{"pageProps":{"posts":[{"date":"2017-11-30T22:01:55Z","layout":"post","title":"DevelopHER Awards 2017","author":["lauren"],"hero":"/static/images/pages/posts/2017-11-30-developher-awards-2017/hero.jpg","tags":["Article","MeetTheCommunity"],"excerpt":"Keen to grow the East Anglian network, founder Vickie Allen held the third DevelopHER Awards in Cambridge this year. Hosted by the stunning Corn Exchange, there were pink and silver balloons hovering above every table and goody bags on every chair - the venue was ready for an ama...","body":"\nKeen to grow the East Anglian network, founder Vickie Allen held the third [DevelopHER Awards](http://developherawards.com/) in Cambridge this year. Hosted by the stunning Corn Exchange, there were pink and silver balloons hovering above every table and goody bags on every chair - the venue was ready for an amazing event.\n\nThere were nearly 200 nominations for the fifteen awards and all the winners were humbled when their names were announced, and more than a few were taken by surprise! Nikita Hari, winner of the Entrepreneur award, said she was flattered to be sharing the stage with such impressive women and Gabriela Garrido, who took home the Innovation award, hadn't prepared a speech she said, because she was sure she wouldn't win as the other nominees were of such a high caliber.\n\nTech Star winner Sylvia Lu, in her acceptance speech, said that results have no gender and Jenny Cham spoke of the possibility of 'having it all' when collecting her award for User Experience. The winner of the Inspiration award quite rightly also won the overall DevelopHER Award. Hazel Cottrell had been nominated by multiple people, in and outside of the industry. As a hard worker with Creative Content Company, she also volunteered with social causes and helped school children with their future careers. Collecting her awards clearly meant a lot to Hazel as she shed a few tears, both times.\n\nOnce again the DevelopHER Awards showed the valuable contribution that women make to the tech industry, and how that contribution is growing year on year.\n\nNext years awards are due to take place on the 28th November in a venue yet to be announced, and if this years event is anything to go by it is sure to be inspirational (and very pink!)","path":"/posts/2017-11-30-developher-awards-2017"},{"date":"2017-11-06T21:36:16Z","layout":"post","title":"AI: Better for Business, Better for Employees?","author":["lauren"],"hero":"/static/images/pages/posts/2017-11-06-ai-better-for-business-better-for-employees/hero.jpeg","tags":["Article"],"excerpt":"Artificial intelligence is unashamedly a big deal - why else wouldNorfolk Developers’ Journalbe running an AI special?! With annual global revenue predicted to grow from $643 million in 2016 to$36.8 billion in 2025, artificial intelligence represents the fastest growing sector in...","body":"\nArtificial intelligence is unashamedly a big deal - why else would_Norfolk Developers’ Journal_be running an AI special?! With annual global revenue predicted to grow from $643 million in 2016 to[$36.8 billion in 2025](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825006052/en/Artificial-Intelligence-Revenue-Reach-36.8-Billion-Worldwide), artificial intelligence represents the fastest growing sector in IT.\n\nBusinesses have been quick to investigate the ways AI can increase their profitability and solve a variety of problems. Research by[the Economist](https://www.eiuperspectives.economist.com/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence-real-world-0)revealed that 75% of 200 business surveyed said there are plans to implement AI in their company within the next three years.\n\nWhile this innovation is great news for bosses, how do team members feel about the advent of AI in their companies? As extreme as it sounds, one report from[Udemy](http://www.techrepublic.com/article/report-fear-of-losing-job-to-ai-is-the-no-1-cause-of-stress-at-work/)found that fear of losing your job to AI is the number one cause of stress among US employees.\n\nChange can be scary, and that’s ok. But, we think AI in the workplace is nothing to be afraid of\n\nWhile early predictions suggest a handful of jobs may be ‘lost’ to AI,[experts reckon](https://appdevelopermagazine.com/5481/2017/8/28/ai-will-create-more-jobs-than-it-takes/)that the potential of AI will develop more jobs than it cuts. Let’s take a look at some of the ways AI is improving things for the workforce across sectors.\n\n**Customer services**\n\nAccording to[Gartner](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2017/03/artificial-intelligence-changing-your-life-statistics.html), by 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationship with a brand without ever interacting with a human.\n\nThe business benefits of using AI in customer services are clear. Automating part of the process frees up customer service agents to respond to more complex tasks. This could done through the use of AI chat-bots, or AI systems that can assist and augment the knowledge of call handlers.\n\nBusinesses will not only save time money on training and service, but can also provide a better service experience for customers through AI. With our ‘always on’ society, more and more customers want to speak to businesses outside the hours of nine to five - often difficult when using human staff.\n\nOn the surface, this sounds like a very definite cut in the number of customer service agents that will be needed by businesses. However, it’s not as clear-cut as that.\n\nImagine if freeing up the time of customer service staff allowed them to focus more on complicated processes? Not only will customers benefit from the reassuring assistance of a real human when they're facing a difficult problem, but it also creates the opportunity to make the work more rewarding for staff. There’s nothing like the gratitude of a satisfied customer to thank you for a job really well done - and not even AI can do that.\n\n**Knowledge automation**\n\nWhen a business has a particularly knowledgeable and experienced team member, their departure could be disastrous.\n\nLuckily, the automation of knowledge can help. Knowledge automation is not about “teaching” computers to do a job, rather it involves mapping the knowledge of experienced team members. This knowledge map can then be used to create a system that can record everything there is to know. This data can then be used to create automated training processes, or even chat interfaces that will answer questions - whatever suits the business best.\n\nNot only does this mean no jobs are lost, but it also allows other employees to benefit from the knowledge of their colleagues. This is good news for everyone: businesses that encourage workplace training are likely to have happier employees, and happy employees are[more productive](https://www.fastcompany.com/3048751/happy-employees-are-12-more-productive-at-work), and more likely to stay in a position long-term.\n\n**Big data analysis**\n\nData analysis and artificial intelligence go hand in hand; especially when combined with the continuous stream of data provided by the internet of things. This is one sector in which no jobs are “threatened” by AI: big data sets are so large, it can’t be analysed by human minds anyway.\n\nHowever, it is the potential of big data analysis for personalisation that will have the real human impact on employees and customers alike.\n\nA large data set of customer information is a great asset for any brand looking to improve its offering. Personalised emails[perform six times better](http://marketingland.com/study-70-brands-personalizing-emails-missing-higher-transaction-rates-revenue-73241)than generic marketing emails, and yet 70% of brand don’t use them because they don’t have the data. Clearly, AI can be applied to help businesses learn more about their potential customers.\n\nOf course, this data needn’t be purely digital: really smart businesses will unite IOT real-world with data with information gathered digitally about their customers.\n\nAnd what about the benefit to employees? Learning more about their customers can help employees serve them better, smoothing out problems from their work flow, and - if they work in sales - even boosting their commission.\n\n**AI: Better for everyone**\n\nAs we’ve seen, AI offers dozens of solutions to common business dilemmas: it can increase profitability by saving businesses time, money, and resources.\n\nThough a business’s biggest priority is its customers, they cannot afford to ignore the value of their staff. Smart brands will invest the increased profits gained by AI into their employees.\n\nEntrepreneur extraordinaire, Richard Branson,[said it himself](https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/why-is-looking-after-your-employees-so-\\important):\n\n> take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your business.\n\nThis is truer than ever when it comes to tech companies. Experts agree that happy staff and an emphasis on learning are the key to successful innovation.\n\nSounds like AI could be HR’s new best friend…\n\n***\n\nBy Melissa Taylor, Brand Communications Manager at[Luminous PR](http://luminouspr.com/)\n\nLuminous PR is a tech PR agency, specialising comms for digital businesses. We work with tech brands of all sizes: from sparky startups and SMEs to international corporates, we provide tech PR, social media, marketing, and content.","path":"/posts/2017-11-06-ai-better-for-business-better-for-employees"},{"date":"2017-11-06T21:16:38Z","layout":"post","title":"3D Printing:  Opportunity or Risk?","author":["lauren"],"hero":"/static/images/pages/posts/2017-11-06-3d-printing-opportunity-or-risk/hero.jpeg","tags":["Article"],"excerpt":"It will come as a surprise to many that technology underpinning 3D printing (often known as “stereolithography” or “additive manufacturing”) has existed for over 30 years, first entering public consciousness when French inventor Alain Le Mehaute filed a patent to protect the ster...","body":"\nIt will come as a surprise to many that technology underpinning 3D printing (often known as “stereolithography” or “additive manufacturing”) has existed for over 30 years, first entering public consciousness when French inventor Alain Le Mehaute filed a patent to protect the stereolithography process in 1984.\n\nWhilst progress in the commercial development of 3D printing stagnated during the 1980s and 90s, the expiry of original patents over recent years has seen a new wave of interest in the possibilities that can be achieved through 3D printing. The potential benefits of 3D printing have been widely commented on and are seemingly endless; from offering a solution to[the global shortage of organs for transplants](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/30/will-3d-printing-solve-the-organ-transplant-shortage)to[revolutionising the way that food is consumed](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/vegetables-3d-printers-shapes-university-of-foggia-journal-of-food-engineering-a7855511.html).\n\nAt a commercial level, in light of the dramatic fall in the cost of 3D printers over the past few years, large-scale manufacturing can for the first time be realised by ordinary consumers. It is therefore possible that we will see a paradigm shift in the operation of supply chains, with consumers and small businesses “printing” their own products rather than approaching third party manufacturers to do so.\n\nAlthough these expectations are likely to be impossibly high for a single technology, there is little doubt that 3D printing will be transformative in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors. However, as with any significant innovation there are likely to be risks and implications that need proper consideration; in this case, the potentially disruptive effect that 3D printing may have on the legal framework governing Intellectual Property Rights (“IPR”).\n\nAs it becomes easier and cheaper to reproduce any object, there are concerns that the copier will be exposed to a claim for infringement of a third party’s IPR. There have already been instances of copyright infringement claims in the United States, including an online trader who sold iPhone chargers in the form of the Iron Throne from HBO’s series, Game of Thrones, and there are expected to be many more. Although most would agree that this is the correct approach where commercial printers are involved, it may be seen as overly prohibitive to restrict consumers who wish to replicate items for personal use.\n\nThe purpose of this article is to briefly review the potential impact that 3D printing will have on the framework of intellectual property rights in the UK.\n\n**Copyright**\n\nCopyright is an important intellectual property right to consider in the context of 3D printing. Copyright automatically subsists in certain works involving intellectual creation (e.g. literary or artistic works). Copyright does not need to be registered, and will usually come into existence upon creation of the relevant work. Depending on various factors, such as the type of work, copyright protection can last for up to 70 years after the death of the person who created the work.\n\nFor an object to qualify for copyright protection it must be an “artistic work”. It is commonly understood that only sculptures or works of artistic craftsmanship can legitimately be categorised as artistic works. On that basis, it is unlikely that mass-produced objects will benefit from copyright protection.\n\nThe Courts have confirmed that for an object to be an artistic work, it must have some aesthetic appeal, taking account of the author’s intentions. For example, a mass-produced suite of furniture was deemed not to qualify as an artistic work, whereas individually handcrafted jewellery may. In any event, it has been historically difficult to successfully establish that an object is an artistic work for the purposes of copyright.\n\nHowever, if the original object does qualify for copyright protection, the reproduction of that object using a 3D printer is likely to amount to copyright infringement – unless the copier has a defence or consent from the owner of the copyright. Whilst this is likely to be of concern for businesses reproducing objects on a commercial scale, consumers who “print” a personal copy of an object for private, non-commercial use will have a valid defence under copyright legislation. In these circumstances, consumers would not be deemed to infringe on the copyright of the original object.\n\nIn view of the above, the fundamental question will be whether the original object qualifies for copyright protection, and if so, whether the 3D printing is being carried out for commercial purposes. If the answer to both is positive, it is expected that the copier will be infringing on copyright, unless they have a defence or the necessary consent.\n\n**Trade Marks**\n\nTrade marks are used by traders to differentiate their goods or services from those of other traders. Trade marks are usually a business’ trade name, logo or strap line and can exist either as a registered trade mark (where the owner would apply to register the mark on a specified register) or an unregistered trade mark.\n\nGenerally speaking, the owner of a registered trade mark has the exclusive right to use the trade mark in relation to the goods and/or services for which it is registered. On that basis, if a third party seeks to use a similar or identical mark in relation to similar or identical goods and/or services, the owner of the existing trade mark is entitled to bring proceedings for trade mark infringement.\n\nIf an object contains a trade mark, the reproduction of that trade mark by way of 3D printing may be an infringing on a third party trade mark. However, in most cases, the owner of a trade mark will only be able to bring a claim for trade mark infringement if the reproduction is “in the course of business”. Similarly to copyright, commercial traders who are printing objects for the purposes of sale need be cautious about the prospect of trade mark infringement. However, consumers printing objects in a personal capacity are unlikely to be acting in the course of business, and therefore reproduction in these circumstances will not amount to trade mark infringement.\n\n**Design Rights**\n\nDesign rights are intended to protect the appearance of purely functional articles, with no requirement for artistic or aesthetic appeal. Like trade marks, design rights can be registered or unregistered. In order to register a design, it must be whole or part of a product, new and have individual character. Once registered, design rights can be renewed every 5 years up to a maximum of 25 years.\n\nDesign rights may be the most appropriate form of protection to prevent objects being commercially reproduced by way of 3D printing, and can fill the gap where copyright will not apply. Commercial reproduction of objects using 3D printers without a valid defence or the consent of the owner of the design right may constitute infringement of design rights. Designs rights share a similar defence as applies under copyright and trade mark law; the reproduction of an object will not be design right infringement if it is carried out by an individual for private, non-commercial use.\n\n**Comment**\n\nOn brief analysis, it appears that the current IPR framework is sufficient to adequately address the reproduction of objects using 3D printers. It ensures that commercial 3D printers are still required to obtain consent, as would be the case in any other manufacturing process, whilst ensuring that consumers are not unfairly penalised for replicating objects for their own private use.\n\nThose most at risk of infringing on third party IPR will be small businesses, who are seeking to cut manufacturing costs by printing products themselves without proper assessment of the legal implications. It is expected that corporations who own IPR in objects or designs will be wise to the likelihood of infringement and will inevitably step-up their operations to monitor use of their IPR in the context of 3D printing.\n\nHowever, whilst some traders may be focussing on the need to more-robustly enforce their intellectual property rights to prevent infringement, others see opportunity in commercial exploitation of 3D printing. For example, Lego have obtained a patent to protect the process under which it will enable its customers to print their own Lego bricks on 3D printers at home. It is easy to see how the prospect of printing your own product, licensed by the product owner, could capture the imagination of consumers. For businesses, it could be a simple, cost-effective way to add another revenue stream. Commentators have suggested that other retailers and/or product owners may also follow Lego’s initiative and make their products available to be printed using some form of subscription model.\n\nWhatever forthcoming avenues are to be pursued by businesses and those in the non-for-profit sector, it is plain to see that 3D printing has the potential to cause widespread disruption in a range of traditional industries. For many, however, this disruption will give rise to opportunity, which on assessment, is more than likely to outweigh the risks posed by 3D printing.\n\n***\n\nWritten by Alex Saunders, [Leathes Prior](https://twitter.com/leathesprior).","path":"/posts/2017-11-06-3d-printing-opportunity-or-risk"},{"date":"2017-11-06T21:10:05Z","layout":"post","title":"Meet The Community: Norfolk Developers","author":["lauren"],"hero":"/static/images/pages/posts/2017-11-06-meet-the-community-norfolk-developers/hero.jpg","tags":["Article","MeetTheCommunity"],"excerpt":"Norfolk Developers almost need no introduction. If you’re reading this magazine, you know who they are. Considering the group’s importance and influence in the region’s tech scene, they were an obvious choice to feature in our ‘Meet The Community’ feature. We spoke to founder Pau...","body":"\n**Norfolk Developers almost need no introduction. If you’re reading this magazine, you know who they are. Considering the group’s importance and influence in the region’s tech scene, they were an obvious choice to feature in our ‘Meet The Community’ feature. We spoke to founder Paul Grenyer about nor(DEV): about his favourite moment of past meet-ups and what the future holds for the deep-tech group.**\n\n**When were you founded?**\n\nJuly 2013, by Paul Grenyer, Dom Davis & Ben Taylor\n\n**What inspired you to start Norfolk Developers?**\n\nPaul Grenyer started a group 18 months before, called Agile East Anglia (<https://tinyurl.com/bwrbafj>), which was one of the groups which merged to form [SyncNorwich](https://www.meetup.com/syncnorwich/) in 2012. After he left SyncNorwich, Paul ran a small MongoDB based meetup group, which had three events, before he realised there was an appetite for a purely technical group in Norwich. So he formed Norfolk Developers with Ben and Dom.\n\n**How has Norfolk developers evolved since it first began?**\n\nIn lots of ways. As well as regular monthly evening events featuring two, fortyfive minute tech sessions, Norfolk Developers now also run quarterly breakfasts and a monthly networking event call NorDevBiz. The jewel in the crown is the yearly Norfolk Developers Conference. Norfolk Developers as also run lunches and Agile on the Bench sessions in the past.\n\n**Is it what you imagined it would be now?**\n\nNo, it’s much bigger and does so much more.\n\n**What is your favourite part/memory/aspect of Norfolk Developers?**\n\nWhen Robert “Uncle Bob” Martin came to speak a packed room just before Christmas 2015: <http://paulgrenyer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/uncle-bob-comes-to-norwich.html>\n\n**And the groups greatest achievement?**\n\nProbably over 400 people for the main conference day in 2016.\n\n**Where do you see Norfolk Developers going in the future?**\n\nHopefully the membership will continue to grow. Attendance will grow and it will help Norwich and Norfolk be seen as the place where tech entrepreneurs come to start their businesses.\n\n**One thing people might not know about Norfolk Developers?**\n\nNorfolk Developers meetups were originally held in Virgin Wine’s meeting room at St. James Mill before moving to the King's Centre.","path":"/posts/2017-11-06-meet-the-community-norfolk-developers"},{"date":"2017-11-06T21:03:28Z","layout":"post","title":"Building A Successful Chatbot","author":["lauren"],"hero":"/static/images/pages/posts/2017-11-06-meet-the-community-norfolk-developers/hero.jpg","tags":["Article","MeetTheCommunity"],"excerpt":"First things first, what exactly is a chatbot? A quick Google will give you lots of different answers to this simple question. I have attempted my own definition with the caveat that this fledgling technology is constantly evolving so this may well be out of date by the time you ...","body":"\n**First things first, what exactly is a chatbot?**\n\nA quick Google will give you lots of different answers to this simple question. I have attempted my own definition with the caveat that this fledgling technology is constantly evolving so this may well be out of date by the time you read it. Here goes:\n\n> A chatbot is a software program that an end user interacts with via a conversational interface such as Facebook Messenger, Slack, Telegram, etc. The software program itself can utilise artificial intelligence to simulate conversation using natural language understanding (NLU), it can also be rule/flow based with the goal of directing a user down a specific path, or it can be a combination of the two.\n\n**Background**\n\nI have been building enterprise-level chatbots at[ubisend](https://www.ubisend.com)since early 2016. The spectrum of projects we have been involved with has been huge and includes everything from sales tools to celebrity personas to daily news briefings. Even though the scope of these projects has been so varied, I have come to the conclusion that many of the key concepts to building a successful bot remain consistent no matter what the goal or scope.\n\nThe rest of this article will provide you with an overview of these key concepts. I would recommend you keep these in mind if you are building a bot.\n\n**Key concepts**\n\nManage expectations -\n\nFor me, this is one of the most important points of all. At the very beginning of the user journey, set the expectations of what your bot can do. This would usually be in the very first message or at the end of the onboarding sequence if you have one. It should be a concise overview of the main purpose of your bot. The [Golden State Warriors bot](https://www.messenger.com/t/warriors) is a great example of how to do this well.\n\nPersonalisation -\n\nPersonalising messages can be as simple as using the name of the user when chatting, right up to building a full user profile you can use later to tailor the content of your messages. The more information you have, the more personal you can make your service which will serve to delight your users.\n\nDon’t try to know everything -\n\nTrying to respond to every question should not be the goal of your bot. In my experience, you will waste a lot of time setting up your bot for questions that its users will never ask and lose focus of the core objectives.\n\nHave defined goals -\n\nNo matter what the purpose of your bot, make sure you know what it is you are trying to achieve. If you are new to bots, you are likely working with a completely different interface than you are used to. One that you have little control over. This can make it more difficult to direct a user where you want them to go or even educate them on what they can achieve with the bot. Keeping your goals in mind can help you to focus better on the user journey.\n\nKnow your subject matter -\n\nThis is aimed more at those bots utilising NLU to determine the intent of the user’s input and respond accordingly.\n\nNow that you have a set of defined goals and have set the expectations of the user, your bot better be able to do what you say your bot can do! Failing to answer a question on a subject you have told the user they can talk about ends in a pretty bad user experience.\n\nBe clever with your content -\n\nIf it’s a bad experience for the user when your bot can’t answer a question, it’s even worse when the bot asks the question and can’t understand the response. With that in mind, try not to ask questions in your responses unless you are confident you will be able to handle it and reply accordingly. I have made this mistake in the past…\n\nError handling -\n\nIt’s inevitable that your bot will get it wrong and this is OK. Users tend not to be put off as long as you give them a way of getting back on track. Consider using what I like to call conversation aligners. If your bot is stuck, give the user a way to move on and perhaps reaffirm the scope of your bot to try and guide the user into talking about something you can handle. We built this into the PG tips Monkey bot to great effect.\n\nIf things are going really wrong, you may also want to consider giving the user an option to speak with a human.\n\nKeep learning and iterating -\n\nFinally and most \\\\importantly, analyse the conversations your bot is having and learn from them. If you are using NLU, figure out where your bot is getting it wrong and train it so it doesn’t make the same mistake again. If you have a flow-based based bot, make sure there are no bottlenecks where users are getting stuck. As with most pieces of software, learning from your users is \\\\important.\n\nThe great thing about bots is you’re not reliant on feedback from the user. You are getting the feedback in real time as you can see exactly what the user is asking and what they are trying to do. You’ll quickly be able to see what is working, what isn’t and what the most obvious features are that you need to add.\n\n**Summary**\n\nAs with most software projects, building bots can be very challenging and equally very rewarding. Watching conversations in real-time is an unusual experience as it’s not often you get to see exactly what your user is seeing. This is the best feedback you could possibly get to help iterate and improve things for your users. Keep things simple, defined and allow a user a way out if they get stuck and you will be well on your way to a successful chatbot.\n\n***\n\nI hope this has been useful. If you have any feedback, please feel free to get in touch.\n\n[**Joe Dixon**](https://twitter.com/_joedixon)","path":"/posts/2017-11-06-building-a-successful-chatbot"},{"date":"2016-03-05T14:34:26Z","layout":"post","title":"nor(DEV):con 2016 a HUGE success!","author":["lauren"],"tags":["NorDevCon","Retrospective"],"excerpt":"nor(DEV):con attracted over 400 people this year, the biggest turnout yet! There were international speakers, fully booked workshops and a great atmosphere over the whole weekend. This year's new business track proved popular, especially Ermine Amies' 'Time Bandits' session, with...","body":"\nnor(DEV):con attracted over 400 people this year, the biggest turnout yet! There were international speakers, fully booked workshops and a great atmosphere over the whole weekend.\n\nThis year's new business track proved popular, especially Ermine Amies' 'Time Bandits' session, with delegates taking away practical tips and advice on how to better use their time, and Jon Bradford's 'Silicon Broad: Bridges not Valleys' about the future of tech startups.\n\nThe [EDP covered the conference](http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/hundreds_of_tech_leaders_gather_for_norfolk_developers_annual_summit_1_4434428), which will be held from Thursday 23rd to Saturday 25th February next year, and already has a number of big names lined up!\n\nKeep an eye on the nor(DEV):con website, or follow them on Facebook and twitter to be kept up to date.\n\nLastly, a massive thank you to everyone who supported and attended the conference, it was a HUGE success because of you!","path":"/posts/2016-03-05-nordevcon-2016-a-huge-success"}],"slug":"lauren"},"__N_SSG":true}