Progressive Web Apps

Progressive web apps (PWA) are websites with the feel of a native mobile application. Without downloading, PWAs have all the capabilities, information, and features of a conventional mobile app. They improve user engagement and increase conversions across various industries, e.g., e-commerce, banking, travel, media, or healthcare.

PWAs can be run on mobiles, desktops, and tablets without friction, giving users a seamless experience across devices.

After relaunching BMW.com as a PWA, BMW observed 3–4 faster load times, 30% higher click-through rate, and 26% more mobile users.

When Trivago introduced its new progressive web app, the company noted a 50% increase in mobile sessions along with a 150% bump in engagement for users who added the Trivago app to homescreen compared with results of their former solution.

Already in its 2017 report, Gartner predicted PWAs to be the biggest software development trend in next years. Throughout 2019, businesses across the world can be expected to continue the adoption of PWAs.

AI-Driven Development

Digital transformation is gaining momentum each year, pushing development teams to seek methods to increase productivity and output. Click To Tweet

AI-driven development is a combination of best practices, tools, and technologies to create AI-equipped development tools and incorporate AI into software and applications.

In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2022, “at least 40% of new AD [application development] projects will have an AI-powered ‘virtual developer’ on their team.”

A few examples of AI-driven development:

To support new product development, Coca-Cola employs AI for the analysis of large amounts of data the company generates.

A combination of big data, machine learning, and IOT lets GE Power optimize operations on its road to revolutionize energy delivery and become a “digital power plant.”

In 2019, we can observe a growing demand for developers experienced in AI to meet the demand for this technology.

Blockchain Technology

Bitcoin and other blockchain currencies might have their ups and downs on the market, but the blockchain technology they are based on is gaining traction, particularly in the financial sector.

With multiple use cases, blockchain makes a strong case for the future. Here are just a few of its other uses:

• Distribution of resources
• Identity management
• Smart contracts
• Supply chain management
• Healthcare data

Among the bigger companies that are venturing into blockchain are Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, or IBM. A steady growth of this technology is more than likely to happen in 2019.

Low-Code Development

Low-code development traces back to 2011, or 2014—when the software officially received its name. Low-code development software allows non-technical employees to build enterprise applications that target specific company needs by using visual programming, drag-and-drop modules, and automatic code generation.

Forrester estimates that by 2019, low-code platforms will generate $10 billion in revenue, almost doubling the 2018’s figure. “Not only does that open the door to non-technical staff, but it also speeds up development process—a great opportunity to lower TTM (time-to-market). We’re seeing interesting potential in related concepts such as NiFi,” says Dominik Ras, senior project manager at Polcode.

But low-code development isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. For complex tasks and open-ended processes, custom software will be a better choice. Conversely, workflows with well-defined objectives and clear structure are ideal for the implementation of apps built with low-code development platforms.

Cloud Services

Evolving steadily year by year, cloud-based services will expand in 2019. But instead of offering more of the established services, we can expect the rise of completely new services hosted in the cloud. For example, the blockchain, virtual reality, or even IOT can all function as a cloud service. The branching out of cloud technology is likely to offer new opportunities for developers and businesses alike.

More JavaScript

With 71.5% of professional developers using it, JavaScript (JS) will continue to rule the world of programming languages. GitHub stats back up this claim, describing JavaScript as the language with “the most contributors in public and private repositories, organizations of all sizes, and every region of the world.”

Seeing that Node.js scored 49.9% in the Stack Overflow survey and won as the most popular tool, JavaScript will be dominating over other languages in the backend and frontend. JS can be used for developing hybrid mobile web applications.

Code Quality and Approach to Development

“With the increasing complexity of various software, code quality and appropriate development approach will have significant importance. Methods such as domain-driven design (DDD), command query responsibility segregation (CQRS), and Event Sourcing can help with the more elaborate application domains,” says Jerzy Zawadzki, CTO at Polcode. 2019 will be a blooming year for various technologies. The ubiquitous interconnectivity, explosion of data, and emergence of intelligent applications will all open up plenty of business and professional possibilities.

Polcode is an international full-cycle software house with over 1,300 completed projects. Propelled by passion and ambition, we’ve coded for over 800 businesses across the globe. Need a new IT solution for your business? Contact us. We’ll help you get your idea off the ground.