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Congratulations to Inner Peak AI on the successful launch of their app. It is both challenging and exciting at first, but with such impressive early usage rates, we are sure the team will be energized to help many more students. Sean Wheelock and Ben Anandappa are an amazing team with a great future ahead. We are very happy to be a part of your journey.

?? AI is here to remove us! ?? or maybe not yet? ?? In the rapidly evolving tech landscape, AI tools like ChatGPT are revolutionizing how developers work. At plus8soft, we've discovered that ChatGPT serves as an exceptional reference tool, guiding developers with precise prompts, thus streamlining research and development processes. It's like having an interactive Wikipedia at your fingertips! ?? Especially for junior developers, ChatGPT acts as a virtual coach, providing exemplary code snippets and implementation ideas to inspire custom solutions. We've successfully leveraged ChatGPT in areas such as front-end development, Python, PHP, and even for crafting basic database queries and JavaScript, including Excel macros and formulas. ???? While ChatGPT shines in scripting languages and as a knowledge base for complex technologies like Java and .NET, it's not yet a replacement for the expertise required for high-level design, database architecture, or handling high-load scenarios. That's where seasoned professionals truly stand out. ? Reflecting on the past year, the advancements in AI capabilities have been nothing short of remarkable. We anticipate that in the next 2-3 years, the demand for low-skilled specialists will drastically decrease, making way for AI, while the battle for highly experienced professionals intensifies. ???? What's your experience with AI in development? Have you integrated tools like ChatGPT into your workflows? Let's share insights and learn from each other's journeys! Interested in our free consulting or software development? Reach us at?plus8soft #AI #ChatGPT #SoftwareDevelopment #Innovation #Plus8Soft

Choosing Your Ideal Software Outsourcing Team (Made Easy) ???♂? ??Do reference checks: If you struggle to find clients for references, chat with people who've worked with the team leaders before. You can learn a lot about their honesty and how much they care by asking former colleagues. Leaders usually stay the same, even if engineers don’t. ??Communication is key: Pick a team that understands you. ??Don't Just Focus on Price: don't just go for the cheapest option. Switching developers can be a real pain; many of those super-low quotes you see are just to get you in the door. They might end up charging you a bunch later on for changes. ??Check their expertise and ability to think critically: When you explain your project, skip a few things. See if they ask you the right questions. You want a team that thinks, not just one that follows orders. ?Test Them Under Pressure: See how they handle urgent tasks. It's good to know how they react when things get busy. ??Trust Your Gut: Choose people you enjoy working with. You'll talk to them a lot, so getting along is important. Interested in our free consulting or software development? Reach us at plus8soft

Should you build software in-house or leverage the expertise of external teams? It is individual, but keep in mind: ???? Support vs. ???? Core Functions. You can usually outsource support functions like quality assurance (QA), user testing, and basic bug fixes. These tasks, while crucial, are often well-defined and less impactful on your competitive edge. However, the decision gets trickier for core functions that drive business value and innovation. ?? Technology-Centric Businesses. If your business relies heavily on proprietary technology and constant innovation, holding onto core development is more critical. Outsourcing these functions risks diluting your unique selling proposition and handing over strategic knowledge to external parties. ?? Business Model & ??♂? Partnerships: Alternatively, businesses built on intricate partnerships or innovative business models might find more flexibility in outsourcing. If technology isn't your core differentiator, building strong relationships and streamlining operations could open the door to broader outsourcing options. ?? Startups and ?? Cost-Efficiency: For startups, cost-consciousness is paramount. Outsourcing can be a powerful tool to save resources, iterate faster, and focus on non-technical tasks like market research and customer acquisition. By outsourcing routine development tasks, startups can free up precious resources to build their brand and secure funding. Have any other thoughts? Please share them below. Interested in our free consulting or software development? Reach out

Case study: Marketplace App that Offers Promo Codes to Locals This startup offers promo codes to users based on their frequent locations. Businesses like cafes and beauty studios can sign up to promote themselves to locals and develop their loyal customer base. Users receive deals close to their usual places of stay, such as home and office. The marketplace grew from MVP to 50,000 unique users per month before being acquired by a large advertising company. The app has three different interfaces: user, business, and startup admin. Google Maps and payment providers are securely integrated into the user interface. Effective online trade marketing can be difficult as it involves the use of sensitive personal data on the final stage of the customer journey. Coupons and promo codes are important tools for trade marketing. Trade marketing is the final stage before the sales are made. It comes after brand marketing or PR and product marketing. Discounts are most effective when the customer's need has crystallized and the final decision is about to be made. It is important to keep the customer interested with clever algorithms based on location, behavior, preferences, and day of the month. Collected data must be used carefully with respect to the user and GDPR. The marketplace app we developed is platform-agnostic and secure for both businesses and users. The seller's interface provides impersonal information to local businesses with insights about the traffic volume and customer profiles to stimulate offers. Users receive announcements based on updates and logistics. Feedback from other users is also taken into account. Startup administration gets information on the dashboard to balance supply and demand. The app complies with all privacy regulations. In the preliminary phase, we conducted several deep sessions on technology and marketing with the startup team.

Case study: A Food Retailer Data Mining Project Our client is a pioneer among online-only food retailers and is one of the largest in Eastern Europe. The company started operating in the early 2000s and accumulated petabytes of data about sales, logistics, and customer behavior. Data mining algorithms helped the retailer management gain valuable insights into operations. Within just one month from the start, based on these insights, our client initiated eight projects to eliminate bottlenecks and increase revenue. The project of data mining developed into a process and is still used in the company on a continuous basis. Data mining helps to look at all company operations from above and gives insights into new sales and cost-cutting measures. Company management is often occupied with routine operations and has little to no time to think about long-term strategy or new projects. Operational changes on the revenue side mostly occur due to competitor moves or economic circumstances. On the expenses side, they occur as a reaction to falling profits or loss. To get regular data-driven, unbiased information for managerial decisions, data mining is one of the few available instruments. The insight which one gets with such a tool needs a common sense proof-check, and when passed, it needs no further explanation to other decision-makers. Data mining is efficient at its maximum when up-to-date technology is used by qualified data scientists. We launched a data mining project, which included systematizing data, organizing its storage and user access - and after that, data analysis itself. The result of the preparation phase was the transition from a so-called "data swamp" to structured data. When the data was systematized, the presets were made: clustered buyers, clustered shopping baskets, transition to loyal customer model, product categories for marketing campaigns, and a typical shopping basket model. Also, lists of connecting, basket-forming, and magnet goods were defined. These presets were available to marketers and category managers via specially created user interfaces.

Case study: WeChat for travel A travel agency had an idea for a startup that would provide a travel guide for tourists from China visiting Eastern and Western Europe. The guide would help tourists find their way around and offer discounts at restaurants and shops. The agency had to decide whether to create a standalone app or integrate it into an existing popular app to save on promotion costs. They chose WeChat, a popular app in China with over a billion users, and embedded their marketplace into it. The marketplace offers discounts, air tickets, hotels, transfers, taxis, excursions, and cruise trips. Balancing supply and demand is crucial for any marketplace, and it was no different for this travel agency. They realized that promoting their app would be challenging due to a small budget. They found a solution by building their app into the WeChat ecosystem to match the target audience preferences and gain access to more efficient promotion tools. The app was built with WeChat's front-end, Java back-end, and a micro-service architecture. It was integrated with third-party providers like Booking, Uber, discount coupons, and payment service providers. They used K8 in cloud infrastructure to deploy, scale, and manage the application. The app also features reporting, easy user authorization, and a purchase history. The agency shared their experience during the launch phase and supported the app after it went live.

Case study: Automation of Thousands of Accounts in a Bank Our client, a large bank, needed to comply with the Central Bank requirements to become a tax agent. This required the bank to calculate a progressive personal income tax rate for thousands of accounts. The tax rate was set up by authorities and was complex, with numerous exceptions. The bank needed a new system that could handle the complexity of the tax rate and integrate with their client's online cabinet, provide reporting, various user roles, and a dashboard. To address these challenges, we proposed using the Jmix rapid development platform. This platform provided speed and flexibility in the future. Our team consisted mainly of our developers with a responsible person from the bank who learned how to support the code when the project was over. We developed the new system based on the Jmix platform, which included a new transport layer, integration with all data sources and consumer systems, and all business processes description in Jmix. We also created new data forms, reporting forms, and integration with ten data sources, including salary, shareholders payments, payments to contractors, gifts, dividends, and more. In conclusion, a future-proof platform and a reliable team are key success factors for fast development of complicated solutions. The banking industry is heavily dependent on government authorities and central banks, and new rules appear every year that can change the whole business logic. Therefore, banks need to have a strategy regarding software tools for rapid development and a capable team that can work with these tools. The Jmix platform, together with a mixed team, is a proven configuration for complicated projects.

Case study: Bloggers Learn and Compete TopBlog Project is an educational platform that helps people succeed in social media. It offers specially prepared programs for those interested in creating their personal blog, differentiated according to their level of experience. The project also features a rating system that allows bloggers to showcase their blog to users and tell them about their achievements. By attracting users to vote for them, bloggers can increase their following. To organize such a contest, we created a complete toolset. Its user interface is integrated into the App of the project, while the backend is developed on a reliable platform that can handle high loads of up to 50,000 visitors. This configuration makes our solution durable, secure for the project, and attractive for the user. Building a mass-market application requires high-load architecture, security, easy maintenance, and compliance. The main challenge in organizing any contest is creating a clear process of user engagement and measuring the result. On the technical side, other important factors include scalability, UI/UX, and compliance. It is important to base the solution on a high-load architecture, and additional infrastructure or optimizations may be required to ensure continued scalability and performance under increased loads. Regular maintenance is essential to address security issues, optimize performance, and add new features. The company must ensure that the rating platform complies with relevant regulations and laws, particularly GDPR. Handling and managing user-generated data and content can be challenging as the user base grows. Ensuring content moderation, data storage, and data privacy is crucial. To address these challenges, we developed a robust tool with a reliable backend that can handle high loads and an attractive front end that can attract thousands of users. The solution consists of a cross-platform React Native front end, which allows users to use both iOS and Android smartphones, and a .NET-based backend with high-load and high-conversion design. At its peak, the contest was serving 200,000 bloggers and voters flawlessly. To ensure security, we set up integration with external authorization and login servers. Another integration was made with an external BI server to provide real-time reporting. In total, the project was created and integrated within five months, and the client received an attractive, durable, and secure solution.

Thinking about outsourcing your software development? Hold up a sec and consider these points: ?? Price too good to be true? Saving money is always a good idea, but make sure the price you're quoted is the final price and that it won't suddenly change once you're in too deep to back out. ?? Choosing the best contractor is hard. Having a team of people in suits and fancy presentations doesn't necessarily mean you've found the best contractor. And just because a contractor doesn't have all the bells and whistles doesn't mean they're not good. (Almost no one cares to ask past customers). ?? Even if you find the best, you never know the quality until you try. Be ready for surprises. ?? Communication is tricky: Different cultures have different communication styles, and you might say things that don't come across the way you intended. ? Different time zones. Your developers are up until noon, and then you're left hanging, no matter how simple your issue is. Make sure you can sync up. ?? Outsourcing companies care about different things than you do. They focus on making money, not necessarily following your mission and values. ?? Got secrets? If you share sensitive information with an outsourcing company, ensure you have a solid contract to protect your IP. Interested in our free consulting or software development? Reach out