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Elevate your UI development skills with Unity and C# by learning design principles as well as leveraging Unity UI (uGUI), the UI Toolkit, and IMGUIKey FeaturesDevelop game user interfaces with both technical and aesthetic considerationsUnderstand how to use the diverse UI systems provided by UnityFollow step-by-step examples to create popular user interfaces seen in multiple game genresPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionMastering UI Development with Unity covers the creation of captivating, functional UIs for player interaction and engagement. Learn design considerations, animation, particle effects, and UI optimization for various genres and platforms. Implement UIs using Unity's UI systems and input systems, creating visually engaging elements like HUDs, menus, and progress bars. Discover how to develop and implement UIs across multiple platforms and resolutions with practical examples. By the end, you'll confidently develop game UIs with technical and aesthetic considerations using Unity's versatile UI elements.What you will learnDiscover design principles and patterns for crafting visually appealing UIsExplore techniques to scale your UI across resolutionsStreamline your UI building process with automatic layoutsUnderstand the properties of the Event System and appropriately hook events to your UI elementsImplement Unity's built-in uGUI components, including those provided by TextMesh ProInfuse UIs with stunning animation and particle effectsUnderstand when and how to use Unity's UI Toolkit and IMGUIWho this book is forThis book is for game developers looking to elevate their Unity game design skills. Individuals who want an in-depth explanation of specific UI elements and anyone looking for step-by-step guidance on how to implement UI components across multiple game genres will also find this book helpful. A basic understanding of Unity and C# programming is needed.

Get started with creating intuitive native user interfaces on Android platforms using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose with the help of this illustrated guideKey FeaturesDistinguish between the imperative (Android View) and declarative (Jetpack Compose) approachExplore the Compose app structure, UI elements, and core concepts like state and composition over inheritanceEnhance apps with animations, transitions and build for smartphones, tablets, and foldable devicesPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionCompose has caused a paradigm shift in Android development, introducing a variety of new concepts that are essential to an Android developer's learning journey. It solves a lot of pain points associated with Android development and is touted to become the default way to building Android apps over the next few years. This second edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect all changes and additions that were made by Google since the initial stable release, and all examples are based on Material 3 (also called Material You). This book uses practical examples to help you understand the fundamental concepts of Jetpack Compose and how to use them when you are building your own Android applications. You'll begin by getting an in-depth explanation of the declarative approach, along with its differences from and advantages over traditional user interface (UI) frameworks. Having laid this foundation, the next set of chapters take a practical approach to show you how to write your first composable function. The chapters will also help you master layouts, an important core component of every UI framework, and then move to more advanced topics such as animation, testing, and architectural best practices. By the end of this book, you'll be able to write your own Android apps using Jetpack Compose and Material Design.What you will learnRecognize the motivation behind Jetpack ComposeGain an understanding of the core concepts of Jetpack ComposeBuild a complete app using Jetpack ComposeUtilize Jetpack Compose inside existing Android applicationsTest and debug apps that use Jetpack ComposeUnderstand Material Design and how it is implemented using Jetpack ComposeWrite apps for different form factorsBring your Compose UI to other platformsWho this book is forIf you're an Android developer with existing knowledge of the Kotlin programming language looking to learn how to build modern Android user interfaces using Jetpack Compose, then this book is for you. This book is not an introduction to Android development. You must have a basic understanding of how Android apps are developed using Android Studio.

A comprehensive guide to engineering management packed with tips, tricks, and techniques to drive resultsKey FeaturesAcquire the necessary skills to manage engineers across various settingsGain valuable insights into engineering leadership, people management, and driving organizational changeDiscover pitfalls to avoid as a new engineering manager and understand their causationPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionDelightful and customer-centric digital products have become an expectation in the world of business. Engineering managers are uniquely positioned to impact the success of these products and the software systems that power them. Skillful managers guide their teams and companies to develop functional and maintainable systems. This book helps you find your footing as an engineering manager, develop your leadership style, balance your time between engineering and managing, build successful engineering teams in different settings, and work within constraints without sacrificing technical standards or team empathy. You'll learn practical techniques for establishing trust, developing beneficial habits, and creating a cohesive and high-performing engineering team. You'll discover effective strategies to guide and contribute to your team's efforts, facilitating productivity and collaboration. By the end of this book, you'll have the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive as an engineering manager. Whether you're just starting out in your role or seeking to enhance your leadership capabilities, this handbook will empower you to make a lasting impact and drive success in your organization.What you will learnPitfalls common to new managers and how to avoid themWays to establish trust and authorityMethods and tools for building world-class engineering teamsBehaviors to build and maintain a great reputation as a leaderMechanisms to avoid costly missteps that end up requiring re-workStrategies to increase employee retention on your teamTechniques to facilitate better product outcomesWho this book is forThis book is a valuable resource for software engineers and developers transitioning into engineering management roles, equipping you with best practices and insights to navigate the new responsibilities effectively. Whether you're a newly promoted engineering manager or an experienced one seeking immediate answers to challenges, this comprehensive and up-to-date guide provides the support you need. Familiarity with the software development lifecycle, including concepts like version control, code review, and deployment, is required.

Layout multipage documents faster for print and digital output in this part-color guide, with consistent control over typography, color and positioning, all whilst using the latest Adobe InDesign 2023 features to automate repetitive and complex tasksKey FeaturesCreate engaging design solutions for print and digital media such as posters, magazines, books, and brochuresMaster the powerful tools InDesign offers to simplify complex tasks and avoid potentially disastrous mistakesDiscover InDesign best practices to increase productivity and speed up the design process with this illustrated guideBook DescriptionAdobe InDesign is the leading desktop publishing and layout software for producing brochures, magazines, flyers, books, posters, and a wide range of digital documents. It allows you to rapidly draft your documents with precise control over typography, images, positioning, alignment, color, and other interactive features. However, InDesign's interface, tools, and workflows can be a bit challenging to get to grips with. This cookbook will assist you in building unparalleled InDesign workflows with tried and tested recipes. With Designing the Adobe InDesign Way, you'll learn how to add and edit content, create color swatches, and use features such as tables, all while applying software best practices and techniques to ensure that your work is fast, efficient, and easily maintained. Additionally, you'll explore advanced InDesign features such as text styles, parent pages, tables of contents, and pre-flighting. Finally, you'll take a closer look at the many export options in InDesign and ways to truly maximize its capabilities. By the end of this book, you'll be well equipped to draft and design your own projects while ensuring your work is compatible with industry standards for print and digital documents.What you will learnNavigate and customize the InDesign interfaceUnderstand how to set up new documents for different types of contentExplore how to add and adjust content within your documentsDiscover a range of tools to speed up your workflow and make you more efficientCheck your documents for errors and make the required correctionsShare your document output in different formats based on specific requirementsWho this book is forThis book is for marketing and communications professionals, marketing executives, marketing managers, marketing assistants, communications officers, communications managers, graphic designers, publishers, bids and tender teams, PR professionals, and brand managers looking to gain a deep understanding of InDesign. Anyone seeking to learn InDesign to create more professional content and advance their skills will find the book useful.

Learn the basics and advanced aspects by creating a project using CSS Grid and dive into the specifications of using CSS grid conceptsKey FeaturesExplore the differences between grid boxes and block containers to enhance your web design knowledgeCreate block-level grids, inline grids, and nested grids to create responsive layoutsAdopt best practices for attaching elements to your layout by using explicitly defined grid lines or grid areasBook DescriptionCSS Grid has revolutionized web design by filling a long-existing gap in creating real, dynamic grids on the web. This book will help you grasp these CSS Grid concepts in a step-by-step way, empowering you with the knowledge and skills needed to design beautiful and responsive grid-based layouts for your web projects. This book provides a comprehensive coverage of CSS Grid by taking you through both fundamental and advanced concepts with practical exercises. You'll learn how to create responsive layouts and discover best practices for incorporating grids into any design. As you advance, you'll explore the dynamic interplay between CSS Grid and flexbox, culminating in the development of a usable responsive web project as a reference for further improvement. You'll also see how frameworks utilize CSS Grid to construct reusable components and learn to rebuild and polyfill CSS Grid for browsers that don't fully support it yet. The concluding chapters include a quick reference and cheat sheet, making this book an indispensable resource for frontend developers of all skill levels. By the end of this book, you'll have thoroughly explored all aspects of CSS Grid and gained expert-level proficiency, enabling you to craft beautiful and functional layouts for web projects of any size.What you will learnEnhance your CSS Grid skills by mastering both its fundamental and advanced conceptsCombine flexbox and CSS Grid seamlessly to produce stunning and responsive page layoutsDiscover the potential of complex grid layouts to improve your next projectExamine how frameworks utilize CSS Grid to create reusable componentsLeverage the benefits of grid-based layouts to create visually appealing websitesCreate custom polyfills and learn when to use grid layoutsBuild dynamic and user-friendly web projects using CSS Grid's responsive design capabilitiesWho this book is forThis book is for web developers and designers who want to learn CSS Grid and improve their layout design skills. This book will also be a valuable resource for CSS developers seeking to advance their skills to the most proficient level. Additionally, this book will serve as an excellent guide for those who wish to expand their toolset to include flexbox and grids.

Explore the latest Figma features with this newly updated 2nd edition, including Variables and Conditional Prototyping. Learn cutting-edge design principles and create captivating interfaces with this full-color guide.Key FeaturesExplore Figma's latest features, including Variables and Conditional Prototyping, to create dynamic and responsive interfacesIntegrate AI capabilities and optimize your workflow with the latest Figma pluginsCreate engaging, interactive prototypes that captivate your users and stakeholdersPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionAre you a UI/UX designer eager to learn the art of creating compelling interfaces using Figma? Look no further! The highly anticipated new edition is here to transform your creative journey. Explore Figma's latest features and delve into the power of variables and conditional Prototyping. Get ready to transform your static designs into dynamic, interactive prototypes, offering users and stakeholders an immersive experience. Stay at the forefront of design innovation with insights into integrating AI capabilities and optimizing your workflow with the latest Figma plugins. With user-centric design at its core, this book guides you through mastering design thinking, enabling you to tackle complex design challenges with ease. One unique aspect of this edition is its focus on effective communication. Learn how to convey your design vision clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. In the rapidly changing world of UI/UX design, iteration is key. This book will teach you how to gather user feedback and iterate on your designs by creating interactive prototypes. Whether you're new to Figma or a seasoned pro, this comprehensive guide equips you with the skills to create captivating interfaces, fosters creativity and problem-solving, and makes you an indispensable, forward-thinking designer.What you will learnCreate high-quality designs that cater to your users'needs, providing an outstanding experienceMastering mobile-first design and responsive design conceptsIntegrate AI capabilities into your design workflow to boost productivity and explore design innovationCraft immersive prototypes with conditional prototyping and variablesCommunicate effectively to technical and non-technical audiencesDevelop creative solutions for complex design challengesGather and apply user feedback through interactive prototypesWho this book is forThis book is for aspiring UX/UI designers who want to get started with Figma as well as established designers who want to migrate to Figma from other design tools. This guide will provide you a walkthrough of the entire process of creating a full-fledged prototype for a responsive interface using all the tools and features that Figma has to offer. As a result, this book is suitable for both UX and UI designers, product and graphic designers, as well as anyone who wants to explore the complete design process from scratch.

Arm yourself with the practical skills and cutting-edge insights necessary to successfully design captivating games across a variety of genres and platforms with the help of this part-color guide Key FeaturesMaster the skills, processes, and techniques essential for working in a professional settingGrasp the core principles and processes of level design, world building, and storytellingDesign, implement, and refine high-quality features and mechanics for contemporary video gamesPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionIf you're in search of a cutting-edge actionable guide to game design, your quest ends here! Immerse yourself in the fundamentals of game design with expert guidance from veterans with decades of game design experience across a variety of genres and platforms. The second edition of this book remains dedicated to its original goal of helping you master the fundamentals of game design in a practical manner with the addition of some of the latest trends in game design and a whole lot of fresh, real-world examples from games of the current generation. This update brings a new chapter on games as a service, explaining the evolving role of the game designer and diving deeper into the design of games that are meant to be played forever. From conceptualizing a game idea, you'll gradually move on to devising a design plan and adapting solutions from existing games, exploring the craft of producing original game mechanics, and eliminating anticipated design risks through testing. You'll then be introduced to level design, interactive storytelling, user experience and accessibility. By the end of this game design book, you'll have learned how to wrap up a game ahead of its release date, work through the challenges of designing free-to-play games and games as a service, and significantly improve their quality through iteration, playtesting, and polishing.What you will learnDefine the scope and structure of a game projectConceptualize a game idea and present it to othersDesign gameplay systems and communicate them clearly and thoroughlyBuild and validate engaging game mechanicsDesign successful games as a service and prepare them for live operationsImprove the quality of a game through playtesting and meticulous polishingWho this book is forWhether you are a student eager to design your very first game or a game designer looking to expand your skill set, this book will help you master the fundamentals of game design across all stages of game development. With a focus on best practices and a pragmatic approach, Practical Game Design offers insights into the art and craft of game design from two senior game designers, with insider knowledge that even veterans will find valuable. While prior experience with game development is not absolutely necessary, having basic knowledge of popular video games will prove helpful.

Experience the potential of SwiftUI, Swift 5.9, and Xcode 15 for crafting cutting-edge apps on iOS 17, macOS 14.0 Sonoma, and watchOS 10Key FeaturesUnlock advanced controls and animations with SwiftUI 5, taking your app development skills to the next levelVisualize data effortlessly using Swift Charts enhancing your app's data-driven capabilitiesDevelop for multiple platforms, including iOS, macOS, and watchOS, and become a versatile app developerPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionSwiftUI is the modern way to build user interfaces for iOS, macOS, and watchOS. It provides a declarative and intuitive way to create beautiful and interactive user interfaces. The new edition of this comprehensive cookbook includes a fully updated repository for SwiftUI 5, iOS 17, Xcode 15, and Swift 5.9. With this arsenal, it teaches you everything you need to know to build beautiful and interactive user interfaces with SwiftUI 5, from the basics to advanced topics like custom modifiers, animations, and state management. In this new edition, you will dive into the world of creating powerful data visualizations with a new chapter on Swift Charts and how to seamlessly integrate charts into your SwiftUI apps. Further, you will be able to unleash your creativity with advanced controls, including multi-column tables and two-dimensional layouts. You can explore new modifiers for text, images, and shapes that give you more control over the appearance of your views. You will learn how to develop apps for multiple platforms, including iOS, macOS, watchOS, and more. With expert insights, real-world examples, and a recipe-based approach, you'll be equipped to build remarkable SwiftUI apps that stand out in today's competitive market.What you will learnCreate stunning, user-friendly apps for iOS 17, macOS 14, and watchOS 10 with SwiftUI 5Use the advanced preview capabilities of Xcode 15Use async/await to write concurrent and responsive codeCreate powerful data visualizations with Swift ChartsEnhance user engagement with modern animations and transitionsImplement user authentication using Firebase and Sign in with AppleLearn about advanced topics like custom modifiers, animations, and state managementBuild multi-platform apps with SwiftUIWho this book is forThis book is for mobile developers who want to learn SwiftUI as well as experienced iOS developers transitioning from UIKit to SwiftUI. The book assumes knowledge of the Swift programming language. Knowledge of object-oriented design and data structures will be useful but not necessary. You'll also find this book to be a helpful resource if you're looking for reference material regarding the implementation of various features in SwiftUI.

Key FeaturesLearn how to plan, install, customize, and optimize Moodle and Moodle WorkplaceDeliver a cutting-edge learning experience in a secure and customizable environment while optimizing the Moodle environmentDiscover solutions to common problems while administering Moodle using a wide range of real-world examplesBook DescriptionThis updated fourth edition of the classic Moodle Administration guide has been written from the ground up and covers all the new Moodle features in great breadth and depth. The topics have also been augmented with professional diagrams, illustrations, and checklists. The book starts by covering basic tasks such as how to set up and configure Moodle and perform day-to-day administration activities. You'll then progress to more advanced topics that show you how to customize and extend Moodle, manage authentication and enrolments, and work with roles and capabilities. Next, you'll learn how to configure pedagogical and technical Moodle plugins and ensure your LMS complies with data protection regulations. Then, you will learn how to tighten Moodle's security, improve its performance, and configure backup and restore procedures. Finally, you'll gain insights on how to compile custom reports, configure learning analytics, enable mobile learning, integrate Moodle via web services, and support different types of multi-tenancy. By the end of this book, you'll be able to set up an efficient, fully fledged, and secure Moodle system.What you will learnGet expert techniques to handle courses, categories, and enrolments in MoodleManage users, cohorts, roles, and authentication in a professional mannerConfigure and manage core and third-party plugins and integrations like a proExplore different levels of technical and educational configurationEnhance Moodle's look and feel to create engaging user experiences and ensure compliance with your corporate brandingGain insights by creating powerful custom reports and learning analyticsEnsure your Moodle or Moodle Workplace complies with the latest GDPR regulationsSupport different learning settings, including home-office based learning, mobile learning, and multi-tenancyWho this book is forIf you're new to Moodle or an experienced administrator, this book is for you. It's also ideal for anyone who has to administer a Moodle system. Whether you're dealing with a small-scale local Moodle site or a large-scale multi-site learning management system, this book will assist you with any administrative task you may encounter on your journey. Basic Moodle or Moodle Workplace knowledge will be helpful, but not essential.

Learn n8n to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and increase productivity in your development processKey FeaturesDiscover best practices, advantages, and case studies from the n8n teamExplore practical techniques to build market-ready low-code solutions using n8n and BubbleLearn how to develop enterprise-scale web applications without any engineering supportBook DescriptionExplore how n8n enables you to connect different systems and cloud services without having to hire specialists or develop technical skill sets across multiple tech stacks. This book will show you how n8n can reduce the time required to develop new products, helping you bring them to the market quickly compared to building a whole development team. This official n8n guide will assist you with adopting and integrating n8n in your development workflow in the best possible manner. You'll begin by learning where n8n fits in the tech stack of your business and how it provides opportunities for reducing cost as well as increasing efficiency and revenue. Once you've identified opportunities where you can leverage n8n's connectivity and automation functionality within your working environment, you'll progress to building an n8n-based toolset that will increase the profitability of your operations. By the end of this product development book, you'll be able to identify real-world opportunities to generate income, improve efficiencies, and then build tools to capitalize on these opportunities.What you will learnIdentify opportunities to use n8n in your organization and develop a business use caseUnderstand how to use APIs and webhooks with n8nBuild a custom production-ready API endpoint for your n8n applicationsCreate an end-to-end web application by connecting an API to the frontendAutomate your digital processes based on time and external triggersDevelop complex business applications rapidly using a low-code approachWho this book is forThis book is for web developers and low code enthusiasts who have basic knowledge of JavaScript as well as some basic understanding of web concepts such as APIs and webhooks. Developers looking for a digital platform to enable rapid prototyping and automation for their workflow will find this book useful.

Discover user experience and user interface design best practices while mastering a wide array of tools across Figma and FigJam with this full-color guideKey FeaturesLearn the basics of user experience research, result organization, and analysis in FigJamCreate mockups, interactive animations, and high-fidelity prototypes using this platform-independent web application toolCollaborate with a team in real-time and create, share, and test your designsBook DescriptionA driving force of the design tools market, Figma makes it easy to work with classic design features while enabling unique innovations and opening up real-time collaboration possibilities. It comes as no surprise that many designers decide to switch from other tools to Figma. In this book, you'll be challenged to design a user interface for a responsive mobile application having researched and understood user needs. You'll become well-versed with the process in a step-by-step manner by exploring the theory first and gradually moving on to practice. You'll begin your learning journey by covering the basics of user experience research with FigJam and the process of creating a complete design using Figma tools such as Components, Variants, Auto Layout, and much more. You'll also learn how to prototype your design and explore the potential of community resources such as templates and plugins. By the end of this Figma book, you'll have a solid understanding of the user interface workflow, managing essential Figma tools, and organizing your workflow.What you will learnExplore FigJam and how to use it to collect data in the research phaseWireframe the future interface with shape tools and vectorsDefine grids, typography, colors, and effect styles that can be reused in your workGet to grips with Auto Layout and the constraints to create complex layoutsCreate flexible components using styles and variantsMake your user interface interactive with prototyping and smart animateShare your work with others by exporting assets and preparing development resourcesDiscover templates and plugins from the communityWho this book is forThis book is for aspiring UX/UI designers who want to get started with Figma as well as established designers who want to migrate to Figma from other design tools. This guide will take you through the entire process of creating a full-fledged prototype for a responsive interface using all the tools and features that Figma has to offer. As a result, this Figma design book is suitable for both UX and UI designers, product and graphic designers, and anyone who wants to explore the complete design process from scratch.

Leverage the power of Galio and React Native to create beautifully designed, practical, and exciting mobile appsKey FeaturesUnderstand Galio and quickly build cross-platform mobile appsDiscover how to put Galio into practice by implementing it in real-world scenariosBuild beautiful apps using Galio by taking advantage of its carefully crafted componentsBook DescriptionGalio is a free open source React Native framework that enables beginner-level programmers to quickly build cross-platform mobile apps by leveraging its beautifully designed ready-made components. This book helps you to learn about React Native app development while building impressive out-of-the-box apps with Galio. Lightning Fast Mobile App Development with Galio takes a hands-on approach to implementation and associated methodologies that will have you up and running and productive in no time. Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and self-assessment questions, you will begin by exploring the basics of React Native and understanding how Galio works. As you make progress, you'll learn how to initialize and configure a React Native app and get to grips with the basics of React Native development. You'll also discover how packages work and how to install Galio as the main dependency, along with understanding how and why Galio helps you to develop apps with ease. Finally, you'll build three practical and exciting apps using React Native and Galio. By the end of this app development book, you'll have learned how to use Galio to quickly create layouts and set up React Native projects for your personal ideas.What you will learnExplore Galio and learn how to build beautiful and functional appsFamiliarize yourself with the Galio ecosystemDiscover how to use npm and understand why Galio is neededGet to grips with the basics of constructing a basic but attractive UI for an appFind out how you can utilize Galio s ready-made componentsUse Galio to drive the process of quickly building cross-platform mobile appsBuild three practical and exciting apps with React Native and GalioWho this book is forThis book is for developers who are looking to learn new skills or build personal mobile apps. Anyone trying to change their job as well as beginners and intermediate web developers will also find this book useful. A basic understanding of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript is needed to get the most out of this book.

Build web and mobile apps quickly with Oracle Visual Builder and delve into real-time end-to-end use cases, exploring best practices, recommendations, security, and debugging techniquesKey FeaturesExecute various real-time use cases and develop web and mobile applications quicklyEnhance your skills by extending Oracle and non-Oracle SaaS applications using VBGain the knowledge needed to take on projects directly and work independentlyBook DescriptionOrganizations are moving their applications, data, and processes to the cloud to reduce application costs, effort, and maintenance. However, adopting new technology poses challenges for developers, solutions architects, and designers due to a lack of knowledge and appropriate practical training resources. This book helps you get to grips with Oracle Visual Builder (VB) and enables you to quickly develop web and mobile applications and deploy them to production without hassle. This book will provide you with a solid understanding of VB so that you can adopt it at a faster pace and start building applications right away. After working with real-time examples to learn about VB, you'll discover how to design, develop, and deploy web and mobile applications quickly. You'll cover all the VB components in-depth, including web and mobile application development, business objects, and service connections. In order to use all these components, you'll also explore best practices, security, and recommendations, which are well explained within the chapters. Finally, this book will help you gain the knowledge you need to enhance the performance of an application before deploying it to production. By the end of this book, you will be able to work independently and deploy your VB applications efficiently and with confidence.What you will learnGet started with VB and explore its architecture and basic building blocksGain a clear understanding of business objects and learn how to manage themCreate service connections to connect to the external API and Oracle SaaSBuild web and mobile apps and run them on various devicesDevelop Oracle Cloud and non-Oracle SaaS app extensionsGet to grips with data and application security using practical examplesExplore best practices along with troubleshooting and debugging mechanismsConnect your VB application with VBS for application versioning using GitWho this book is forThis book is for IT professionals working with UI technologies to develop web and mobile applications for various industries. Developers and UI designers who want to understand how to use VB, develop scalable web and mobile applications using drag-and-drop features, and design applications in a better way with the help of real-time example apps and code samples will find this book helpful. Prior experience in any UI technology, JavaScript, and REST APIs will be useful.

Build a 3D rendering engine from scratch while solving problems in a step-by-step way with the help of useful recipesKey FeaturesLearn to integrate modern rendering techniques into a single performant 3D rendering engineLeverage Vulkan to render 3D content, use AZDO in OpenGL applications, and understand modern real-time rendering methodsImplement a physically based rendering pipeline from scratch in Vulkan and OpenGLBook DescriptionOpenGL is a popular cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) used for rendering 2D and 3D graphics, while Vulkan is a low-overhead, cross-platform 3D graphics API that targets high-performance applications. 3D Graphics Rendering Cookbook helps you learn about modern graphics rendering algorithms and techniques using C++ programming along with OpenGL and Vulkan APIs. The book begins by setting up a development environment and takes you through the steps involved in building a 3D rendering engine with the help of basic, yet self-contained, recipes. Each recipe will enable you to incrementally add features to your codebase and show you how to integrate different 3D rendering techniques and algorithms into one large project. You'll also get to grips with core techniques such as physically based rendering, image-based rendering, and CPU/GPU geometry culling, to name a few. As you advance, you'll explore common techniques and solutions that will help you to work with large datasets for 2D and 3D rendering. Finally, you'll discover how to apply optimization techniques to build performant and feature-rich graphics applications. By the end of this 3D rendering book, you'll have gained an improved understanding of best practices used in modern graphics APIs and be able to create fast and versatile 3D rendering frameworks.What you will learnImprove the performance of legacy OpenGL applicationsManage a substantial amount of content in real-time 3D rendering enginesDiscover how to debug and profile graphics applicationsUnderstand how to use the Approaching Zero Driver Overhead (AZDO) philosophy in OpenGLIntegrate various rendering techniques into a single applicationFind out how to develop Vulkan applicationsImplement a physically based rendering pipeline from scratchIntegrate a physics library with your rendering engineWho this book is forThis book is for 3D graphics developers who are familiar with the mathematical fundamentals of 3D rendering and want to gain expertise in writing fast rendering engines with advanced techniques using C++ libraries and APIs. A solid understanding of C++ and basic linear algebra, as well as experience in creating custom 3D applications without using premade rendering engines is required.

Learn Tuxedo by developing solutions in Python for real-world problemsKey FeaturesUnderstand Tuxedo through a modern lens by experimenting with Python codeBoost your productivity by using Python programming to perform common Tuxedo programming tasksManage real-world integration tasks with small Python programsBook DescriptionDespite being developed in the 1980s, Oracle Tuxedo still runs a significant part of critical infrastructure and is not going away any time soon. Modernizing Oracle Tuxedo Applications with Python will help you get to grips with the most important Tuxedo concepts by writing Python code. The book starts with an introduction to Oracle Tuxedo and guides you in installing its latest version and Python bindings for Tuxedo on Linux. You'll then learn how to build your first server and client, configure Tuxedo, and start running an application. As you advance, you'll understand load balancing and work with the BBL server, which is at the heart of a Tuxedo application. This Tuxedo book will also cover Boolean expressions and different ways to export Tuxedo buffers for storage and transmission, before showing you how to implement servers and clients and use the management information base to change the configuration dynamically. Once you've learned how to configure Tuxedo for transactions and control them in application code, you'll discover how to use the store-and-forward functionality to reach destinations and use an Oracle database from a Tuxedo application. By the end of this Oracle Tuxedo book, you'll be able to perform common Tuxedo programming tasks with Python and integrate Tuxedo applications with other parts of modern infrastructure.What you will learnUnderstand Oracle Tuxedo as a microservice platformDevelop Oracle Tuxedo applications using Python 3Perform administration tasks programmatically with Python 3Extract Tuxedo statistics for monitoring application performanceIntegrate Tuxedo into the modern software ecosystemUnderstand how distributed transactions work in TuxedoWho this book is forThis book is for developers who are new to Tuxedo and are looking to develop a new modern front-end or integrate Tuxedo in their applications. The book will also help experienced Tuxedo, C or COBOL developers to improve their productivity and QA engineers to automate Tuxedo application tests. Beginner-level knowledge of Python and Linux shell is required before getting started with this book.

Explore Qt Creator, Qt Quick, and QML to design and develop applications that work on desktop, mobile, embedded, and IoT platformsKey FeaturesBuild a solid foundation in Qt by learning about its core classes, multithreading, File I/O, and networkingLearn GUI programming and build custom interfaces using Qt Widgets, Qt Designer, and QMLUse the latest features of C++17 for improving the performance of your Qt applicationsBook DescriptionQt is a powerful development framework that serves as a complete toolset for building cross-platform applications, helping you reduce development time and improve productivity. Completely revised and updated to cover C++17 and the latest developments in Qt 5.12, this comprehensive guide is the third edition of Application Development with Qt Creator. You'll start by designing a user interface using Qt Designer and learn how to instantiate custom messages, forms, and dialogues. You'll then understand Qt's support for multithreading, a key tool for making applications responsive, and the use of Qt's Model-View-Controller (MVC) to display data and content. As you advance, you'll learn to draw images on screen using Graphics View Framework and create custom widgets that interoperate with Qt Widgets. This Qt programming book takes you through Qt Creator's latest features, such as Qt Quick Controls 2, enhanced CMake support, a new graphical editor for SCXML, and a model editor. You'll even work with multimedia and sensors using Qt Quick, and finally develop applications for mobile, IoT, and embedded devices using Qt Creator. By the end of this Qt book, you'll be able to create your own cross-platform applications from scratch using Qt Creator and the C++ programming language. What you will learnCreate programs from scratch using the Qt framework and C++ languageCompile and debug your Qt Quick and C++ applications using Qt CreatorImplement map view with your Qt application and display device location on the mapUnderstand how to call Android and iOS native functions from Qt C++ codeLocalize your application with Qt LinguistExplore various Qt Quick components that provide access to audio and video playbacksDevelop GUI applications using both Qt and Qt QuickWho this book is forIf you are a beginner looking to harness the power of Qt and the Qt Creator framework for cross-platform development, this book is for you. Although no prior knowledge of Qt and Qt Creator is required, basic knowledge of C++ programming is assumed.

Explore fundamentals, strategies, and emerging techniques in the field of human-computer interaction to enhance how users and computers interactKey FeaturesExplore various HCI techniques and methodologies to enhance the user experienceDelve into user behavior analytics to solve common and not-so-common challenges faced while designing user interfacesLearn essential principles, techniques and explore the future of HCIBook DescriptionHuman-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a field of study that researches, designs, and develops software solutions that solve human problems. This book will help you understand various aspects of the software development phase, from planning and data gathering through to the design and development of software solutions. The book guides you through implementing methodologies that will help you build robust software. You will perform data gathering, evaluate user data, and execute data analysis and interpretation techniques. You'll also understand why human-centered methodologies are successful in software development, and learn how to build effective software solutions through practical research processes. The book will even show you how to translate your human understanding into software solutions through validation methods and rapid prototyping leading to usability testing. Later, you will understand how to use effective storytelling to convey the key aspects of your software to users. Throughout the book, you will learn the key concepts with the help of historical figures, best practices, and references to common challenges faced in the software industry. By the end of this book, you will be well-versed with HCI strategies and methodologies to design effective user interfaces.What you will learnBecome well-versed with HCI and UX conceptsEvaluate prototypes to understand data gathering, analysis, and interpretation techniquesExecute qualitative and quantitative methods for establishing humans as a feedback loop in the software design processCreate human-centered solutions and validate these solutions with the help of quantitative testing methodsMove ideas from the research and definition phase into the software solution phaseImprove your systems by becoming well-versed with the essential design concepts for creating user interfacesWho this book is forThis book is for software engineers, UX designers, entrepreneurs, or anyone who is just getting started with user interface design and looking to gain a solid understanding of human-computer interaction and UX design. No prior HCI knowledge is required to get started.

Get the most out of JavaScript for building web applications through a series of patterns, techniques, and case studies for clean codingKey FeaturesWrite maintainable JS code using internal abstraction, well-written tests, and well-documented codeUnderstand the agents of clean coding like SOLID principles, OOP, and functional programmingExplore solutions to tackle common JavaScript challenges in building UIs, managing APIs, and writing statesBook DescriptionBuilding robust apps starts with creating clean code. In this book, you'll explore techniques for doing this by learning everything from the basics of JavaScript through to the practices of clean code. You'll write functional, intuitive, and maintainable code while also understanding how your code affects the end user and the wider community. The book starts with popular clean-coding principles such as SOLID, and the Law of Demeter (LoD), along with highlighting the enemies of writing clean code such as cargo culting and over-management. You'll then delve into JavaScript, understanding the more complex aspects of the language. Next, you'll create meaningful abstractions using design patterns, such as the Class Pattern and the Revealing Module Pattern. You'll explore real-world challenges such as DOM reconciliation, state management, dependency management, and security, both within browser and server environments. Later, you'll cover tooling and testing methodologies and the importance of documenting code. Finally, the book will focus on advocacy and good communication for improving code cleanliness within teams or workplaces, along with covering a case study for clean coding. By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed with JavaScript and have learned how to create clean abstractions, test them, and communicate about them via documentation.What you will learnUnderstand the true purpose of code and the problems it solves for your end-users and colleaguesDiscover the tenets and enemies of clean code considering the effects of cultural and syntactic conventionsUse modern JavaScript syntax and design patterns to craft intuitive abstractionsMaintain code quality within your team via wise adoption of tooling and advocating best practicesLearn the modern ecosystem of JavaScript and its challenges like DOM reconciliation and state managementExpress the behavior of your code both within tests and via various forms of documentationWho this book is forThis book is for anyone who writes JavaScript, professionally or otherwise. As this book does not relate specifically to any particular framework or environment, no prior experience of any JavaScript web framework is required. Some knowledge of programming is assumed to understand the concepts covered in the book more effectively.

Explore Python's GUI frameworks and create visually stunning and feature-rich applicationsKey FeaturesIntegrate stunning data visualizations using Tkinter Canvas and MatplotlibUnderstand the basics of 2D and 3D animation in GUI applicationsExplore PyQt's powerful features to easily design and customize your GUI applicationsBook DescriptionA responsive graphical user interface (GUI) helps you interact with your application, improves user experience, and enhances the efficiency of your applications. With Python, you'll have access to elaborate GUI frameworks that you can use to build interactive GUIs that stand apart from the rest.This Learning Path begins by introducing you to Tkinter and PyQt, before guiding you through the application development process. As you expand your GUI by adding more widgets, you'll work with networks, databases, and graphical libraries that enhance its functionality. You'll also learn how to connect to external databases and network resources, test your code, and maximize performance using asynchronous programming. In later chapters, you'll understand how to use the cross-platform features of Tkinter and Qt5 to maintain compatibility across platforms. You'll be able to mimic the platform-native look and feel, and build executables for deployment across popular computing platforms.By the end of this Learning Path, you'll have the skills and confidence to design and build high-end GUI applications that can solve real-world problems.This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products:Python GUI Programming with Tkinter by Alan D. MooreQt5 Python GUI Programming Cookbook by B. M. HarwaniWhat you will learnVisualize graphs in real time with Tkinter's animation capabilitiesUse PostgreSQL authentication to ensure data security for your applicationWrite unit tests to avoid regression when updating codeHandle different signals generated on mouse clicks using QSpinBox and slidersEmploy network concepts, internet browsing, and Google Maps in UIUse graphics rendering to implement animations in your GUIWho this book is forIf you're an intermediate Python programmer looking to enhance your coding skills by writing powerful GUIs in Python using PyQT and Tkinter, this is an ideal Learning Path for you. A strong understanding of the Python language is a must to grasp the concepts explained in this book.

Build smart looking Kotlin apps with UI and functionality for the Android platformKey FeaturesStart your Android programming career, or just have fun publishing apps on Google Play marketplaceThe first-principle introduction to Kotlin through Android, to start building easy-to-use appsLearn by example and build four real-world apps and dozens of mini-appsBook DescriptionAndroid is the most popular mobile operating system in the world and Kotlin has been declared by Google as a first-class programming language to build Android apps. With the imminent arrival of the most anticipated Android update, Android 10 (Q), this book gets you started building apps compatible with the latest version of Android. It adopts a project-style approach, where we focus on teaching the fundamentals of Android app development and the essentials of Kotlin by building three real-world apps and more than a dozen mini-apps. The book begins by giving you a strong grasp of how Kotlin and Android work together before gradually moving onto exploring the various Android APIs for building stunning apps for Android with ease. You will learn to make your apps more presentable using different layouts. You will dive deep into Kotlin programming concepts such as variables, functions, data structures, Object-Oriented code, and how to connect your Kotlin code to the UI. You will learn to add multilingual text so that your app is accessible to millions of more potential users. You will learn how animation, graphics, and sound effects work and are implemented in your Android app. By the end of the book, you will have sound knowledge about significant Kotlin programming concepts and start building your own fully featured Android apps.What you will learnLearn how Kotlin and Android work togetherBuild a graphical drawing app using Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) principlesBuild beautiful, practical layouts using ScrollView, RecyclerView, NavigationView, ViewPager and CardViewWrite Kotlin code to manage an apps data using different strategies including JSON and the built-in Android SQLite databaseAdd user interaction, data captures, sound, and animation to your appsImplement dialog boxes to capture input from the userBuild a simple database app that sorts and stores the user s dataWho this book is forThis book is for people who are new to Kotlin, Android and want to develop Android apps.It also acts as a refresher for those who have some experience in programming with Android and Kotlin.

A practical guide filled with case studies and easy solutions to solve the most common user experience issuesKey FeaturesUnderstand and fix the pain points of a bad UX design to ensure greater customer satisfaction.Correct UX issues at various stages of a UX Design with the help of different methodologies for fixing bad UXsSee best practices and established principles in UX with case studies illustrating these practices and principlesBook DescriptionHave your web applications been experiencing more hits and less conversions? Are bad designs consuming your time and money? This book is the answer to these problems. With intuitive case studies, you'll learn to simplify, fix, and enhance some common, real-world application designs. You'll look at the common issues of simplicity, navigation, appearance, maintenance, and many more. The challenge that most UX designers face is to ensure that the UX is user-friendly. In this book, we address this with individual case studies starting with some common UX applications and then move on to complex applications. Each case study will help you understand the issues faced by a bad UX and teach you to break it down and fix these problems. As we progress, you'll learn about the information architecture, usability testing, iteration, UX refactoring, and many other related features with the help of various case studies. You'll also learn some interesting UX design tools with the projects covered in the book. By the end of the book, you'll be armed with the knowledge to fix bad UX designs and to ensure great customer satisfaction for your applications.What you will learnLearn about ROI and metrics in UXUnderstand the importance of getting stakeholders involvedLearn through real cases how to fix bad UXIdentify and fix UX issues using different methodologiesLearn how to turn insights and finding into practical UX solutionsLearn to validate, test and measure the UX solutions implementedLearn about UX refactoringWho this book is for This book is for anyone confronted with a poorly designed UX. It is ideal for UX professionals who want to solve problems with existing UX designs, and UX designers who want to enhance their designs or analyze and rectify where they went wrong.

Manage state in Angular to write high performing web apps by combining the power of Flux, RxJS, and NgRxKey Features- Learn what makes an excellent Angular application architecture- Use Redux to write performant, consistent Angular applications- Incorporate Reactive Programming principles and RxJS to make it easier to develop, test, and debug your Angular applicationsBook DescriptionManaging the state of large-scale web applications is a highly challenging task with the need to align different components, backends, and web workers harmoniously. When it comes to Angular, you can use NgRx, which combines the simplicity of Redux with the reactive programming power of RxJS to build your application architecture, making your code elegant and easy to reason about, debug, and test. In this book, we start by looking at the different ways of architecting Angular applications and some of the patterns that are involved in it. This will be followed by a discussion on one-way data flow, the Flux pattern, and the origin of Redux. The book introduces you to declarative programming or, more precisely, functional programming and talks about its advantages. We then move on to the reactive programming paradigm. Reactive programming is a concept heavily used in Angular and is at the core of NgRx. Later, we look at RxJS, as a library and master it. We thoroughly describe how Redux works and how to implement it from scratch. The two last chapters of the book cover everything NgRx has to offer in terms of core functionality and supporting libraries, including how to build a micro implementation of NgRx. This book will empower you to not only use Redux and NgRx to the fullest, but also feel confident in building your own version, should you need it. What you will learnUnderstand the one-way data flow and Flux patternWork with functional programming and asynchronous data streamsFigure out how RxJS can help us address the flaws in promisesSet up different versions of cascading callsExplore advanced operatorsGet familiar with the Redux pattern and its principlesTest and debug different features of your applicationBuild your own lightweight app using Flux, Redux, and NgRxWho this book is forIf you have been developing Angular applications and want to dive deeper into the Angular architecture with Redux, RxJS, and NgRx to write robust web apps, then this book is for you.

Publisher s note: This edition from 2018 is outdated and doesn t make use of the most recent UX best-practices. A new 2nd edition, updated for latest use cases and examples, has now been published.Key FeaturesHear insights from an author who was trained by the Nielsen Norman GroupBrowse over 20 years of collected UX insightsAccept or reject 101 thought-provoking opinions on designChallenge your own ideas on UXBook DescriptionWe want our UX to be brilliant. We want to create stunning user experiences. We want our UX to drive the success of our business with useful and usable software products. This book draws on the wisdom and training of Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman to help you get your UX right - in 101 ways! 101 UX Principles shows you the 101 most important things you need to know about usability and design. A practical reference for UX professionals, and a shortcut to greatness for anyone who needs a clear and wise selection of principles to guide their UX success. Learn the key principles that drive brilliant UX design. Enjoy 101 Principles including ‘Good UX has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End', ‘Make Your Links Look Like Links', ‘Don't Use Obsolete Icons', ‘Decide Whether an Interaction Should Be Obvious, Easy, or Possible', ‘Test with Real Users', ‘Making the most of fonts', ‘Good UX for search results', and ‘Show your user - don't tell your user!'“Good to read from beginning to end, and a nice dip-in-and-out text, the chapter titles reminded me of principles I don't even think about explicitly when I likely should. The book inspired me to start more explicitly articulating some of the principles I just take for granted.” - Elizabeth Churchill, Director of User Experience at Google “This is a great practical read. It is convenient to use as a reference when solving real UX problems. I would definitely recommend it as an introduction to UX, but also as a good reminder of best practices for more experienced designers.” - Anne-Marie Léger, Designer at Shopify Some more of the 101 UX Principles featured in this book: Work with user expectations not against them How to build upon established metaphors How to arrange navigation elements How to introduce new ideas to your user Matching pagination and content structure When invention is not good for UX Striving for simplicity Reducing user tasks What to make clickable Making the most of fonts Making your links look like links Picking the right control for the job Data input and what users care about How to handle destructive user actions When color should not convey information Tappable areas and the size of fingers Getting payment details the right way Use the standard e-commerce pattern If you really must use a flat design When to use progress bars or spinners Dropdowns the right and wrong way Handling just-off-screen content How to do Hamburger menus right When to hide Advanced Settings Good UX for NotificationsWhat you will learnUse typography well to ensure that text is readableDesign controls to streamline interactionCreate navigation which makes content make senseConvey information with consistent iconographyManage user input effectivelyRepresent progress to the userProvide interfaces that work for users with visual or motion impairmentsUnderstand and respond to user expectationsWho this book is forThis book is for UX professionals (freelance or in-house) looking for shortcuts to making software that users intuitively know how to use across web, desktop, and mobile.

Geometry Management, Event Handling, and moreKey FeaturesA Practical, guide to learn the application of Python and GUI programming with tkinterCreate multiple cross-platform real-world projects by integrating host of third party libraries and toolsLearn to build beautiful and highly interactive user interfaces, targeting multiple devices.Book DescriptionTkinter is the built-in GUI package that comes with standard Python distributions. It is a cross-platform package, which means you build once and deploy everywhere. It is simple to use and intuitive in nature, making it suitable for programmers and non-programmers alike. This book will help you master the art of GUI programming. It delivers the bigger picture of GUI programming by building real-world, productive, and fun applications such as a text editor, drum machine, game of chess, audio player, drawing application, piano tutor, chat application, screen saver, port scanner, and much more. In every project, you will build on the skills acquired in the previous project and gain more expertise. You will learn to write multithreaded programs, network programs, database-driven programs, asyncio based programming and more. You will also get to know the modern best practices involved in writing GUI apps. With its rich source of sample code, you can build upon the knowledge gained with this book and use it in your own projects in the discipline of your choice. What you will learn-A Practical, guide to help you learn the application of Python and GUI programming with Tkinter- Create multiple, cross-platform, real-world projects by integrating a host of third-party libraries and tools- Learn to build beautiful and highly interactive user interfaces, targeting multiple devices.Who this book is forThis book is for a beginner to intermediate-level Pythonists who want to build modern, cross-platform GUI applications with the amazingly powerful Tkinter. Prior knowledge of Tkinter is required.

Develop intelligent voice-empowered applications and Chatbots that not only understand voice commands but also respond to itKey FeaturesTarget multiple platforms by creating voice interactions for your applicationsExplore real-world examples of how to produce smart and practical virtual assistantsBuild a virtual assistant for cars using Android Auto in XamarinBook DescriptionFrom touchscreen and mouse-click, we are moving to voice- and conversation-based user interfaces. By adopting Voice User Interfaces (VUIs), you can create a more compelling and engaging experience for your users. Voice User Interface Projects teaches you how to develop voice-enabled applications for desktop, mobile, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This book explains in detail VUI and its importance, basic design principles of VUI, fundamentals of conversation, and the different voice-enabled applications available in the market. You will learn how to build your first voice-enabled application by utilizing DialogFlow and Alexa's natural language processing (NLP) platform. Once you are comfortable with building voice-enabled applications, you will understand how to dynamically process and respond to the questions by using NodeJS server deployed to the cloud. You will then move on to securing NodeJS RESTful API for DialogFlow and Alexa webhooks, creating unit tests and building voice-enabled podcasts for cars. Last but not the least you will discover advanced topics such as handling sessions, creating custom intents, and extending built-in intents in order to build conversational VUIs that will help engage the users. By the end of the book, you will have grasped a thorough knowledge of how to design and develop interactive VUIs. What you will learnUnderstand NLP platforms with machine learningExploit best practices and user experiences in creating VUIBuild voice-enabled chatbotsHost, secure, and test in a cloud platformCreate voice-enabled applications for personal digital assistant devicesDevelop a virtual assistant for carsWho this book is forVoice User Interface Projects is for you if you are a software engineer who wants to develop voice-enabled applications for your personal digital assistant devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, along with your car's virtual assistant systems. Some experience with JavaScript is required.

Master the art of creating impressive and reactive UIs for mobile applications on the latest version of Android Oreo.Key Features[•] A comprehensive guide to designing and developing highly interactive user interfaces for your app.[•] Design responsive and agile applications targeting multiple Android devices (up to Android Oreo) using Android Studio 3.0[•] Write reactive user interfaces with minimal effort by leveraging the latest Android technologies, such as Architecture components and the Lifecycle API[•] Avoid common design problems and pitfalls with the help of shared UI design patterns and best practices.Book DescriptionA great user interface (UI) can spell the difference between success and failure for any new application. This book will show you not just how to code great UIs, but how to design them as well. It will take novice Android developers on a journey, showing them how to leverage the Android platform to produce stunning Android applications. Begin with the basics of creating Android applications and then move on to topics such as screen and layout design. Next, learn about techniques that will help improve performance for your application. Also, explore how to create reactive applications that are fast, animated, and guide the user toward their goals with minimal distraction. Understand Android architecture components and learn how to build your application to automatically respond to changes made by the user. Great platforms are not always enough, so this book also focuses on creating custom components, layout managers, and 2D graphics. Also, explore many tips and best practices to ease your UI development process. By the end, you'll be able to design and build not only amazing UIs, but also systems that provide the best possible user experience.What you will learn[•] Create effective and efficient user interfaces that allow users to carry out tasks smoothly[•] Understand the fundamentals of Android UI design, and take a look at the basic layouts, Inputs, and controls[•] Learn about various UI components provided by Android, which include structured layout objects and UI controls that allow you to build the graphical user interface for your app[•] Explore various styles and themes that allow you to customize the look and feel of your app[•] Leverage the animation and graphics APIs to improve user experience and draw custom 2D graphicsWho this book is forThis book is for novice Android and Java developers who have a basic knowledge of Android development and want to start developing stunning user interfaces.

Learn how UX and design thinking can make your site stand out from the rest of the internet.Key Features[•]Learn everything you need to know about UX for your Web Design.[•]Design B2B, B2C websites that stand out from the competitors with this guide[•]Enhance your business by improving customer accessibility and retention.Book DescriptionIf you want to create web apps that are not only beautiful to look at, but also easy to use and fully accessible to everyone, including people with special needs, this book will provide you with the basic building blocks to achieve just that. The book starts with the basics of UX, the relationship between Human-Centered Design (HCD), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and the User-Centered Design (UCD) Process; it gradually takes you through the best practices to create a web app that stands out from your competitors. You'll also learn how to create an emotional connection with the user to increase user interaction and client retention by different means of communication channels. We'll guide you through the steps in developing an effective UX strategy through user research and persona creation and how to bring that UX strategy to life with beautiful, yet functional designs that cater for complex features with micro interactions. Practical UX methodologies such as creating a solid Information Architecture (IA), wireframes, and prototypes will be discussed in detail. We'll also show you how to test your designs with representative users, and ensure that they are usable on different devices, browsers and assistive technologies. Lastly, we'll focus on making your web app fully accessible from a development and design perspective by taking you through the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). What you will learnDiscover the fundamentals of UX and the User-Centered Design (UCD) Process.Learn how UX can enhance your brand and increase user retentionLearn how to create the golden thread between your product and the userUse reliable UX methodologies to research and analyze data to create an effective UX strategyBring your UX strategy to life with wireframes and prototypesSet measurable metrics and conduct user tests to improve digital productsIncorporate the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to create accessible digital productsWho this book is forIf you're a designer, developer, or just someone who has the desire to create websites that are not only beautiful to look at but also easy to use and fully accessible to everyone, including people with special needs, UX for the Web will provide you with the basic building blocks to achieve just that.

Master the skills required to steer cross-platform applications from drawing board to app store(s) using XamarinKey Features[•] Develop your Xamarin development skills with this comprehensive guide on various patterns and features so you can create elegant and high-quality applications[•] Create adaptive user interfaces on separate platforms without compromising the user experience and platform identity[•] Implement application lifecycle management concepts to manage and finalize cross-platform projects and efficiently collaborate with othersBook DescriptionThe main goal of this book is to equip you with the required know-how to successfully analyze, develop, and manage Xamarin cross-platform projects using the most efficient, robust, and scalable implementation patterns. This book starts with general topics such as memory management, asynchronous programming, local storage, and networking, and later moves onto platform-specific features. During this transition, you will learn about key tools to leverage the patterns described, as well as advanced implementation strategies and features. The book also presents User Interface design and implementation concepts on Android and iOS platforms from a Xamarin and cross-platform perspective, with the goal to create a consistent but native UI experience. Finally, we show you the toolset for application lifecycle management to help you prepare the development pipeline to manage and see cross-platform projects through to public or private release.What you will learn[•] Configure your environment for cross-platform projects with Xamarin[•] Gain memory management skills to avoid memory leaks and premature code cycles while decreasing the memory print of your applications[•] Employ asynchronous and parallel patterns to execute non-interactive and non-blocking processes[•] Create and use SQLite databases for offline scenarios[•] Integrate network resources with cross-platform applications[•] Design and implement eye-catching and reusable UI components without compromising nativity in mobile applications[•] Manage the application lifecycle of cross-platform development projects[•] Distribute Xamarin applications through public or private channelsWho this book is forThis book is ideal for those who want to take their entry–level Xamarin mobile development skills to the next level to become the go-to person within their organization. To fully understand the patterns and concepts described, you should possess a reasonable level of knowledge about the core elements of Xamarin and cross-platform application development with it.

Develop more dynamic and robust GUI applications using PySide, an open source cross-platform UI frameworkKey Features[•]Designed for beginners to help you get started with GUI application development[•]Develop your own applications by creating customized widgets and dialogs[•]Written in a simple and elegant structure so you easily understand how to program various GUI componentsBook DescriptionElegantly-built GUI applications are always a massive hit among users. PySide is an open source software project that provides Python bindings for the Qt cross-platform UI framework. Combining the power of Qt and Python, PySide provides easy access to the Qt framework for Python developers and also acts as an excellent rapid application development platform. This book will take you through everything you need to know to develop UI applications. You will learn about installing and building PySide in various major operating systems as well as the basics of GUI programming. The book will then move on to discuss event management, signals and slots, and the widgets and dialogs available with PySide. Database interaction and manipulation is also covered. By the end of this book, you will be able to program GUI applications efficiently and master how to develop your own applications and how to run them across platforms. What you will learn[•]Program GUI applications in an easy and efficient way[•]Download and install PySide, a cross-platform GUI development toolkit for Python[•]Create menus, toolbars, status bars, and child windows[•]Develop a text editor application on your own[•]Connect your GUI to a database and manage it[•]Execute SQL queries by handling databasesWho this book is forThis book is written for Python programmers who want to learn about GUI programming. It is also suitable for those who are new to Python but are familiar with object-oriented programming.

A foundational yet practical approach to UX that delivers more creative, collaborative, holistic, and mature design solutions, regardless of your background or experienceKey Features[•] Improve your UX design awareness and skills[•] Gain greater confidence to know when you have delivered a “good” UX design[•] Learn by example using a book designed by a UX mind for a UX mindBook DescriptionWritten in an easy-to-read style, this book provides real-world examples, a historical perspective, and a holistic approach to design that will ground you in the fundamental essentials of interactive design, allow you to make more informed design decisions, and increase your understanding of UX in order to reach the highest levels of UX maturity. As you will see, UX is more than just delighting customers and users. It is also about thinking like a UX practitioner, making time for creativity, recognizing good design when you see it, understanding Information Architecture as more than just organizing and labeling websites, using design patterns to influence user behavior and decision making, approaching UX from a business perspective, transforming your client's and company's fundamental understanding of UX and its true value, and so much more. This book is an invaluable resource of knowledge, perspective, and inspiration for those seeking to become better UX designers, increase their confidence, become more mature design leaders, and deliver solutions that provide measurable value to stakeholders, customers, and users regardless of project type, size, and delivery method. What you will learn[•] Awaken your UX mind and dispel the myths of non-UX thinkers[•] Create the six optimal conditions for your best ideas to appear[•] Identify and incorporate the ten design principles found in all good UX design[•] Develop a broader understanding of Information Architecture (IA) to better engage, guide, and inform[•] Develop a fundamental understanding of patterns and the properties that create them[•] Raise your level of UX maturity with a strategy that transforms your approach to problem solving and helps others understand the true value of your work[•] Utilize important tools of the UX trade that never go out of style[•] Increase your knowledge of UX, incorporate valuable ideas and insights into your work, and look at design from a very unique perspectiveWho this book is forThis book is written for the beginner as well as the experienced UX practitioner, regardless of team size, company size, or job title. It is also intended for anyone with an interest in UX, engages with UX, is involved in any way in interactive problem solving and design, or simply wants to learn more about what we do, how we do it, and why those in the UX field are so passionate about wanting to do it better.

Over 80 step-by-step recipes to get you up to speed with building your own wxPython applicationsKey FeaturesThis book empowers you to create rich cross-platform graphical user interfaces using PythonIt helps you develop applications that can be deployed on Windows, OSX, and LinuxThe recipes in the book involve real-world applications, giving you a first-hand experience of the practical scenariosBook DescriptionwxPython is a GUI toolkit for the Python programming language built on top of the cross-platform wxWidgets GUI libraries. wxPython provides a powerful set of tools that allow you to quickly and efficiently building applications that can run on a variety of different platforms. Since wxWidgets provides a wrapper around each platform's native GUI toolkit, the applications built with wxPython will have a native look and feel wherever they are deployed. This book will provide you with the skills to build highly functional and native looking user interfaces for Python applications on multiple operating system environments. By working through the recipes, you will gain insights into and exposure to creating applications using wxPython. With a wide range of topics covered in the book, there are recipes to get the most basic of beginners started in GUI programming as well as tips to help experienced users get more out of their applications. The recipes will take you from the most basic application constructs all the way through to the deployment of complete applications. What you will learnCreate full featured user interfacesDesign and develop custom controlsDeploy and distribute wxPython applications to Windows, Macintosh OS X, Linux, and other UNIX-like environmentsHandle and respond to application eventsManage and display data using gridsInteract with web services from your GUIUse Paint events to draw custom displaysSupport the display of user interfaces in multiple languagesWho this book is forFor those who are familiar with programming in Python and want to start building applications with graphical user interfaces, this book will get you up and running quickly. A basic understanding of the Python programming language and object-oriented concepts are all that is needed.

Become more fluent in Python—learn strategies and techniques for smart and high-performance Python programmingKey Features[•]Write smarter, bug-free, high performance code with minimal effort[•]Uncover the best tools and options available to Python developers today[•]Deploy decorators, design patters, and various optimization techniques to use Python 3.5 effectivelyBook DescriptionPython is a versatile programming language that can be used for a wide range of technical tasks—computation, statistics, data analysis, game development, and more. Though Python is easy to learn, it's range of features means there are many aspects of it that even experienced Python developers don't know about. Even if you're confident with the basics, its logic and syntax, by digging deeper you can work much more effectively with Python – and get more from the language. Python Unlocked walks you through the most effective techniques and best practices for high performance Python programming - showing you how to make the most of the Python language. You'll get to know objects and functions inside and out, and will learn how to use them to your advantage in your programming projects. You will also find out how to work with a range of design patterns including abstract factory, singleton, strategy pattern, all of which will help make programming with Python much more efficient. Finally, as the process of writing a program is never complete without testing it, you will learn to test threaded applications and run parallel tests. If you want the edge when it comes to Python, use this book to unlock the secrets of smarter Python programming. What you will learn[•]Manipulate object creation processes for instances, classes, and functions[•]Use the best possible language constructs to write data structures with super speed and maintainability[•]Make efficient use of design patterns to decrease development time and make your code more maintainable[•]Write better test cases with an improved understanding of the testing framework of Python and unittests, and discover how to develop new functionalities in it[•]Write fully-optimized code with the Python language by profiling, compiling C modules, and more[•]Unlock asynchronous programming to build efficient and scalable applicationsWho this book is forIf you are a Python developer and you think that you don't know everything about the language yet, then this is the book for you. We will unlock the mysteries and re-introduce you to the hidden features of Python to write efficient programs, making optimal use of the language.

Use game elements in Moodle courses to build learner resilience and motivationKey Features-Formulate a Moodle course that acts as a flexible framework ready for your own content-Keep learners engaged and create opportunities for motivation through the concepts of status, access, power and so on-A resourceful guide to innovative use of automatic reports, assessments, and conditional release of activitiesBook DescriptionThis book describes how teachers can use Gamification design within the Moodle Learning Management System. Game elements can be included in course design by using, badges, rubrics, custom grading scales, forums, and conditional activities. Moodle courses do not have to be solo-learning experiences that replicate Distance Education models. The Gamification design process starts by profiling players and creating levels of achievement towards meeting learning outcomes. Each task is defined, valued, and sequenced. Motivation loops are devised to keep the momentum going. In a gaming studio, this approach would require a team of specialists with a large budget and time frames. Preparing for a class rarely has these optimal conditions. The approach used in this book is to introduce game elements into the course design gradually. First, apply gamification to just one lesson and then build up to gamifying a series of lessons over a term. Each example will indicate the difficulty level and time investment. Try it out to see what is most effective with your learners and choose wisely in your use of technology. By the end of this book, you will be able to create Moodle courses that incorporate choice, communication, challenge, and creativity. What you will learnSet up a scoring system using Moodle GradebookEnable communication and collaboration in your class as a Learning Community using forumsAssess your learners'abilities by setting up challenges and questsConfigure gateways to check and ensure progress before new content or activities are releasedCreate Moodle assignments to provide effective feedback through a comment bank and custom scaleIssue Open Badges to recognize achievements and set up an online backpack to share digital badgesReduce anxiety for learners by using the game-like concept of “Levelling Up”Who this book is forThis book has been designed for teachers who to use technology to create more engaging learning experiences for both online learning and in face-to-face sessions. This book will especially appeal to people who are interested in the underlying mechanics of play and games and want to know more about applying these concepts in an educational context. It is assumed that you are a teacher and expert in your field, have basic computer skills, and have access to the Internet.