Author: Shanth Babu

AI Use Cases in Healthcare

Posted on by Shanth Babu

Medical science is experiencing a huge paradigm shift. We are witnessing some early adopters embrace AI and machine learning to get insights from patients’ data. Many organizations are looking for sustainable ways to dig out raw data and put it to good use. 

According to Forbes, healthcare is one of the top 16 industries that would see rapid growth in 2022 and beyond. The AI healthcare market is expected to grow to $194.14 billion by 2030.   From the early interpretation of patient symptoms for a quick diagnosis to robotic surgeries, AI is rapidly being implemented in the healthcare industry. 

In this blog, let’s look at some of the top AI applications or use cases in healthcare.

Overview

AI Chatbots for Clinical Diagnosis

Robot handshake human background, futuristic digital age

Did you know that 2 out of 5 people misdiagnose their symptoms by searching their symptoms online? Hospitals can use chatbots as a good start point in engaging with patients. An AI-based chatbot with machine learning algorithms and natural language processing techniques can be trained to evaluate a patient by prompting a series of questions regarding the symptoms. An extensive list of symptoms and diagnostic steps from trusted clinicians can be a part of the algorithm to make an initial diagnosis. Healthily and Mediktor are good examples of AI-based popular symptom checkers. The AI chatbots can handle patients’ queries on matters as simple as billing, appointments, or medication refills or as complex as suggesting a diagnosis. 

Prescription Auditing

A wrong prescription can be life-threatening. AI can help in prescription auditing. Some examples of a prescription audit by AI systems include alerting dose miscalculations, wrong drug selection and confusion over similarly named drugs, similar packaging.  Medication errors may be due to human errors, but it often results from a flawed system with inadequate backup to detect mistakes. 

Currently, AI, big data analytics and machine learning algorithms are used for analyzing large-scale Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) data and identifying how physicians treat patients in real-life scenarios. When a doctor is about to prescribe a medication that is way beyond the typical treatment pattern, the AI system can be designed to flag a potential error so that the physician could double-check.

Patient Triaging

Normally people tend to handle minor symptoms at home and visit the doctor only when the situation gets worse. Patient triaging is a method where medical professionals evaluate the degree of a patient’s emergency to prioritize time-sensitive treatments. Doctors rely on clinical judgment to identify high-priority patients which can be challenging. Over-triaging can happen when a doctor is unsure of an evaluation. This can lead to people being sent to intensive care treatment unnecessarily. Under-triaging can cost human lives and have irreversible negative consequences. In recent years, predictive analytic capabilities, AI models are proven to be more effective in automating the triaging process.  

Hospitals have adopted AI triage models to triage patients during Covid-19 crisis. Another example of artificial intelligence-based triage is the application of AI in triaging patients with acute abdominal pain. From predicting cardiac arrest risks to scanning the severity of incoming patients based on multiple clinical findings, the AI triage decision-making process is a critical life-saving innovation.

Genome Analysis

Understanding genes and their components have always been a frustrating experience for scientists. Unpacking the genome and predicting the impact of gene edits involves scrutinizing a lot of data. The use of AI and machine learning is removing the bottlenecks in this field. From analyzing the vast data in a single person’s DNA to comparing the genomes between a malignant and normal tissue, AI deep-learning and neural networks techniques are helping in automating the diagnosis of diseases including cancer. 

Robot-assisted Surgeries

According to DataBridge Market research, the Global surgical robots market is expected to reach USD 19,413.63 million by 2026. Robotic surgery or robot-assisted surgery has gained traction in the United States and Europe. Robots have helped doctors to perform complex procedures with precision and minimal invasiveness, less pain and blood loss. With a camera arm and mechanical arms of surgical instruments, a surgeon can control the robotic arms from a computer screen in the operation room. Robot-assisted surgeries are safe and more accurate as the camera sends out clear pictures of the surgical site for the surgeon to evaluate the process. From taking out brain tumours to total knee replacement, heart operations to spine surgeries, robots are well-suited for complex procedures as the robotic arms can perform repetitive movements without fatigue. 

Medical Imaging

In many countries, patients have to wait for days for a radiologist to assess a radiograph. AI-backed medical imaging machines can help in assessing, and diagnosing patients precisely in a faster way. AI medical imaging and cloud technology is a boon for researchers and doctors workers working in remote locations. The technology is especially useful in chest and brain imaging in detecting and diagnosing life-threatening diseases. Early detection of breast cancer is completely treatable but conventional mammogram screening misses out 1 in 5 cancer detection. Google’s AI powered Lymph Node Assistant (LYNA) claims to detect breast cancer metastasis with 99% accuracy which is commendable when compared to human pathologists who miss early detection 62% of the time. From analyzing full-body MRI scans to detecting skin cancer using photos of your skin. 

Drug discovery

Drug discovery research is the identification of medicines that can prevent or treat a disease. Traditional drug discovery methods work well for targets that have a well-defined structure and well-understood intracellular molecules. However, these methods do not work in the case of complex cellular interactions. AI in drug discovery uses complex algorithms and machine learning to detect the interactions between molecules and complex cellular pathway components. The AI advancements in drug discovery have helped Moderna to develop a COVID vaccine in record time.

Brand Building

As the healthcare industry shifts to a more technology-driven interaction with the patients, the opportunity to build relevance and personalized marketing. Artificial intelligence helps hospitals to create the most optimal marketing strategy for the brand. The data from social media platforms, blogs and other patient touchpoints can be used in analyzing consumer behaviour and search patterns. From market research to identifying target segments and offering personalized service, AI helps hospitals to gain competitive intelligence. Medication reminders and pharmacy refills can be automated to increase brand loyalty. Artificial intelligence empowers marketers to make data-driven decisions to improve customer journeys.

Process Automations

From the point of admission to discharge, patients go through a series of tedious and tiring processes. Hospitals can give a better patient experience by streamlining these processes. Automating the admission process can leave a lasting impression on the patient’s mind. Hospitals can also streamline ER operations and triage patients for emergency care with process automation. From automating Electronic Health Records (EHR) to staff boarding and roster management, the possibilities of process automation are endless.

Apart from these most popular AI use cases in healthcare, there are numerous possibilities in adopting this technology. If you are looking to create a custom machine learning or AI solution, feel free to contact us for a free quote.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Diagnosis

Posted on by Shanth Babu

Access to quality healthcare services is a basic human right that is out of reach for many in the world. With covid raging havoc, now more than ever, the need for technological innovations in the healthcare division is the need of the hour. Healthcare Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science is a growing market that undoubtedly is going to impact our lives. 

Many hospitals have already embraced chatbots for appointment scheduling. An AI-powered chatbot can take the load of the front desk by handling more than just appointment queries. From diagnosing respiratory illnesses to forecasting diseases, AI as a tool can be trained to correctly interpret health data by feeding large complex datasets. Hospitals need to embrace healthcare artificial intelligence in the coming years to improve their service level.

At SolutionChamps Technologies, we have years of experience working with healthcare clients and creating AI-backed tools. In this article, we will explore how AI-backed tools and technologies are aiding the healthcare industry. 

Overview

AI in Disease Diagnosis

It takes years of medical training and hands-on experience for a doctor to skillfully and correctly diagnose a disease. From assessing a patient’s symptoms and analysing the test results, diagnostics is a crucial and time-consuming medical process. In many branches of human science, there is a huge demand for expert physicians and patients need to wait for days for clinical diagnosis even in developed countries. This is where AI-backed Machine Learning and Deep Learning algorithms play a pivotal role. AI-backed clinical diagnostics of diseases are accurate, cheap and convenient. 

A recent study published by Science Daily says that AI systems help in detecting even the most subtle changes in a patient at a very early stage. From remarkable detection of breast cancer to ECG, EEG or even X-ray images, machine learning and AI techniques are paving the way for healthcare advancements.

How AI diagnoses Work 

Just as a doctor would need to identify patterns to diagnose a disease, machine learning algorithms are pre-trained with datasets to identify patterns. Multiple predictive analysis techniques and deep neural networks (DNNs) are used in AI clinical diagnosis. 

 Machine learning algorithms trained by expert professionals can help in an accurate diagnosis. 

AI-backed machine learning is currently in action to perform diagnoses such as-

  • Detect lung cancer and stroke based on CT scans
  • Predict cardiovascular risks by measuring blood flow and diagnose cardiovascular disease based on electrocardiograms and cardiac MRI images
  • Classify skin lesions using Skin images and patterns
  • Detect diabetic retinopathy by accurately interpreting retinal scans
  • Identify areas containing tumor or healthy tissue using MRI imaging 
  • Detect cancer-causing lesions in Endoscopic procedures

AI techniques and Clinical diagnosis

Artificial Intelligence in healthcare Diganosis

Clinical diagnosis using artificial intelligence is implemented using the following AI techniques and AI fields: 

  • Computer vision
  • Time-series analysis
  • Speech recognition, and
  • Natural language processing

Computer Vision

Computer vision and machine learning are fields of AI that involve training the AI system’s algorithm to see and process images just like a human would. The system is trained using digital images, videos and other visual inputs. The supervised or unsupervised AI system then takes actions or makes a recommendation. When it comes to healthcare, computer vision is applied in tumor and cancer detection, medical imaging, in the fight against and health monitoring. According to a recent study, computer vision in the healthcare market is projected to reach USD 1,457 million by 2023 from USD 210 million in 2018, at a CAGR of 47.2% during the forecast period. 

Time-Series and Predictive Analysis 

Time series analysis is beneficial in collecting observational data over a period of time frame. It is helpful in predicting a patient’s prognosis and potential risk factors. From cardiac arrest prediction tools to predicting brain tumour and even predicting the prognosis of respiratory illnesses and the prognosis of a covid patient, this branch of AI is churning out accurate predictions.

Speech Recognition Techniques

Documentation is a time-consuming administrative task that takes away the time of a clinician. Speech recognition tools are used in healthcare to increase productivity. Less paperwork has already benefited clinicians and frontline workers to focus on the patients. When it comes to clinical diagnosis, speech-recognition techniques are used in identifying neurological disorders. Recently, Amazon has applied for a patent for Voice-based determination of physical and emotional characteristics of users. From detecting sore throat to analysing a person’s voice and predicting a risk of suicide, researchers are hoping to use speech analysis in diagnostics.

Natural Language Processing 

AI-based chatbots can interpret natural language and do a preliminary assessment of a patient’s symptoms. Natural Language Processing is also helpful in extracting data from digital health record data made using Optical Character Recognition (OCR).  

At SolutionChamps, we help organizations in their digital transformation journey by incorporating innovative techniques and resilient solutions. Contact us today for a quote.

Biggest Artificial Intelligence Trends in 2022

Posted on by Shanth Babu

At the start of 2022, artificial intelligence is expected to pivot our lives in a whole new direction. Last year, many companies had hoped to leverage artificial intelligence to make better and faster predictions that would help them to gain a competitive advantage but there were limitations. 

This year brings a new wave of promising technological advancements.  From advancements in human language processing to precise predictions, AI is expected to bring in more surprises this year. Here is a list of AI predictions for 2022.

Overview

AI Augmented Workforce

AI-enabled technology is set to improve productivity by freeing up the workforce of mundane tasks. By augmenting AI in the workforce, people can collaborate and work efficiently, make better decisions, and reduce human error. From pre-screening candidates before inviting them for interviews to automatically transcribing meetings and publishing them as searchable text, AI algorithms can assist people to be more efficient. 

With covid threatening workplace safety, companies can turn to computer vision to monitor touches in public space, monitor social distancing on the floor, alert cleaning staff for disinfection. AI-powered chatbots are already a hit. With improvements in NLP, chatbots assist customers in finding curated information on flights, hotels and activities, and get real-time information on their bookings. 

Identifying the bad seed is very important for workforces to thrive in this economy. Some companies are looking to deploy AI solutions to identify security risks in retaining a customer, employee and also strategize to keep company data safe in the coming year.

Augmenting the workforce with AI solutions is a great way to up the notch on your team’s creativity. It can help organizations to innovate faster. Discuss your business pain points with us to explore how AI can be leveraged to increase productivity in your organization.

Larger Language Models

Language modelling is a process where machines use a set of parameters to understand and communicate with humans in a language we understand. This very technology is behind the likes of Alexa and other popular virtual assistants and AI chatbots. GPT-3 by OpenAI is currently the advanced language model with over 175 parameters, variables and data points that makes machines process natural language. In 2022, OpenAI is expected to release GPT-4  that can contain up to 100 trillion parameters making it even more powerful than its predecessor.

Other AI startups such as Hugging Face, Cohere, AI21 Labs are also pushing the boundaries of LLM by using training models with large parameters.

What’s more, we will see a rise of AI-based language models in 2022 and beyond, Naver a South Korean startup, has announced HyperCLOVA, a GPT-3-like Korean language model. Huawei’s PanGu-Alpha and Baidu’s Ernie 3.0 Titan are Chinese datasets.

Some of the popular trends in language modelling to look out for in the coming year are transfer learning, reinforcement learning, fake news detection. Transfer learning involves training a machine to perform a task and repurpose the skill for another task. In reinforcement learning, the machines perform a task and learn using a rail and error method. Fake news are a huge danger in recent years, NLP is expected to be programmed to identify fake news on social media platforms.

Data-Centric AI

Making decisions based on data is always the best way to run any business. The current AI approach involves relying on big data. AI algorithms and neural networks use a large volume of data that were trained to perform tasks that were software-centric. In 2022, we will see companies focus more on data-centric artificial intelligence. From data label quality to data augmentation and domain-specific data sources that involve data understanding and conversations with domain experts to data consolidation and preparing the machine learning models, this year is expected to see a new shift in the way companies put their data to use.

Cyber Security

Ever since the global pandemic, we have witnessed a rise in cybercrime. 2022 is set to see an increase in artificial intelligence measures to counteract cybercrime. From identifying behaviour patterns to identifying abnormalities to mitigating threats with AI testing, AI systems can handle thousands of events simultaneously. 

Companies will be investing more in AI-powered cyber security solutions into 2022. A point to note is that cybercriminals are also leveraging AI to evade cybersecurity measures. This is why AI is necessary for businesses that operate on the cloud, need to automate testing and leverage AI to remain secure. 

If you are looking for futuristic automation testing services, contact us now for a reasonable quote.

Low Code and No Code AI

Low-code and no-code platforms are visual software that allows the creation of software applications without writing code. Much similar to web designing available these days, AI-powered low code and no-code platforms allow businesses to just drag and drop to complete the application development process. Low code and no-code approach save development time exponentially. A user just needs to visually pick and connect components to construct applications. In 2022 and beyond, no-code AI platforms are expected to get popular and more commonplace such as a word-processor and spreadsheet. It would be possible to even translate code written in one language to another thereby making conversions of legacy code to modern languages easy.

New Verticalized AI Solutions

Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are looking to commercialize their research and development efforts. Services such as Amazon Lookout for Equipment and Google Cloud Visual Inspection AI are already set to leverage their cloud-based AI platforms to perform highly customized services across verticals such as retail and manufacturing. From predictive maintenance of devices to detecting anomalies in products, we will see a rise in verticalized AI solutions in the coming year.AI is more mature now and is set to play an increasing role in real-world applications.

Don’t let your business stand behind. You need an innovative technology partner like us who has years of expertise in AI to take your business up a notch. Get in touch with your next project idea for future-ready solutions.

Top tech predictions for 2022

Posted on by Shanth Babu

At the end of each year, we usually have expectations and curiosity to know what the future holds. At times, as individuals, we try to get prepared if we know what is going to happen in the near future. When it comes to a startup or an enterprise business it requires preparation and readiness to leverage the trending technologies to be ahead of the pack.

Overview

Why should you know?

Before delving into the predictions done by the tech leaders it is better to understand what is the use of tech predictions of the upcoming year? And how it to what extent it is worth knowing? 

  • In the competitive landscape, unless you get to know and be abreast of what is next in the industry it would be tough to take competitive advantage and you may be out of the league in the future. 
  • The past two years have shaped us to be ready to live in a period of uncertainty. We should be ready for rapid adaptability.
  • Knowing the predictions would help you to prioritize the digital transformation initiatives that keep you moving with the movement or shift happening in the industry.

Hybrid Work | Cloud | AI | AR & VR

Hybrid Cloud 

Hybrid Cloud
Hybrid Cloud

The hybrid work model is the trend now and it is going to rise up in 2022. Briefly, the hybrid working model encourages working from anywhere. People can work from home or on the go or in the office or anywhere they wish to. 

This flexible working model boosts productivity and fosters a work-life balance, research says. But the point is employers have to prioritize security, privacy, scalability and speed by adopting hybrid cloud. It is high time for tech companies to invest in hybrid cloud infrastructure to support remote employees to experience agility and availability. 

Hybrid workforce tools

Hybrid Workforce tools

Having said about the hybrid workforce, the need for collaboration and communication tools is on the rise. We have seen many such tools in 2021, helping to facilitate a smoother remote workforce. When we shift to a hybrid working model we have to find the efficient tool that enables seamless collaboration and communication. Furthermore, such a tool with AI and machine learning functionality would be highly preferred as the wave of automation has its own impact in various industries and verticals.

Multi-cloud Deployments

Multi Cloud
Multi Cloud

For the past few years, after being aware of the advantages of cloud computing, many companies have moved their data to the cloud and some companies have moved applications to the cloud. In the coming year, companies would start practising multi-cloud deployment as they don’t want to get locked with a single vendor. Multi-cloud is different from hybrid cloud. Using different cloud vendors or providers is called multi-cloud whereas a mix of private and public cloud and on-premises infrastructure is called hybrid cloud. 

Kubernetes and AI/ML

Kubernetes for AI

More companies and organizations are running their applications in containers to experience portability, security and scalability. As AI and machine learning already impacts modern business in various aspects, Kubernetes for AI and ML would be a game-changer. Kubernetes for AI workloads will be challenging and would be a great option for the next wave of applications and it is going to be changing the tech industry.

Analytics in Digital Transformation

Analytics in Digital Transfornation
Digital Transformation

In recent years, digital transformation has taken the tech industry by storm. Most of the companies are accelerating towards it as they understand it is the key factor to thrive in the competitive landscape. If you are aiming for digital transformation in your organisation or company your focus should be on leveraging the power of data and analytics.  The power of analytics makes a huge difference in business operations, data and analytics together maximize the value.

AI as a differentiator

AI as a Differentiator
AI

AI becomes a key differentiator, it makes it easier for businesses to satisfy their customers with the experiences created based on data and analytics. AI-powered businesses stand out in the market due to hyper-personalization, a way to create custom experiences for your customers, communicating with them at the right time through the right channel with the right offers and recommendations they are looking for. It creates meaningful engagement and builds a strong relationship with your customers. 

Edge Computing

Edge Computing
Edge Computing

Edge computing is a computing model different from cloud computing. It works on distributed computing approach in which the data is collected, analyzed and computed in real-time near the physical location, not on the centralized server. The massive growth of IoT and the emergence of the latest technologies like 5G requires real-time computing which requires edge computing, key support for real-time applications. 

Augmented Reality

AR
Augmented Reality

AR is one of the great technologies ever to create interactive experiences, presenting the digital content in a highly visual form wherein it brings the real-life environment in front of the users. It allows the users to experience the specific environment as if they are present in that environment. For example, it takes the visual form of the store to the customer, provides interactive learning for kids, it is a safety technology for drivers to see the objects through the windshield. It is going to have a huge impact on customer experience. AR in the customer journey will be trending in 2022.

Take Away

Apparently, we see technology is advancing at a fast pace. When we are still tapping into the latest technology, we see another advancement showing up and surprising us in no time. Trends in technology influence the way your customers reach you and demand your product or service, it reshapes their expectations. Keeping up with the technology opens new opportunities for you to satisfy your customers and achieve a competitive edge.

Why Offshoring Software Development in a Post-Pandemic World is a Smart Move

Posted on by Shanth Babu

It’s been nearly 2 years since the global pandemic hit us hard. From lost lives, social distancing and lockdowns to economic disruptions, the pandemic wreaked havoc, sending shock waves, one after the other. 

Businesses and households suffered in more ways than one. While some businesses had to close doors permanently, the ones that survived experienced financial strains like never before.

But now, it’s time to bounce back.

While the tremors of the pandemic are still prevalent, it is time now to rebuild and elevate your business to the next level with bolder, smarter moves. This means reevaluating your business model and embracing digital transformation as the way forward. But digital transformation can be difficult, costly and time consuming when done in-house. You can mitigate this drawback by outsourcing. To be more specific, by offshoring software development.   

In this article, we’ll be discussing exactly what outsourcing software development is, the outsourcing types, outsourcing software development pros and cons and the best strategies to take when outsourcing in a post-pandemic world.

Let’s dive in.

Overview

What Exactly is Software Development Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is when you delegate areas of your business operations to an expert third party. In the case of software development and other IT services, software development outsourcing is teaming up with a technology partner  to get the job done faster. 

For example, let’s say you are a marketing agency and you need to launch a mobile application to sell a service, you would need to hire software developers,designer, backend developer, quality analyst and so on to build the application. You may already have in-house design experts but you still need to find developers, QA to have it built in-house, this is where outsourcing comes in. 

Outsourcing Software Development

Software Development Outsourcing Types 

Software development outsourcing, when done strategically, can save you a huge chunk of money.

Onshore Outsourcing

Onshore outsourcing involves hiring a third party within your country or your region to handle a project or lend a hand to an in-house team. Essentially, you are hiring a team that is culturally similar to your in-house team, can speak the same language as you and work on your time-zone on an as-needed basis. The drawback is that you won’t be saving money as the rates of your potential partner will be industry standards as per your region.

Nearshore Outsourcing

Nearshoring involves teaming up a third-party provider who is located in a nearby country. Outsourcing nearshore means little to no time-zone difference, shorter travel time and lower rates than your country. While there is little benefit to nearshoring, you could still end up buying a considerable amount for the convenience of shorter travel time.

Offshore Outsourcing

Offshore outsourcing means signing a contract with a development team that is located in a different continent. The benefits are you save a lot of money, in some cases you can cut your development budget by half through offshoring. The drawbacks are culture and time-zone difference and longer travel time (in case you need to directly visit the team). But with speedy internet services, instant communication channels, collaboration tools the benefits of offshoring outweighs the drawback.

Hybrid Outsourcing or Multisourcing

Hybrid outsourcing or multi-sourcing is the best approach for large corporations. This model is when you enter into contracts with multiple vendors from the same or different location for multiple projects. The goal here is to diversify risks, innovate faster and source the best talent at optimal labor costs. The major drawback of this model is coordinating with multiple suppliers.

Outsourcing types

Benefits of Offshoring Software Development in Post-Pandemic Era

Cut development Costs

Globally, the economic setback caused by the pandemic is huge. Whether you are a startup or a well-established business, the best strategy in this economy is to tighten the strings wherever possible without compromising on quality. Offshoring software development does exactly that. Through offshoring, you will be able to hire software developers for a low-cost. An overseas technology partner gives you a huge competitive advantage. A reduced development budget means more money to invest in marketing, innovation and more.

Access to a huge talent pool

Sometimes it may not be easy to find the right talent in your geographic location for various reasons. Your geographical location may limit you in finding a specialized talent or they may simply be too costly in your region. Offshoring software development allows you to broaden your search to a global pool of talent. Ukraine,India, Bulgaria, Philippines, China, South Africa are some countries where you can find an impressive pool of software developers with specialized skills. 

Easy Onboarding

Hiring and onboarding techies in-house can be very hard. It takes a lot of time and effort to assess developers, hire and train them. This can take a lot of time and effort which you would rather be using to focus on your business operations. Partnering with an offshore outsource team is a simple process. All you have to do is shortlist a few offshoring partners, have a few conversations to gauge the team’s capacity, share your values and project needs, sign the contract to get the ball rolling. In most cases, you can even have the team work on your problems from the same day. Looking for an expert tech team for your next project? Contact us now to get a competitive quote.

On-Demand Scalability 

With offshore software outsourcing, you literally pay as you go. Depending on the stage of your product creation, you normally require different types of resources. Instead of being tied-down to a resource whether they have work or don’t, you get to onboard resources as per your needs and the stage of your project. This flexibility is a huge reason to outsource, you can meet tight deadlines and demand spikes in a short span. 

Offshore Software Development Working Models

Offshore software development services are offered in different working styles. The working models are: 

Relationship-Based Working Models

The relationship-based outsourcing models focus on the ownership and responsibilities. 

  • Staff Augmentation Model – Staff augmentation is when you lease the outsourced team to work in collaboration with your in-house employees. The staff are under your full control for the entire project timeline. Essentially you still remain in complete ownership of the project from start to finish.
  • Project-Based Model – In a project-based model you leave the entire responsibility to your outsourcing provider. All you need to do is have a brief about your project requirements and it is up to the outsourced provider to complete your development project as per the contract.
  • Offshore Development Center (dedicated team) – This model is best-suited for long-term projects who want to reduce development costs while maintaining high-standards of quality. Here, you enter into a long-term partnership with the offshore team and you always have a dedicated team of skilled resources at your disposal.

Cost-Based Working Models

With cost-based working models, you get the maximum benefit out of offshoring. Cost-based working models can be further categorized as below:

  • Fixed Price (FP) Model – In this model a standard rate is proposed for the entire project including workspace and tools charges. The outsourced team needs to complete the project to receive a payment. Usually part payments are done as several milestones are reached. 
  • Time and Materials Model – The T & M model is a widely used outsourcing model. Here, you invite bids for your project, the interested outsourcing companies, bid on the project by sending a proposal for your requirements. 
  • Incentive-Based Model – Incentive model is when an outsourced company is awarded more than the agreed-upon rates for exceptional work. This is usually adopted in long-term projects to motivate the team and boost morale when the outsourcing team accomplishes the goals as per the contract. 
  • Shared Risk-Reward Model – This model is similar to the incentive-based model, the only catch is that the outsourced company is entitled to a bonus only when a set of milestones are met within the deadline. The idea behind this model is to encourage the outsourced company to formulate strategies on completing the targets on time by sharing the financial risk. It works two-fold as you can mitigate the risks associated with the outsourced team especially when implementing new processes, models and technology.

Pitfalls to Avoid When Offshoring Software Development Services

Just like everything else in life, outsourcing software development to an offshore team comes with its own set of risks. The risks can be eliminated by taking certain actions from your end before outsourcing. Here’s what you can do:

Not Researching Enough

Finding the right technology partner guarantees half of your project’s success. Once you’ve narrowed down on the development budget and identified the location you wish to offshore, start by researching the vendors that offer the outsourcing services. A thorough research ensures that you pick the right team to get the desired project outcome. Once you’ve zeroed down on a list of vendors, check out their portfolio, testimonials and reviews to make the right decision.

Contract Loopholes and no NDA

One of the worst pitfalls to look out for when offshoring is having the third-party steal your idea. As shocking as this sounds, this happens in the industry. That’s why you need to find a highly credible offshoring partner who has serviced many clients before and sign an NDA as early as possible to discuss your project requirements. This is especially true when you are dealing with a highly sensitive product idea. In addition, an NDA can also protect other vulnerable information such as user data, business processes during the development process. A loosely framed contract can cause severe loss to your business. Be sure to cover the following things in your contract: 

  • Deliverables and timeframes 
  • Milestone based payments
  • Maintenance support contracts
  • Intellectual property rights 
  • Confidentiality agreement
  • Indemnity clauses
  • Termination clause 
  • Jurisdiction for resolution of issues

Communication barriers

When you are offshoring, there’s bound to be some differences in time zones, language and culture. While you will find plenty of vendors who can communicate in English in the global market, the final success of your project comes down to three things – the offshore team’s comprehension of your project requirements, technical expertise and clarity on the deliverables. Be sure to agree upon the communication channels, how often you communicate and other final details early on with the outsourced team. Make use of collaboration and communication tools such as Jira or Asana or Zoom, to regularly engage with the offshore team. 

Ambiguity of Stakeholders

It is important to know who the stakeholders are before starting the project. One common pitfall to avoid is getting to know the terms of engagement of your resources. For example, you may sometimes encounter instances of developers being shared for different projects, or have the best developer left in the middle of the project leading to the other resources fumbling to finish your project on time. Back-and-forth resources can lead to inconsistent delivery and incomplete ownership. Another bottle-neck that can happen is, when your in-house resists outsourcing. You can mitigate these risks by clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of each team.

Unrealistic timeline

Make sure that your project timeline is realistic. If you are not sure, getting to research this from multiple vendors can give you a rough timeline. Watch out for vendors who promise to get your project out in unrealistic timelines. Having an unrealistic timeline means pressure on the development team. This can lead to adverse effects which can be very costly in the end. The team may sacrifice testing methods to keep up to the pace which can lead to hidden bugs.Also, there’s more chance of bad code implementation and so on.

How to choose an offshore software development company?

Now that you know what offshoring is all about. It is time to figure out how to choose the right offshore partner. We at SolutionChamps are the offshore technology partners of many leading companies, get in touch with us for a quote today. 

Offshore Development company

Figure out the best prospects

Start out with simple searches like “top web development companies in India” or “top outsourcing locations in India”  to figure out the prospects. Read through the reviews and contact the prospects with your project idea to initiate the next steps. Filter through the responses, to narrow your list down further. 

Examine the Portfolios

Examine each project of your prospects. From technology stack to methodology and processes, evaluate the prospects to see if they are the right fit. Look for outsourcing teams who have dealt with similar kinds of products and industry. Notice if they have long-term projects as client retention is a good sign of a steady offshore partner. By now, you should have been able to zero down on two to three prospects. 

Interview the Team

The next step is to get on call with your shortlisted and assess them. Find out about their project experience, technical capabilities, the developmental processes they follow, the challenges they’ve encountered and how they can solve your problem. Notice how they comprehend your project scope and drill-down on the finer details. 

If you still aren’t sure on which vendor to go with, initiate mini-projects with your finalists to come out with a winner. Start by getting into a short contract. Don’t forget to sign an NDA to protect yourself. The mini-project can be to build a feature or fix a few bugs or anything. Pick the outsourcing partner based on the quality of work, reliability and overall level of comfort with the team.

Conclusion

As a business owner, navigating the tough post-pandemic days ahead might appear daunting. If you’re looking for a technology partner that actively participates to solve your business problem just like a part of your team, SolutionChamps is the perfect fit for you. From web designing to web and mobile app development, Ai to IoT and cloud computing, we’ve got the right amount of experience in handling a mix of technology. Contact us today!

Flutter will dominate the Mobile App Market in 2022

Posted on by Shanth Babu

Overview

What is Flutter App Development

From apps to order restaurant food to apps for shopping online and catching a ride offline, mobile apps have become such an integral part of our everyday lives. According to a study, the average smartphone user has 40 apps installed on their smartphones. The study also states that 18 to 24-year-olds spent 66% of their media time on smartphone apps. For most businesses (especially B2C) having a mobile app is no longer a luxury but a necessity in order to stay relevant.

Are you looking to build a mobile application for your business and just exploring your options? Have been told that Flutter is the future and wondering if you should really choose this framework? Do you want to know if there are any alternatives for Flutter in the coming years?

In a word, yes. 

Flutter is the future – 2022 and beyond and you should consider using the framework to drastically increase your chances for success without incurring high development cost. Not convinced yet? Read on to be doubly sure that you are making the right decision. But first, let’s take a look at the basics.

What exactly is Flutter?

Flutter is an open source mobile app development framework by Google. Launched in 2017, the Flutter framework has been gaining popularity since then. The biggest reason is because it supports creation of cross-platform applications (a single app can run on both Android and iOS).  Flutter is also used for creating interactive apps that run on web pages or on the desktop.

The other reasons for Flutter’s popularity are:

Single code base for both Android and iOS

A single codebase is like a honeycomb wherein multiple developers contribute to a source code located in a single source control repository for both iOS and Android apps. This approach keeps this simpler and reduces development time, cost and the maintenance is also an easy task.

Hot reload feature

This feature allows developers and designers to see the changes as they code.

Open-source and by Google

Need we say more? Flutter is a popular choice among developers because of the huge community support.

Dart programming

Flutter uses an easy to learn and implement programming language called dart which is Google’s general purpose programming language.

5 most popular Flutter apps

Google Ads

Google Ads mobile application was developed using Flutter to allow users to manage Google ad campaigns on the go. The mobile version also allows users to see campaign statistics, update bids and budgets, keyword editing, and a lot more.

KlasterMe

KlasterMe is a popular content-sharing app in Android and iOS that is developed using Flutter. The app allows people to build their own page, add images, blogs and share the creations with others.

Xianyu by Alibaba

This popular shopping app by Alibaba has over 200 million registered users. The app is a great example of flutter’s robust ability and scalability.

Reflectly

This AI-powered journaling app created using Flutter has over 10 million active users. The app allows people to take mental health up a notch by combining cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, and positive psychology.

Cryptograph

This Cryptograph app developed using Flutter allows monitoring and tracking the status of over 1600 global cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ripple, Dogecoin, and Ethereum in real-time.

Benefits of using Flutter Framework

Hot Reload and Widgets

Flutter’s Hot Reload feature allows creating user-interfaces and adding some features real quick. The feature allows developers and designers to instantly see the changes to the code without refreshing the application over and over again. Flutter also comes with many ready-made and custom widgets which significantly reduces development time.

Single Codebase

As Flutter is a cross-platform framework, the developers need not write code separately for Android and iOS. The single codebase feature cuts app development time by half. The single codebase ensures a uniform feel across all platforms, makes cloud integration and maintenance hassle-free.

Cost-Effective

From a business owner’s standpoint, Flutter makes sense for businesses, because of speedy development, synchronized experience and reduced development cost.

Animation

Flutter offers many built-in animations that simplify app designers’ efforts. From creating Liquid Swipe animation movements that give a water-like feel to fading circles and ripples and container transforms, Flutter let’s you jazz up and wow your app users with little effort.

Performance

As a cross-platform framework, Flutter offers unmatched performance when compared to the other rivals. Flutter compiles designs to the native code. Also, unlike React Native, Flutter renders widgets directly from the native library rather than uploading the libraries and components to the device before rendering them.

Security

Google has built the Flutter framework taking into consideration all the security challenges to modern apps. You can find trusted and well-tested plugins in Flutter to mitigate security risks such as user authentication loopholes, malicious code injections, and data leaks.

Potential Drawbacks of Flutter

Large File Sizes

As Flutter is still in its infancy, there’s still room for improvement. One big area that needs improvement is that apps developed using Flutter have predominantly a large file size. A phone storage space can be a major concern among your audience base,as not everyone upgrades to the latest smartphones often. You may need to consider the file size factor, depending on the audience that you are appealing to.

Dart – Learning Curve

As mentioned before, Flutter uses Dart programming language which while is easy, still has a learning curve. You may not find it difficult to find a flutter development team that transform your ideas into an app within a short span of time. At SolutionChamps, we’ve got the right team for the job, get in touch with us today for a free quote.

Scope of Flutter Mobile App Development in 2022 and Beyond

Flutter is the best  choice when you need a stunning Android and iOS app which offers seamless UX without incurring too much development costs. It is a great technology to adopt by startups looking to create a Minimum Viable Product(MVP) as well as for businesses that are looking to go quick to market with a mobile app. Without doubt, Flutter is here to stay and dominate the mobile app market in 2022.

Looking to build a mobile app using Flutter? At SolutionChamps we’ve helped businesses of all sizes and across industries adopt the latest technology. Get in touch with us for a free quote.

9 Top Trends in Web Development [2021 and Beyond]

Posted on by Shanth Babu

Overview

Web Development Trends

From Google docs and Amazon that helps us to get things done, to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to help us to stay on top of current trends, web applications are everywhere.

You may even be using  custom web applications to keep track of things on the go in your business.

With faster internet, the demand for web applications has grown exponentially over the years and this trend is all set to continue for many more years to come.

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing the top 9 future trends in web application development that you can leverage to help your business to stay ahead of your competitors. 

Let’s get started!

1. Progressive web applications (PWA)

The idea of PWA was first introduced by Google in 2015 . PWA are websites that look, feel and perform like feature-rich native mobile apps. 

Before PWA, businesses that wanted to target both desktop and mobile users had two options: to adapt a web page to mobile devices with limited functionalities or to develop a feature-rich mobile app from scratch. 

Thanks to PWA, businesses can now give their customers the experience of using an “app”, right on their browser, without the need to download and install anything from an app store. What’s more PWA can be implemented on desktop as well and they are cost-effective too! 

Benefits for Business Owners:

  • Cheaper development costs
  • Non-reliance on app distribution services like Google Play, App Store  
  • Push notifications
  • Enhanced Security
  • Quicker launch

End-user Benefits:

  • Seamless Offline Operation
  • Needs Lesser Disk space than native apps
  • Saves device power
  • Easier updates.

5 Popular Examples of PWA

  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Flipkart
  • MakeMyTrip
  • Uber

2. AI Powered Chatbots

Chatbots have gained popularity in recent years as they help businesses save money in lead generation, customer support and many other services 24/7.

But simple chatbots are very limited, they are keywords based and they do not understand the intent before a customer’s question. Their responses can be frustrating to the customers. 

AI powered chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) , Natural language understanding (NLU) and machine learning (ML) to understand the user intent and fine-tune it’s responses to sound more natural, human-like. An AI powered chatbot can answer simple and complex questions, learn, collect and process data overtime.

Benefits for Business Owners:

  • Cost Efficiency
  • 24 hours support
  • Human-like customer service
  • Better Analytics

End-user Benefits:

  • Instant Support
  • Personalized Experience
  • Better Self-Service

5 Cool Chatbot Examples

  • HDFC Bank
  • Dominos
  • Fulfillment.com
  • 15five.com
  • Hubspot

3. Voice search

With virtual home assistants like Google Home, Alexa, and Siri becoming popular, gone are the days when people used text to make searches. According to stats, more and more people are using voice search even on their mobile phones. That is why, audio and speech interpretation has become one of the most rapidly adopted trends in web development.Companies are now keen on using voice search to gain a competitive advantage

4. Serverless architecture

Sometimes names can be misleading. Serverless architecture (a.ka. Serverless Computing) doesn’t really mean applications that run “without a server” instead it refers to a cloud computing execution model.

According to Cloudflare, serverless architecture is cloud computing on a pay-per-use basis. That is, businesses that opt for serverless architecture as backend service don’t need to worry about many aspects of server management as they are managed by the cloud provider. Businesses are charged based on the basis of usage and not for fixed bandwidth or number of servers.

For web developers, this means they can focus more on the coding logic rather than waste time thinking about server provisioning, configuring, and maintenance. For businesses, serverless architecture means reduce costs, quick and easy deployment, enhanced scalability.

Some popular serverless computing services providers are:

  • AWS Lambda
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Functions
  • IBM Cloud Functions
  • Cloudflare Workers 

5. Motion UI

According to research, you’ve got less than 8 seconds to grab the attention of a website visitor. When used in a non-distracting way, Animated UI elements can boost conversion rate. They grab visitors’ attention, help users navigate better, show hierarchy and can be used to demonstrate cause and effect.

Motion UI is a powerful open-source, front-end library of animated UI elements that has gained popularity. With Motion UI, you can develop attractive, customized CSS animations, and transitions. 

6. Single-Page Applications (SPA)

A Single-page application is a website or app that allows users to literally stay on the same page while reloading different parts of the same page based on the user’s actions. These applications are fast as they use java-scripts to dynamically update only specific parts of  the website.

Popular SWA:

  • Gmail
  • Google Drive
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

More businesses are switching to single-page web applications as these websites are not only responsive websites but they are suitable for mobile, tablet & desktop versions. Angular, React, Ember and Vue are some frameworks that web developers use to create SPAs. 2021 sees an uptick in  businesses choosing React frameworks for developing SPAs.

7. Dark Themes

Dark themes are here to stay – not just because they are easy on the eyes in the night-time or in low-light conditions, but they are also stylish and consume less battery in mobile devices.  More and more businesses want to enrich their user experience by providing the toggle feature.  Apart from reducing eye strain, dark-themed UI also gives the app or website a stylish UX.

With giants in the tech industry such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest, Quora already adopting dark mode UI , more companies are likely to make an aesthetic upgrade for their websites in 2021 and beyond

8. Blockchain technology

You may argue that blockchain is for currency trading and what’s it got to do with web technologies. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum are driven-by Blockchain technology because they have a peer to peer architecture. 

Blockchain is known for its enhanced security features, transparency, decentralisation, and distributed ledger. These features are making waves in web development as they make a huge impact on enterprise systems. Also, blockchain contracts are tamper-proof. 

9. Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT and AI are clearly the most disruptive technologies of the 21st century. In layman terms, IoT is all about connecting home devices, appliances and wearables to the internet and making them smarter. 

When it comes to web technologies, IoT is setting a revolution by making the web architecture and UI more creative and interactive. The communication between website layouts and architectural models have also advanced.

Final words

There you go, our list of the top 9 trends in web development in 2021. Become an early adopter of the latest trends in web development and transform your business.Looking for a reliable custom software development partner to help you turn your product ideas into a reality? Our experts at SolutionChamps will be happy to discuss your project idea and bring it to life. Contact us now!

What is a Progressive Web App? Beginners Guide

Posted on by Shanth Babu

Let’s face it – today’s technology is almost impossible to catch up with. 

From artificial intelligence to the internet of things, to machine learning and everything in between – the tech industry is ever-changing, and businesses are constantly looking for the next big thing that can generate more revenue and improve the customer experience at lower development costs. 

With over 4.3 billion mobile device users in the world, it’s a huge challenge for businesses to balance costs while maintaining their web presence on different platforms (website, android, iOS). Enter Progressive Web Apps (PWA) – a relatively new technology that is revolutionizing the way people interact with websites.​ 

From push notifications to offline usability and access to device hardware – PWA can be used to do almost everything that was previously only possible on native apps.​​​

Let’s discuss in detail progressive web apps, their features, benefits, and more in this blog post.​​

Overview

What are Progressive Web Apps (PWA)?

In layman’s terms, progressive web apps are websites with native app-like features.

A more technical explanation would be – Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are light-weight web applications that are created using common web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with an incorporation of certain concepts to make it more feature-rich like a native mobile app (push notifications, offline updates, camera/microphone access, location access etc). These apps are a hybrid between normal web pages and mobile applications. 

What are the main features of a PWA?

  • App-like — They behave as if they were native apps, in terms of user interaction and navigation but do not require any download from the iOS or Play stores.
  • Progressive — PWAs are built with browser compatibility in mind. They work for every user, on every browser – even the ones that don’t support progressive improvement principles.
  • Responsive — Desktop, mobile, tablet, or dimensions  – they adapt to the screen sizes of all devices.
  • Updated — PWA uses service workers which are programmable network proxies that let developers control how network requests for a page are handled so that all information is updated on the website irrespective of the network.
  • Secure — PWA websites are safe as they are built to use HTTPS to transmit information.
  • Searchable — They are indexed by search engines and optimizing your PWA is just like you’d do on a website. 
  • Reactivable — With capabilities such as web notifications, PWAs are easy to reactivate.
  • Installable — Users can “bookmark or save” the apps on the home screen. 
  • Linkable — Need we say more? Having a PWA website allows user sharing.
  • Offline — It doesn’t matter if your user has a weak or no connection, some elements of PWAs can be programmed to still work for the user.

How can progressive web apps help businesses?

There is more than one reason for businesses to embrace progressive web apps. From a business point, some of the benefits of using PWAs are:

  • Faster page load speeds
  • Higher conversion rates
  • More user engagement
  • Lesser development and maintenance costs than native apps
  • Increased organic search traffic
  • Google endorses PWA with mobile-first indexing

From an end-user standpoint:

  • PWAs are much faster
  • Browsing when offline is possible
  • Less data consumption
  • Can save the website as an icon on your mobile phone’s home screen

Are there any drawbacks of going the PWA route?

One major drawback is PWAs are supported in iOS only from version 11.3 and onwards. Also when compared to native apps, PWAs consume more battery. 

What are the most used technologies for PWA?

Progressive Web Apps are built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with different characteristics. Some of the main characteristics are:

  • React – React is a powerful JavaScript library that is used for building dynamic and modern user interfaces.
  • Polymer – Polymer is a combination of tools, components, and models that are specifically designed to create PWA.
  • Angular – Angular is a vast JavaScript framework that is used specifically to create dynamic web applications with HTML as the template language.
  • Ionic – This JavaScript framework is used for creating applications that run on multiple platforms with a basic code.
  • Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) – AMP is an open-source project to improve the performance of web pages and make them more mobile-friendly.

How to decide if you need a PWA or a Native app?  

While it’s perfectly okay to be curious about a trending technology, when it comes to finding the right solution for your project, you need a strong development team that can tell you what technology solutions and framework you need to adopt to reach your business goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself to know if you need to adopt PWA:

  • Do you need an app that must be easily distributed to several users across platforms?
  • Are you time-crunched? Do you need to go live in a short span?
  • Do you prefer to keep everything simple on a website? 
  • Does your website need to rank on search engines?
  • Are you looking for a low-budget solution?
  • Do you want to reduce future development and maintenance costs to a minimum?

If you’ve answered yes to all these questions, adopting PWA is a viable option for you.  

A native app is still the right way to go in the following cases:

  • Your business model is based on cost per download and/or IAP (In-App Purchase)
  • You need to use more hardware features of the mobile device
  • You need to  integrate the app with other third-party apps

Final words

Want to become an early adopter of progressive web apps? Looking for a reliable progressive web app development company to help you go live without hassle?  Contact our experts at SolutionChamps to discuss your project idea and we’ll be happy to provide a quote.