Tech debt, or technical debt, occurs when development work accumulates after the release of a product. The name originates from the concept of financial debt, as you might take out a loan in order to reach a goal faster, but then you will need to later repay that debt. Tech debt works similarly, by cutting out certain development protocols prior to a release to help the product release move forward faster. But like debt, the missed development pieces and issues need to be resolved post-release.

User experience and user interface design are two very essential parts of digital product development. However, these key roles are often not clearly defined, and although they have overlapping skill sets, it's important that a distinction between them is made. But what are the differences between them, and why is this distinction so important? 

Healthcare has become increasingly more digitized over the past decade and it has greatly accelerated since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift from more traditional healthcare practices has improved outcomes, yet the implementation of healthcare technology hasn’t met all expectations. Many practices have been met with resistance from patients as they try to navigate the technological world and leverage digital health solutions. But, why are practitioners and patients alike finding it difficult to fully integrate digital healthcare? 

Test driven development (TDD) is a software development process that’s often combined with an agile approach to development, which involves converting software requirements into automated test cases or unit tests before pieces of functioning code. This method replaces the common process of software being developed first and being tested as a separate subsequent step. 

Product Owners are the glue that holds software companies together, especially those using the Agile methodology. Their responsibilities include tracking the progress of a project from the onset, and communicating with all parts of the team in order to ensure a smooth process. Here are 4 main Product Owner responsibilities, and why they are absolutely essential to every software or tech-enabled organization. 

In 2021, the global developer talent shortage already amounted to 40M workers worldwide, which is predicted to increase to 85.2M by 2030. Companies around the world are at risk of losing huge sums of revenue due to this talent shortage. So, what’s caused such a drastic change in the tech development market? 

In 2001, something called the ‘Agile Manifesto’ was born with the intent of creating a more flexible software development process. Agile software solutions are meant to continually evolve through the use of collaboration and self-organizing, cross-functional teams. Although this methodology has been widely implemented, there are still many mixed opinions on whether the Agile approach is the most effective in all situations.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term that describes the “interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data” (Oxford Languages Dictionary). Examples range from wearable devices to smart home security systems and usually entail day-to-day things. 

Explainability is a characteristic that allows for the ‘behind the scenes’ of an AI system to be understood by a person. Artificial intelligence surrounds us in our daily lives - anything from your Google Assistant or Alexa to unlocking your smartphone with Facial Recognition can be categorized as AI. These technologies allow for the digital world to transform into something accessible and convenient, and understanding how they aid us in our everyday lives is essential.

As the technological world rapidly evolves, often certain groups of people find it difficult to keep up. This includes adults ages 65 and over, as their experiences with digital information technology can be limited. So how can we create a more inclusive digital world?

As more healthcare systems become digitized, the risk of cyberattacks increases, causing concern among those involved with these systems. However, positive technology can counteract negative technology, and the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has proven to decrease these risks and attacks by anticipating and preventing them.

The development of ambient computing has very promising outcomes for the medical world, especially in reducing the negative effects of EHRs. Companies such as Nuance, Providence, and Amazon are working on artificial intelligence platforms that use ambient technologies to listen in on clinician - patient conversations.

AI within healthcare can have the benefit of eliminating extra human errors or biases when processing patient data. These biases are fundamental issues, often causing inequities in terms of race, ethnicity or even gender. As a result, treatments can become flawed and access to resources impaired due to certain preconceived biased notions.