Is Your Web Development Team Making These (Common) Mistakes?

Designers who have the opportunity to work with a great development team are a fortunate lot. The others, not so much.

If you’ve worked with inexperienced development teams, or teams that promise a quick turnaround but provide less than quality work, you could be excused. You probably think that bugs, slow loading, or bloated code, are facts of life.

Coding that does not conform to high standards is unacceptable. Period. Everyone makes mistakes, but mistakes should be few. And quickly corrected when you work with the right coder.

If you work with a good coder, working on your project should feel simple.

Maybe it’s time think about your recent experiences with developer. Perhaps it’s time to find developers who care.

Common Mistakes Your Present Coding Team Might Be Making

It can take some searching to find a good developer, and the better ones can be pricey. Yet, a less than satisfactory coding job can sometimes cost you time and money. Luckily, there are a few excellent coders, like the ones from Xfive, a highly experienced agency. They will work with you and show you how things should be done, and within a reasonable budget.

Here are four mistakes to watch for. Some may seem minor, but none are acceptable, and any one of them can create outsized problems.

Browser Bias

Almost all of us have a favorite browser. That includes both designers and developers. That’s all right, unless your developer tends to ignore other browsers. And he fails to take into account how they might interact with your site’s or app’s UX. A professional developer will check at regular intervals that browser bias will not have a negative influence on end item performance.

Untidy Code

Inefficient code executes slower and uses more resources. Clean code is the only acceptable code, and all members of a coding team have to understand the entire code. Not just the parts they may be working on. Coding experience is important, but so is experience in working complex projects as part of a functional team.

It’s important that the teams or individuals you select to do your development work have this type of large project experience.

Tidy code delivers efficiency – this translates into a better experience for your users.

Start working with a group of coders who have a solid reputation for avoiding mistakes, drop Xfive a line and receive a free quote.

Security

This is a matter of adhering to strict standards. To save time, coders often borrow snatches of previously developed code. This tends to be especially true during app development projects. The problem is, these snatches of code might be the property of third party sources. And using proprietary code can lead to major problems. A trustworthy development agency will never allow this to happen.

Missing an Agreed-Upon Deadline

Software projects have a reputation for missing deadlines. This is not always the fault of the coder. More often than not, the person providing the estimate is to blame. Deadlines tend to be missed when an estimate is overly optimistic. And/or the work flow isn’t properly managed or followed. A lack of communication or collaboration can also be a contributor.

The best way to avoid missed deadlines is to work with an agency that will assign you a project manager. Meeting your deadline becomes that PM’s job.

In the 10-years Xfive has been in business, they have adhered to a simple but powerful concept. Web designers design, coders code, and project managers manage the project. No grey areas, no communication breakdowns and no confusion in your project development.

How to Be Certain You Are Choosing the Best Coders

An international agency, with a 10 year experience, should be your best bet.

No matter how awesome your designs may be, if they are not properly implemented they are likely to end up being something less than awesome. To avoid such a situation, here are several things you should consider.

• The Agency’s Portfolio. Pay particular attention to the services offered, and where the experience lies. This include areas such as design to HTML, JavaScript and WordPress development, e-mail development. Or whatever is of significant importance to you.
• Company History. A startup may have brilliant coders on board, but a new agency that hasn’t had many clients could pose a risk. You don’t want your project to be a “first of its kind” for a group of coders. A well-established firm, with a solid track record, is usually a safe bet.
• Clients and Client Testimonials. A list of impressive clients is often a sign of impressive work. Testimonials, especially those that go into some detail, are also helpful.
• The Workflow Model.How an agency does things is as important as what an agency can do. Look to see if the agency assigns project managers, if they work on a global level and who they have worked with. The more you know about the agency, the more trustworthy they are likely to appear.

Xfive has all the above. A wide range of services, 10 years of experience in providing excellent solutions to designers’ needs. Plus a host of impressive clients (Fox, Twitter, Microsoft) and a global presence.

Xfive’s brilliant coders take pride in doing their client’s projects justice, and that applies to you as well. Write down a few details about your project and ask for a free quote. You’ll receive a quick response from a team of developers who care.

8 Characteristics of a Good Developer

A good coder should be creative and rigorous at the same time.

Here are several attributes of a great coder, one or two of which might surprise you.

• Laziness. This can be a good thing. Smart coders don’t like to spend time repeating the same processes. That is why they constantly are looking for solutions that make code easier and faster. They always look for the easiest ways to get from A to B. Good coders slip around obstacles to get the best results the easiest possible way. We call that innovation. And it can save you time and money.
• Willingness to Learn. Good coders keep up to date with the latest trends in design and technology. A not-so-lazy way to do their best work, and do it more effectively and efficiently. A willingness to learn is a necessity for continuous improvement.
• Debugging. A superior coder finds bugs impossible to ignore. That coder will subject code (particularly it it’s their own) to a thorough examination. It will leave no stone turned until the code works perfectly.

A good developer should always find shortcuts and simpler ways to get things done.

• Strong Problem Solving Skills. Coding can be like solving a math problem for the first time. A math problem that is at best difficult, and at worst, seems impossible to solve. Top-tier coders enjoy the challenge associated with solving what look like impossible problems. And they are almost always successful in doing so.
• Ability to Plan.Developers lacking in this skill will never become great developers. The best coders spend a good amount time defining and outlining the structure of their programs. They do it in great detail, before they ever type in a line of code.
• Respect for Deadlines.All developers are occasionally given unrealistic deadlines. Even so, the good ones do their best to meet those deadlines; even if it means calling in help to do so. A project manager, and most clients, appreciate when a coder takes a deadline seriously. And is doing everything possible to meet it.
• Willingness and Patience to Research. This attribute is what enables developers to work as partners. They take the time to learn about their client’s business, so they can gain further insight about what the client really needs. Particularly with respect to the UX.
• Passion. Not to be confused with being a workaholic, a passionate developer is not hesitant to put in long hours when the situation calls for it. This is not as difficult as it may seem. Those who do so have a passion for what they do, and for the service they are providing to others. It’s no wonder that development agencies are often quick to hire techies.

Why This Agency Is Your Best Choice for Your Project

The Australian-based company was established in 2006, where it started out as XHTMLized. It quickly became a global leader in the PSD to HTML conversion industry. Besides the Melbourne office, Xfive also has an office in San Francisco, California. And a development center in Krakow, Poland.

Xfive is a team who cares about your project

Over the past ten years, the Xfive service have more than kept pace with changing practices and technologies.

Services include PSD, Sketch, and AI to HTML, with fully responsive layouts as the new standard. Front-end CMS Solutions, including WordPress and other CMS systems. As well as custom theme and plugin design and development.

You can also look to Xfive for your Ecommerce needs, including WooCommerce and Shopify. And for backend solutions, including custom PHP and Ruby on Rails applications.

Xfive’s team of 45 developers have the requisite skills to assist you with your mobile needs (iOS, and Android). They also work HTML e-mail projects, JavaScript applications, and more.

Xfive can provide faster turnaround time than most agencies. They are not a 9-to-5 business. Their projects are, or can be, based on a 24-hour workflow. The fully-commented code makes maintenance, and any future changes you may need, a breeze. The same is true at the time of hand-off.

Its clients can attest to that:

“Xfive did a quality job and had great attention to detail. Hire them if you want your design followed to pixel level detail with clean code. Highly recommended.” – Patrick Leddy, Furious Tribe

“My experience has been remarkable in that the work was done fast, my myriad changes were attended to without complaint or any increase in cost, and contact was regular, concise and always friendly.” – Derek Rielly, BeachGrit

“For our largest individualized campaign ever for a major car manufacturer, we used Xfive. I am very satisfied with the results and the speed. I can highly recommend them.” – Joakim Tornqvist, Propan

“Xfive saved our website after we lost our original developer at the last minute and got our site up and running again in a timely manner.” – Alyssa Jahnke, MeBath

Seven Stages of Work

A Xfive project manager at work, organizing a project’s tasks.

After Xfive receives your initial request for work, the workflow proceeds as follows:

• They will review your brief and they will ask you questions or extra information if necessary.
• You’ll be given a rough estimate of the hours required to complete the project.
• If the estimate is agreed to, the project’s functional requirements will be qualified.
• Project producers will prepare an itemized, fixed-cost quote.
• Once go-ahead is given, developers will build the project under the agreed upon timeline.
• The final product will be fully QA tested. The files will be delivered to the server of your choosing.

You’ll enjoy working with a solid, experienced partner that has flexibility. Plus the experience needed to customize its processes for you. Ask for a free quote now.