The Index

An index, as all good books have

A searchable glossary of the words that come up in software commissions, three short essays for people commissioning work, and the credits for our photographic plates.

A

Accessibility design
Designing so that people using keyboards, screen readers, magnification or voice control can use a product fully. In the UK, the WCAG 2.2 guidelines at level AA are the usual reference point.
API build
Application programming interface: the agreed way two pieces of software exchange information, such as an app asking a server for a user's bookings.

B

Backup care
A copy of data kept separately so it can be restored. A backup that has never been test-restored should be treated as a hope rather than a backup.
Brief plan
A written description of what a commission must achieve. A good brief names the users, the problem, the constraints and what success looks like — and leaves the solution open.

C

Certificate (SSL/TLS) care
The file that lets a website use HTTPS. Certificates expire; automated renewal should be set up and checked.
Cross-platform build
Building one codebase that runs on both iOS and Android, rather than two separate native apps.

D

Data safety form publish
Google Play's declaration of what data an app collects and shares. It must match the app's actual behaviour.
Dependency care
Third-party code your software relies upon. Dependencies receive security fixes that must be applied regularly.
Discovery plan
A short, separately priced stage at the start of a commission to understand users and constraints before estimating the full build.
DNS build
The system that maps a domain name to servers. DNS records direct visitors to your website and tell other servers where to deliver your email.
D-U-N-S number publish
A business identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet, required by Apple for organisation developer accounts.

H

Handover document care
A record of every account, credential location, renewal date and procedure needed to run a product without its original authors.

P

Prototype design
A clickable model of an interface used to test ideas with people before building them properly.

R

Release notes publish
A plain description of what changed in each version. Written for users, not for developers.

S

Staged roll-out publish
Releasing an update to a fraction of users first, so a fault can be caught before it reaches everyone.

T

TestFlight publish
Apple's service for distributing test versions of an iOS app to invited testers.

U

Usability test design
Watching a person attempt a realistic task with your product while thinking aloud, without being helped.

W

WCAG design
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published by the W3C. Version 2.2 is current.

Essay: on commissioning an app

Begin by writing down the person you are building for and the moment in their day when they will open your app. If you cannot picture that moment, the app is not yet ready to be commissioned. Ask every supplier to explain, in writing, why they recommend a particular technology for you. A good answer refers to your circumstances; a poor one refers to their preferences. Insist that developer accounts, code repositories and domains are held in your organisation's name from the start.

Essay: on inheriting a website

First, find the keys: domain registrar, DNS, hosting, editor, email records. Write down where each lives and when it renews. Second, make a backup and try restoring it somewhere harmless. Only then begin changing things. Most website disasters begin with an enthusiastic edit made before anyone knew where the backup was.

Essay: on reporting a fault

What were you trying to do? What did you expect? What happened instead? When, on which device and browser? A screenshot is worth several paragraphs. A password is never needed and should never be sent.

Picture credits

The photographic plates on this site are licensed stock images chosen to suggest the setting of our work. They depict neither Pilcrow staff nor client projects.