Articles

Les pièges de l'utilisation de l'IA générale en développement logiciel : un cas pour une approche centrée sur l'humain.

Les développeurs logiciels sont confrontés aux risques liés à l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle générale. Une approche centrée sur l’humain est nécessaire pour éviter ces pièges.

## Avec le développement de l’intelligence artificielle générale, elle prend également sa place dans les emplois qui nécessitent des connaissances intellectuelles et de la créativité.

The primary challenge is testing. Testing is a critical step in the software development process, as it ensures that the code is functioning correctly and that the system is performing as expected. However, when it comes to General AI-based systems, testing can be a daunting task. This is because the system’s behavior is not predetermined, but rather determined by its own internal logic and learning algorithms. As such, it is difficult to anticipate how the system will behave in a given situation, making it difficult to test for potential bugs and errors.

Avec le développement de l’intelligence artificielle générale, elle prend également sa place dans les emplois qui nécessitent des connaissances intellectuelles et de la créativité. Dans le domaine du développement logiciel, l’idée d’utiliser les capacités cognitives de l’IA générale a suscité un intérêt considérable. L’idée d’un logiciel qui peut penser, apprendre et s’adapter comme un programmeur humain est séduisante et promet de rationaliser les processus de développement et de potentiellement révolutionner l’industrie. Cependant, sous le charme de surface se trouve un défi important : la difficulté de modifier les systèmes basés sur l’IA générale une fois qu’ils sont déployés.

L’IA générale, également connue sous le nom d’intelligence artificielle générale (AGI), incarne le concept des machines possédant une intelligence et une adaptabilité humaines. Dans le monde du développement logiciel, elle a le potentiel d’automatiser une multitude de tâches, allant du codage au débogage. Néanmoins, à mesure que nous plongeons dans les promesses et les périls de l’intégration de l’IA générale dans le processus de développement logiciel, une série de préoccupations et de défis critiques se présentent.

Le défi principal est le test. Le test est une étape essentielle du processus de développement logiciel, car il garantit que le code fonctionne correctement et que le système se comporte comme prévu. Cependant, lorsqu’il s’agit des systèmes basés sur l’IA générale, le test peut être une tâche redoutable. Cela est dû au fait que le comportement du système n’est pas prédéterminé, mais déterminé par sa propre logique interne et ses algorithmes d’apprentissage. Par conséquent, il est difficile de prévoir comment le système se comportera dans une situation donnée, ce qui rend difficile le test des bogues et des erreurs potentiels.

Source de l’article sur DZONE

Tester la sécurité des objets connectés

Tester la sécurité des objets connectés est essentiel pour protéger nos données et notre vie privée. Découvrez comment vous assurer que vos appareils sont en sécurité.

## La sécurité de l’Internet des objets (IoT) est essentielle

L’Internet des objets (IoT) a révolutionné nos vies et apporté de nombreux avantages, mais il présente une grande surface d’attaque et n’est pas sûr tant qu’il n’est pas sécurisé. Les appareils IoT sont une cible facile pour les cybercriminels et les pirates informatiques s’ils ne sont pas correctement sécurisés. Vous pouvez avoir de graves problèmes avec des données financières et confidentielles qui sont invitées, volées ou cryptées.

Il est difficile de repérer et de discuter des risques pour les organisations, sans parler de la construction d’une méthodologie globale pour y faire face, sans connaissances pratiques de ce qu’est la sécurité IoT et sans la tester. La prise de conscience des menaces de sécurité et la façon d’y échapper est la première étape, car les solutions IoT nécessitent beaucoup plus de tests qu’auparavant. La sécurité intégrée est souvent absente lorsqu’il s’agit d’introduire de nouvelles fonctionnalités et produits sur le marché.

En tant que scientifique informatique enthousiaste, je sais que le test est une partie essentielle du processus de développement de produits IoT. Les tests peuvent être effectués à chaque étape du cycle de développement, depuis le développement jusqu’à la mise en production. Les tests peuvent être effectués manuellement ou automatiquement, selon les besoins spécifiques et les contraintes budgétaires. Les tests peuvent inclure des tests fonctionnels, des tests de performance, des tests de sécurité et des tests de conformité. Les tests peuvent être effectués sur des appareils physiques ou virtuels, en fonction des exigences et des contraintes. Les tests peuvent également être effectués à l’aide d’outils spécialisés tels que des outils de test d’intrusion, des outils de test d’authentification et des outils de test de sécurité.

Les tests peuvent aider à identifier les vulnérabilités et à déterminer si les produits IoT sont conformes aux normes de sécurité et aux exigences réglementaires. Les tests peuvent également aider à améliorer l’efficacité et la fiabilité des produits IoT et à réduire les risques liés à la sécurité. Les tests peuvent également aider à améliorer la qualité du produit et à réduire le temps et les coûts de développement. Les tests peuvent également aider à améliorer l’expérience utilisateur et à assurer un meilleur niveau de sécurité pour les utilisateurs finaux.

En conclusion, le test est essentiel pour assurer la sécurité des produits IoT. Les tests peuvent être effectués à chaque étape du cycle de développement et peuvent aider à identifier les vulnérabilités, à améliorer l’efficacité et la fiabilité des produits IoT, à réduire les risques liés à la sécurité et à améliorer l’expérience utilisateur.

Source de l’article sur DZONE

Modern cloud environments are ever-changing, and so is the nature of cloud computing. The growing cloud assets accompany the attack surface expansion problem for organizations, which unveils the need for visibility of cloud resources. AWS Config addresses that exact demand. It can be challenging to understand resources within your infrastructure like:

  • Seeing what resources you have
  • Understanding your current configurations
  • Knowledge of configuration changes and change histories
  • Assessing if your resources are compliant with specific governances controls 
  • Having accurate and up-to-date audit information

Depending on the size of your AWS resources or deployment, overcoming these challenges and obtaining this information can become time-consuming and budget-intensive unless you use resource visibility and auditing tool like AWS Config

Source de l’article sur DZONE

The term “web design” refers to the process of planning, organizing, and editing content online. On the surface, it seems like a simple enough concept. However, the reality is what we consider “web design” can change over time, influenced by our perception of the “web.” 

In 2022, a professional web designer might create custom websites from scratch, but they may also be responsible for: 

  • UX Design: Creating elements focused on user experience
  • App design: Building digital components of a website or online experience.
  • Theme design: Creating visual tools for supplementing web design. 

Web design isn’t just about making a site look attractive anymore. The definition goes beyond the aesthetic to include a complete consideration of the functionality, performance, and abilities of countless assets we engage within the digital world.

What is Web Design? The Definition Today

Web design is the practice responsible for creating a website’s overall look and feel or web asset (such as web and mobile apps). It involves the process of planning and building elements of your project, from structure and layout choices to graphics and presentation. 

Web design has various components that work together to create the final “experience” of a website, including graphic design, interface design, user experience design, search engine optimization, content creation, etc. These elements determine how a web asset looks, feels and performs on various devices. 

Though the definition of web design in 2022 has evolved, it’s still different from web development, which refers to the actual coding which makes a website work. When you’re building a website, you’ll need web design and web development. 

Elements of Web Design in 2022 

When designing a website, modern designers need to consider two overlapping concepts: the overall appearance of the website and its functionality. The proper connection between these elements will maximize the site’s overall performance and usability, and make a design more memorable (for all of the right reasons). 

Let’s break down the elements of web design into its visual and functional components.

Visual Elements of Web Design

Visual elements of web design influence how a design looks. The various visual components of a design should still follow the basic principles of graphic design. In other words, designers should be thinking about contrast, balance, unity, and alignment simultaneously. The visual elements of web design include: 

  • Written copy and fonts: A website’s appearance and the text on the site often go hand in hand. Designers need to work together with content writers to ensure written copy makes sense structurally and uses the correct fonts for legibility. 
  • Colors: Colors for web design are usually chosen based on factors like color psychology, which demonstrates a color’s ability to affect how someone feels, and branding. Most brands have specific colors they use consistently throughout their visual assets; this helps create a sense of cohesion and unity in designs.
  • Layout and spacing: Layout and spacing influence how content is arranged in an app, website, or another visual asset. The right layout helps to create a visual hierarchy, guiding a viewer through a page and drawing their attention to the correct information in order. Spacing helps to separate components on a page and create legibility. 
  • Images, icons, and shapes: Images, icons, and shapes help convey significant amounts of information. The right ideas and icons can strengthen a brand message, direct a customer’s attention using a web app, and bring context to a design. 
  • Videos and animations: Videos and animations are becoming increasingly common in today’s web design strategies. Videos can include 360-degree videos, which help immerse someone in a space, video streams, and short content clips.

Functional Elements of Web Design

Functional elements in web design are the practical components designers need to consider to ensure websites and assets work as they’re supposed to. A website, app, or any other web asset needs to function correctly to be accessible to users.

Functional elements of web design may include:

  • Navigation: The navigation elements of a website or app are among the main components determining whether a site is functioning properly and ensuring a good user experience. Audiences need to be able to move around the app or website quickly. 
  • User interactions: Your site visitors may have multiple ways of communicating with your web app or website, depending on their device. You’ll need to make sure people can scroll and swipe on smartphones and tablets and click on desktops. If your website has VR or AR elements, you’ll also need to consider these immersive components in your design.
  • Speed and performance: While web development elements can also influence a web design’s speed or performance, it’s also essential for a designer to show elements of the composition don’t weigh down the functionality. Designs need to load quickly and correspond with the demands of browsers on various devices.
  • Structure: A website’s structure plays a critical role in user experience and SEO requirements. Users need to easily navigate through a website without encountering any issues like getting lost or ending up on broken pages.
  • Compatibility: A good design should look perfect on all devices, from a wide range of browsers to the various devices users might leverage today. 

What Does Good Web Design Look Like in 2022?

More than ever, achieving high-quality web design is crucial to success in any industry or landscape. More than half of the world’s population is active online. If you’re not appealing to this audience correctly, you’re missing out on endless opportunities.

Notably, while elements of good web design can be subjective, such as which themes or colors someone might prefer for their website, the underlying foundations of strong web design are the same for everyone in 2022.  

Good web design is any design that looks good, performs as it should, and delivers the best possible experience to your target audience. Effective web design should include components like:

  • Effective use of white space for organization and structure.
  • Clearly presented choices and navigation options for the user.
  • Clear calls to action to drive user activities from one page to another.
  • Limited distractions and a straightforward user journey. 
  • No clutter or unnecessary components irrelevant to the needs of the user. 
  • Responsive, flexible design accessible on any browser or device.
  • High-quality content and images are designed to hook a reader’s attention.
  • Appropriately sized fonts and legible typography.
  • A good balance between images and text on a page. 

Other elements like eye-catching imagery and professional photography can help your web design stand out. Using the right building blocks, like a strong color palette and the right shapes or icons in your design is helpful. 

Of course, there is some scope for variation in good web design. A web designer in 2022 needs to be able to adapt their use of the various essential elements of design to suit a specific target audience or the unique identity of a brand.

What Doesn’t Work for Web Design in 2022?

Just as web design elements seem to appear consistently in all excellent examples, there are also parts of web design we’ve left behind over the years. Simpler, more straightforward designs have replaced cluttered spaces, flashing images, and endless animations. 

The focus in 2022 is on creating an experience that’s simple, engaging, and intuitive, capable of speaking to the right audience without confusion or being visually overwhelming. In most cases, some of the top components to avoid include:

  • Clunky performance: Non-responsive website design, slow pages, and other examples of clunky functionality are a no-go in 2022. Websites need to be quick and responsive.
  • Distracting content: Flashing images, animations, and complex backgrounds are a thing of the past for a good reason. Websites today need to be clean, simple, and clear. Any elements which don’t add to the value of the design should be removed.
  • Generic content: Filler text, irrelevant stock photos, unclear buttons, and links can be removed from today’s website designs. A web design should be specific to the audience’s needs and the brand’s identity. Generic components don’t work.

Creating Web Designs in 2022

Today, the underlying definition of web design has a lot of similarities to the definition we’ve known for several years already. Creating a great website or web asset still requires focusing on user experience, aesthetic appeal, and functionality. However, today’s web designers generally have more components and different devices. 

Web design in 2022 is about creating high-quality experiences for customers that can support various environments and devices. The best web designs are aesthetically appealing, functionally reliable, and capable of adhering to the latest trends in web creation, like augmented reality, 360-degree video, and ultra-high resolution. 

 

Featured image via Pexels.

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Afin de mieux piloter sa production et répondre à la demande client, Lidea a mis en place un processus S&OP à l’aide de la solution SAP IBP. Un projet, mais aussi un challenge pour ce nouveau semencier issu de la fusion de deux entités.

Lidea est un semencier français issu du rapprochement entre Euralis Semences et Caussade Semences Group. Il se classe dans le top 10 mondial des semenciers grandes cultures. La société propose une offre étendue, allant des céréales aux légumes secs en passant par les plantes fouragères. Elle référence plus de 500 variétés de semences.

Lidea dispose de 8 sites de production situés en France, en Roumanie, en Ukraine, en Espagne et en Russie, avec une surface cultivée totale de 45.000 hectares. La société réalise un chiffre d’affaires annuels de 360 millions d’euros, pour 2100 collaborateurs. 73% de son activité sont réalisés à l’export.

Le rapprochement d’Euralis Semence et de Caussade Semences Group a doublé la taille de l’organisation, ce qui se traduit par un important effort d’intégration et de transformation. “C’est un choc des cultures, avec des processus, des méthodes et des stratégies différentes, explique Sébastien Monaco, CIO et CDO de Lidea. Notre challenge est de faire de cette fusion un succès, d’aligner les équipes, la culture et les processus, puis de préparer la croissance sur de nouveaux territoires. Nous voulons également poursuivre notre effort d’innovation continue, sur les produits, mais également sur les technologies numériques à destination des agriculteurs.”

Lidea souhaite ainsi se tourner plus largement vers ses clients, les distributeurs et fermiers, en adoptant un modèle consistant à ajuster ses plans de production en fonction de la demande.

Le besoin de se structurer… autour de solutions SAP

Si Euralis Semences disposait d’un ERP SAP ECC, l’outillage au niveau de la supply chain restait réduit à sa plus simple expression, avec de nombreuses tâches réalisées manuellement. Du point de vue IT, Caussade Semences Group partait d’encore plus loin. “Avec le doublement de l’organisation, nous ne pouvions plus laisser la situation en l’état”, constate Sébastien Monaco. De multiples projets ont donc été lancés, dont l’extension du périmètre de l’ERP d’Euralis Semences, ainsi que la mise en place d’un CRM et de SAP IBP.

L’utilisation de SAP Integrated Business Planning a comme objectif premier la mise en place d’un processus S&OPau sein de Lidea. “Un quick win était nécessaire sur ce projet, afin de montrer aux actionnaires que nous étions capables de concrétiser la fusion en menant à bien un projet d’envergure portant sur un processus clé de Lidea.” Ce projet est donc doublé d’un challenge stratégique.

“Notre objectif est de créer un core model qui puisse être déployé à l’échelle de Lidea (32 pays couverts) et qui puisse se connecter très facilement aux master data de nos briques financières et industrielles. Le choix de SAP IBP est assumé: nous voulions prendre une brique de la cartographie S/4 HANA de SAP, afin d’anticiper le futur, dont notre migration de l’ERP SAP ECC vers SAP S/4HANA. L’une des raisons du choix de TeamWork est qu’il dispose déjà de références clients dans notre industrie. C’est essentiel pour nous, car nous travaillons dans un secteur particulier et nous avions fixé un délai très court – 6 mois – pour mener à bien ce projet.”

SAP IBP adopté pour le processus S&OP

Le projet a démarré en avril 2021, avec comme impératif un démarrage de la solution en septembre de la même année, lors du lancement de grosses campagnes annuelles. Un délai très court, compte tenu des autres travaux réalisés en parallèle sur le système d’information du groupe (ERP, CRM, datawarehouse…). Afin de tenir ces délais, Lidea a choisi de rester au plus près des standards proposés par SAP IBP. Le projet a également été découpé en deux vagues, la première se concentrant sur la mise en place d’un processus S&OP élargi, la seconde abordant les aspects financiers.

“Notre processus S&OP réconcilie demande et offre, détaille Sébastien Monaco. Les données des commerciaux sont remontées, avec la prise en compte de particularités, comme la gestion des campagnes. Les marchandises disponibles sont réparties, par BU, puis à des niveaux plus fins allant jusqu’au client. Le demand shaping permet de pousser des offres ou de contraindre la demande suivant la capacité de production. Enfin, les données sont remontées dans l’ERP SAP ECC, afin de planifier la production.”

Un démarrage effectif en septembre 2021

La livraison du premier lot et la formation des utilisateurs ont été réalisés dans les temps permettant ainsi de mener les campagnes de rentrée avec SAP IBP.

“Ce projet ambitieux a été réalisé pour un coût très modéré. Sur le terrain du ROI, l’OTIF (on time, in full) est monté de 90% à 98%, améliorant ainsi la satisfaction client. Les gains de productivité internes sont également importants. J’estime que la solution SAP IBP devrait être rentabilisée d’ici 12 à 15 mois.” Le second lot se concentrera sur la finance : scénarios PIC, forecast P&L. Il devrait être livré en fin d’année.

Mais plus que tout, ce projet a permis de fédérer les équipes des deux coopératives autour d’un objectif commun, créant ainsi une dynamique d’appartenance au nouveau groupe. En quelques mois, un des processus clés de l’entreprise a été déployé sur plusieurs pays. “Nos différents sites sont les premiers bénéficiaires de SAP IBP, qui leur donne une vision globale des productions démarrées et de comment est servie la demande client. Le flux S&OP proposé par SAP IBP est le maître des ordres de fabrication de nos sites de production,” conclut Sébastien Monaco.

En savoir plus

 

The post SAP IBP permet au semencier Lidea de se recentrer sur la demande client appeared first on SAP France News.

Source de l’article sur sap.com

There was a point at which I was very close to losing my business, and I didn’t realize how close.

I wasn’t always a good planner, and I didn’t plan to start an agency. One day I was a freelance graphic designer, my job list grew, I hired some help, and suddenly I was managing a team.

There isn’t a guidebook for new business owners, you have to learn on the job, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. We expanded rapidly from two to four people, then seven, and suddenly we hit 16 employees in just 18 months. It was pretty scary and felt like driving on the freeway without brakes. A client shared a story that they were turning over $20m, and the owner was only taking home $30k. It felt like where I was headed. At that point, I could easily have lost it all.

I took a hard look at the numbers and realized that we were barely breaking even, let alone profitable. That needed to change to stabilize the business and regain control of my operations. The change wasn’t easy, and there were some hard lessons, but 11 years later, with a strong local team and 40+ awards for our work, I’m thankful for that wake-up call.

There are other people in my position struggling with the same issues I faced, so I’d like to share the four key things I did that helped turn things around and move us from surviving to thriving.

1. Don’t Diversify Your Services

I wanted to do it all, and as the business owner, it was hard to turn down a new client. Our instincts are to help, and declining opportunities feels wrong. In our industry, digital agencies, especially web design agencies, try to cover all bases from marketing, SEO, adwords, design, photography, and coding. Everyone wants to be a one-stop shop for clients. I used to be that person: I would wash your car and shine your shoes if I could.

Do not give in to that fear.

When you’re a generalist, you spread yourself too thin. I know: a decade ago, we were offering dozens of services outside of the web design realm: packaging, branding, copywriting, sticker design, SEO, hosting, analytics, you name it, we provided it. We used over seven different CMS for our projects. If a client wanted it, we tried to offer it, no matter how unsuitable it was for us.

On the surface, we fulfilled our projects, and our clients were always thrilled with the results. But below the surface, our operations were dissolving into a mess. Our eyes weren’t on the prize; we were always chasing after each little job for cash. It took too much time to learn new skills. When I looked at our timesheets and deducted the unbillable hours, our projects would hardly break even.

What hurt us even further is that with diversifying, we had to manage multiple workflows, software, and systems: Sketch, Illustrator, Photoshop, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Google Analytics, Final Cut Pro, etc. It was expensive with minimal return. It was like an Olympic swimmer signing up for a swimming-diving-ice-skating club when their passion is swimming.

So I took a step back. I boiled it down to what we enjoyed and excelled at. Ask yourself: for what do you want to be known? For us, it was psychology-driven, conversion-focused web design. This was the service our team had the most skills in and collectively could give the best value to our clients. Once I’d figured that out, it was easy to eliminate those other services and specialize.

You can niche down by service or industry and be the specialist in what you offer.

2. Know Your Numbers

The first red flag that my business was in trouble was when I said to my accountant, “I feel like my business is doing great.” He replied, “I don’t care how you feel. The facts are in the numbers. Show me your accounts, and I’ll tell you if you’re actually doing well.” As an intuition-driven guy, it was a real eye-opener; I’d only ever relied on gut instinct.

At one point, we had a ton of work coming in, so I hired a few juniors to help the rest of the team. The team grew to 16, and the vibes in the studio were great, but the numbers weren’t. Instead of increasing efficiency, projects took 40 hours longer than they should have done. Why? The seniors and mid-level designers were taking time out to train the juniors! Reassessing the team showed me I needed to hire experienced staff, so projects ran on time and budget. It was a hard decision but a necessary one to keep us afloat.

The crucial numbers for any design agency are your timesheets, where bottlenecks lie, how much you’re spending, how long a project takes; these determine your actual margins. Setting up quantitative software like Toggl, Gantt, and Asana were a game-changer for us. They gave our project management real purpose and potential. Knowing the average hours our primary type of project took made it easy to give clients realistic deadlines, anticipate the need for fresh hiring, and know when our plates were full. You do not want to bite off more than you can chew.

3. Become The Best Fit For Your Target Market

You can’t please everyone, and frankly, you shouldn’t be trying to. One type of bait won’t attract every kind of fish. First, identify the type of fish you want to catch, the pond where this type of fish lives, and finally, bait your hook with something that type of fish can’t resist.

Your sales team should be able to identify them instantly, and all you then need to do is streamline your team, process, and systems towards being the best fit for them.

4. Double Down On Marketing That Works

There are many different marketing avenues you can go down, but go down too many, and it becomes a tangled web of confused messaging.

Remember, just because your competitors are doing it does not mean it’s the most effective approach for your target market.

There are really only inbound and outbound types of strategies, and it’s a great idea to list out the pros and cons (and the ROI of each) concerning your target market. Or, you can approach marketing based on your existing skillset — for example, if you detest being in front of a camera and don’t want to do video marketing, then just don’t do it.

Identify what works for you, and then be consistent. Consistency is the secret to a successful marketing strategy.

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On June 29th, GitHub announced Copilot, an AI-powered auto-complete for programmers, prompting a debate about the ethics of borrowed code.

GitHub is one of the biggest code repositories on the Internet. It hosts billions of lines of code, creating an unparalleled dataset with which to train a coding AI. And that is exactly what OpenAI, via GitHub, thanks to its owners Microsoft has done — training Copilot using public repositories.

The chances are you haven’t tried Copilot yet, because it’s still invite-only via a VSCode plugin. People who have, are reporting that it’s a stunning tool, with a few limitations; it transforms coders from writers to editors because when code is inserted for you, you still have to read it to make sure it’s what you intended.

Some developers have cried “foul” at what they see as over-reach by a corporation unafraid of copyright infringement when long-term profits are on offer. There have also been reports of Copilot spilling private data, such as API keys. If, however, as GitHub states, the tool has been trained on publicly available code, the real question is: which genius saved an API key to a public repository.

GitHub’s defense has been that it has only trained Copilot on public code and that training AI on public datasets is considered “fair use” in the industry because any other approach is prohibitively expensive. However, as reported by The Verge, there is a growing question of what constitutes “fair use”; the TLDR being that if an application is commercial, then any work product is potentially derivative.

If a judge rules that Copilot’s code is derivative, then any code created with the tool is, by definition, derivative. Thus, we could conceivably reach the point at which a humans.txt file is required to credit everyone who deserves kudos for a site or app. It seems far-fetched, but we’re talking about a world in which restaurants serve tepid coffee for fear of litigation.

There are plenty of idealists (a group to which I could easily be accused of belonging) that nurture a soft-spot for the open-source, community-driven web. And of course, it’s true to say that many who walk the halls (or at least log into the Slack) of Microsoft, OpenAI, and GitHub are of the same inclination, contributing generously to open-source projects, mentoring, blogging, and offering a leg-up to other coders.

When I first learnt to code HTML, step one, before <p>hello World!</p> was view > developer > view source. Most human developers have been actively encouraged to look at other people’s code to understand the best way to achieve something — after all, that’s how web standards emerged.

Some individuals are perhaps owed credit for their work. One example is Robert Penner, whose work on easing functions inspired a generation of Actionscript/JavaScript coders. Penner published his functions online for free, under the MIT license; he also wrote a book which taught me, among other things, that a while loop beats a for loop, a lesson I use every day — I’d like to think the royalties bought him a small Caribbean island (or at least a vacation on one).

There is an important distinction between posting code online and publishing code examples in a book, namely that the latter is expected to be protected. Where Copilot is on questionable ground is that the AI is not a searchable database of functions, it’s code derived from specific problems. On the surface, it appears that anything Copilot produces must be derivative.

I don’t have a public GitHub repository, so OpenAI learned nothing from me. But let’s say I did. Let’s say I had posted a JavaScript-powered animation from which Copilot garnered some of its understanding. Does Microsoft owe me a fraction of its profits? Do I in turn owe Penner a fraction of mine? Does Penner owe Adobe (who bought Macromedia)? Does Adobe owe Brendan Eich (the creator of JavaScript)? Does Eich owe James Gosling (creator of Java), if not for the syntax, then for the name? And while we’re at it, which OS was Gosling using back in the mid-90s to compile his code — I doubt it was named after a fruit.

If this seems farcical, it’s because it is. But it’s a real problem created by the fact that technology is moving faster than the law. Intellectual property rights defined before the advent of the home computer cannot possibly define an AI-driven future.

 

Featured image uses images via Max Chen and Michael Dziedzic.

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A new design trend has emerged in the last year: Soft UI or Neumorphism is everywhere. 

Even Apple is in on the trend; the company introduced a host of changes in both its mobile and desktop operating systems that use the style. The elements of Soft UI introduced by Apple reflect various aspects of the Microsoft Fluent UI design too. 

So, if soft UI is such a huge concept, what do we need to know about it? How does soft UI work, and what are the pros and cons of using it?

What is Soft UI (Neumorphism)?

Soft UI involves using highlights and shadows in design elements to make them look as though they’re layered on the page. 

The term neumorphism is derived from a previous design style — skeuomorphism, where designers create something as close to its real-life counterpart as possible. If you remember the shift between iOS 6 and 7, you’ll remember the switch between skeuomorphic and flat designs. However, neumorphic design isn’t quite as dramatic. 

Neumorphism doesn’t focus excessively on things like contrast or similarities between real and digital elements. Instead, this “soft UI” practice creates a smoother experience for users. 

With neumorphism, you get the sense that buttons and cards are actually part of the background they’re on. This trend removes the flashier aspects of a typical interface and focuses on a softer style that stays consistent throughout the design. 

The Common Features of Soft UI

Soft UI is all about smoothing out the experience by making everything feel more connected. There’s nothing overly harsh in the aesthetic, hence the term “soft.”

So, what kind of features can you expect?

Rounded Corners: Soft UI removes some of the sharper parts of the interface, like the corners on modules and segments. This allows for a more gentle appearance overall. In this experimentation from Iqonic Design, we can see how the round corners tie everything together.

Transparency and Background Blur: Background blur and transparency are more popular today since the infamous iOS 7 solution emerged. Most people hated the appearance of ultra-minimalism, combined with thin fonts. However, the background blur effect was more popular. The blur in soft UI shows that part of the window is connected to the rest of the OS. It seems like parts of the background in the app are pushing through to the surface. 

Unified Symbols: Everything needs to fit perfectly in a soft UI design. Anything that doesn’t look like it’s part of the same entity throws off the experience. In this design experiment by Surja Sen Das Raj, you can see how all the colors, shadows, and gradients tie together consistently. Because everything is more uniform, the experience flows perfectly for the end-user. 

Implementing Soft UI Elements in Your Design

So, what does neumorphism look like in your UI design process?

Ultimately, it’s all about subtle contrast and aligned colors. Every part of your interface needs to look like it’s part of the same form. Your element and background need to be the same color so that you can create a feeling of objects protruding from the background. 

With Soft UI, the keys to success are shadows and highlights. 

Let’s take a look at some key steps. 

Achieving the Soft Look

When you’re designing your interface, remember that sharp edges make the interface more serious and formal. Rounded corners are more playful and friendly. 

What also makes the design look lightweight and delicate is plenty of deep shadows and highlights. When you add shadows to elements, you create a visual hierarchy. The items that cast a larger, deeper shadow are the ones closest to you. That’s why only a few elements need to cast an intense shadow. Everything else should work in the background. 

Take a look at this design by Alexander Plyuto, for instance.

Creating Smooth and Delicate Gradients

Gradients are part of the shadow and highlighting process in Soft UI design. Ideally, you’ll need to choose colors from the same palette, just toned down or brightened, depending on your needs. The gradient needs to be barely visible, but just enough to make the elements stand out. 

For white gradients, like highlights, use a very delicate color somewhere between white and your background shade. For instance, consider this design from Marina Tericheva.

Consider the Little Details

Finally, remember that the neumorphism design principle is all about little details. 

Choosing a font that visually matches the background is an excellent choice. However, you can also choose something more contrasting, as this will help information stand out

Adding a little bit of the background into your fonts might be suitable too. For instance, if you have a green font and a grey background, add a little grey into the mix. 

Extra elements in your design, like allowing a button to shift into a more recessed state after being clicked, are a great way to make the soft UI more engaging. Everything your end-user interacts with needs to feel smooth and perfectly unified. 

The Problems with Soft UI Design

Just because a design process is trending – doesn’t mean it won’t have its issues. 

Neumorphism is a fun way to make apps, operating systems, and websites feel more friendly and informal. However, this softer approach has a weak spot too. 

When you’re dealing with a small margin of contrast and color where neumorphism works well, it’s hard to get the effect right every time. For instance, this all-yellow design for Dtail Studio may be overwhelming for some.

A slight deviation in saturation or a problem with your shadowing could render the entire effect of Neumorphism completely pointless. 

Another major issue is accessibility. The soft UI design looks great for people who have a full visual range. However, visually impaired users might not see the same benefits. Anyone without perfect vision may see crucial objects disappearing into the background.

Your users don’t necessarily need significant vision problems to struggle with neumorphism, either. The design is all about softness that causes elements to almost blend together. People with low-quality screens that don’t have as many pixels to work with won’t see these elements. 

Issues With Buttons and CTAs

Another major issue of neumorphism is that its subtlety can lead to problems with attracting clicks and conversions. Usability is the most important consideration of any UI design. 

Unfortunately, when you focus on subtle elements throughout your entire interface, usability sometimes takes a hit. 

Let’s consider buttons, for instance – they’re essential to any interface. To simplify the customer journey, these buttons need to be noticeable, and they need to shift into different states when your customers interact with them. 

For the button experience to be excellent, users need to notice the design instantly. However, the heart of neumorphism revolves around the idea that nothing stands out too much. 

This isn’t just an accessibility issue; it’s a problem for conversions too. 

Neumorphism is soft on the eyes, with minimal color contrast and few color pops. This means that CTA buttons don’t stand out as much as they should. Buttons almost blend into the background, and the website struggles to pull attention to the areas that demand it most. 

How to Experiment With Soft UI (Free Kits)

The key to unlocking the benefits of soft UI interfaces without getting lost in the negative points – is proper experimentation. Like any new design trends, professionals and artists will need to learn how to merge the elements of soft UI together in a way that doesn’t compromise usability. 

Trends in UI design can’t focus exclusively on aesthetics, as a customer’s comfort will always be an essential part of the process. 

If you want to start exploring, here are some of the best kits and freebies to get you started:

Closing Thoughts on Soft UI

The world of design and the trends that we use are constantly changing. Companies are always searching for the best ways to connect with their users. Often, this means focusing on an interface that really connects with your target audience and delivers the best possible results. 

The soft UI design trend has its benefits and its downsides. On the one hand, the smooth appearance of every element on a combined screen can deliver a delightful aesthetic. Buttons feel less imposing, and elements are friendlier and easier to interact with. 

On the other hand, neumorphism also makes it difficult to truly capture your audience’s attention in the places where it matters most. It suffers from accessibility issues and requires plenty of care and practice.

Source

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