Posts Tagged ‘Web Design Los Angeles’

Mobile App Development Trends That Will Make Waves

January 31st, 2018

Smartphones have made such a huge impact on our lives in such a short time that today it’s just impossible to imagine our lives without them. Equally undigestible is the fact that something that has been introduced so recently into our lives is now defining us from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.

The primary reason why smartphones are so addictive is the presence of millions of apps available in the mobile app development market to choose from which can assist us in almost everything we do in any given day. Apps or applications as we know, are computer programs designed to run on mobile. Today, the three biggest app stores available to us are-

  • Google Play for Android
  • App Store for IOS
  • Microsoft Store for Windows and Xbox One

Businesses nowadays are using more and more mobile apps to improve their processes and increase the level of accessibility their customers have to them. Let’s look at the few mobile app development trends that will make waves in 2018:

1. AR or VR Apps

AR or Augmented Reality is a live view of the physical world environment perceived via computer-generated information by multiple sensory organs. Apart from the gaming industry, these apps are helping the companies to present in detail the product and services to their clients in real-time.

VR or Virtual Reality is also a computer-generated scenario that simulates a realistic experience through a headset, smartphone, or tablet device. Its apps are used for company branding and aggressive marketing by providing a 3D vision of products using a blend of photography and technology.

2. Android Instant Apps

Instant apps will forever change the way we are used to downloading and installing the apps before running them. For businesses looking to streamline their mobile development, hiring Xano developers can be a game-changer in creating efficient and powerful applications. Thanks to these native apps, one can run the app almost instantly without downloading it.

These apps support the latest version 8.0 (API level 26) and go all the way back to 5.0 (API level 21) so one doesn’t have to worry about purchasing the latest device to operate instant apps. The functionality of these apps is an upgrade to your app and not a separate app for you to download.

3. Business Bots

Business bots or chatbots, in simple words, is a computer program that is capable of conducting a conversation through audio or textual methods. Though started just a few years back, chatbots already made up a market worth of $703 Million by 2016 which by 2021 is expected to reach up to $4.5 Billion.

With such a fast-growing pace, business bots are much ahead in setting the new trend for 2018. According to current research, consumers already love it with 95% of them believing that customer service is going to be the major beneficiary of business bots in the upcoming years.

4. Artificial Intelligence Apps

Artificial Intelligence or AI is the intelligence displayed by machines. The chatbots we were talking about earlier are also powered by AI technology through its applications cover a much wider range of Virtual Personal Assistants to Intelligent Apps to Cyber Security.

AI and machine learning have provided innovative ways to acquire more and more customer data to gain insights which in turn help in taking the right decisions and formulating and implementing market strategies. Therefore, corporate giants such as Google, IBM, Adobe, etc. are investing heavily in AI apps such as Cortana or Siri.

5. IoT and Wearable Apps

IoT or the Internet of Things is the combined network of devices that can be uniquely identified through its embedded computing system to connect and transfer data. Experts claim its value to reach $7.1 Trillion by 2021.

These devices or Things operate through wearable apps that give you access to hardware such as sensors and the GPU. Wearable apps only differ in design and functionality but they all run on similar Android SDKs used in other apps.

Wearable devices cover a wide range from smartwatches to fitness bands to something totally unexpected such as smart shoes, clothes, or jewelry.

6. M-Commerce Apps

M-commerce or mobile commerce is the present and future of mobile payment options, not sure how? The paying apps you are currently using such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet or the recent initiative of scan and par system leveraged by Visa and Samsung are such examples.

These apps provide state-of-the-art security with coded encryption, secure back-end, and API along with a reputed payment gateway. These security measures seem justifiable when you consider the total net worth of mobile commerce which is roughly $700 Billion as of last year.

7. Cloud Computing Apps

Cloud computing is an IT paradigm that literally fetches data from the cloud, it enables unlimited access to a shared pool of data including streamlined operations over the internet thus relieving your phone memory too in the process.

Cloud apps such as Dropbox, Google Drive, etc are prompting more and more businesses to develop apps that are cloud-driven this year with the help of companies specialized in web design in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Conclusion

Research proves that the mobile app development market of today is growing at an exponential rate with 197 billion apps downloaded just last year with users spending 90% of their time on apps rather than the mobile web. Companies understand this fact well enough and as a result, invest heavily in the production of these apps. So, I believe it’s safe to assume that 2018 too will see a lot more applications leveraging these above-mentioned trends.

Top Ways to Improve User Experience with your Web Design

November 3rd, 2017

Think of all the effort you put into bringing visitors on to your website. You do all kinds of promotional activities to bring relevant traffic to your site. How would you feel if these visitors instead of taking the desired action, simply exit the site in less than a minute? If you take a good look at your website analytics, some of you may realize that it is already happening to you.

There can be many reasons why the traffic on your website bounces. However, one reason that cannot be ignored is your website’s design. That is why it is important to think of user experience while designing your new website. Even if you have an old website, it is never too late to update your design to make your site user-friendly.

Some of the top ways you can improve your website’s user experience are –

Make It Responsive

This is a tip you would have read before in many of our prior blog posts. However, I cannot emphasize enough on its importance. A responsive website performs perfectly on each and every device, no matter the screen size. Since a large number of website users today choose their smartphones to access websites, a responsive site will always have an edge over the alternative.

Simplicity Is Key

Overcomplicated designs and layouts are out. Visitors today respond more to simple designs. Try to make your site like clean and clutter free. If you are creating a new website, ask your web design company to focus on simple menu and navigation so that your visitors do not get overly confused. The information on your website should be grouped together for ease of access. These should be white spaces that give a clean appearance. Your website’s content strategy also has to be streamlined for the logical availability of information.

A/B Testing with Landing Pages

Sometimes you cannot experiment with your main website. That is where landing pages come in handy. You can create two variations of a landing page and then drive traffic to both of them. You can obtain concrete data on visitor response from these landing pages. You can study the analytics report to see which page has a higher bounce rate and on which page customers spend more time. Once you figure out which page your visitors are responding better to, and which elements of the page appeal to them more, it can be incorporated into the main website.

Usage of Long Form Content

Users always appreciate in-depth information about any subject. Whether they are informative articles, how-to guides, DIY tips, and resources etc. If we talk about Google’s search engine algorithm, it loves long content and ranks such content higher. So, it is clear that using long content on your website will not only help your visitors but you as well.

The Human Touch

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the next big thing in technology these days. One example of this technology is bots. Bots are being used by companies for automated responses to chat queries or social media queries. However, there are times when the human touch is needed by your visitors. Although this point is not part of the website design, a human being responding to the chat queries of visitors will have a better impact on the minds of the customers and provide better customer service.

These above methods once implemented properly with the help of a good web design company like Clap Creative will ensure more engagement by your visitors and reduced bounce rate. We create attractive and responsive web design services that help you make the most of your website. Get a free quote from us today.

How to Pick a Web Design & Development Company in Los Angeles

October 17th, 2017

Los Angeles is a pretty big city and choosing a good web design company in Los Angeles can be a tough task. There are several companies of all sizes that exist here. Every web design company here offers their own unique services. With web design and development services in big demand these days, choosing the right company to hire can make all the difference in the success of your website. So, the question is, in a market so competitive, how can you determine if a web design and development company is right for you?

In this post we will go through what the key determining factors should be that will guide you towards making an informed decision regarding the best web development site to hire.

  • List of Clients

One of the best ways to determine a web development company’s worth is to check out their portfolio and see which clients they have worked for in the past. In their portfolio, you can find links to the websites they have developed and can judge them on their work. It is a good idea as a creative activity like creating a website from scratch cannot be judged without actually reviewing past work.

  • Online Reviews

These days you can find online reviews of almost any kind of business. There are several online platforms like Yelp where users can go and rate the companies they have had positive or negative experiences with. Go online and compare the ratings and reviews of the few web designing companies in Los Angeles. You can learn a lot about a company by what their previous clients have to say about them.

  • Awards and Recognitions

Most distinguished web development companies have received recognition in the form of awards from various organizations that judge these companies on the basis of their work and client satisfaction. Choose a company that has been accredited by these organizations as having excelled in their line of work. This will give you the confidence that the company you are hiring offers top quality service.

  • Wide Range of Services

It could be that you only have one particular requirement today from a web design company. So, you may be satisfied with a company that offers you limited services. But, what happens when down the line you require more services? Do you want to go through the pains of searching for a web development company in Los Angeles all over again? It is advised that you choose a company that offers you a wide range of services, apart from the usual web designing and development.

  • Website Support

If you buy a product from a company, you expect after sales services. Similarly, when you get your website developed, you expect support from that company in the event that some issues arise. Pick a company that guarantees website support and maintenance for your newly built website and are available to assist you whenever you may need them.

  • Knowledge of Various Technologies

The world of website development is changing rapidly and new platforms and technologies get introduced in this world all the time. The company you hire must have knowledge and expertise on a several platforms of website development like WordPress, Woocommerce, Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce etc. similarly, for creating mobile applications, the company must have expertise in creating apps for Android as well as iPhone platforms.

Conclusion:

A company that qualifies on all the above criteria is definitely not a company you should pass up on. Clap Creative is on the top web design and development company in Los Angeles. We offer our clients a wide range of services using our expertise in multiple platforms and technologies.  We are also the proud winners of the Clutch award for top web design company in Los Angeles for the last two years. To know more about our services or to get a free quote, contact us today.

We become Best Web Design Company 2017 in Los Angeles

April 25th, 2017

Clutch recently named us as one of the top web design companies in the LA metro area. This is the second year in a row that Clap Creative has received such an award from Clutch.

Clutch is a DC-based research company that evaluates and publishes reports on the leading IT and marketing companies across dozens of US cities and countries. Analysts at Clutch do an internal assessment of these companies by looking at their previous experience, service offerings and industry awards, among other criteria. The biggest differentiator of their research process is that they interview a handful of each company’s clients and publish their comments on their site for business buyers to see.

In their official press release announcing the top LA web design companies, Clutch Senior Analyst Eleonora Israele stated:

“A company’s website is often a buyer’s introduction to a product or service. The leading companies in our research have proven their ability to create websites that truly reflect their clients’ companies and make them stand out from their competitors.”

Clap Creative Delivers in Web Design!

We worked with Outcome Tutoring, a college tutoring company, to build a website for their business with an online booking tool that allows students to see each tutors’ availability and schedule a session. Once the project was completed, their founder said the following:

“The website that Clap Creative developed automatically made us into a more sophisticated company. We were initially just completely bare bones, all hustle, and all grind. Now we have a complete, functioning website. Because of that level of sophistication, we also have a lot more viewership of our site and more bookings. With bare bones, people won’t trust your company as much. Now that we have a way to let people know that we have a good, functioning company, they trust they can spend their money with us. Our client return rate is much higher now.”

We’re thrilled to have made the list for the second time, and can’t wait for a third one next year!

Web Design Disciplines for the Modernist Designer

December 17th, 2015

Web designers these days misunderstand the word design in all its clarity. Often, web design is perceived as something that merely allows certain functions to be performed on devices. The real matrimony between design, functionality and performance. Overly simplified web design usually gets a thumbs down from the audience. Real web designers are hard to come by and are actually a rare breed now. So, what is it that makes web design so vital. Here are some principles of web design that should redefine your organization’s digital design aesthetics.

  1. Graphic Design

In case of digital interfaces, apps and websites, this visual communication with the design has to be very coherent with the theme. A visually arresting design speaks volumes about a company’s commitment to its customers. However, it is imperative that good design is followed by good programming underneath that actually power the interactive elements. Graphic designers has to interact with other designers and programmers to achieve a working design.

  1. Programming

Software engineering or coding is the essence of the web design. It is as much an art as it is a technical prowess. How we interact with the web is determined by the programming that powers the technologies we use. Programmers are known to be technical and often cannot interpret the right responses from the people using the technology. Interfaces are powered by intelligent code that bridges the human machine gap. The discipline of UX, UI and programming must coincide to create the right sense of design to the users.

  1. UX

When users interact with the device or software, the understood experiences of the user with respect to the design is called User Experience (UX). The primary element of UX is to create a consistent and appealing design for the app or software that users come to praise. Creating custom user experiences that are perceived in a positive note by the users is a challenge for today’s designers considering the dynamic environment of the web. The UX must have the capability to understand and empathize with the user in case of back end programming failures or design shortcomings.

  1. Usability

The clarity and simplicity of design is defined as the usability. The more intuitive a design is, the more interactive it will be in terms of usage. This is the ultimate test of any design that defines the elegance and efficiency of a system. This component of the user experience determines the success since the number of user or time spent is a significant metric.

  1. Behavioral Economics

Behavioral Economics is the science of deciphering what the users want and expect from your design. In terms of web design, it may refer to the words, elements and positioning of buttons on the payout. This is a complex part since you have to extract the behavioral data from the user experience and put solid research into the information in the data. Different emotional responses have to be studied, perception of users defined and product responses noted. All these have to be studied and relevant changes made to the design interface.

  1. Branding

Brands speak for themselves even in a crowd. That’s how they should always be. Designer should incorporate a language that completely defines a brand on its own in a slew of other brands. In order to differentiate a brand, they can take inspiration from the brand’s history, values, goals and mission. Both offline and online branding should be in sync with each other. Digitization of a brand is a crucial component of the user experience. Unfortunately, most big brands fail to carry over the brand’s real world legacy onto the digital arena.

  1. Marketing

Web design often ignores the amount of users that have to be bought to call it a success. A mere handful of users during the testing phase do not define the complete picture. Offline marketing efforts have to be synchronized with online marketing. SEO, SEM and paid search must be used to deliver home results. Simply building a design and expecting people to like it is an adage that’s dead long ago. Now you have to constantly improve on your design.

Disciplines of web design have to incorporate new elements with changing technologies. From smartphone to desktop, interfaces have to be crafted with an artistic sense. Delivering a comprehensive user satisfaction should always be a goal to strive for in any web design.