Toptal Blog

The Toptal Blog is the top hub for developers, designers, finance experts, executives, and entrepreneurs, featuring key technology updates, tutorials, freelancer resources, and management insights.

Toptal core team members share their experience, expertise, and perspectives on the Toptal Edge Blog

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Play Is the Point: How UX Designers Can Break Into the Gaming Industry

There are many ways for game UX designers to break into this multibillion-dollar industry. Using her 14 years of video game UX expertise, designer Pam Nicholls shares how.

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Pam Nicholls

Pam is a UX designer who specializes in video games, augmented reality, SaaS, and web applications. She has a master’s degree in industrial design and has worked on projects for high-profile clients such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, DreamWorks Animation, Scrabble, the NBA, and the NHL.

An Expert Workaround for Executing Complex Entity Framework Core Stored Procedures

Microsoft’s Entity Framework Core is a popular object-relational mapper, but it doesn’t support the return of complex type results from stored procedures. A clever bit of code gets us around this limitation, returning non-database entities with ease.

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Pankaj Kansodariya

Pankaj is a back-end developer and Microsoft Certified Professional with more than 18 years of experience within the Microsoft ecosystem, including C#, VB.NET, SQL Server, and cloud computing with Microsoft Azure. He has worked as a .NET developer at companies including Granicus, Gartner, and Jacobs.

Streamline Event-driven Microservices With Kafka and Python

With the rise of big data, cloud, and streaming platforms, monolithic apps just won’t do. Here’s a blueprint for an adaptable and scalable event-driven microservices project using Kafka and Python.

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Dmitry Shurov

Dmitry is a software developer and Python expert. He has eight years of experience at companies such as Kaspersky and FABLEfx, and has developed multiple microservices systems across the globe using Kafka and Python.

The Metrics Investors Want: Quantitative Forecasting for Early-stage Startups

It’s a catch-22 for young startups: How do you attract investors with compelling financial projections if you don’t have historical data? Here’s a three-part strategy for making the most of what you’ve got to seal the deal.

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Sean Heberling

Sean is a General Partner at Addvia Ventures, which invests in early-stage high-growth companies addressing large end markets. He’s also founder and CEO at Marion Street Capital, a firm that helps companies refine forecasts and grow revenue. Previously, he worked at Morgan Stanley and BNY Mellon, and during his career he has facilitated investment transactions exceeding $1 billion.

Implementing a Project Management Office: 4 Steps to Success

A PMO can deliver huge value, but setting one up can be a challenge—especially if it is an organization’s first time. Ensure a smooth launch with this expert PMO strategy guide.

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Ayman Dayekh

Ayman is a project management expert who has consulted for numerous project management offices during his two decades of experience. He is PMP and PMO certified and has been invited to join the prestigious PMO Global Awards Judging Committee on several occasions. He also holds certifications in strategy, leadership, and process improvement and change management from PMI, HEC, and Harvard, respectively.

Improve the Product Development Process With This Simple, But Powerful, User Flow Analysis

Apply the four steps in this user flow analysis method to make your product development process more efficient—and improve UX for activities like app onboarding and checkout.

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Khatia Gagnidze

Khatia is a product designer and researcher who has created and enhanced user flows for banking, fintech, and e-commerce products. Her clients include the Bank of Georgia, the payment processing software HitPay, and Mymarket, the largest e-commerce platform in the country of Georgia.

5 Key Tips for Smarter Sales and Operations Planning Implementation

S&OP can help a company create a long-term business plan to address supply chain disruptions. Make the most of this useful process with these updated best practices.

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Juan Franco

Juan is a management consultant and expert in strategy, business planning, and process improvement who has helped implement S&OP at companies in multiple industries in Latin America. He has more than 20 years of experience as a senior and advisory manager for corporations including Mondelez International, Yanbal International, and PwC.

Can Designers Make the Metaverse Less Awkward?

UX designer Pam Nicholls has created video games and augmented reality experiences for companies like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and DreamWorks Animation. Here she explores designing for the metaverse and reveals innovative ways to make the user experience more intuitive and accessible.

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