The AndPlus Software Development Blog

Agile principles emphasize the use of relatively short development cycles, each of which achieves some tangible improvement to the software. Agile rapidly became the dominant approach to software development because using it means you catch bugs early, before you built too much on top of them, and because it gives you granular control over development direction. Yet, when it comes to UX, agile is underutilized. That’s because too many software development companies see UX as something separate from their main task.

One of the great innovations of the modern age—something even more useful than the beer-can hat—is mapping applications such as MapQuest and Google Maps. Not only can they show you the fastest way to get from A to B (accounting for traffic, construction, one-way streets, and other obstacles), but they can give you alternatives, such as those favoring or avoiding freeways or scenic routes. Some applications will even give you the best routes for traveling on foot, by bicycle, or public transportation.

Back in the 1960s, the term “hi-fi” (short for “high-fidelity”) was a popular buzzword. It started innocently enough as a term to describe the greater sound quality available from high-end stereophonic home audio equipment. But the term caught on in the marketing world and suddenly everything with a perceived elevated quality was known as “hi-fi.”

“Reach out and touch someone.®”

We take software prototyping seriously. Prototyping—in particular, rapid prototyping—is the best way to make sure we, as AndPlus developers, understand what our customers expect the software to do and how it will perform in supporting their business processes.

We’ve discussed extensively the concept, advantages, and tools of rapid prototyping. It’s central to our development process here at AndPlus.