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Kaela Coppinger

Mar 16 2023

An Introduction To Cross-Platform Mobile Development

Author: Minhazur Rahman, Senior Android Developer @ InRhythm

Overview

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As mobile technology continues to evolve, we as developers are faced with the challenge of creating mobile apps that work great on all platforms. Traditionally, this has meant building separate apps for each platform, which is very time consuming and costly. However, with the rise of cross-platform mobile development, developers can now write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms.

We will explore:

  • The pros and con of cross-platform mobile development
  • How it compares to native development
  • Some of the most common tools and frameworks used in cross platform development

What Is Cross-Platform Mobile Development?

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Cross-platform mobile development refers to the process of writing code once and deploying it across multiple platforms, such as iOS and Android. This is achieved using frameworks and tools that allow developers to write code in a single codebase and then compile it for multiple platforms.

Cross-platform development offers several advantages over native development, including:

  • Cost Savings: With cross-platform development, developers can write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms, reducing the time and cost required to develop separate app for each platform
  • Wider Audience: By deploying an app on multiple platforms, developers can reach a wider audience, increasing the app’s potential user base
  • Consistent User Experience: Cross-platform development allows developers to ensure that users have a consistent experience across multiple platforms, improving the overall user experience
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However, cross-platform development also has some limitations, including:

  • Performance Issues: Cross-platform apps may not perform as well as native apps, particularly for complex apps that require heavy processing or graphics
  • Limited Access To Native Features: Cross-platform development may not provide access to all of the native features of each platform, limiting the app’s functionality
  • Development Limitations: Cross-platform development may limit the development process, as developers may need to compromise on certain features or design elements to ensure compatibility across multiple platforms

Cross-Platform Development vs. Native Development

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To better understand the pros and cons of cross-platform development, it’s important to compare it to native development. Native development involves building separate apps for each platform using that platform’s specific language and tools.

Native development offers several advantages, including:

  • Access To Native Features: Native development provides access to all of the native features of each platform, allowing developers to create apps with rich functionality and design
  • Better Performance: Native apps generally perform better than cross-platform apps, particularly for complex apps that require heavy processing or graphics
  • Better User Experience: Native apps can provide a better user experience, as they are designed specifically for each platform, taking into account the unique features and design elements of each platform
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Native development has limitations as well:

  • Time And Cost: Developing separate apps for each platform can be time-consuming and costly, as developers need to learn multiple programming languages and use platform-specific tools
  • Limited Audience: Developing separate apps for each platform may limit the app’s audience, as users may only be able to access the app on one platform
  • Inconsistent User Experience: Developing separate apps for each platform may result in inconsistent user experience, as users may have different experiences depending on the platform they are using

Common Tools and Frameworks For Cross-Platform Development

To make cross-platform development easier, there are several tools and frameworks available that allow developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms. Here are some of the most common ones:

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  • React Native: React Native is a popular framework for building cross-platform apps using JavaScript and React; a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It allows developer to write code once and deploy it on both iOS and Android
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  • Xamarin: Xamarin is a cross-platform development tool that uses C# to build apps for iOS, Android, and Windows. It allows developers to share code between platforms, reducing development time and cost
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  • Flutter: Flutter is a popular framework for building cross-platform apps using Dart: a programming language developed by Google. It allows developers to create beautiful and fast apps that work seamlessly across multiple platforms
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  • Ionic: Ionic is a popular open-source framework for building cross-platform mobile apps using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It allows developers to create hybrid apps that work on both iOS and Android

When To Choose Cross-Platform Over Native Development

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Choosing between cross-platform and native development depends on several factors, including the app’s complexity, budget, and timeline.

Here are some scenarios where cross-platform development may be the better option:

  • Limited Budget: If you have a limited budget, cross-platform development can be a cost-effective solution as it allows you to write code once and deploy it on multiple platforms
  • Tight Timeline: If you need to develop an app quickly, cross-platform development can help you save time as you don’t need to write separate code for each platform
  • Simple Apps: If your app is simple and doesn’t require access to many native features, cross-platform development can be a good option
  • Maintenance: If you need to maintain your app on multiple platforms, cross-platform development can be a more efficient solution as you can make changes to the codebase once and deploy it across all platforms
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However, there are also scenarios where native development may be the better option, such as:

  • Complex Apps: If your app requires access to many native features or requires heavy processing or graphics, native development may be the better option as it can provide better performance
  • Design: If your app requires a unique design that is specific to each platform, native development may be the better option as it allows you to design the app specifically for each platform
  • Budget: If you have a larger budget, native development may be a better option as it can provide a better user experience and access to all of the native features of each platform

Conclusion

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Cross-platform mobile development is a popular solution for creating apps that work seamlessly across multiple platforms. While it offers several advantages, such as cost savings and a wider audience, it also has limitations, such as performance issues and limited access to native feature.

Choosing between cross-platform and native development depends on several factors, including the app’s complexity, budget, and timeline. By weighing the pros and cons, developers can choose the best solution for their app development needs.

Written by Kaela Coppinger · Categorized: Code Lounge, InRhythmU, Learning and Development, Product Development · Tagged: Android, best practices, Cross Platform Development, INRHYTHMU, JavaScript, learning and growth, Mobile App Development, Mobile Apps, Mobile Development

Mar 07 2023

5 Soft Skills That Every UX Designer Should Have

Overview

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Creating a digital product is full of rewards and challenges. No two projects are ever the same, meaning that each individual one must be approached from all angles. There are certain skills that are crucial if one wants to be a successful designer. Skills like wireframing and prototyping are key, but soft skills are just as essential to good design.

The following soft skills are a necessary part of every UX Designer’s toolkit.

1. Empathy

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How can you build a product that accomplishes a users’ goals if you don’t understand their needs and desires? In order to be a successful UX Designer, it is paramount that you put yourself in the users’ shoes so you can truly design with their needs in mind.

You have to be able to design and solve for various types of users. Learning to empathize with them is a skill that will develop over time, but you have to feel what your users feel in order to shed light on what will be most beneficial for them.

One of the best ways to begin implementing this into your everyday practice is to speak directly to your users, whether it’s through surveys, user interviews, or usability tests.

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For example, the core of a usability test is not about understanding your product, but about understanding how your users use your product. What is the path they take to get from A to B? What frustrates them the most? What makes them happy?

Another great technique for getting to know your users is observation. Immerse yourself in their environment. It is your responsibility as a UX Designer to be empathetic toward all users of the product and make certain that their goals and needs are met.

2. Effective Collaboration

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You have probably found yourself in a situation where you were wearing a variety of different hats as a designer. You also most likely realized that relying on yourself to perform all these jobs was quite challenging or nearly impossible. This is because an individual cannot build a successful product on their own. It’s a team effort, encompassing roles from UX Designers to Product Managers to Developers to Marketing and so on.

As a UX Designer, you will have to collaborate with other teams on a daily basis. You will partner with developers to understand constraints, or connect with the marketing team to ensure you are consistent in how you communicate the value of the product to your users.

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Integrating with other teams means you sometimes have to rely on others to guarantee that everything goes smoothly. This is why collaboration is a skill you must possess in order to be an effective team member. If you know how to best utilize each team’s specialized skill and vice versa, you will create a mutual respect for each other. This will allow you to create an environment for the product to flourish and reach its full potential.

3. Adaptive Work Ethics

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The world is constantly shifting, which means that the most popular trends today are waiting to be replaced by tomorrow’s fads. There is a good chance that what excites a user now will bore them next week. As a UX Designer, how can you combat this unpredictability? First, it is your duty to plan and be aware of the malleability of trends in technology. It is critical to stay informed and up-to-date with the latest craze, while also not losing sight of what is truly important.

In order to keep yourself from drowning in a sea of uncertainty, ensure you are listening to UX/technology podcasts, reading recent articles, or planning lunch-and-learns with your team. Remember to not become too wrapped up in the “now” because that is likely to change. Instead, stay informed and keep that information in your pocket so that you are prepared for any situation.

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Each project brings new challenges that you may not be able to plan for. It’s important to not become frustrated or overwhelmed if some aspect does not go exactly as planned. If you craft a solution for a product and it does implement as intended, then have backup solutions. There is more than one answer to the problem, and planning for the unexpected will help you adapt more quickly. While it is nearly impossible to know every single problem that could emerge, you can be aware of these potential issues and plan out how you will solve them. You should be equipped with the necessary skills and mindset that will allow you the flexibility to make changes during any stage of the process.

4. Passion

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While being passionate is applicable in any field, it is especially relevant to UX; as a UX Designer, a lack of interest will seep through into the product. If you don’t have a passion for creating and solving problems, then you won’t be an effective UX Designer.

It takes a lot of patience to craft the right solution and you have to crave thinking outside the box and digging deep. You may need to come up with 100 different solutions before you have your “aha” moment. This probably means gathering more research, running tests, analyzing data, and creating wireframes. You have to possess that inner drive to create (and iterate and then iterate again). You can grow to love the field of UX, but this “soft skill” is more of an innate passion for design that you should already possess.

5. Open-Minded Approach

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This may not be a skill that immediately jumps into your head when you think of UX Design. Yet, if all UX Designers were narrow-minded, then it would be impossible to ever accomplish anything. How can you create a great product if you are not open to new ideas and other points of view?

You need to listen to your team members—and your users—and know when and how to utilize their ideas. You also have to be open to trying solutions that are unprecedented. The same solution is not going to work for every problem, so learning how to be accepting of new methods will go a long way. Be comfortable with the unknown and receptive to other ideas.

Tolerance for other perspectives is what separates a beginner from an expert. Think critically, but withhold judgment. Be inventive, without boundaries.

Closing Thoughts

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Soft skills are equally as important as technical skills, if not more vital. Being able to empathize with users or collaborate productively with your team is what will ultimately drive results and culminate a great product. As a UX Designer, you will be constantly faced with new challenges which force you to think outside the box.

Possessing these soft skills will help you clearly align your user’s goals with critical business objectives. Therefore, raising the bar on your overall successes as you continue to learn and grow as a UX Designer.

Written by Kaela Coppinger · Categorized: Design UX/UI, Learning and Development, Product Development · Tagged: best practices, design, Designers, INRHYTHMU, learning and growth, product design, product development, soft skills, ux

Feb 28 2023

How To Structure PWAs With PRPL Patterns

Overview

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It’s been over 10 years since the release of the first model of the iPhone. Back then, most people had primitive mobile devices, limited mostly to making calls and receiving brief text messages.

Anything close to decent was considered a pleasant user experience when it came to mobile. Nobody was concerned about the status quo, because nobody was using unstable mobile devices on a daily basis to browse through sites, make purchases, etc. (at least, not yet)

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Over the years, however, a powerful shift has moved users’ primary point of entry from desktop machines with fast, reliable network connections to relatively underpowered mobile devices with connections that are often slow or flaky. Unfortunately, Google reports state 53% of users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load; the average load time takes up to 19 seconds on a 3G connection and 14 seconds on a 4G connection.

Now you might ask yourself: right, but how does that happen? Why does the page load take 19 seconds? I wrote some CSS, it is responsive, it should work!

Here’s the problem: the UI looks like it works, but it doesn’t work in the real world. If you think about your mobile users, a good amount of them are still using median devices—the ones they receive for free with a new mobile plan, with just 1GB of RAM. They are a little (or even a lot) better than years ago, but still slow and suffering from poor connectivity.

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There’s clearly a significant gap between today’s consumer expectations, the capabilities of their devices, and the mobile behavior of most sites. The patterns we have developed for building feature-rich web apps are just not sufficient for a mobile device user anymore. In order to create the best experience, the PRPL pattern can be key to improved mobile website development and user experience.

PWAs To The Rescue

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When trying to ensure that a web app is suitable for a mobile device, most organizations develop responsive apps. It could appear as a great solution to our previously mentioned problem: the pages automatically respond to the screen size, UX stays consistent across all platforms, and we only have one code base for both mobile and desktop platforms. Unfortunately, this solution comes with some limitations. Responsive Web Design has clear network dependency; as soon as the connection is lost, your page is gone. If your connection is slow, you will automatically see layout and UI glitches.

Responsive Web Design is a fast and simple solution—it doesn’t solve all problems, but it does solve some of them, and quickly. It works best, however, when it naturally moves on to Progressive Web App. While PWAs are quite new and emerging, this architecture allows your app to inherit all main behaviors of RWD such as push notifications or GPS awareness, but also offers some advanced features. Not only is the app visible immediately after entering the page, but it also works better on a slow internet connection. What’s more, thanks to clever caching methods, your content can be visible and flawless even if you are not connected to the internet.

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One of the ways to achieve that improved behavior lays in a pattern for structuring and serving Progressive Web Apps with emphasis on the performance of app delivery and launch.

It’s known as the PRPL pattern:

  • push
  • render
  • pre-cache
  • lazy-load

It is not a specific technology or tools, but more of a mindset and a long-term plan for improving the performance of mobile web. The specific implementation of each of the steps is out of the scope of this article, but feel free to do additional research for more information.

Page Loading Process

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What does it take to load a page, from the moment you first open that page to the moment it’s fully loaded and you can interact with it? When you try to open a site on a mobile device, an initial request is sent to a remote server somewhere far away. After some time, the server brings the response, usually in the form of an HTML document. After that, your browser runs through the HTML file to check what other resources are needed; for each additional resource, your browser needs to make a separate call to the server in order to get that resource. You’ve probably noticed: that’s a lot of calls. How do we optimize that performance?

Push Critical Resources

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Not every file in your application has the same level of importance. Browsers know this, and using their own heuristic they are able to decide which files they should be fetching first. It’s useful to also tell the browser which files are more important to us. There are multiple ways of preloading critical resources faster. Some of them include rel=”preload” and rel=”prefetch”, however you may also want to explore webpack options.

It may be useful to keep in mind that prefetch is better for getting ready the resources needed for different navigation routes.  In general, both of these methods allow you to mask the initial latency by preparing the resources that are important but usually take some time to load. This way your browser reads through HTML and instantly warms up the connection with the source, so by the time the browser got to the last line of the HTML file, the resource is ready to be rendered.

Render An Initial Route As Soon As Possible

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Providing basic user experience as soon as possible is critical when it comes to convincing users that the site they entered is worth staying on. How does it feel when you open a site that starts loading, and the only thing you see for the next 15 seconds is a blank screen? I always ask myself: is it loading? Is my connection not working? Maybe it’s my phone that is not working? Downloading and processing external stylesheets is probably blocking the content from being rendered until the whole process has finished. That creates an opportunity for improvement.

 There are some parts of an application that can be pushed earlier to provide some basic user experience and assure the user of the loading progress. One method is to extract styles responsible for minimum initial rendering and inlining them in the HTML document. You can either implement that solution yourself or use already existing packages such as critical package. This way the browser would be able to render the styles right away. Another approach to improve first paint is to server-side render the initial HTML of your page. This displays content immediately to the user while scripts are still being fetched, parsed, and executed. However, this can increase the payload of the HTML file significantly, which can harm the time it takes for your application to become interactive and thereby respond to user input. There is no single correct solution to reduce the initial load of your application, and you should only consider inlining styles and server-side rendering if the benefits outweigh the tradeoffs for your application.

Pre-Cache Remaining Routes

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As you probably already noticed, minimizing server-side trips can be crucial in the process of shortening page load time. Here’s where the service worker really shines. Using a service worker cache allows you to store the resources that make up the shell. On repeat visits, your browser can fetch assets directly from the cache rather than the server. This way your user will not only be able to use your application offline, but also enjoy a much faster page load. You can either create the service worker file and write the logic yourself, or use libraries such as Workbox that can make this process easier.

 Lazy-Load

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We’ve arrived at the moment when all of our assets are finally delivered by the server at the speed of light, but the initial paint is still slow; what’s taking so long? Almost always the most expensive asset happens to be a JavaScript bundle. From the moment it gets loaded to the moment the UI gets fully interactive, your browser goes through a few phases: it has to download the files, parse through them, compile, and finally execute. In simple terms, after your browser’s received all the resources, it now has to compute what all the files combined together look like, and how they work together. The bigger the bundle you ship, the longer it will take for the browser to parse through it and put it together.

What does it really mean for the user? Shipping a large bundle of JavaScript can significantly delay how your user will be able to interact with UI components. That means your user will be tapping on the UI without anything meaningful happening. The previously mentioned phases don’t take a lot of time on a desktop machine, but on a median mobile device, it can take forever. So how do we manage to quickly load the rest of the code necessary for the application to run? Should we just load the entire code all at once?

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Instead of providing users with all of the code that makes up the entire application as soon as they land on a site you could split the code based on used routes, otherwise known as code splitting. The idea behind it is to give the user small chunks of the code that takes the currently used route. As the user navigates through the site, the browser makes additional requests for more of the fragments of code that haven’t been cached yet, and creates required views, known as lazy loading. This is another feature that you could implement yourself, but it may be worth it to use existing packages and plugins instead, such as an aggressive splitting webpack plugin.

Closing Thoughts

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Nowadays, through improvements in Internet browsers, the expectations toward mobile websites are set very high. The purpose of the first websites over 20 years ago was simply to share information; these days the Internet provides everything from grocery shopping, maps, real estate, social networks, chatting, tickets… everything. If you are hoping for maximum engagement from your customers, improving their mobile experience by delivering content fast and reliably may be the way to go.

Written by Kaela Coppinger · Categorized: DevOps, Java Engineering, Learning and Development, Product Development, Software Engineering, Web Engineering · Tagged: best practices, INRHYTHMU, JavaScript, learning and growth, product development, PWAs, software engineering, ux

Feb 21 2023

When To Implement Pair Programming

Overview

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A vast number of companies embrace pair programming as a way to increase programmer productivity (loosely defined as delivering “value” which can have many forms, but is generally interpreted as writing more code per day), but is it really that great? wondered why we should pair program and when is the right time to embrace it as a strategy.

Pair programming, as understand by the software community, came into popular culture as a facet of XP (extreme programming), a development framework that enforces practices that generally improve software quality and responsiveness. The idea is a new incarnation of the old adage: “two minds are better than one.”

Either way, the idea is right – two people have different histories, cultures, and experiences, so for those reasons they think about things in different ways. When two people work on a problem together they almost always come out with a better solution than a solo venture.

So how does this relate to programming?

The Positives

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Pair Programming Does Reduce Bugs

The primary driver for pair programming is to increase quality and decrease bugs. When done well, it does that spectacularly. One study found that pairing reduced bugs in production by 15%!

Pairing Does Increase Code Quality

Many of the benefits of pair programming are not actually technical: they’re social. When working with a peer, it’s normal to feel encouraged to do one’s best, ensuring the coding is clean and avoiding any technical debt that they’ll “fix later.” 

When pairing, one tends to do things just a little bit cleaner, making algorithms easier to read and naming variables more sensibly. A Software Team will actually write unit tests to 100% coverage! With two sets of eyes, the quality is always higher.

The Variables To Keep In Mind

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Pair Programming Does Not Entirely Eliminate Bugs

As much as one would love for pairing to just eliminate all bugs, it’s just not the reality. Bugs still happen. There are generally a lot fewer of them, but perfect code would require perfect programmers.

Pair Programming Does Not Fix Poor Product Direction

Good projects need very strong product direction. And to be clear, the responsibility for this direction is on everyone, not just “product people.” It begins with asking questions and making informed decisions about work to be done. Then the team needs to thoroughly discuss the work, breaking it down as much as possible to understand the full scope. If this isn’t done properly, deadlines are missed, everyone is stressed, work that should take minutes take days… Pair programming can’t fix that. Nothing is more important than good product direction.

Pair Programming Needs To Be Done Right To Mean Anything

Pair programming is a tool meant to help make a difficult problem more digestible.

Pair programming, when done correctly, generally means one person is writing code and the other is directing the work. Directing in this case means providing feedback about best practices and constructive criticism. It also means researching those best practices when one doesn’t know them off the top of their head and taking the time to think deeply about possible edge cases and hangups relevant to the work at hand.

Pairs should communicate thoroughly, share all relevant information about their work, and swap duties as often as possible. It’s taxing to think about problems in both a creative and technical way, so it’s better to distribute that work. That’s one big reason that pair programming is such an effective tool.

When To Implement Pair Programming

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Pair Program When There Is A Very Difficult Problem At Hand

If you have a problem that cannot reasonably be broken down into smaller parts, it should be met by multiple programmers.

An 8-point story should generally never exist in an organization if doing normal web work. Features can almost always be broken down into “front-end” and “back-end” stories. Whole-page mockups can be broken down into component parts. Design and QA phases can also be separated out into their own stories. But a really tough problem is just a really tough problem.

Trying to add a new feature to a language is a really tough problem. Trying to figure out how to reduce the latency on database calls is a really tough problem. These are examples of problems that require both creative and technical thinking.

Pair Program When Two Programmers Are At Completely Different Skill Levels

Pair programming is a remarkably good way to teach junior programmers. Getting to participate live while a more senior programmer talks about how and why they’re doing something is ab invaluable experience. So is writing code while a more senior programmer coerces better practices on the fly.

Pair Program When Two Programmers Have Completely Different Skill Sets

Having two programmers with complementary skill sets can be very rewarding for both the programmers and the codebase. Pairing programmers who generally only work front-end or back-end can get an end-to-end feature out the door, or a Postgres expert pairing with a Scala expert to make a database call more efficient.

When two programmers work together live, they absorb a lot of knowledge about each other’s domain and ensure there’s no aspect of the project that’s neglected.

Pair Program When Both Programmers Are New To A Language/Framework

Sometimes a situation arises where nobody is an expert. This is an excellent learning and growth opportunity! 

A project will end up with two programmers working through a difficult problem and contributing their individual skills to build a better product, helping each other learn, and with a redundancy in the skill growth of programmers. This is important because the skills in within an organization should never be concentrated in one person. Having programmers pair on new languages and/or frameworks ensures that there are a minimum of two people who can work on this in the future.

Closing Thoughts

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The best way to approach pairing is to partner two programmers and have them share a computer. Make them work together to architect, code, and then test their codes in a genuine sense of a partnership. While the ideal setup would include two programmers who are equally skilled (expert – expert or novice – novice), you can also use pair programming for training and educational purposes (expert – novice).

The pair should be able to decide how to split the work, and it is advisable that they should switch roles often.

Written by Kaela Coppinger · Categorized: Agile & Lean, Learning and Development, Product Development, Software Engineering · Tagged: best practices, INRHYTHMU, learning and growth, pair programming, product development, Programming, software development, software engineering

Feb 16 2023

The Positive Effect Of Sharing #InRhythmLove

Overview

Here at InRhythm, we strive to prioritize a healthy work/life balance. Employee Engagement is key to crafting inner-office relationships that reflect mutual respect and foster a culture of compassion. It can be difficult to remind oneself to take a moment amidst the fast-paced happenings currently surrounding our industry – but, when you prioritize the wellbeing of your workforce… incredible things can happen.


This year, InRhythm’s leadership took the initiative to craft our #InRhythmLove exercise. The idea is to recognize that love goes beyond those with immediate significant others on Valentine’s Day, but is instead an opportunity to extend that appreciation to the people we spend most of our time with. Our InRhythmers work tirelessly to meet objectives, go above and beyond, and provide exemplary services for our client – and it was just about time to return the favor.

What Is #InRhythmLove?

#InRhythmLove was a surprise celebration hosted by our InRhythm Leadership Team as a way to give back to our community. Our Operations Team normally meets every Wednesday afternoon to discuss all the latest and greatest InRhythm happenings – in order to develop an open door policy for information sharing and critical suggestions. So, it only felt appropriate to call for a laptop close and reclaim the time to really focus in on the incredible impact our team creates.

Our Leadership opened up the floor by presenting each participant with an index card and a rose to share positive thoughts with their peers, randomly and anonymously. We know it can be difficult to lift one’s self out of the hustle and bustle, so we felt that now more than ever – our team members deserved to know how their hard work contributes to all those around them.

From kind anecdotes to professional praises, our team went above and beyond to make everyone feel cared for and included in our office culture. It was an experience that left our office with a lighter air, proudly displayed desk roses, and a whole new motivation to work collaboratively.

Why Share #InRhythmLove?

One of our primary missions here at InRhythm is to build a team that experiences a fulfilling balance of work and personal achievement. You can’t build an effective team without touching the key milestones to first and foremost maintain a – happy team. 

The more included your team feels, the more positive the results. Inclusion should be a primary milestone ideal for any company structure 

Companies with a high level of employee engagement find themselves more profitable by a factor of 21% in the long run according to TechJury. The Workplace Research Foundation further supported this with their findings that employees who are engaged with their work culture are 38% more likely to produce above-average performance and productivity. 

In implementing engagement strategies for your employees, a company is putting forth a crucial investment not only for themselves, but also the overall wellbeing of their workforce.
96% of employees believe that showing empathy at work is an important way to build trust and advance employee retention, according to Forbes. This finding by Gallup punctuates the fact that employee engagement consists of concrete behavior, not an abstract feeling. Organizations that view engagement as a feeling conduct employee surveys and offer perks to improve the results. The report finds that the most successful organizations make employee engagement central to their business strategy. They give employees clear expectations and provide them with the tools and support to do their best work. Why are engaged teams more profitable? Those teams who score in the top 20% in engagement realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism, and 59% less turnover. Engaged employees show up every day with passion, purpose, presence, and energy.

How To Host You Own #InRhythm Love Session

Looking to build an #InRhythmLove campaign for your workplace? Be sure to prioritize an activity that puts your employees front and center.

It doesn’t have to end with roses and index cards – you can give chocolates, do an act of service,  or share a favorite pastry… the sky’s the limit! 

The key is, to make sure whatever activity you choose, you’re anonymously crafting words of affirmation for your chosen “valentine.” The most important piece to this exercise is maintaining a positive acknowledgement for your team to take with them… not only the day of the exercise, but as a lifting spirit for all the days ahead!

If you decide to build your own #InRhythmLove Session be sure to share on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter with the hashtag #InRhythmLove so we can start a beautiful chain reaction of sharing kindness and gratitude in the workplace.

We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!

Closing Thoughts

#InRhythmLove has been such an impactful implementation of gratitude in our everyday workplace, and we will strive to continue fostering an environment rich in love and acceptance. 

Thank you to our InRhythm family for continually sharing the best of themselves with professionalism and grace – we wouldn’t be where we are today without you. 

Written by Kaela Coppinger · Categorized: Culture, Employee Engagement, Events · Tagged: #InRhythmLove, best practices, company culture, Culture, employee engagement, INRHYTHMU, learning and growth, Valentine's Day 2023, workplace culture

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110 William St
Suite 2601
New York, NY 10038

1 800 683 7813
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