Effective Software Requires a Few Things

While it seems that the general population is obsessed with the hardware aspect of technology, here at Galilee Software Solutions we feel the software is where technology really shines. Without software, the hardware of the world would just be a bunch of electrical parts sandwiched in a small box. Software is the way in which we interact with our technology and, in today’s post, we want to talk more about what makes a good piece of software. We hope that by the end of this blog, you will have a better understanding of why software development is such a pivotal part of the continued growth of the technology industry.

A Few Key Factors Make Software Great

When it comes to software development, it is important to take time to plan. Rushing a piece of software into the world that is not stable and ready to go can have some seriously negative consequences for the company or individual that developed it. Below, we have listed a few things to keep in mind when it comes to software development.

 

• Scalability: Scalability is a huge deal in the software development industry. Scalable systems have the ability to respond to the actions of users in an acceptable amount of time even if the user load increases. While it is true that many companies will add more hardware (servers) to handle increased user load, it is still important that the software has the ability to run on multiple machines, while still maintaining its original architecture.

• Flexibility: Flexibility refers to the software’s ability to add, remove, and modify functionality without damaging the existing system. For example, mobile apps must be highly flexible. Most apps receive regular updates that make changes to the app but do not disrupt the core code of the app. Additionally, extensibility is the ability of the software to add additional functionality without damaging the entire system. Flexibility and extensibility are some of the most important parts of excellent software.

• Performance and Efficiency: Most users expect software to respond quickly to their actions or requests. Appropriate response times should hover around a few seconds at most and should not be affected if the transaction count increases (more people start using the software). The software must also be efficient, meaning that it must be able to run on machines that people actually own. If your software can only run on machines that have 500 gigabytes of available disk space, this is unacceptable.

• Security: People expect the software they use to be secure. Security is especially important for web and mobile based software because, if not properly secured, the software could be a way for someone to hack into a user’s system and steal information. At the very least, software should have data encryption, authentication techniques, and network attack protections to ensure that user’s data is not vulnerable.

• User Interface: As far as a user is concerned, the user interface is the software. Because it is usually the only part of the software that they see, users expect for the software’s user interface to be solid and easy to use. As a general rule of thumb, simple is always the best choice as far as software design goes as it allows users to quickly understand how to use the software.

• Platform Compatibility: Software development, it is important to try and build your software to run on as many platforms as possible. At the very least, compatibility with Microsoft Windows and MacOS is recommended. These are the most popular consumer operating systems in the world and, if you develop your software to run on these platforms, you will have a wide potential user base.

• Functionality: Though it probably doesn’t need to be said, it is important that your software actually work. If your software is constantly crashing or has so many bugs that it is nearly unusable, people will not use it. Extensively test your software before releasing it to ensure that the functionality is where it should be.

While there are more things to consider when developing software, we here at Galalee Software Solutions feel that the above-mentioned factors are the most important things to remember. If you or your company need help with software development, please contact us today. At Galalee Software Solutions we offer a wide range of services to assist individuals, organizations, and institutions in professional software development applications. Contact us today to get started.