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Our blog tackles the toughest challenges in business today. We team up with experts to bring you practical guides on talent acquisition, IT management, and scaling businesses.

Our blog tackles the toughest challenges in business today. We team up with experts to bring you practical guides on talent acquisition, IT management, and scaling businesses.

29/02/2016 35 min read

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Drupal Website?

Find out the cost of creating your favorite web services with Drupal and compare it to the expenses on your project.We have prepared several examples and workflows to show you the details of cost to develop a custom Drupal website, so continue reading to have all the necessary information and take the right business decision.Let’s see what you are engaged into. If you are a photographer, you definitely need at least a simple website with your portfolio and contacts. Do you need a professional Drupal website development company in this case? God, no! You can build one yourself! Choose a nice Drupal theme, watch some YouTube tutorials, and you’ll master it. Graphomaniacs will find a bunch of blogging Drupal themes, companies in need of an ordinary corporate website may be satisfied with some ready-to-go Drupal options, and there are themes for e-commerce websites too. There are a lot of free and paid Drupal themes with prices varying from $20 to $250. So, if you choose to do everything yourself, the total cost for that will comprise hosting, domain name, the Drupal theme of your choice, and your time.To save a couple of days, you can ask specialists to set up a website based on a Drupal theme for you. Price for that depends on the time spent by a developer, generally — from 2 to 12 hours, $54 to $324.Opting for a website based on a ready Drupal template you must be sure it suits your business model perfectly. You won’t be able to add a new feature or customize the existing one without the help of a professional Drupal developer.Creating a promotional page on Drupal might seem an easy task as well, but beware — to make it really work you need a sleek design. Custom design means you need a designer, Drupal developer (front-end and PHP), quality assurance specialist, and project manager. This is a basic team for any Drupal development project with a custom logic and/or design. If you don’t have a detailed project scope, a business analyst has to join this team to write one.Stages of a custom Drupal website development1Analysis and planningIt starts with defining your business plans and needs, making a project scope and custom design, estimating the team’s work hours, and deciding which modules you might need.Drupal modules are the extensions that add some features to the basic website. 99,9% of Drupal websites have modules inside. There are a lot of ready-to-use plug-ins, but in most cases you need to write a new one for your particular project. To learn more about Drupal modules, read our article “How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Drupal Extension?”.2Design and developmentAt the second stage the UI and UX design is created, then we develop the Drupal website bearing in mind that it should be responsive and fast-loading to look nice on any device with any internet connection.3Testing and deploymentIn the end, we need to check everything on a test server and only after fixing all the bugs you can deploy your new custom Drupal website to the production version.Custom Drupal website price estimateLet’s proceed to answer the main question — how much does it cost to develop a Drupal website? As any other professional website cost, it depends on the complexity of the solution.1Promotional page for a mobile appA promotional page for a mobile app like swarmapp.com will cost you around $900. Sometimes pages like this don’t require a CMS at all, but if you want to edit texts or change prices, Drupal is the right solution.2Simple corporate websiteA standard company website with such sections as About us, Services, Portfolio, News, Blog, Contacts will cost from $3000 to $5000. Here are some examples we’ve made: Villagio, Hi5.3Backend for a mobile appLet’s take an app you know well — Tinder :) Its backend can be made on Drupal and if there are such features as user management, content management, REST API, administration interface, it can cost $4500—6000. Not that expensive, huh? Maybe you should think of creating your own Tinder with blackjack :)4eBay-like e-commerce platform with various user rolesYes, it is possible to build a new eBay with Drupal: divide into retailers and customers, let each retailer set delivery options and other terms, and so on. In fact, it is a mix of multiple online shops on the same platform. This is the most expensive option with price starting at $13 000—15 000.Selecting the best Drupal website development services providerYour partner in building your Drupal website is the key to its future success. There are multiple IT outsourcers who provide consulting and development services, so how do you select the best one for you? At Kultprosvet, we’ve been engaged in Drupal website design and development for many years and we have elaborated a few best practices that we want to share with you. Here are the marks of a decent Drupal development company:They ask you about your business goals and plans.They want not to sell you a Drupal website, but to find a right solution to suit your needs.They create a detailed project scope and want you to approve it before the start of programming itself.They think about expanding your business and chose the best scalable solutions.They provide continuous technical support.These are our rules of cooperating with clients. Contact us to find out how far your business can go with us.Find out the cost of your website1 Find out the cost of creating your favorite web services with Drupal and compare it to the expenses on your project. We have prepared several examples and workflows to show you the details of cost to develop a custom Drupal website, so continue reading to have all the necessary information and take the right business decision.

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16/02/2016 20 min read

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Magento Website?

If you plan to build an online store or similar website, Magento can be a good choice for that. Prior to anything else, you might think about the cost to develop a custom Magento website, and our article can help you with that. Continue reading to learn more about prices for professional Magento website development, as well as tips and tricks for selecting a nice Magento website development company to suit your business needs.Being a CMS similar to Wordpress, basic Magento can be deployed by a non-programmer who knows how to buy a hosting space, put some files on an FTP, connect a database being guided by a YouTube tutorial and indicate a domain name. In this case, you’ll have to use a template created by somebody else and you won’t be able to change the design. If your potential customers are tech-savvy people, they will easily notice that you didn’t spend much on your Magento website design and development and you might lose their credit. Such DIY Magento solutions cannot be customized easily and you’ll have to find a right Magento programming specialist to help you.1Process of developing a custom Magento websiteStage 1: analysis and planningBefore getting down to work, you should think about how many items you will have for sale. The more you have (the bigger you database is), the higher are the Magento requirements for hosting.At this stage, we should also analyze the basic Magento features, define the custom design, write a project scope, estimate the hours needed for the development, and decide which modules we might need.Modules for Magento are the extensions that add some features to the basic Magento e-commerce website. There are some ready-to-use plug-ins, but it is often the case that you need to build a new one from scratch for your project. To learn more about Magento modules, read our article “How much does it cost to develop a Magento extension?”.Stage 2: design and developmentAt this stage we create the UI and UX design, develop the Magento website itself, bearing in mind that it should be responsive and fast-loading to look perfectly on any device and with any internet connection.Stage 3: testing and deploymentFinally, it is necessary to test everything on a test server and only after fixing all the imperfections you can deploy your newly-built custom Magento website to the production version.2Custom Magento website price estimateNow it is time to finally answer the question — how much does it cost to develop a Magento website?Level one: online store for one country and one target audienceSelect this option when you need to create a classic Magento e-commerce website when there is one retailer who wants to sell via the internet across one region or one country. The cost of building such e-shop will, of course, vary depending on the complexity of custom Magento modules, but generally, it may cost from $6000 to $10 000.Here are an example of such e-commerce solution: teahouse.ua.Level two: e-commerce platform with several е-shops targeted at different countries, with different prices, themes, and languagesLet’s take the nike.com as an example. They have different websites for each country where they have the business. Such online stores have custom front-end for different target audiences, various delivery terms and options depending on the country, and so on.The price for creating this complex solution may vary from $11 000 to $20 000.Level three: eBay-like web platform with various user rolesYes, you can even create a new eBay with Magento: users can be divided into retailers and customers, each retailer can set his own delivery options and other terms, and so on. In fact, it is a combination of thousands of online shops on the one platform.This is the most expensive option with price starting at $20 000 and no limits can be imagined here.3Tips and tricks for choosing the right Magento website development services providerChoosing the company to build your next Magento website is a crucial business decision. There are thousands of small and big companies who offer their consulting and development services, but how to tell the best one from the rest? At Kultprosvet, we’ve been building e-commerce websites for years and we have worked out some best practices for that. Here are some features of a good Magento development company:First, they ask about your business goals and plans.They are targeted not at selling you a Magento website development, but at finding a right solution to suit your needs.They make a detailed project scope and want you to approve it before getting down to programming itself.They think about the future growth of your business and chose the scalable solutions.They provide continuous support in servicing your ready online store.These are the rules that guide us at every stage of cooperating with clients. Contact us and you’ll have the service and support you deserve.Find out the cost of your website1 If you plan to build an online store or similar website, Magento can be a good choice for that. Prior to anything else, you might think about the cost to develop a custom Magento website, and our article can help you with that. Continue reading to learn more about prices for professional Magento website development, as well as tips and tricks for selecting a nice Magento website development company to suit your business needs. Being a CMS similar to Wordpress, basic Magento can be deployed by a non-programmer who knows how to buy a hosting space, put some files on an FTP, connect a database being guided by a YouTube tutorial and indicate a domain name. In this case, you’ll have to use a template created by somebody else and you won’t be able to change the design. If your potential customers are tech-savvy people, they will easily notice that you didn’t spend much on your Magento website design and development and you might lose their credit. Such DIY Magento solutions cannot be customized easily and you’ll have to find a right Magento programming specialist to help you.

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10/02/2016 35 min read

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Drupal Module?

Every Drupal website (except maybe for the simplest business card websites) has some modules inside. Modules can add literally any features you might want in your project. Keep reading to learn how much does it cost to develop a Drupal extension, when you should choose an existing solution, and how to tell a good Drupal module developer from a bad one.Before considering a Drupal extension development, find out what your Drupal version is. Now there are two versions that are most used: 7.x and 8.x.The 7.x Drupal version is widely spread. It cannot boast the abundance of in-built features. However, there are quite a few modules created for Drupal 7.x. At the day this post was written there were 11 595 of them.e Drupal 8.x version is targeted on bigger businesses, we would even name it an enterprise solution. It has more features in its core distribution than 7.x does. There are only 1327 modules so far. You should know that Drupal 8 requires much more server resources, a VPS and developer’s experience in OOP and advanced PHP skills.In some rare occasions, it is cheaper to upgrade from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8. But in most cases you will have to stick to your current version and write a module for the new feature you want.1You want to have a free Drupal module installed to your websiteAs we have mentioned above, there are a lot of ready-to-use extensions for Drupal. Further still, all of them are free. Yes, Drupal community is open and friendly, so you can choose a free plug-in you like and have it applied to your project.If the module you want is present on the market, the total cost of its implementation will comprise the following:Analyzing your Drupal website and your needsIntegrating the module to your Drupal projectTestingImplementation to the production version of the websiteIsn’t it a perfect solution? We’re afraid, it isn’t. The problem is that all that modules, which were created by other people, may not suit your website best. They are not perfect in terms of design and UI/UX, there could be some troubles with adjusting them to your code and there are many more ‘cons’. That is why the overwhelming majority of product owners choose to have a custom Drupal module to be developed for them.2You want to have a custom Drupal module to be created for youThis is the right decision. It is impossible to have a nice Drupal website without a tailor-made module. Very often, such module is the core function of the whole web service!The cost of building a Drupal extension consists of the following:Analysing your current Drupal websiteWriting and approving a project scopeBuilding the moduleTesting itImplementation to the project itselfCustom Drupal plug-in price estimate depends on the time that your developers will spend. Beware, if they don’t include analysis and project scope into the price breakdown, they will definitely add this time to the development phase, so you won’t save money here.To be more specific, let’s look through some examples of Drupal module development.Example 1One of the recent projects we’ve been involved into, the Parachute, was an insurance website that can calculate the cost of the certificate basing on the lifestyle of a person. To have this estimation, a user should fill in a questionnaire with a smart logical algorithm. The next question of the form depends on the answer to the previous one. The cost to develop such custom Drupal module is not high. Our estimation — around 16 hours of programming, which makes $576.Example 2Let’s look at a situation when the custom Drupal modules make the core feature of the whole project. Imagine a service that connects drivers and shipping companies. There are a web interface and a mobile app. Drivers use the app to mark the delivery done, take a picture for proof and send it as a report.On the backend side, there is an admin panel. It is divided into 5 similar modules with the different level of access for each admin role. Admins can create new shipping points, add cities and much more.The web service has a REST API to ensure interaction between the mobile app and the server. It is responsible for giving the data to the mobile app. The REST API itself is also a custom module. There are some ready-to-use solutions, but here a custom one is needed it to have some particular functions. Another Drupal module was built to store the mobile data on the server.The time estimate for these set of Drupal modules is 960 hours — $34 560.3How to tell a nice Drupal developer from a poor oneIf there are no engineers in your team who can create a custom extension, try outsourcing your Drupal module development. Here are some characteristics of a good supplier:He wants to look at your project first and asks you about your business goals.He charges you for the time he spends on the analysis as it requires some time.He is trying not to sell you his services, but to find a solution to your problem.He makes a detailed project scope and gives it to you to approve.He tests both frontend and backend before and after implementing on the work copy.Those are our rules at Kultprosvet. We’ve been developing Drupal extensions for many years, and we know everything about it. We want to find the right way to satisfy your needs and achieve your business goals.Find out the cost of your module1 Every Drupal website (except maybe for the simplest business card websites) has some modules inside. Modules can add literally any features you might want in your project. Keep reading to learn how much does it cost to develop a Drupal extension, when you should choose an existing solution, and how to tell a good Drupal module developer from a bad one Before considering a Drupal extension development, find out what your Drupal version is. Now there are two versions that are most used: 7.x and 8.x.

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02/02/2016 20 min read

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Magento Extension?

Having a Magento website means you need to use its extensions. There are thousands of ready-to-use Magento modules, and choosing the right one can be a tough job. In many cases, there won’t be an exact extension you need, so you would need to build a custom Magento module. Continue reading to learn how much does it cost to develop a Magento extension, when you should opt for an existing solution, and how to tell a nice Magento module developer from a poor one.Prior to anything else, make sure that the feature you want is not included to the Magento core functions. Some time ago our client asked us to write a Magento shipping module. But we told them there is an in-built support for FedEx and UPS. The client saved a lot of time and money, so can you.But as for other shipping companies, some of them have Magento plug-ins and some don’t. That’s why the price to activate the UPS shipping will be much lower than to create a module for a shipping service that doesn’t yet exist in the list of Magento extensions.Another example: Magento supports payments via PayPal and Authorize.Net, which is quite convenient. However, there are a lot of other acquiring agents, some of them being very popular in particular countries. For example, in Australia, there is ANZ processing solution, highly preferred by local customers. So if you want to add other acquiring agent than PayPal or Authorize.Net, you’ll have to find an extension for it or even write one from scratch.1You want to buy a Magento extension and want somebody to install itIn this case we recommend you to contact the developer who was in charge of creating your Magento website. If they made any changes to the core of Magento, it may affect the possibility of keeping your Magento version up-to-date and installing new modules.They should also make sure the version of a plug-in you want is compatible with the version of Magento you use. Generally, new extensions are build for the latest Magento version, so you might need to update yours. Inversely, some old modules were meant to be used with older Magento versions, so your developer has to make sure it can fit it your newer Magento version.In case the module you need is present on the market, the total cost of its implementation will comprise the following:Analyzing your Magento website and your needsBuying the ready plug-in ($0-500)Integrating it to MagentoTestingImplementation to the production version of the websiteSome Magento extensions are free, like Blog - Community Edition by aheadWorks. So in this case you, pay only for the developer’s time. Unfortunately, free plug-ins have quite basic features. To show recent or most popular posts below each article of your blog, you’ll have to create an extension from scratch.On rare occasions, an advanced Magento user can install an extension without knowing how to code on PHP. However in most cases you will need to do some manual tuning. Sometimes it is necessary to write a piece of code, and at all times you should implement and test everything on the developer’s environment (different server), while your live version stays in a stable mode. Have in mind that some features require changes in the Magento core, but modules don’t.2You need a custom Magento module to be built from scratchFirst, check the existing Magento plug-ins for the features you need. Let’s take Magento check-out modules. During a basic Magento check-out, a user has to fill in numerous fields on several pages. We all know it may lead to a lower conversion. There are some extensions which allow you to implement a one-step check-out (Onestep Checkout, $20), a check-out without registering within your service or even to manage a check-out via phone call. Or try Configurable Checkout ($69) to make a custom check-out you need.There are also nice Magento SEO modules: SEO ― Advanced SEO Suite ($149) boosts the native Magento SEO features, and the other Advanced SEO Suite ($249) is the ultimate option with all you might ever need. Both of them cost less than $250, which makes them a real cost-effective option. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when you have a good and reliable solution.As for search, the in-built Magento search features are quite basic. Search Autocomplete and Suggest ($99) is the plug-in to add autocomplete to your search. To make sure your pages are indexed better you can use Search ― Advanced Sphinx Search Pro ($99). Or try the ultimate one — Search: Sphinx Search Ultimate ($149).However, there are no ready modules which allow you to show a custom search results in a particular order. Let’s imagine you sell consumer electronics. A user types “Samsung TV set” in you search box. Without a special search module they would get all the Samsung TV sets you have, then Samsung TV set accessories, then some other Samsung products. A custom search extension lets you show the TV sets you have from other brands after the ones from Samsung. Thus, you have higher chances to sell your items. The total cost of such Magento extension development can be around $1500. So always make sure you are able to cover the expenses on development with the revenue obtained due this extension.When you checked the built-in Magento features and all the existing extensions and didn’t find what you’ve been looking for, it’s time to consider a Magento module development.The price of creating a Magento plug-in consists of the following:Analysis of your existing projectMaking a project scopeDeveloping the extensionTestingImplementationCustom Magento plugin price estimate depends on the time, that your supplier team will spend on it. Beware, if they don’t charge you for analyzing your project and making a project scope, they will definitely add this time to the development time, so you won’t save money here.3How to tell a good supplier from a bad oneWhen there is no extension you need, you can have it built specially for your project. If there are no developers in your team, start looking for a right supplier. Here are the features of a good one:He wants to look at your project first, to see if adding a plug-in is possible at all.He charges you for the time he spends on the analysis as it requires from a couple of hours to couple of days.He is trying not to sell you an extension, but to find a solution to your problem.He writes a detailed project scope and asks for your approval.He tests both frontend and backend before and after implementing on the work copy.At Kultprosvet, we stick to the rules above for all the similar projects. We’ve been developing Magento extensions for many years, and we know all the good solutions on the market. However, the most important thing is we don’t strive to sell you a Magento module, we want to find a way to satisfy your needs and meet your business goals.Find out the cost of your extension1 Having a Magento website means you need to use its extensions. There are thousands of ready-to-use Magento modules, and choosing the right one can be a tough job. In many cases, there won’t be an exact extension you need, so you would need to build a custom Magento module. Continue reading to learn how much does it cost to develop a Magento extension, when you should opt for an existing solution, and how to tell a nice Magento module developer from a poor one. Prior to anything else, make sure that the feature you want is not included to the Magento core functions. Some time ago our client asked us to write a Magento shipping module. But we told them there is an in-built support for FedEx and UPS. The client saved a lot of time and money, so can you.

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30/08/2015 5 min read

Three must-reads for designers in February

Time to dive into exciting stories! We have picked these three books for you to be tough with your brains, fill it with new information and get new insights. No boring theory, only practical advice on the process of everyday creativity.1“One Page at a Time: a Daily Creative Companion” by Adam J. KurtzThis book — or a creative diary as many call it — is a real fount of ideas for those who like to write down their thoughts or important events, prefer paper to a notes app, and receive inspiration from everywhere. Some moody naysayers would call this book useless and stupidly hipsterish. If you keep it on your desktop and use every day, though, you will be astonished by how many new things you will discover. The book is also highly recommended to those who want to start something but hesitate.2“Imagine: How Creativity Works” by Johna LehrerJohna Lehrer — The Wall Street Journal author and a famous scientific journalist — writes about nature, operating principal, and training of imagination. Instead of muse-centric approach you will get a vast amount of information about how the human brain works. The author explains some latest researches of the creativity essence; so you will learn what goes in our head when we generate ideas. Sounds like no magic at all, however the most intriguing things happen beyond our understanding.3“Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don't teach you in design school, but should” by Michael JandaIf you dream of a graphic designer’s job this book is just for you. Plenty of knowledge, practical examples and myth-busting about the work of a designer. Valuable and useful information, which is usually revealed with some time and experience. Take good note! Time to dive into exciting stories! We have picked these three books for you to be tough with your brains, fill it with new information and get new insights. No boring theory, only practical advice on the process of everyday creativity. null

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03/03/2015 35 min read

Five tools any designer would love

Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel and waste your time on the task that can be easily completed with already existing tools. There are a lot of projects to make your life simpler and better. Have a look at several useful tools we have found and considered worth sharing with you.1ShadeA super-easy tool for creating gradients for the web. Play with hue, saturation, and colors, and check the result in real time on your monitor.2Free Photoshop Font DetectorA free plug-in that helps you identify a font. No more screenshots — just select the area on the image and you will be redirected to the WhatTheFont website to see the result.3Image sizes for social mediaEveryone of us often needs to make some images for social media posts. Some don’t care and have one image for all; others spend hours to make a bunch of images. Here the screenshots start to loom… Forget about them by adding this cheat sheet to your favorites.4What to draw?This one is more for fun than for work, but it helps a lot if you want to practice your drawing skills and have run out of ideas. Follow its advice and create a diverse portfolio of your masterpieces.5Adobe Color CCA useful tool by Adobe — color wheel — will let you pick the right colors for your project. A 100% must-use! Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel and waste your time on the task that can be easily completed with already existing tools. There are a lot of projects to make your life simpler and better. Have a look at several useful tools we have found and considered worth sharing with you. null

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12/02/2015 10 min read

Should you show passwords on log-in screens?

Open SesamePasswords, passwords are everywhere. Security and privacy are priority number one! Your password should be as complex as possible: digits, letters, and, of course, UPPERCASE!!! Every one of us gets stuck from time to time gazing at the password screen. Did you know that password recovery is the most frequent request to the support team as well as the reason many people don’t log in to the website they want?Masking passwords makes it even harder to type the correct one. These stars or dots were introduced to hide your password from the villain’s eyes, but in fact they just confuse users. The mobile users suffer the most.In 2012 more and more interface engineers started to avoid masking passwords and many users raised concerns on their data privacy. However, there were a lot of people who liked this idea.In 2015 the majority of people use mobile devices, which makes designers follow the “Rule of Thumb” and remember how fast our pace of life is and how much information is around us. This makes the user’s attention more and more precious. We need to learn how to retain and guide it. By showing the password, we reduce the time needed to type it and make it easier for the user to remember.So it turns out that we can kill two birds with one stone :) And even three if you are inventive and want to make sure people trust you. Remember, there are people who want their password masked. Continue reading to learn, how big companies deal with password masking.1PayPal and Foursquare let users decide whether they want to mask or to show the password. Thus a user can choose the most comfortable option.2Twitter and LinkedIn use the eye icon. It is not that obvious for a user, but for a global company it is effective, as no costs for localization and implementation arise.3And there is the history of Amazon’s iterations of the feature.Such solutions are not universal, but we think the idea is good. Let the user decide whether it is convenient for him to mask the password. This is easy for you and will reduce negative emotions of people who start to use your interface. Open Sesame Passwords, passwords are everywhere. Security and privacy are priority number one! Your password should be as complex as possible: digits, letters, and, of course, UPPERCASE!!! Every one of us gets stuck from time to time gazing at the password screen. Did you know that password recovery is the most frequent request to the support team as well as the reason many people don’t log in to the website they want?Masking passwords makes it even harder to type the correct one. These stars or dots were introduced to hide your password from the villain’s eyes, but in fact they just confuse users. The mobile users suffer the most.In 2012 more and more interface engineers started to avoid masking passwords and many users raised concerns on their data privacy. However, there were a lot of people who liked this idea.In 2015 the majority of people use mobile devices, which makes designers follow the “Rule of Thumb” and remember how fast our pace of life is and how much information is around us. This makes the user’s attention more and more precious. We need to learn how to retain and guide it. By showing the password, we reduce the time needed to type it and make it easier for the user to remember.So it turns out that we can kill two birds with one stone :) And even three if you are inventive and want to make sure people trust you. Remember, there are people who want their password masked. Continue reading to learn, how big companies deal with password masking.

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29/12/2014 5 min read

Four cases of a good web animation usage

The animation is a web design trend for 2015 and a constantly developing area. Even if you are not a designer or developer yourself, you might have noticed that there are many more responsive animated object on the Internet now than it used to. We don’t want to speak about the repulsive GIF or Flash banners with online games ads, we would like to cover the useful animation for any website owner and pleasant to any user.1Supporting the contentInternet users found the text content less and less interesting. Mean SEO specialists stuff web pages with miles of nonsense, the rhythm of life has never been so high, quintillion bytes of data are created every day, and users are afraid of being scammed again. The right animation will clear the hurdle of distrust towards your content. Animated call to action brings a higher chance to be heard, seen or read.2Drawing attentionWant your users to click the particular button? Make it special! Use animation on mousing over or make the button dance in its desire to show a user what’s inside. If you want to draw some attention to the three lines of burger-menu, introduce a light shake every 3 seconds and the job is done :)3Explaining the interfaceAnother task to resolve with animation is to explain the presence of some content or interface element to a user: start the “help mode” on the first visit. You may have changed something in your usual interface and want the users to notice that and introduce these new opportunities to them. Be caring and talk to your users ;)4Being the content itselfIf you know animation in and out, it can be the whole point of your website. Concepts, graphic metaphors and data visualisation make you stand out. You are a designer indeed, aren’t you? The animation is a web design trend for 2015 and a constantly developing area. Even if you are not a designer or developer yourself, you might have noticed that there are many more responsive animated object on the Internet now than it used to. We don’t want to speak about the repulsive GIF or Flash banners with online games ads, we would like to cover the useful animation for any website owner and pleasant to any user. null

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12/12/2014 5 min read

Wireframe, prototype and mock-up: what is the difference?

Tell it like it isWe often see the following words: wireframe, prototype and mock-up. You might think that experienced UX-designers, developers and project managers got these terms clear long time ago and have no doubts in their meaning. However people often confuse these words, that in fact are related to the different stages of creating an IT-solution.1WireframeA wireframe is a scheme or a drawing which presents a bare skeleton of a web page or an app. There are no decorations, only a list of elements that should be present on a particular page or screen. The elements are located only for indicative purposes: images, menus and sub-menus, the sizes of headers and text blocks are also relative and depend on their importance.2PrototypeA prototype is a model that allows you to test the interface concept and check the user scenarios. Here we can insert images and connect the pages or screens to show their interdependence and show the navigation across the product. Here is an example of a prototype made in Axure3Mock-upA mock-up (aka layout) is a model of a product before the implementation, it is the design itself. A nice example of mock-ups is the ones that Doc Brown made in the “Back to The Future” movie, to show Marty McFly his plan of the next journey in time. Tell it like it is We often see the following words: wireframe, prototype and mock-up. You might think that experienced UX-designers, developers and project managers got these terms clear long time ago and have no doubts in their meaning. However people often confuse these words, that in fact are related to the different stages of creating an IT-solution.

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