this case: how do you rank them differently?
First of all, although Shopify provides fewer free themes than Magento, they're considerably more modern, more visually appealing, compared to Magento's free themes...
Furthermore, there's also another factor that sets them apart: while Shopify provides premium themes starting from $80, Magento's premium themes are way cheaper (starting from... $1)
3. SEO Capabilities
This is one of the categories in this “duel” where... there's no winner.
Both Magento and Shopify ship packed with extensive SEO-friendly features, that you can power your e-store with and... give your rankings a boost.
4. Magento vs Shopify 2019: Supported Payment Gateways
A category from this “competition” of the 2 most popular e-commerce platforms where Shopify seems to outshine its... competitor.
It supports +70 payment gateways, while Magento could only reach that record via integrated 3rd party apps.
5. Ease of Use
Another aspect where Shopify steals the spotlight away from its “rivaling” platform.
Although both of them ship with well-designed, intuitive user interfaces, Shopify:
provides you with a wizard to help you set up your e-store in no time; no web development experience needed
is a fully-hosted, fully-managed e-commerce solution; unlike Magento, that requires you to find your own hosting and to approach it with some level of technical expertise in order to set up your store...
END of Part 1.
Stay tuned, for I have 5 more important criteria to share with you.
Criteria that will allow you to run an accurate “Magento vs Shopify 2019” evaluation and to identify the most suitable e-commerce platform for your specific needs and priorities...
Image by suju from Pixabay.
Adriana Cacoveanu / May 14'2019
Let's take this scenario: you need to create a landing page for your Magento 2 website. You have no coding experience, you need it built fast and preferably as easily as... dragging and dropping some builder elements. “What's the best Magento 2 page builder extension?” you then ask yourself...
Now, let me try and guess the other key features on your “must-have” list for this page builder:
to provide a drag and drop interface (definitely!)
to be optimized for speed
to come packed with powerful customization options
to support responsive design and mobile-ready layout
to make it easy for you to change the layout elements and build new blocks
to be integrated with Magento WYSIWYG
to provide a rich collection of widgets for you to “joggle with”
to be compatible with other Magento themes and extensions
Have I guessed most of your “wishes”?
Now, here are 5 Magento 2 page builders that meet your expectations of performance and ease of use:
But First: What About the Built-In Page Builder in Magento 2.3?
First of all, you should know that you'll get this page builder out of the box with the Magento 2.3 Enterprise Edition edition only. The Community edition doesn't provide it.
So, if your eCommerce website's running on the EE edition, the default Magento 2 page builder gets automatically installed.
It provides you with powerful content creation tools and visual drag and drop page builder to create and to easily edit your pages.
1. Landing Pages for Magento 2, from Amasty
A flexible module for creating landing pages in Magento 2.
Expect to get “spoiled” with lots of powerful functionalities aimed at boosting conversation:
it allows you to create custom sub-selections of your products/services, for each page
… custom meta tags
… Google friendly URLs
it enables you to put together unique and engaging content for your landing pages
Key features:
it allows you to display your custom CMS blocks at the top/in the bottom of your landing page
it allows you to create page-specific lists of products by leveraging the flexible conditions that it provides
it allows you to list your landing pages to your sitemap
it allows you to create a wide range of landing pages
2. Bluefoot CMS & Page Builder for Magento 2
In your “quest” for the best Magento 2 page builder extension, you'll definitely want to consider Bluefoot, as well.
It's a content management system and page builder that empowers you to create custom, feature-rich webstore pages, with zero technical knowledge (either PHP or Magento template system related...).
Using it is unexpectedly easy:
its interface resembles the already familiar admin panel in Magento 2
just use Bigfoot once you have the WYSIWYG in Magento popping up
Key features:
drag & drop page builder
easy third-party content integration: from Google Maps to Youtube, building feature-rich web pages, posts and categories becomes surprisingly easy
a whole collection of styling options
Magento WYSIWYG integration
static block integration
open source code
In short, with Bluefoot CMS and Page Builder, creating custom web pages turns into a matter of... minutes.
3. Magento 2 Page Builder, from Landofcoder
The best Magento 2 page builder extension if you fancy the idea of creating and configuring your (complex, feature-rich) pages right at the front-end. No admin panel needed...
Easy to use, convenient and highly intuitive.
Key features:
create an unlimited number of page layouts
easily change your layouts
a collection of +50 popular Magento widgets
a built-in element builder to create your own content elements and mix and match them to your liking
visual drag & drop admin interface
CSS skin builder, that grants you full control over your web pages' looks
block builder: create your blocks, then assign them to specific positions on your pages
top performance; it's built with page load time in mind
4. CleverBuilder
Simple, intuitive, flexible and fast. What more expectations could you have from the best Magento 2 page builder extension, right?
Key features:
intuitive interface: just swipe through and select out of hundreds of content elements and templates
an all-baked-into-one solution: manage your whole web design workflow from one place
live front-end editor & inline editor: apply changes to your webstore pages (and test the end-results) in real-time
top performance
100% visual design: simplicity & flexibility at its best
5. Front-End CMS Page Builder, from Magesolution
From homepages to content pages, to ads pages, to landing pages, this page builder allows you to create your CMS pages right at the front-end, by just dragging and dropping content elements.
Key features:
+30 builder elements
enhanced speed for your newly created web pages
highly intuitive drag & drop interface that display the updates you're making in real-time
responsive design options
compatible with other extensions and themes
6. Page Builder for Magento 2, from Magezon
Another candidate for the title of “the best Magento 2 page builder extension”. And no wonder why: Magezon's page builder empowers you to create custom page layouts in no time. With zero coding experience required...
From adding descriptions to your products to putting together your website's structure, you're free to configure everything about your layout.
Key features:
+50 content elements
drag & drop page builder
fast performance with cache
ready-made templates
Magento WYSIWYG editor
a wide range of plugin integrations
a wide collection of customizable options
The END!
Needless to add that it's not the best Magento 2 page builder extension that you should be looking for, but the most “suitable” one for your own needs. So, what features do you value most?
Would you trade ease of use for... lightning fast performance? Is it flexibility and freedom of customization more important for you than simplicity and an intuitive interface?
Image by 200 Degrees from Pixabay
Silviu Serdaru / May 10'2019
Disliked by users, controversial, yet a constant presence on WordPress websites and a holy grail of high conversion rates if leveraged in the right context... But how do you know which of the best popup plugins for Wordpress is the perfect match for your own use case?
Well, you first identify your expectations in pop-ups. What exactly are you looking for in a popup plugin?
out-of-the-box responsiveness?
a handful of highly customizable templates and design features to choose from?
smooth integration with the software that you're currently using on your WordPress website?
a dead easy to use, drag-and-drop popup builder?
page selection and trigger option features?
that it should be conveniently lightweight and fast?
real-time analytics?
advanced targeting options?
A/B testing functionality?
Once you've articulated your needs, start digging into this shortlist of 5 best rated Wordpress popup plugins in 2019:
1. Ninja Popups
If you're looking for one of the best popup plugins for WordPress that should:
provide you with a solid, yet conveniently lightweight drag-and-drop-builder
… one that enables you to easily set up and fine-tune your popups in the slightest detail (even if you have zero coding experience)
ship with tons of features to choose from
allow you to either create your custom popup from scratch or to choose out of a large collection of built-in popup themes
… then Ninja Popups is the plugin that meets all your specific requirements.
It's powerful, loaded with advanced features and flexible enough to empower you to customize your popup till it perfectly fits your needs. You even get to select the color and size of your popup.
Other key features:
A/B testing
responsive
highly flexible
enhanced customization
a data-rich analytics page
+74 animation options
+73 pre-built themes
an easy to use visual builder
Note: if lots of customization power is too overwhelming for you, you can always opt for its more lightweight builder and simply place your text inside one of its pre-made templates...
2. Elementor Pro
Elemenentor Pro makes another great option if the popup that you want to create is more complex than... an email opt-in, for example.
Just like the Ninja Popups plugin, this one, too, allows you to build both:
popups from scratch, from a... blank slate, that you're free to custom-tune to your exact needs
popups on top of one of its already pre-made templates (and it ships with +100 of popup templates...)
Full control over your popup and unmatched flexibility, thanks to all its robust features, from which its trigger/targeting options help it stand out.
For example, you get to configure it so that it triggers your popup:
after a defined number of sessions
after a defined number of page views
based on scrolling, exit intent, clicks, inactivity, page loading
Furthermore, you to target specific content on your WordPress website where your popup should get triggered:
specific blog posts
specific post formats and types
certain authors, tags, categories
specific devices
user logged-in status
Also, the types of popups that you get to build with Elementor Pro range from:
modal forms
to full-screen overlays
to top/bottom notification bars
to slide-ins
And the list of options doesn't end here. It's not for no reason that this is one of the best popup plugins for WordPress. It provides you with an extensive range of styling options and widgets to include in your popup:
registration forms
buttons
contact forms
countdown timers
Notes:
it integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce
you can configure it so that it triggers your popup for non-logged-in users only
its most notable limitation is analytics: it doesn't provide you with A/B testing functionality and built-in analytics tools
3. OptinMonster, One of the Best Popup Plugins for WordPress
“Flexibility at its best” must be the most accurate definition for this popup builder:
it provides you with an extensive range of targeting and triggering rules
… an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop editor
… loads of functionality to scan through and to choose from
Like the other WordPress popup plugins on this list, it enables you to either build your popup from the ground up or to tap into one of the pre-built templates...
Powerful trigger features
exit-intent triggers; and this functionality is its "specialty": it tracks and analyzes your website visitors' browsing behaviors to determine when they're most likely to leave a specific page so that it triggers the popup
user inactivity
time
click (two-step opt-ins)
Advanced targetting features
you can adapt your offers based on whether the targeted user has already converted on one/some of your popups or not; no need to "bug" one of your website visitors with an email opt-in if he/she has already signed in to your list...
you can target your popups by cookie, adblock usage, referrer, page, new vs returning visitors, device
Moreover, its easy to use builder, loaded with tones of advanced features, allows you to create other campaigns, as well, not just popups:
footer bars
in-line forms
floating headers
scroll triggered boxes
welcome gates
slide-in forms
Other "tempting" features:
A/B testing
widgets that you can select from to put together your popup
you even get to configure your popups to be triggered at specific times
it "plays well" with your email marketing software
4. Bloom
It's with the visually-appealing interface that Bloom manages to set itself apart from the other 4 best popup plugins for WordPress here.
But also with the lack of some key features:
it doesn't ship with a popup builder, so you can't use it to create popups from scratch
it's designed precisely for email opt-ins
it doesn't provide an exit-intent trigger option
it offers fewer targetting features compared to the other WordPress plugins listed here
Nevertheless, you can still choose from over 100 pre-built templates and customize the:
text
borders and edges
colors
form details
animations
images
Also, since I've mentioned that email opt-ins are its specialty, here are the 6 ways that you can display them when using Bloom:
as inline opt-in forms
as widger area forms
as automatic popups
as required opt-in for content unlock (you can restrict access to premium content on your website, thus encouraging users to opt-in first...)
as automatic fly-ins
as below content forms
Its most “luring” features:
a great-looking dashboard
it allows you to set up view analytics
A/B testing
some unique trigger options (that I'll talk about in a bit)
Trigger features:
scroll depth
inactivity
time
after purchasing triggers: you can display a popup as soon as the user has completed the checkout process
after commenting triggers: you can display a popup after one of your website visitors has submitted a comment
Content targeting features:
by specific posts
by post types
by post categories
5. ConvertPlus
Another great choice if you're more into tweaking pre-built templates rather than building popups from scratch.
And we're talking about +100 templates to “delve” into. Once you've selected the perfect one for your popup, feel free to leverage the real-time customizer to tweak its:
colors
animations
form field/labels
text
Not really fond of the idea of merely customizing a pre-made template? Then you can always upgrade to Convert Pro and get your drag-and-drop builder...
Now, here are some of the types of popup forms that you can create using ConvertPlus:
email opt-ins
sidebar widgets
notification bars
full-screen popups
slide-ins
top/bottom bar information
sticky boxes
Key trigger options:
exit-intent
user inactivity
time
scroll depth
launch after content (triggering the popup only after the user has reached the end of the content in question)
click (for two-step popups)
Finally, ConvertPlus includes detailed targeting/trigger options, as well as built-in A/B testing and analytics to help you optimize your popups.
Main targeting options:
logged-in users
referrer detection (you can build popups specifically for visitors coming from a partnering website)
device
page level targeting
new vs returning visitors
Other robust features:
+700 fonts to select from
custom CSS, background settings, animations
real-time analytics
it integrates seamlessly with Zapier, WooCommerce, Contact Form 7, WP Registration Form
The END!
These are the 5 best popup plugins for WordPress in 2019. Those that:
ship with tons of powerful trigger/targeting options
grant you full control over the look and feel of your popup
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Adriana Cacoveanu / May 01'2019
Simple or custom-made? Is it a quick-to-assemble, rather “prototypical” form that you need for your website? Or a more complex, custom-made one? In a Drupal 8 Contact Forms vs Webform “debate”, which Drupal form builder best suits your data collection requirements?
On one hand, you have the convenience of creating your web forms in no time: simple, straightforward, “conventional” web forms. On the other hand, you get to scan through a never-ending list of advanced options and come up with a complex, fully custom-made web form.
That, of course, if you don't mind the time you need to invest in going through all those different form elements and available features and the risk of getting... overwhelmed by tons of field customization options.
Ease of use vs unlimited capabilities...
The convenience of getting your forms up and ready to collect user data in no time vs the chance to tailor some more advanced forms, ideally customized, carrying lots of different field values.
Decisions, decision...
Now, to help you decide, here's a more detailed Drupal 8 Contact Forms vs Webform comparison. Weigh each one of the 2 form modules' benefits and drawbacks, set them against your own needs and... make the choice:
1. The Contact Forms Module
Being part of Drupal core, there's no need to download and install the module.
Just go to Structure>Contact forms. Next, choose either to opt for the default form or to set up a new one: click the “Add contact form” button.
Once in the form creation screen, enter your form's values in the predefined fields that you have there:
give the form a name in the “Label” field
enter the email address where all the form submissions will be sent to (most probably your site admin address) in the “Recipients” field
enter your “Thank you” text in the “Message” field there; this will be the “thank you” text line your users will see once they hit the “submit/send” button
in the “Redirect path”, enter the URL to the page that you want them to get forwarded to after they've submitted the forms (that if you don't want them to be redirected back to the homepage, by default)
click “Save” and there you have it: a simple form, with all the basic, must-have field values, added to in no time
Of course, that doesn't mean that you can't further explore the given features and maybe add a few more fields and even styling options.
For instance, you could “Edit” your newly created form. Just select it in the “Contact Forms” screen and, scrolling down the options in the drop-down menu opening up, click the “Manage fields” option.
Click “Add field”, then “select a field type” – Text(plain), let's say – enter the “Label” and configure its settings.
Furthermore, if you want to style your form a bit, hit the “Manage form display” tab and... opt for a placeholder, for example. Next, explore the options available in the “Manage display” screen. For instance, you get to decide if you want your field label to be hidden, inline or visually hidden...
In short: in a Drupal 8 Contact Forms vs Webform comparison, the first form builder will always outshine the latter when it comes to ease of use.
It empowers you to set up a simple form quick and easy...
2. The Webform Module
Now, if Contact Forms is a rather minimalist form builder, the Webform module is a feature-rich, powerful one.
The customization features that it ships with go from email notifications to fine-grained access, from statistic collection of data to delivering results in a CSV format. From exporting data in various formats to... conditional sorting and filtering.
In other words, with Webform sky is the limit when it comes to the contact form that you can create.
It can go from a basic one to a highly complex, multi-page form. One made of lots of elements, advanced options for the user to select from, settings and features for you to leverage in the back-end...
But, let's keep in mind that it's a contributed module, so you'll first need to download it from Drupal.org.
Next, go to “Structure” and hit the “Webforms” tab. Then, click the “Add webform” button and, in the next screen popping up, give your new form a name (enter it in the “Title” field).
You'll be automatically forwarded to the “Build” tab, which is where all the “magic happens”. Once you click the “Add element” button, you'll get to “swim through” a sea of lots and lots... and lots of form elements (known as “fields” in Contact forms) to choose from. Ranging from basic to really advanced ones...
Let's assume that you'll want to add a “Text field” element. Click the “Add Element” button corresponding it, then scan through all the new customization options listed up in the “Add Text field element” screen opening up next...
Feel free to add other elements to your webform: a “text area” maybe, an “email” element, as well...
Note: do keep in mind that, once you've settled for the final fields/elements to be included in your web form, you can always change the order to get them displayed in. Just drag and drop them till they fit that predefined order in your mind...
Also, you can check/mark them as “Required” and turn them into “must fill in" fields, as opposed to optional form fields.
Note: feel free to edit that “Thank you” page that your webform will automatically forward users to. How? By clicking “Back to form”>"Settings”>"Confirmation” and selecting from the different options that you have there:
enter your own Confirmation title (e.g. “Thank you!”)
customize your Confirmation message
3. Drupal 8 Contact Forms vs Webform: Key Differences
Now that we've run our spotlight over each one of these 2 form building tools, let's make an inventory of the differences that we've identified:
first of all, it's obvious that the Webform module gives you more control over your web forms' design
also, unlike Contact Forms, it supports conditional emails; you get to send an email to a specific user in your list based on conditions associated with the value of certain elements in your form
Webform enables you to add basic logic to your web forms
… it comes packed with tons of advanced options, ranging from JS effects to conditional logic, to submission handling, etc.
Contact Forms, on the other hand, allows you to set up a simple contact form in the blink of an eye; you skip the tedious process of scanning through lots and lots of options, settings, and complex features
Webform allows you to create your forms either in a YAML file or in its the admin-friendly UI
also, Webform comes as a “cluster” of submodules – Webform REST, Honeypot, Webform Views, SMTP, Webform Encrypt, etc. – which are “responsible for” its multiple capabilities
4. In Conclusion...
The conclusion of this Drupal 8 Contact Forms vs Webform “debate” is quite simple:
If you need a basic form on your website and you need it built fast, go with Contact Forms. Being included in Drupal 8 adds convenience...
But if you want to customize your form (and you have the time), to style it to your liking and “turbocharge” it with advanced features and options, go with Webform.
It's a much more powerful and feature-rich form builder, perfectly suited for your complex requirements...
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
Adrian Ababei / Apr 24'2019
How is Kubernetes any better than... standard virtual servers? What are those unquestionable benefits of using Kubernetes?
What are its features, first of all?
And what are... containers? What specific needs does a container orchestration tool come to address? In this respect, why would you use Kubernetes over... Docker, for instance?
Let's dig up its unique features and most compelling benefits:
1. But First: What Are Containers More Precisely?
Before we (even) attempt at defining Kubernetes we need to... define containers, right?
They're (mini) virtual machines that deploy ready-to-run applications on other virtual machines (or host OS)...
The conveniences they provide?
they're smaller, lighter (considering that apps usually need just the bare essential in terms of operating systems to run on)
they streamline app deployment
they're the guarantee that those virtual machines are used at their full capacity
they can be run just like any VM template: with no configuration (or hardly any)
Note: you can find tons of preconfigured Docker images in Dockerhub. The bundles of convenience come from the fact that you're free to scan through and download the needed nginx as well as complex items without worrying about configuring them.
Other developers have invested their time and knowledge to set up all the due software configurations for you...
2. What Is Kubernetes in Simple Words?
Going back to containers, we're faced with a specific need: that of keeping a close track of them.
How do you monitor your virtual machines? How do you identify, let's say, those that keep running pointlessly? Without doing... anything in fact?
Also, by keeping track of your current containers, you'd be able to easily spin up a few more when you need more CPU, storage or memory...
This is where a cluster container orchestration tool comes in handy. A tool like... Kubernetes.
What it does, precisely, is to streamline the whole process of managing your containers, enabling you to leverage their full potential.
In short, by using Kubernetes you can easily deploy your containers to clusters (“ecosystems” of virtual machines). You get just one interface that you can use for deploying your containers to:
virtual machines
physical machines
multiple types of clouds...
And where do you add that it's designed to manage a wide range of container types. Not just Docker containers.
Note: Google, its creator, has been using it for 10 years. Now, just try to imagine all their heavy systems running on this particular container management tool! They must have “stuck” to Kubernetes for a good reason...
Luckily for us, Kubernetes joined the “club” of the open source technologies 2 years ago. Furthermore, it's now a managed service on Azure and Google Cloud, as well.
3. Why Should You Care? 7 Key Benefits of Using Kubernetes
Why would you use Kubernetes? The long-term payoffs must to be more than “tempting”, considering that the learning curve is quite steep.
And they are...
Here, I've selected the 7 best possible answers to your “Why should I use Kubernetes?” question:
3.1. It works smoothly with Node apps
Which means that you get to run any type of application with it.
3.2. It reduces and simplifies...
2 of the main benefits of using Kubernetes is that:
it cuts down cloud computing costs
it simplifies operations and trims down your container architecture...
3.3. It helps you get the most of your hardware resources
And here I'm referring to network bandwidth, memory, storage I/O...
How does it help you maximize the way you use them?
it helps you automate the whole process of updating your cluster (and respectively rolling back those updates, when necessary)
it bundles together, on the very same hardware, all those apps that use minimal resources
it places those applications "in need for" more resources on systems that can better cope with their “needs”
In short: Kubernetes will optimize the use of hardware resources.
3.4. It's easy to use
Compared to other container management engines and despite its high learning curve.
3.5. It speeds up the development process
This is another one of the undeniable benefits of using Kubernetes. How precisely does it boost the development cycle?
it runs all the needed updates
it performs automated deployments, operations across multiple clusters of hosts, scaling...
it manages all your apps and services included in your infrastructure with minimum downtime
3.6. It ships with a self-healing mechanism
From re-scheduling to auto-restarting, to replicating containers, Kubernetes' self-healing system is one of its strongest points.
Basically, it lifts the time-consuming burden of keeping your app up to date and perfectly adapted to users' latest expectations.
It will restart services when trouble strikes: it will address all the “health issues” that might occur and get your app automatically “cured”.
3.7. You Can Run Your App in Both Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Environments
Just imagine: Kubernetes enables you to leverage features specific to multiple individual clouds.
Basically, you're free to run your Kubernetes application in any cloud or “combo” of public or private clouds.
Using its own set of primitives — federation — it's designed to synchronize multiple clusters, placed across different clouds and regions...
4. When Is Kuberentes the Best Choice?
First of all, Kubernetes makes a great choice when it's a highly available distributed system that you have in mind.
Secondly, choose it when the convenience of using the same CLI for orchestrating all your different systems is of particular importance to you.
Just think: is it crucial for you to have just one CLI for pushing your containers to various different clouds (the Amazon cloud here included), to your physical and in-house machines...?
The END!
Are these 7 answers on the benefits of using Kubernetes convincing enough for you?
Image by RSunset from Pixabay
RADU SIMILEANU / Apr 19'2019
What makes Drupal a great choice from a UX standpoint? What features are responsible for the enhanced end-user experience in Drupal 8? Those features that enable you to easily create an intuitive and enjoyable visitor experience on your own Drupal-based website/application.
And to constantly improve it...
Is it all those performance enhancements that it ships with? Or maybe its “responsive out-of-the-box” nature? Or rather its multilingual capabilities?
1. But First: 7 Evergreen Ways to Improve Your Website's UX
It goes without saying that, in order to create an enjoyable, rich user experience on your Drupal 8 website, you'll need to:
put together a solid UX strategy
run extensive user research and map the user's journey
come up with an effective, well-planned UX design, paying attention to all the latest design trends (and now decoupled Drupal empowers you to tap into a whole range of new possibilities...)
And while carrying out all these phases of the UX design process, make sure to apply the following evergreen techniques for enhancing the visitor's experience.
1.1. Optimize the page loading time
For speed will always be the factor with the biggest influence on the user's experience on your Drupal site.
In this respect, there are tons of performance enhancements that you can implement, ranging from aggregating your JS and CSS files to properly configuring your cache to opting for a CDN, to...
1.2. Use bullets to structure your text
Bulleted lists are the “holy grail” of neatly structured, easy to read content.
For, in vain you invest time and effort in providing content that delivers real value to your website's visitors if you display it as an... “impenetrable” block of text.
In this respect, bullets help you break down the information. The result: users will see the key product or service benefits/will go through all of the presented features a lot quicker.
1.3. Use white space strategically
Speaking of easy to read content: there's no better way to enhance readability and to draw attention to specific elements on a page than... by using the white space itself.
It will automatically direct their attention to the text/image emphasized by all the white space surrounding it.
1.4. UX design is consistent design
From color palette to button styles, from the size of the headings in your text to the chosen font, from the used photos to various design elements... keep consistency across all the pages on your Drupal website.
Otherwise, you risk to confuse and to eventually... tire its visitors.
1.5. Go for visible, attractive CTAs
Always use action words for your calls to action and make sure they're easily recognizable. CTAs play a crucial role in setting up an intuitive, efficient navigation structure on your website...
1.6. Use images wisely
As images are always well-deserved “breaks” for the eye, especially when it's a long text that it's challenged to go through.
And yet, if you fail in using the relevant images, those that perfectly team up with your text... the user experience that you'll deliver will be anything but compelling...
1.7. Make your headings a high priority
Remember to write your headings around some of the main keywords.
Also, strategically design them so that they're highly visible and help users to quickly scan through the content.
2. 4 Features Responsible for the Superior End-User Experience in Drupal 8
Gluing together all the design best practices that make a great user experience does call for a flexible and dynamic web platform.
Drupal 8 is that platform. It comes packed with powerful features that make it easy for you to create the best visitor experience on your website.
Here are the ones with a huge influence on your website's UX:
2.1. Drupal 8 is responsive right out-of-the-box
And responsiveness, along with top page loading speed, still is one of those factors with a great influence on visitors' experience with your Drupal website.
With:
all the available base themes now being responsive
the convenience of adapting your images to various screen sizes right from their display properties
… creating a compelling end-user experience in Drupal 8 is dead-simple.
2.2. Enhanced performance
From a performance standpoint, Dries Buytaert's post on Drupal 8's performance optimizations is still one of the most relevant sources.
If Drupal was already built to “inject” enterprise-level performance into static pages, Drupal 8, with all its caching enhancements, is designed to speed up dynamic web pages, as well...
2.3. Multilingual capabilities
Remember the user experience's main facets, ranging from useful to findable, to valuable, to credible to... accessible?
Well, Drupal 8 provides you with multilingual capabilities right out of the box. You get to translate your website's UI, content, configuration, etc.
Meaning that, with this multilingual system at hand, you can easily create an accessible user experience on your website.
2.4. Content personalization (by segment, login time, device, language...)
In this respect, the Aqua Lift Connector module is your most reliable tool.
What it does is bring together customer data and content, so that you can deliver targeted content experiences across multiple channels and devices.
The END!
And these are those robust features that stand behind the superior end-user experience in Drupal 8. The very reasons why this platform, and particularly this version of Drupal, makes your best ally in creating the most compelling UX on your website.
Photo by Lucian Novosel on Unsplash
Adriana Cacoveanu / Apr 17'2019
What's the rough cost of an application? What goes into its price more precisely? What are those heavy weight factors that influence and end up determining the mobile app development cost?
Is it the (custom) features and app-specific functionality that you need to get implemented into your app? Or maybe the app development company itself? The chosen platform, the post updates, the number of screens or maybe the API development and integration?
Or rather all of these elements, plus a few more?
Here's a breakdown of the key aspects which, all put together, will decide your mobile app's price tag:
1. The Mobile App Development Platform Itself
As it “dictates” the operating system that your app will run on: Windows OS, Android OS, iOS OS, Blackberry OS. And, therefore, it heavily influences the cost of the mobile app development process itself.
What type of mobile application do you have in mind? Who's going to be its target audience?
These are but 2 of the crucial questions whose answers will determine your choice of app platform.
Note: do keep in mind that it's your mobile app development platform of choice that will determine the version of the OS system, as well.
With Android, your available options go from Jelly Bean to Nougat, from KitKat to Marshmallow and Lollipop. Whereas with iOS you'll get to choose between version 9, 10 and 11.
2. The Features You Need Will Strongly Influence the Mobile App Development Cost
How does your list of “must-have” features look like? And what about your... “nice to have” one?
Do your expectations in terms of app functionality go from:
push notifications
to geolocation
to in-app purchases
to streaming
to user login
to offline mode
to media content (smileys, emoticons, editing functionality here included)
to Google maps integration
to instant messaging?
Well then, do keep in mind that every feature on your wishlist is going to get reflected on the bill. You might want to trim it down a bit.
But if you've decided to stick to your feature requirements, make sure they're perfectly:
adapted to your target audience's expectations
suited for your specific type of mobile app
3. The Contracted Team of Mobile App Developers Itself
And it's not just the proven expertise and experience of the team members that will influence the mobile app development cost, but their... number, as well.
A “standard” app development team would include:
UX or/and UI designer(s)
QA engineer
project manager
in-house mobile app developer(s)
Plus a back-end developer, depending on your specific requirements (whether you'll need an API developed, as well, or not).
An extended team could include also 1 system administrator, plus more people for each one of the above-mentioned roles.
A larger team translates into higher costs, right? Yet, a too small team might also reflect in the longer time spent working on your app project. And time is... money.
In short, when evaluating the potential candidates, try to balance your budget and those teams' level of proficiency. Your specific feature requirements and their provable experience in implementing them.
For, a badly integrated functionality could be cheaper now, yet get quite expensive on a long term...
4. Your Specific Back-End & API Development Needs
Do you need an API? A scalable and powerful back-end for your app's content and data?
And would a basic cloud-based server suit your needs or do you need a middleware layer developed, as well?
Start analyzing all these variables and knowingly make your choices: all back-end and API requirements will finally bubble up to the mobile app development cost estimate...
5. Your Post-Development Updates & Maintenance Requirements
Just think of every user as of a new potential “risk”. One that could unknowingly inject all types of bugs and threats into your future app.
How will you get these risks under control? By:
implementing a continuous maintenance process
running regular updates on your mobile app
And having a dedicated team at your service to keep your application “sanitized” and properly updated does come with a price tag on...
One that will influence your mobile app development cost.
6. The Copyright and App Licensing Options
Just imagine: you've waited from 3 up to 6 months for your app to be ready, with all the “valuable” features and custom functionalities “baked in”. Then, after another few months, key elements from it get copied.
To avoid such a scenario, there's another aspect (and cost) to consider: applying for copyright.
You'll need to invest in an app license, that will protect your mobile application from getting copied.
7. The Number of Screens to Be Incorporated into Your App
How many screens have you planned for your future mobile app?
The answer to this question is highly influenced by the “palette” of features that you want to get incorporated into your app. The more of them, the more screens will need to be implemented...
And the higher the price will be, obviously. Your app development team's invested resources of time and effort will be proportional to the number of screens you'll request from them.
In short: be 100% certain that each and every feature that you wish to have implemented in your app is relevant and it adds value.
No need to overcrowd your app with lots of screens crammed with non-essential features.
8. Native or Hybrid Mobile App? What Will It Be?
And each type of mobile app comes with its own advantages and disadvantages:
native mobile apps stand out in terms of performance and come bundled with a wide range of functionalities; yet, do expect a high mobile app development cost (and a longer development cycle, as well)
hybrid mobile apps get developed and running in no time, across multiple platforms, so they're much more cost-effective; yet, they do not “rock” in terms of performance, nor do they live up to the same UX standards as the native ones
The choice depends entirely on your own priorities: outstanding performance & a full range of functionalities vs versatility & lower costs...
Note: needless to add that there are other aspects related to your app-specific type — basic functionality app, app depending on the device's hardware, data-driven app — that will influence its development cost.
9. The Security Features to Be Implemented
And you need to give this aspect its due consideration. With payment gateways integrated into your future app and loads of confidential user data being handled there, you can't afford to underrate the security aspect.
It goes without saying that the mobile app development cost will get influenced by the specific security features that you'll integrate.
Final Word
Identify your needs before even attempting to estimate the mobile app development cost. And, most importantly: set them apart from your... wishes.
It's only after you've put together your own list of requirements, project-specific constraints, and preferences that you can arrive at an accurate estimate.
Image by krzysztof-m from Pixabay
Adriana Cacoveanu / Apr 10'2019
Simple, yet visible enough, actively persuasive, yet not invasive, powerful, yet intuitive. How do you make your mobile call to action buttons intuitively... usable? What are those techniques which, once applied, enhance their intuitiveness?
And thus boost their effectiveness, as well...
How do you know whether your current mobile CTAs aren't optimally designed for mobile devices and adapted to mobile users' specific UX needs?
users spend too much time on the action screen; it's not obvious enough for them which are the highest priority actions to take, there are too many options crammed in there, too much text, etc.
your click-through rate could be... better, to say the least
Now, here are 10 straightforward, yet highly effective tips to make your mobile call to action buttons more effective:
1. Bold Your Text Labels Differently to Indicate Priority Level
A simple, yet powerful technique, that's often underrated: varying the boldness of mobile CTAs based on priority. This way, you'd put different emphasis on the various actions referred to.
For instance, is the action of “checking out” more important than that of “viewing the cart”? Indicate this hierarchy of priorities using varied intensity when you bold your text labels: go from the least bold to... the boldest.
2. Go for Button Shapes Instead of... Text-Only “Buttons”
Stick to the safe beaten road of UX when designing your mobile call to action buttons: don't trade straightforwardly shaped buttons for text-only ones.
You'd only end up confusing your users: “Is that a button or a piece of information?” And you'd risk having them miss/skip your most important CTA because... they won't notice it or just take it for... copy.
In other words: place your text labels into “familiar” button shapes.
3. Consider Those Screen Areas of "High Thumb Activity"
Always take heed of “the thumb zone”! It's made of all those key spots on a phone's screen that are the easiest for users' thumbs to reach and to... click on.
Once identified, strategically place your mobile CTAs there...
4. Consider Users' Natural Scanning Pattern when Placing Your CTAs
Do you want your mobile call to action buttons to be (just) visible or effective?
In this respect, placing the highest priority CTA first, will make it visible, but not necessarily effective, as well. Why? Because users are then forced to scan the screen bottom-up. And this is not their natural flow: first the “Checkout” button, then the “View Cart”, then the “Continue Shopping” buttons...
Any deviation from this familiar flow will affect the “intuitiveness” of your CTAs.
5. Stick to the Best Practices for Mobile Call to Action Placement
Left or right? Top or bottom? Where is it most effective to place your mobile CTAs on the screen?
You'll get the best answer to your question only once you've studied your target audience:
what triggers them to... action?
what catches their attention first on a screen?
Run some tests to identify those best practices on call to action placement that are most effective for your own scenario.
6. Keep It Straightforward: One CTA Per Page
Challenging users with too many options is another “self-sabotaging” technique. So, make sure you don't fall into the trap of overcrowding your screens with multiple CTAs.
Instead, make the most of that limited real estate on a mobile device's screen and place just one CTA per given space.
Otherwise, you only risk discouraging users with a too complicated decision-making process...
7. Use Color Wisely to Signal Progressive Actions & Priority Levels
Let's take 3 of the most common actions that mobile users are presented with: “Continue shopping”, “View cart” and “Checkout”.
Now, how would you indicate a given user the lowest, the medium and highest priority action to take? How would you signal progressive actions (as opposed to regressive actions, like “view cart”)?
You use the same color, but with different levels of saturation and brightness.
Note: using equally saturated color on all your mobile call to action buttons wouldn't make the hierarchy of priorities very intuitive, while using different colors would only place the same emphasis on all those progressive actions.
Tip: to indicate the highest priority, you could also opt for light text label set against a dark background; as opposed to the dark text on a lighter background, that you'd use for lower priority CTAs.
8. Use White Space to Make Your Mobile CTAs Stand Out
And this best practice goes hand in hand with the “one CTA per given space” technique: let the white space work for you/your call to action button.
Make sure to wrap it in enough white space to help it... stand out and catch users' attention.
You'd then:
make the most of the limited real estate that you're constrained to work with
avoid unwanted scenarios where, due to screens crammed with text and CTAs, users accidentally click the “wrong” links
9. Keep Your Copy Concise, Yet Persuasive
Your mobile call to action buttons should feature text that's:
short, yet descriptive enough
concise, yet actively persuasive
action-oriented
10. Use an Icon to Indicate the Highest Priority Action
What about color blind users? How can you make your mobile call to action buttons visible and intuitively easy to use for them, as well?
For using color wisely and varying the boldness of your text labels to indicate different priority levels sure isn't helpful for them.
Well, you go with an... icon. Just place it inside your checkout button and you'll make it stand out even more. It will be that visual element that they'll spot and cling to once they lend on a screen.
The END!
These are our 10 easy to implement techniques that will help you boost the “intuitiveness” of your mobile call to action buttons.
Would you have added other ones, as well?
Image by LeoNeoBoy from Pixabay.
Silviu Serdaru / Apr 05'2019