What’s better for developer productivity: music or silence?
The question of what music is best for triggering app developer productivity — if any at all — is a debate that has raged on since, if not the dawn of time, at least the introduction of the iPhone. Every developer is likely to have their own answer, but there are a few trends that […]
How and Why to Create User Personas for your App
User personas are one of the most mysterious parts of the app user experience (UX) design process for non-designers. They’re also one of the most important parts of app development, and apps that reference user personas throughout all stages from idea to launch are much more likely to succeed. Stereotypes are never a good thing. […]
How to Perform a Competitive Analysis for Your App Idea
Would you go spelunking without a headlamp? What about mountaineering without a map? Well, pursuing your great app idea without performing a competitive analysis would be just as foolish. Finding and analyzing your competitors will shine a light on the “roadmap” for your business. Without it, you miss out on the chance to fill actual […]
MACRA Medicare Update Fails Patients, Doctors, and Startups
The Los Angeles app development community has been cautiously optimistic the past few weeks about the outcome of this year’s long-awaited updates to MACRA (the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act). In partnership with ACT The App Association and dozens of other leading tech companies across the country, we submitted detailed comments and research to […]
Apple Backpedals on Self-Driving Car Operations
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is scaling back their plan to manufacture smart cars top-to-bottom similar to Tesla. Instead, the market-leading tech company and mobile app platform will focus on the software business they’re more known for, potentially building out software systems to be incorporated into vehicles from other manufacturers. The main source […]
Is Ransomware a Concern for IoT developers and Users?
Ransomware has emerged as a major threat in recent years, pitting security experts and hackers in an arms race to protect private data from “freezing” or deletion on both mobile and desktop hardware. Now app developers are concerned that ransomware could make the jump to Internet of Things devices as more household appliances and systems […]
San Francisco Startup Takes On Wi-Fi Moochers
Coffeeshops are a favorite hangout for app developers and tech workers. They also have a serious problem: Wi-Fi moochers. You know the type — buying a small coffee and then taking up two tables and three outlets for hours on end of quality Internet hangout time. Honestly, most of us have been that obnoxious customer […]
Investors Vote with Their Wallets for Messaging App Startups
Messaging was a theme for the past three years of mobile app development, even before bots came into the picture. While SMS has long been scheduled to go the way of the dinosaurs, the ecosystem has gotten more complex rather than more streamlined. Between Slack, Messenger, Google Hangouts, and dozens more, group messaging is one […]
Controversial iPhone 7 Headphones Put Software Center Stage
There’s a saying that for a carpenter, the solution to every problem is a nail. The saying holds true among techies — mobile app developers will always see software solutions, while hardware designers will always see hardware solutions. This debate is raging particularly brightly within Apple right now, as users discovered thanks to the iPhone […]
How Startups Can Succeed as “Mega-Apps” Dominate App Store
Apps are like people — they tend to congregate in the interest of convenience. User behavior has changed dramatically in recent years, and there’s no longer a feeling of excitement about seeking out, downloading, and learning to use smartphone apps. Instead, users expect things to “just work.” Between Google’s predictive information services and the prevalence […]