Testing
In this blog post I will walk you through how to set up a Jest custom environment in order to dynamically skip tests after they have been queued.
Testing
Jest is a JavaScript unit testing framework that is popular amongst developers wanting to ensure code correctness. Jest is not typically used for tasks like performance testing, but offers some useful features in snapshot testing that can be enhanced to carry out such tasks.
Sustainability
You think software has enough variables, right? Well there is another one that has become a big consideration when designing, developing and deploying software and its name is Sustainability. This area of consideration comes with its own terminology and with this blog post I hope to shed some light onto the nomenclature. So when someone comes up to you and says "I want to design a sustainable, carbon aware system that focuses on reducing the operational carbon of my business but also minimises embodied carbon", you will know exactly what they are looking for!
Testing
User stories are a pivotal component of Agile Software Development, serving as concise and user-centric descriptions of desired software functionality. Hence, here I am, discussing how crucial it is to put user stories right for setting the foundation for a well-structured, user-focused, and efficient development process.
Podcast
In this episode, Oliver and Peter from Scott Logic are joined by Laura Bell Main, CEO and co-founder of SafeStack, for a lively discussion on DevSecOps. They touch on techniques such as “assume breach” and “shift left”, and the relationship to DevOps, which is trying to solve a similar problem.
People
To a lot of people who identify as LGBTQIA+, coming out for the first time can be daunting enough. To some it’s celebrated, to some it’s met with relief and to others, unfortunately, it can be negative beyond belief. But here’s the catch, we have to do it again and again and again…
People
Over the years, some organisations (including some I have been part of) have promoted the idea of ‘celebrating failure’, encouraging employees to be open when it comes to mistakes they have made in the past, in order to learn for the future. But how honest have we really been when doing this? And how can we celebrate failure in the right way?
Tech
Understand how Google and other search engines use LLMs to gain insights into the semantic meaning of the language in search queries using embedding and cosine similarity.
UX Design
We all have a unique view of the world around us. It's important for designers to consider the impact of mental models on the overall user experience. Let's take a deeper look into how mental models play a role in design.
Podcast
In this episode, I'm joined by Bailey Hayes from Cosmonic and Sean Isom from Adobe to go beyond the hype with WebAssembly. We start by discussing the early days of WebAssembly, and where it all began, in the browser. We debate the infamous tweet that compares WebAssembly to Docker, and look at the future promise of the Component Model, which aims to break down language barriers.
Tech
There are a plethora of datagrid and table solutions available for JavaScript applications, but it can still be tough to find one that does exactly what you need. In this post, I provide an introduction to an option you might not have considered: using the table library that doesn't actually provide a table at all.
Artificial Intelligence
I was part of a Scott Logic team that developed and delivered a Proof of Concept (PoC) for a major retail bank which demonstrated high potential business value and showed how GenAI could be reined in as part of a range of options to mitigate risk. In this post, I provide an overview of how it worked.
People
Ashleigh has been working alongside staff at Altitude Foundation for work experience this year. While on work experience, the team at Altitude Foundation tasked them with interviewing staff from Scott Logic to find out a bit about their careers and how young people could find a path into the tech industry.
People
Lessons learned in my first two years as a developer, including the importance of learning from failure, avoiding comparison, developing soft skills, and networking.
People
Those involved in managing organisations' environmental impact often point to the 'supply chain challenge', that is, the difficulty of measuring the GHG emissions associated with suppliers' goods and services. But most businesses are themselves also suppliers, so if we're all waiting for our suppliers to answer the question before we can, then we're stuck in a deadlock. This post shares our first (probably imperfect) stab at trying to progress this issue.
UX Design
In today's digital world, ensuring accessibility in software has become increasingly crucial. The practice of designing software that can be easily used by everyone, including individuals with disabilities, has significant implications for user experience, legal compliance, and business success. In this article, we will delve into the concept of accessibility, its importance, and explore practical considerations to integrate accessibility throughout the software development process. By prioritizing accessibility, we can create inclusive digital experiences that benefit all users and contribute to a more equitable society.
UX Design
My summary of a one day UI/UX conference event in the heart of Bristol. There were a range of talks, from declarative design to web development in the times of AI. This was the first conference I'd attended, so here's my thoughts and highlights of the day.
Tech
In this post, I share the top things that resonated with me from the Reset Connect Conference 2023 and crucially some of the topics that I felt were missing – and that we at Scott Logic are actively researching and working on.
Tech
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Video
We've all now seen the apparently creative outputs of Generative AI, with astonishing results that seem to border on human creativity. How does GPT-3 achieve this? In this short talk, I lift the lid to reveal the probabilistic elements that allow an otherwise deterministic model to give all the appearances of creativity.
UX Design
In this blog post, two of our consultants share their insights from a panel discussion focused on enhancing the accessibility of digital products and services. They delve into the challenges encountered by disabled users, emphasize the significance of integrating accessibility considerations from the outset, and highlight the universal advantages that accessibility can offer.