Detailed Analysis on Mobile Apps Usage

A report released by comScore contains some interesting numbers that tell the world about the importance of mobile apps and how people are so addicted to them. A normal user spends a large amount of time on a smartphone, this thing is becoming a habit. Now the situation is so out of control that a smartphone user can live without food a day but can't live without the smartphone. The following analysis totally describes human behaviours and the consciousness of a user towards the app and smartphone. comScore Mobile Matrix has done a proper analysis in US regarding the Usage of Smartphones, Tablets as well as how and which apps are getting more popular. The results are really interesting. Here is the detailed report of the whole analysis, go through it.

Americans spend more time on Mobile Apps

Just look at the numbers that describes the usage of mobile app by a particular user. Just see the addiction of a mobile app, how the users of different age using the apps and stay connected with their smartphones and tablets.

• In the month of June 2015, the total usage of apps via smartphone is 68.2 Hours/Month, if we count it on Millennials basis, it's 29.6 Hours/Month
• The age range from 18-24 years are so crazy about the smartphones that their smartphone App usage of June 2015 is 90.6 Hours which is really a big number
• App usage in Tablet is also a considerable thing, but it is far smaller than Smartphone App Usage
• If we see on the older age group like 65+, then it shows that app usage in tablet is comparatively same as the app usage in a smartphone

Half of Total App Usage Time Spent on user's #1 App

• It says that a user spend around 50% of total usage time on a particular app that he/she liked the most. Another 50% Usage time is divided in other most frequently used apps
• So as per the analysis, we can say, a user spends a large amount of time on one particular app that he/she liked the most
• Analysis has also described that a user's #1 App is used more in tablet compared to smartphone
• See the report, it shows, tablet users spend around 59% of total usage time on #1 App while Smartphone Users spend 50% time of #1 app

People keep regular apps on Home Screen

As per the analysis, one thing is clear that user always keep their favorite apps on the home screen and so the usage of those apps is also very high compared to the other apps. The graph shows,

• Facebook is on top which is used widely by the people compared to all other apps
• Google Plus, Facebook Messenger and some other apps are also in good position, but one thing is clear, if user is keeping a particular app on home screen means the usage of that app is surely high

App Gap

App Developers try their best to develop a unique app, but everyone knows, millions of apps already available in the market so to find a unique idea is really a difficult task. App Gap is also a big term nowadays, the app demand is increasing day by day, but developers are unable to fulfill the requirement and in the result this App Gap is increasing on higher rate.

A large amount of time requires to develop apps for multiple platforms. To develop apps for iOS, the developer needs to do coding in Objective C or Swift and for Android, the developer needs to do coding in Java. These things take a lot of time, efforts as well as money.

So to overcome this situation, developers need to accept new technologies like Cross Platform App Development. With this technology, developers just need to code once and then they can use that code for multiple OS like iOS, Android, Windows, etc. This technology saves lots of time, efforts and money.

Conclusion

The conclusion of this whole discussion is, make the app as attractive as possible to entice a wide range of users and make them addictive then see the power of habit. There are a number of people from digital marketing industry work hard to give a rocking result to the app owners by making their app popular but all depends on a power of habit. So finally, the thing is, make an app as powerful and attractive as possible that it becomes the habit of a user.

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How Color Influences Website Usability ?

When designing, color is used as a subliminal tool to evoke certain emotions and connotations. It would be a natural assumption that these color references are recognized worldwide; however, there are actually wide variations between cultures and the meanings assigned to different colors. This is particularly important when designing your website for an international audience. It is necessary to pay attention to the target market as a simple mistake of including a color with negative associations could influence the success of the design.

Around the country and world, each color can have an array of meanings. These meanings often have cultural, religious and politic roots. Western culture is all-pervading therefore westernized color schemes are largely understood worldwide, however, there are still strong associations with different colors based on historical and traditional discourses.

Let Us Start With Color Choice Mistakes

The last thing you want to do is alienate your target audience in any way. It is not fair to say that all user experiences are the same. Just because something puts you off doesn’t mean it will have a similar effect on other people. However, as you will learn in the sections below, many cultures have similar views on colors. This means your aim is not to please all; it is simply to ensure your target audience is not dissuaded or dissatisfied with your design, colors and UI. It may seem like a contradiction, but you are not supposed to please everybody, your aim is to displease as few people as possible.

Making An Impact Is Important, But At What Price

Color can help make an impact on your user, which will affect their user experience one way or another. However, since you are designing a website and/or app, your colors do not need to catch the user’s attention as much as it may have to otherwise.

For example, walking down a shop aisle with a row full of brightly and loudly colored cereal boxes is fine. It is okay because it makes an impact, stands out and grabs attention.

That same level of attention-grabbing impact is not needed for a website or app. People do not need to be drawn in because they are already looking at the screen. However, an important element, such as a buy-it-now link may be highlighted on a page with a bright or bold color.

Common Color Associations On The Internet

Even novice Internet users are aware of a few colors and what they mean. For example, the blue that Google uses for its links is now commonly associated with links to the point where if you write something with a blue font and underline it, there are people that will try to click it thinking it is a link.

A white background is commonly seen on the Internet, and users on the whole may reject big deviations, such as backgrounds that are bold colors. People may be so used to white backgrounds that the reject a bold colored background, though lighter and neutral colors may be acceptable.

It is imperative that you test different color palettes and try different color schemes. Your user may respond better to a website design that more heavily features your brand colors. On the other hand, they may react more pleasantly to blander and less attention-grabbing colors.

Red

In the west, red is synonymous with passion and vibrancy. It has a strong Mediterranean connection. However, it is also equally understood to mean violence, due to the link with blood. The common saying, "to see red" highlights the color’s connection with anger. Red can be used as a warning color, as in traffic lights and signs, a reference that has been taken from nature, where red is used as a deterrent to predators.

These meanings contrast directly with Chinese culture. In China, red is the color worn by brides and is a symbol of joy, prosperity and good luck. Red envelopes containing money are exchanged at Chinese New Year and it is an integral color in Chinese color schemes and design.

Colors used in national flags usually have positive meanings in that country. This is true of red in Japan, where it symbolizes life. The red circle on the Japanese flag represents the sun.

In Latin America, red continues to be associated with passion and blood. Designers and artists use red to symbolize enthusiasm and confidence. Red has been shown to increase heart rates and blood pressure; therefore, it is associated with energy and vitality.

Blue

Although the color blue has various meaning throughout the world, it is largely considered to be a reliable and trustworthy color, making it an internationally acceptable color to use. This is reinforced by its dominance in international logos.

In the west, blue is associated with reliability, thus making it a popular business color, especially in the banking sector. Conversely, blue being a cold color, it can also mean sadness. In both the UK and the US, blue has political connections, with is representing the Conservative and Democratic parties, respectively.

In eastern cultures, blue represents immortality. The color has spiritual connections with is being a popular choice for mosques, and is the color of the Hindu god Krishna.

The tone of blue used in design can convey different messages. Cool blues are psychologically calming and soothing, whereas deeper shades can be both dynamic and intuitive.

Green

The western world closely associated the color green with all things environmental and ecological. This has been a relatively recently association, spurred on by the pursuit of natural resources. However, its connection with springtime and rebirth are far more longstanding.

In most eastern cultures, green represents regeneration in a spiritual sense, with is being the color of eternal life in Japan.

In the west, this connection is continued with green being the color of fertility in Scotland. In Ireland, green means good luck, with a green shamrock being the national emblem.

Green is also the national color of Mexico and has a similar meaning of hope and luck.

From a design point of view, green is considered to be calming, capable of elevating mood and bring harmony.

Yellow

Yellow is widely recognized as a color of happiness, youth and energy, largely due to its connection with the sun. Paler tones are often used to represent children, especially as it is gender neutral, whereas richer tones, such as gold, are connected with wealth, permanence and the empirical. Having said that, yellow is also the color of mourning in Egypt, sadness in Greece and jealousy in France. In America, yellow is also linked to cowardice, as seen in the phrase, "yellow-bellied."

Yellow is psychologically connected with optimism and calmness, and is a stimulant to the nervous system and memory.

Black

The assumption the black is the color of mourning does have some veracity, as it is largely recognized as the color of death, evil and rebellion in many cultures, particularly western ones. However, black is also commonly used to convey elegance, formality and authority. In China, black is the traditional color for baby boys to be dressed in and is associated with health and wealth.

From a design stance, black is a common typographic color and is used in conjunction with other colors to convey a variety of meanings, from sophistication to masculinity to counter-culture.

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Mobile Website and Mobile App: Do You Need Both ?

If you want to commence a business, first concern that comes into wit is, you want to create a mobile application for users to download (app) or you want to fabricate a mobile website or both. Mobile websites and apps can look very similar at first glimpse and determining which is most suited to the exigency will depend upon a number of elements, including target spectators, available budget, intentional motive and required attributes. Although, mobile apps and websites are mutually different from each other.

Mobile Applications and Mobile Websites

A mobile website is a venue that has been considerably contemplated to look and function optimally on both personal computers as well for mobiles. When you don’t want to adorn in a mobile responsive site, your standard website looks outdated and is nearly meaningless on mobile devices, a mobile website is just a website that is for mobile browsing. It can be reached through a phone's web browser directly. One mobile site can work on any mobile platform, it is generally quicker and inexpensive to develop, and a mobile site can be a translation of your major website, now it is possible to embed a mobile site in an app using the PhoneGap technique.

On the other hand, a mobile app is a native program designed specifically for Smartphone and tablets, distinct from a mobile site, which easily can be found on search engines. An app is easy to adhere the user experience conventions using stored libraries, it is available on app store, it can work offline, and it can be started easily.

Mobile Applications

Mobile Apps Advantages

Advantages to clients

• By using an app, the client can access your information, offers, website, location map and contact details anytime, right in the flat of the hand.
• An app holds easily readable content designed to fit the screen on clients’ phone, unlike many websites they may browse.
• Special propositions only receivables to app manipulators.

Advantages to merchandise

• You could save your cost by leveraging your current website investment through increasing visits by app holders..
• An app maximizes your social media investment with automatic linking to your Facebook and Twitter accounts..
• Through an app, you could easily collect database.
• Opportunity to offer discounts and coupons via the app.
• Ability to send push notifications through the app, YouTube channel, voice message recording capabilities, QR code options, podcasts, and GPS capabilities are the features in an app.

There are various choices when it comes to getting into the mobile marketplace, but not all of them will suit your business. The best strategy is to create a plan of the convenient gains and highlights you want in an app, and then you will have a better sightedness of what consequence you are looking for when you call an app developer to discuss your exigency.

Mobile Apps Disadvantages

• For an app installation, a separate space is needed; mobile devices have a limited amount of space. Thus, an app is always a battle for space.
• When we download apps, users have to allow the illuminators to track and check-up their actions. This would give birth to the loss of personal acquaintance.
• Mobile apps ask for on-going care regarding fresh content and technological updates. They are not too easy to ameliorate as a mobile website. Apps can be costlier – the more features they have, the cost will be more, and can be hard to handle.

Mobile Websites

Advantages

• A separate mobile site can contain specially handpicked content and unique pages tailored to this audience.
• Original website of your portal ends up reorganized into long, scrollable pages, but mobile websites allow you to slim down the design.

Disadvantages

• You need to make sure the content is right. If research isn’t done and the incorrect information is there then it would be possible that mobile users may be unsatisfied and have a negative experience.
• There are a lot of various devices on the outlet that there isn’t a one-size-fit to all approach, that’s why we can say a mobile site won’t be the right size for all screens.
• If a visitor can find exact information on a desktop, but can’t locate it again and then they return to their mobile phone and if the information on both might be different then the user experience could be negative.
• The responsibility of your web agency is content should be-be updated and thus a separate maintenance is required for mobile sites.

The Winner

By this blog, you have a better understanding of how to view the mobile market with your trademark. Ideally, a responsive website assorted with a mobile app will answer all of your needs. The site will reveal everything in an easy-to-ingress format while the mobile app may have a more exclusive focus, but it will interact with users in a way that a website cannot.

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Making Photography Portfolio and Showcasing it

A photographer has a unique problem when it comes to promoting their services. They can’t just talk about what they can do; they have to show it. Because clients tend to have different needs and perspectives, there is no one-size fits all when it comes to showcasing your work. You should show as many samples as possible, which can be a problem when your portfolio is online because of the loading time. It often comes down to a delicate balance between a big enough portfolio to snag the attention of as many potential clients as possible, and small enough to keep them from clicking away in impatience. Here are some tips for creating the perfect photography portfolio website.

Creating a photography website

When you first make a website for your portfolio, you need to plan for three elements: the photos, contact information, and a succinct description of the artist (you). The gallery of photos is of course your biggest concern because the images need to show up clearly but be small enough files to load quickly. You also need to decide on the type of structure that will work best with your website, so you need a platform and a host. Here are two basic decisions.

Format

There was a time when flash websites was very popular because it was interactive. However, for an already image-heavy website, using flash is not a good idea because they are essentially movie files and load slowly. In addition, flash is not mobile supported, so that means flash is out. Opt for an HTML5 based website, instead, which lucky for you is readily available on many popular platforms. You can learn HTML 5 for beginners, but it is not necessary with the likes of WordPress, which is idiot-proof for non-coders.

Hosting

Creating a website using WordPress or another platform is one thing; choosing the best hosting provider is another. WordPress offers free hosting using a wordpress.com domain name, which can work, but you may want to make your website a little less generic by paying for your domain name, and purchasing space for your own private little world from a reliable hosting service. You also have more flexibility and control over your website, which you want. It is not even expensive to get both. A simple self-hosted website on a reliable hosting service provider comes out to less than $6 a month.

The importance of self-hosting using a good hosting provider is in the support. You want your website to be always up and worry-free, so you should choose a provider that has primo customer support and a track record for reliability. Here is a short list of sites you can use as a hosting guide specifically for building and hosting image-heavy websites for your consideration. Prices do not include domain name registration.

• Squarespace – You can take heart from their motto “Build It Beautiful,” and you can for $8 a month for 20 pages. If you want more e-commerce features, the $26 monthly plan is your best option.
• SmugMug – SmugMug disdains the use of templates, and offers website owners a choice of “styles” to customize their pages. The service specializes in portfolio websites, and their prices are fit for all struggling artists, ranging from $3 to $25. The power package at $5 a month is probably the best pick.
• Zenfolio – If you would rather not customize your website, you can check out the preset designs on this service specific for portfolio websites. You can still tweak them if you like, but much of the heavy lifting is done for you. All you have to do is insert your images and information, and hey, presto! You’re done! This has a lot more features than most hosting services, but it can get pricey. Plans start at $60 a year, but you can’t use your own domain name and has bandwidth. For more freedom, the unlimited plan is $240 a year and up.

Making your photography website search engine friendly

Okay, now that you have your website up and running, your next step is to get people to see it. For that, you need to make your website search engine friendly, or SEO. Yes, we’re going there. And yes, you have to care. Chew on this: the top 3 results in any given search gets as much as 80% of the traffic. Convinced yet?

It is understandable that you want to focus on the images, not the text. However, most people use text to search for sites, and for that you need content. However, it doesn’t always mean you have to have articles on your site, although a blog can help immensely. If you really don’t want to go there, here are some easy ways to help you rank better on search engines.

• Choose a kickass domain name - This means, short, easy to remember, branded, and specific. Avoid using hyphens, and use the popular keyword “photography” in its entirety when possible.
• List locally - You can register your website free with Google and Bing for local listings. As a service provider, you want to be able to accept gigs in your local area, and you will be easier to find by local clients looking for the services you offer.
• Insert keywords in your meta fields and captions - You can still cash in on keywords by using them in your image description. Most websites also have meta fields where you can cram as many keywords as you naturally can to make your website easier to find.
• Check if your website has a site map - Most platforms generate a site map for each website, which helps a lot when search engines index a website for searches. However, some don’t. You can check if yours does by checking with the developer. You can also create your own using an XML sitemap generator and submitting it to the appropriate section of the search engine.

Where to showcase your work

You probably already know that the easiest, fastest, and most effective way to showcase your work is through social networks. If your don’t, well…it is. However, there are sites and there are sites. Some are just better tuned for photography than others are. If you are thinking Instagram and Pinterest, then you are on the right track. Here are other photo sharing sites that may not be as popular but where serious photographers can catch the big fish.

• Flickr – You can create public albums that potential clients can browse, and it is a searchable site. You can also join photographer groups which are great places to pick up tips and tricks. You can also use it as a backup cloud server for your nicest pics.
• 500 px – This site limits you to only 20 of your best images for the week for a free account, and that’s because it encourages quality rather than quantity.

Of course, you can always use Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to good purpose. The more the merrier!

Creating the perfect photography portfolio website is just like framing your shot. You have to have all the elements in place, and tweak your settings so that everything in the frame makes sense. The purpose of a portfolio is to showcase your work. It is all achieving the right balance between artistry and marketability, and focusing on getting the word out to the right people.

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Mastering Your Keyword Search Strategy

Mastering the keyword search strategy involves really going beyond the Google Keyword Planner and doing some intuitive research about your target audience. Despite its great utility in coming up with words related directly to your search item, the Google Keyword Planner has its limitations. For instance, it does not produce words that may not be directly related to your search item, but are still likely to be in the mind of your target audience.

Getting into the target user’s mind

The question is how to get into the audience’s mind and get the search terms that they are looking for. The best way to do this is to first develop a realistic profile of your target user and then explore the aspects of the search topic that they are likely to be interested in. Different user groups think about the same topic in different ways. Create a profile of your user group including the age bracket, median income, interests, educational and professional level, and other similar details. Next, search for online forums about the search topic and visit the most popular threads. This will give you a good idea about the questions that your target user is thinking about online.

Using the Google Keyword Planner

As stated earlier, the Google Keyword Planner is an amazing tool that helps you identify the popular keywords related to your search item and use a variety of filtering and other tools to refine your search. To use the Google Keyword Planner, you first need to set up a Google Adwords Account. Once you have your own account, you need to go to the Tools and analysis section and select the Keyword Planner feature. The program then asks you to choose from three options.

The ‘Search for new keyword and ad group ideas’ option helps you to generate keywords by using various exclusion and inclusion criteria. The ‘Get search volume for a list of keyword or group them into ad groups’ helps you to construct a cluster of keywords for a search item. Finally, you can use the ‘Multiply keyword lists to get new keyword ideas’ option to create endless combinations of keywords to aid your strategy.

Each of these options is quite simple to use and the program takes you through each step in a user-friendly way. All you need to remember is to enter keywords and search criteria specifically according to the profile and search behavior you have identified in the previous step.

Avoiding Competitive Keywords

To identify keywords that will take you to the top of the search results, you need to think smartly. It is not always advisable to compete with your competitors in the same arena. The Google Keyword Planner typically throws up results that are variants of the keyword you have entered. These can only be useful to some extent. What’s more, Goggle Keyword Planner has probably churned out the same keyword for your competitors too. So you end up with a large number of keyword variants that your rivals are also going to use.

To avoid competing in this kind of a scenario you should focus on long tail keywords. The question is how to gain access to long tail keywords. There are many places where you can find what you need. For starters, you can try the bottom of the Google search page where a list of related searches is shown. These offer important keywords and in an arrangement that shows what aspects of the topic are closely related to your search area. You can also enter the keyword in the search window along with the words ‘forum’ or ‘discussion post’ to locate online forums and blogs where the topic is being discussed. Quora is a website where you can view related discussion posts and pick up long tail keywords from there. Google Trends is a useful tool that shows you the rising or declining popularity of specific keywords.

Keywords that Sell

When deciding on the selection of keywords you need to think strategically. Not all keywords have the same power to influence visitors to part with their money. But that is exactly what you want. Unless a visitor is not motivated to make an online purchase, the keyword is of little use. What needs to be done is the selection of those keywords that lead visitors to make a purchase. To do this, you need to analyze the different types of behavior users engage in when searching for a product and what they do with the information. For example, some keywords indicate a greater readiness to make a purchase than others. A user who enters the search term ‘buy’ is more likely to make an online purchase sooner than a user who enters the search terms ‘review’ or ‘how to’ for the same product.

You can ferret out these strategic keywords from the Google Adwords feature. Select Keyword Planner from the Tools and Analysis menu and choose ‘Search for new keyword and ad group ideas’. Enter your keyword in the product box and click Get Ideas. You will see a list of suggested keywords along with the suggested bid value and the average number of searches for that keyword and the intensity of competition over that keyword. The words that generate the greatest bid are the ones you should be aiming at.

Weighing Your Keywords

At the end of the day, you want your content to contain the keywords that will bring them to the top of the search results page. However, you should choose your keywords wisely to avoid losing out in a competition where you absolutely have no hope. There are two tools that will help you decide which keywords are weightier and carry greater credibility. The first of these tools is SEO Quake. You can easily download this tool and install it on your computer. Once installed, SEO Quake will display how the page is ranked by Google as opposed to the page authority. This data appears in the form of a horizontal bar below each search result. How is this useful to you? Well, the page with the greater page rank is highly competitive. You should be looking for pages with low page rankings so that you can target them and design your own page to take their place on the search results list.

SEO Quake will also provide you information about the linking domains or how many pages contain links to that particular page. This information also gives you a good idea about how competitive that particular page is.
The second tool you should install is MozBar. This can be installed on Firefox as well as Chrome. This tool works in a similar way to SEO Quake and provides information about the page authority and referring domains. It tells you about the credibility of the content on that page and how many other pages are referred to on that page. You can use this data to inform your competitive strategy.

Doing Your Research Systematically

The preceding sections have offered some useful guidance on how you can make your keyword search more strategic and competitive. Now that you have developed the right attitude to develop and select keywords for your content, you are ready to use keyword research tools to refine your research strategy. These tools will use similar processes to the ones you have been using manually with the Google Keyword Planner. However, these tools will do the job is a faster and more thorough way, producing endless results for you to choose your keywords from.

These tools can be downloaded and installed on your computer with no hassle at all. You use them simply by inserting a keyword and the program generates a list of results for you. In addition, you also get useful metadata about the keywords including the intensity of competition for the keyword, traffic volume and changes in search trends for the keywords. Some tools will even give you a measure of the difficulty of the keyword, indicating that getting a higher rank with the keyword is more difficult than for other keywords. You may also get a list of keywords that your competitors are using.

Producing SEO Content

Once you have selected keywords that are strategic in terms of offering less competition and being able to lead to online purchases, you need to create content that is based on those keywords. You need to keep certain things in mind to ensure that your content does the job well.

Pages that rank high on Google’s rankings are those that content the keywords within the headings. When developing tags or headings for your content to include the keyword. You can further enhance the potential ranking of your page by including the long tail keyword along with the head keyword. Producing long content also helps to bring up the ranking of your page in search results. Also, make sure that the keyword is introduced earlier in the text, preferably within the first 50 or 100 words of the text.

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Technological Innovations in Personal Finance

Technology has had a huge impact on pretty much every aspect of how we lead our lives today. The way we work, the way we socialize and the way we communicate can all now be somehow facilitated by the diverse range of technological innovations available to us. So much so that we tend to take a lot of it for granted and quickly forget how inconvenient it used to be to complete certain tasks before we had such access. One area that has been changed almost beyond recognition is the way we manage our money. The world of banking has responded to the dramatic evolution of the world of technology by applying the latest thinking, tools and techniques to provide an increasingly smart, convenient and efficient level of customer service. Even the most technophobic individuals would find it hard to argue against the improved access and control we have over our personal finances today: a situation that has come about thanks to technological innovation.

Pros and cons

As with the impacts of any kind of major development, there are both benefits and disadvantages.

On the plus side, we have massively improved access to our finances. Internet banking means we are able to not only view our financial products, but manage them with unprecedented independence and control. This improved access means that we have in general developed a far greater knowledge of what is available to us, which has enabled and empowered us to make the most of all our financial products as a result. Suddenly, the world of financial investment does not seem quite so complex and daunting and the market for financial products is more open than ever.

A knock-on effect of this is that we, as consumers, expect a lot more. Technology has made it easier than ever to research other options and switch to new providers. We can be a lot more demanding of financial service providers because of this, so there is a far greater level of competition across the industry, which is great for consumers.

Of course, while this is positive for consumers, some commentators believe it has led to an increase in disputes between banks and their customers. Greater insight means that you are more likely to question and challenge, and this has led to some extremely visible disputes, which are incredibly harmful to the reputation of any organization. For a company like a bank, which relies so heavily on trust, it can be disastrous.

Take PPI (payment protection insurance) and the rise in refund claims due to the widely-publicized change in the law. If you’re with Halifax PPI, for example, you can now claim quickly and easily online, supported by experts in this very area, without ever needing to leave the comfort of your own home.

Technology in financial services

Here are just a few ways that the financial services sector is already employing the latest technology, and how this has changed the relationship between banks and their customers:

• Mobile - not so long ago, banking online seemed almost impossibly futuristic. Today, you do not even need to switch on your laptop. Bank accounts and other financial products can be accessed and managed on-the-go. Wherever you are and whatever time of day or night it might be, all you need is an internet connection to transfer money, pay bills and even buy new products. In addition, smartphones are taking the place of cash and credit cards as more and more people use them to pay for everyday purchases. This has changed the banking landscape dramatically as banks encourage customers to adopt this self-serve approach. One of the main reasons for this, of course, is that it can potentially reduce a bank’s overheads significantly as the need to run expensive premises with large numbers of staff massively decreases.
• Customer relations - the way organizations and their customers interact has changed enormously, and this is true in the banking sector as much as anywhere else. While people become more empowered to manage their own finances, the need to wait until a branch opens and speak to people face-to-face becomes almost obsolete. Companies therefore need to look for new ways to speak to their customer-base in order to maintain good relationships and create new ones. The wide range of internet-based platforms are a huge part of how they are now achieving this, and more people than ever before are engaging with their financial advisers through the online world enjoying the ease, speed and convenience this offers.
• Social media - any organization serious about future success needs to make sure they have a strong presence online, and the strongest presences at the moment are invariably those achieved on social media. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are phenomenally popular and provide a whole new means of engaging with audiences. The financial services industry has a reputation for formality and seriousness, which is perhaps only to be expected given the importance of what they do and the potential risks involved. As a result, people have historically preferred their financial service providers to behave with a certain gravitas. Today, however, the most innovative banks recognize that people want a different sort of relationship, and social media provides a friendly, informal and immediate way to generate exactly that.

The future

As technology continues to evolve at a truly remarkable pace, the smartest and most forward-thinking industries are working hard to keep up with this and enjoy the benefits as a result; benefits they then pass on to their clients and customers. The banking industry is no exception, and the way we manage our money today is almost unrecognizable to a couple of generations ago.

The pace of change is so fast, in fact, it is hard to conceive of what the future may hold even just a few years from now. One thing you can be certain of is that while the financial services industry continues to invest heavily in this area and compete for business, there will continue to be many exciting opportunities to get even better control over your finances than ever before. It pays, quite literally, to keep up with these changes and make sure they work in the best possible way for you.

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10 Best Programming Languages of 2015 You Should Know

The technology world is expanding immensely with each passing year and months, as they are coming up with new trendier smartphones and tablets every other day and the competition too has grown tough in the market to stand at the highest position. That’s the reason programmers and web developers are in tremendous demand nowadays because they have a good knowledge of programming languages. Various programming languages are now available and each of them has distinct functions.

When you are just beginning, you might not know about these languages, but you can certainly make some efforts to learn about them and do mastery on at least one or more languages; then you can certainly gain a high-paid job for yourself in the industry. We have mentioned here 10 excellent programming languages of 2015 which you should learn and have a better idea.

1. Java

Java is considered as the perfect language for the developers and programmers to learn. Currently it is the top-most programming language and has grabbed the highest position with Android OS yet again, though it was a bit down a few years ago. Java can be utilized for mobile-based applications, enterprise level purpose, for creating desktop applications, and for establishing Android apps on tablets and smartphones.

2. PHP

The web developers should learn about PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor, a well-known programming language. With the help of PHP, you can enlarge a web app very quickly and effortlessly. PHP is the actual foundation of many strong content management systems, for example, WordPress. PHP is really a valuable programming language for the developers and programmers.

3. JavaScript

While you are expanding your site, JavaScript is extremely functional as this language can immensely assist you in generating communication for your website. You can utilize various in style frameworks in JavaScript for constructing superb user interface. When you’re into web development, it’s very important to known about JavaScript for making interactive web pages. JavaScript is applied for including animations on the web pages, loading fresh images, scripts or objects on web page, and craft hugely responsive user interfaces.

4. Python

For becoming skilled at all-in-one language, you should begin learning Python language that has the ability to expand web apps, data analysis, user interfaces, and many more, and frameworks are also available for these tasks. Python is utilized by bigger companies mostly that can evaluate vast data sets, thus this is a huge chance to learn it and be a Python programmer.

5. Objective-C

If you are the one who is interested on constructing apps for iOS, then you have to know about Objective-C language efficiently. The most preferred choice for all the web developers is Objective-C. When you have learnt Objective-C, you can begin applying XCode that is known to be the authorized software development tool from Apple. Thus you can quickly produce iOS app that can be noticeable in App Store.

6. Ruby

Another popular programming language is Ruby and Ruby on Rails. This can be learnt easily, and also very strong and clear-cut. If you’ve small time in hand and still want to craft any project, then you can surely utilize Ruby language. This programming language is applied massively for web programming, and hence turned out to be the ideal selection for the beginner companies.

7. Perl

Perl is also a well-accepted programming language that offers distinct tools for various obscure setbacks such as system programming. Though this programming language is a bit puzzling, but it is really a strong one that you can learn for this year, and renew your knowledge. Perl is mainly used for sites and web app expansion, desktop app development and system administration, and test automation that can be applied for testing databases, web apps, networking devices, and many more.

8. C, C++ and C#

You can increase your knowledge by learning about C this year that is unique programming language. Being the oldest, it should be learnt firstly when you start up, and it is mainly applied in forming different softwares.

C++ or C plus plus is a bit more progressive than C, and utilized immensely in forming hardware speeded games. It is an ideal selection for strong desktop software as well as apps for mobiles and desktop. Known to be the strongest language, C++ is applied in vital operating systems, such as Windows.

After learning these 2, you can go ahead in knowing about C# language. It won’t be difficult for you to get accustomed with C# after knowing C and C++. C# is actually the prime language for Microsoft applications and services. While executing with .Net and ASP technologies, you are required to be familiar with the C# accurately.

9. SQL

When you are executing on databases such as Microsoft SQL server, Oracle, MySQL, etc, you should be aware of SQL programming language or Standard Query Language. From this language, you can achieve the proficiency of acquiring the needed data from big and multifaceted databases.

10. Swift

Swift is reflected upon as the trendiest program language for expanding apps for Apple products. This language can be utilized by you for building up apps for iOS activated devices and Apple’s MAC in quick and simple method. When you are keen to expand a superb iOS application, then it is better for you to gain knowledge of Swift programming language.

Hence, the above programming languages are known to be the best ones of 2015. So the developers and programmers should ensure that they’re updated regarding them. Knowing such programming languages will certainly take them to a greater level altogether in their career!

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