http://www.gravityworksdesign.com RSS feeds for Gravity Works Design and Development 60 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/our-adaptable--agile-development-process#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=167 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=167&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/our-adaptable--agile-development-process Gravity Works uses an Agile process that doesn’t follow any published framework. Okaaaaay... Uhm, what’s Agile? Agile software development is an adaptive method of developing software. These methods focus on adapting quickly to changing realities. When the project needs change, an adaptive team changes as well. Predictive methods, in contrast, focus on analyzing and planning the future in detail and cater for known risks. Agile software development achieves this adaptability by employing iterative and incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams. Right. What does that mean? Agile methods break tasks into small increments and complete them through iterations. Iterations are short time frames, usually one to four weeks. At the end of the iteration a working product is demonstrated to stakeholders. This minimizes overall risk and allows the project to adapt to changes quickly. How is Agile implemented? Well, there are a bunch of ways to implement Agile. Scrum is a commonly-known Agile framework, Extreme Programming is an Agile software methodology, and Kanban is a visual process-management system. The important point here is that Agile as a CONCEPT is separate from its IMPLEMENTATION. But you don’t follow any of these published frameworks. Not to the letter, no. As a small company, we’re very focused on getting things done and keeping our clients happy. We want to stay organized, of course, but process for process sake holds no appeal. We’ve taken what we’ve found works from the existing implementations of Agile and have integrated those into a methodology that gets things done for us. Gotcha. So what is Gravity Works’ implementation of Agile? I’m glad you asked! Gravity Works believes in no more process than necessary. Our ideal is a continuous, “just enough” process that gives the development team with best thing to work on next, no more and no less. To understand the process, we need to start with who the players are. And they are? Gravity Works has four roles: client, project manager, developer, and User Interface (UI) designer. Clients are the only external role. They are the people we send proposals to, do work for, and invoice. Project managers keep things organized. Their job is to coordinate with clients, and to control the schedule, scope, cost, risk, quality, and so forth to move a project toward completion. In general, developers work on the backend features of websites and mobile applications. They use languages like .Net, JavaScript, Objective-C, and Java. Designers usually work on the frontend of websites and mobile applications. They use programs like Illustrator and Fireworks as well as languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Okay, how does everyone work together? Collaboration is one of our key values, and team members are encouraged collaborate with anyone who might help solve a particular problem; team members must be willing to help others who seek their assistance. More formally, daily developer team status meetings and weekly all-employee meetings help facilitate regular, ongoing collaboration. How do team members know what to work on? Tasks are initially described when proposals are written. Developers are always included in estimating development work; the Director of Development and at least one other developer will estimate each project. Team members may be tasked on projects they did not estimate, but know one of their peers was involved. Every developer has their own estimation method, and our estimating process is constantly evolving as well. We currently use a system based on 80% and 100% confidence levels. Estimates are provided to clients in a range instead of a fixed price, allowing further scope refinement after the contract is signed. When a project starts, the project manager—and often other project team members—will work with the client to gather further requirements in a usually-iterative process. The business rules gathered from a client can be written down in a wireframe, mockup, or a simple task list. Regardless of their form, those documents are stored in Basecamp. While business rule documentation is valuable, we believe writing out a specification document for archival is not useful. If the project is worked on in the future, a developer will refer to the code as the ultimate source of truth about the functionality. A project manager may request certain functionality, requirements, or processes be documented because they will be used on other projects or for other reasons. Those documents are put into Basecamp or Gravity Works’ Google Drive as appropriate. Project tasks will be progressively elaborated and timelines assigned as the project progresses. The project manager will create the project tasks in Basecamp in coordination with the project team members. How do should team members work with other developers and designers? Review the existing documentation first, including the proposal, which can be found on Gravity Works’ Google Drive—under the “Clients” folder—to get background information. From there, knowledge transfer is ideally completed by pairing with another developer or designer. Reading the code is also encouraged. We encourage developers to communicate with other developers who are employed—usually as “in-house” developers—by our clients. One of Gravity Works’ goals is to have face time with clients and be on friendly, collaborative terms. How does Gravity Works measure progress? We allow our processes to be flexible based on the project, in order to stay adaptable. With some clients, a more rigid and iterative approach is more effective and we will employ sprints. For others, we’ve found sprints either cumbersome or unnecessary. Developers know what to work on next based on what task is most important to complete, which is discussed with daily developer status meetings, client feedback, and coordination with the project manager. How do you know what to work on next? Developers know what’s most important to get done and in what order based on daily developer status meetings, client feedback, and coordination with the project manager. Is this process set in stone? Absolutely not! After each project, we have lessons-learned meetings to improve our process. As a small company, each person’s contribution is vital to our future. In lessons-learned meetings, we answer key questions: What did we do well? Did we accomplish all the project objectives? Did we accomplish Gravity Works' objectives for projects?* Did we meet the project schedule? Did we complete the project within budget? Could we have anticipated and planned for problems on the project in advance? If so, how? Did we handle problems on the project effectively and efficiently when they arose? What can we do in the future to head off similar problem situations? *Gravity Works' objectives for projects include delivering them on time, delivering them on budget, making what we work on better than before we started, make the client our friend, and spend face time with the client. host Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:34:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:167 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/the-battle-of-the-pedometers#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=165 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=165&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/the-battle-of-the-pedometers Our team has always been supportive of our health-minded coworkers, but Sarah was recently inspired by Nerd Fitness to officially call a player versus player (PvP) competition. The March winner was Sarah. Four people fought their way to step-taking glory—Scott, Sarah, Jeff, and Adam—by turning on their pedometers and stepping out. There was, of course, a spreadsheet to track player progression while keeping us on track to reach our fitness goals. It turns out that steps can be increased by popcorn breaks, a trip to Disney, and with a few key video games.  It was amazing to see the metrics of precisely how little (perceived) effort made a big change. -Scott Caring about the health of our team is a part of our character, and meeting personal fitness goals can improve quality and effectiveness in our daily projects. Learn more about our pillars, and how we work to maintain the values of Gravity Works. For April, we're going to see who listens to the most technology-related podcast hours. It will be a great chance to see what learning resources our team members are listening to, and the winner will be awarded their choice of ThinkGeek shirts. host Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:20:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:165 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/gravity-works-named-one-of-50-michigan-companies-to-watch#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=164 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=164&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/gravity-works-named-one-of-50-michigan-companies-to-watch Gravity Works Design & Development announced today it has been recognized as one of Michigan's 50 Companies to Watch for 2013. Gravity Works will be honored at the Michigan Celebrates Small Business event with the award, sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation. Gravity Works creates streamlined solutions for clients from web design to mobile development. They serve clients from the heart of historic Old Town, Lansing: local community nonprofits and international NGOs, legislative news providers and government agencies, local businesses and national franchises. Founders Jeff McWherter and Amelia Marschall-Miller will represent Gravity Works to accept the award. Marshall-Miller says, “We are extremely excited to have received this award in the first year that we qualified for it.” She added, “we are proud to play a part in growing Michigan’s economy and tech industry, and improving job opportunities in the Lansing area.” Honorees must be privately-held, “second-stage” companies&employing 6 to 99 full-time employees with between $750,000 to $50 million annual revenue&headquartered in Michigan. Recipients were selected for performance, innovation, philanthropy, and culture by representatives of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, the Small Business Association of Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Small Business Administration, the Michigan Certified Development Corporation, and the Edward Lowe Foundation. “It’s an honor to receive such a major award,” says McWherter “Gravity Works would not be where we are today without the dedication of our employees, who bring passion and skill to everything they do...Amelia and I just facilitate a place where our employees can grow their careers and deliver cutting edge design and technology to our clients.” Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. Founding underwriters are the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, PNC Bank, Michigan Certified Development Corporation, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America and Dynamic Edge, Inc. Contributing Underwriters are DTE Energy Foundation, Comcast Business Class, Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates, Rehmann, Varnum Attorneys at Law, Consumers Energy, Comcast Spotlight and AARP. Michigan Celebrates Small Business was founded by the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, U.S. Small Business Administration, Small Business Association of Michigan, Greater Lansing Business Monthly and Edward Lowe Foundation. Learn more at michigan.companiestowatch.org. host Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:33:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:164 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/2013-addy-awards#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=163 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=163&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/2013-addy-awards Our team is pleased to announce that Gravity Works received two ADDYs at the Mid-Michigan ADDY Awards, hosted on the MSU campus by the Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance: a gold for the MSU CAS holiday microsite, and a merit for the Scrum mobile website. The experts at Gravity Works design websites and build mobile-friendly, responsive experiences, but we'd especially like to thank: MSU CAS Amelia Marschall-Miller: Creative Director Heather Buchel: Front-End Developer Steve Jencks: Senior Creative Designer Scrum Amelia Marschall-Miller: Creative Director Jeff McWherter: Director of Development Heather Buchel: Front-End Developer Steve Jencks, Senior Creative Director, was also awarded a gold ADDY as well as the Judges Choice for a promotional Lansing Derby Vixens poster. The ADDY Awards recognize creative excellence in advertising in a nationwide competition. Recognitions are awarded by a panel of judges, and district winners may progress to the second tier of competition. This year, the Mid-Michigan theme was focused on "Mad Men" and the 1960's. host Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:02:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:163 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/simple-html-content-wireframes-with-compass-and-foundation#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=162 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=162&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/simple-html-content-wireframes-with-compass-and-foundation Heather Buchel, Front-End Developer at Gravity Works, says you can save time and headache in the long run by creating HTML wireframes to prioritize web content. The notion to create HTML wireframes came from an open spaces talk at CodeMash 2013, discussing whether the full Photoshop mockup deliverable is dead in the age of responsive web design. Since a responsive website is incredibly fluid and Photoshop builds a static image, it can be hard to represent how the website will actually look and behave. An HTML wireframe is a basic webpage without any aesthetic CSS style, but include media queries and basic responsive layout so the site can be seen with different screen sizes and emulate how content will be adjusted for different devices. As Heather explained: The Michigan Lodging & Tourism Association is one of my favorite clients. I had already sent them a PhotoShop mockup of their new design...but when it came time to plan out subpages with more functionality, html content wireframes started to look much more attractive.      Some colleagues at CodeMash have stopped delivering Photoshop mockups altogether, opting for HTML wireframes and corresponding graphic files that depict the overall theme and style elements (similar to a "Mood Board"). At Gravity Works, we feel there is benefit to both content wireframes and detailed mockups for the majority of our clients. Amelia says, "there is a lot of benefit to planning how a brand and style will complete a website, with a full mockup. But HTML wireframes are an awesome tool to allow clients to really 'see' their content in action, and preview what it will really be like to have a responsive site." Heather gave the team a great rundown of what HTML wireframes are, how we can use them, and how they can help us provide better work for our clients. The purpose of the HTML content wireframe is to: Establish a content priority on the page. Helpful for the client to decide what's important to them, helpful for the designer to know what they are designing around. Give the client a sense of how their content is going to feel in the native home, on the web, not in a .jpg file.  To not get held up on "can you make this font 1px bigger or this spacing a tiny bit smaller or this swoosh swooshier" (Steve is great at making swooshes, by the way.) For the developers and UX people to recognize "problematic" content areas and to relay that to the designer. For example, ""how is this going to adapt to small devices," or, "this column will get over run if we put eight paragraphs of text in it." Most importantly, to give better consideration to actual content earlier on in the process before a full design is completed. This means you should use real content, not filler text. Not even Samuel L. Ipsum (http://slipsum.com/) Wireframing Tips It's helpful to mark features and how they will function, but avoid styles like colors and fonts, which can distract stakeholders from the task at hand. It also helps to explain the purpose of a wireframe before the stakeholder sees these rough outlines. Don't just use a "form here" image...actually mark up a form. But keep the HTML simple: don't let yourself be distracted by transparencies and such. In the long run, these HTML wireframes will provide happier developers and designers, better-quality work, and successful websites where content and functionality are considered from the beginning. Feel free to tweet your experiences and tips at us, @gravityworksdd. Website Design Mobile Websites host Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:52:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:162 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/codemash-2013#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=161 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=161&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/codemash-2013 Gravity Works spent time engaging with inspiring people and new ideas at CodeMash 2013. We were all excited to escape the January weather to an indoor water park, but some of the most exciting things happened in the sessions. Some of our favorites included: Machine Learning (Seth Juarez): The central ideas to recognize patterns and make predictions, largely using unsupervised learning. "Users are Losers! They'll Like Whatever we Make!" and Other Fallacies (Carol Smith): Quick methods to debunk common assumptions made about the end user. Gesture Recognition with Kinect for Window (Carl Franklin): A discussion of GesturePak, a tool to record, measure, and recognize gestures. Amelia, Heather, and Steve were most inspired by a responsive design open space discussion, talking with other designers and front-end developers about ways that planning responsive websites call for fundamental changes to web design processes. We're looking forward to putting some of the ideas into action for our clients. Mobile Development Adam spoke during the main event about PhoneGap development. After authoring the PhoneGap chapter for the book, Professional Mobile Application Development (Wrox Press), Adam had a lot to say on how to target multiple mobile platforms with the same code using PhoneGap. It's important to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of cross-platform development environments, but Adam spoke to leveraging existing skill sets in HTML, JavaScript, and jQuery with OData. Jeff and Scott spoke at the CodeMash Precompiler about Android development. If you missed the event, or want to review, the slides are now available: Developing for Android. Be sure to download all necessary files, as listed on our Android Precompiler page before you start. Website Design Custom Development Mobile Websites Mobile Applications host Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:21:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:161 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/looking-forward-to-2013-in-web-design-and-mobile-development#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=160 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=160&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/looking-forward-to-2013-in-web-design-and-mobile-development 2012 was a great year: Professional Mobile Application Development was published, team members spoke at events like DotNetNuke World and organized Lansing GiveCamp Refresh, we won two ADDY Awards, and our team grew. We have launched websites and mobile applications for a client list that now includes Mr. Handyman, the MSU College of Law, Hagerty Insurance, Lansing Housing Commission, Scrum.org, the Michigan Farmers Market Association, and Springfield Clinic. Looking forward, we expect 2013 to be even more fun. We talked about what we wanted to learn, the technologies we're most excited to use, and our predictions for the industry. Heather Buchel Heather is always looking to learn new technology. Or maybe I just want to learn technology that is new to me? I want to learn more about Javascript frameworks like Knockout and Ember. I want to learn Ruby on Rails. -Heather She predicts that in 2013, people will make less assumptions about what people do on "mobile" and instead focus on mobilizing desktop-available features. Scott Gowell Scott is working to be better at real-time, asynchronous code, whether it be Reactive Extensions(Rx) or SignalR, or just a lot of c# 5 async. He expects the need for skilled developers across the three major platforms (WP8, iOS, Android) to exponentially grow as these platforms reach significant market penetration. Sarah Erwin Sarah will take PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP) exam this year, and looks forward to improving formal project management methodologies. The mobile app that made 2012 easier for Sarah was Meditation Helper for Android. Jamie Altizer Jamie can't wait to play with Windows 8 development, as well as both XAML and HTML/JavaScript development, and he can't wait to improve his iOS and Android skills in 2013. Jamie predicts that this year: ...as web technologies expand—creating a stronger "desktop" experience—the desktop will start embracing web applications. A lot of popular desktop applications have seen similar environments developed in the web. -Jamie Lauren Colton Lauren is attending Confab this year, and she's looking to implement all the fantastic content strategy and techniques she learns this year (starting with Karen McGrane's book, Content Strategy for Mobile). Kevin Thomas Kevin is most excited to work on iOS and .NET MVC projects. He is also interested in 3D printing. I'm also very intrigued by Samsung's pending release of a flexible mobile device; I could envision all kinds of interesting applications. -Kevin host Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:32:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:160 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/web-design--mobile-development-roundup-november#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=158 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=158&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/web-design--mobile-development-roundup-november The whole Gravity Works team has been busy, launching responsive websites for clients including Springfield Clinic and the Reedy Creek Improvement District. But we're taking the time to learn more. Stay on the cutting edge with us by taking a peek at our latest finds: Web Development: DotNetNuke 7.0 DotNetNuke 7.0 has been released, with updated interfaces and extended social modules (Amelia took part in a DotNetNuke World focus group for these new features). Learn more about DotNetNuke 7.0. Mobile Design: Adaptive Maps Brad Frost has a blog post up on an adaptive mapping solution, to work around current issues such as "frame inception" and performance overhead. He starts with a static map, and then uses conditional loading to serve the optimal map. Learn more about creating mobile-friendly maps. Web Development: Visual Studio Page Inspector If you're using Visual Studio, you're going to love the new Page Inspector tool. The new inspector helps developers easily see which parts of the source code are connecting with what UI elements. Taking it even farther, users can edit DOM elements and CSS, and immediately see the results of these changes. See what bloggers are saying about the new Visual Studio Page Inspector. Graphic Design: Golden Ratio Typography Calculator Artists, mathematicians, philosophers, and economists have studied the "golden ratio" (when the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller quantity). A simple online calculator helps graphic artists decide when the font size, line height, and line width are in optimal proportions. Try out the golden ratio typography calculator now! Usability & Accessibility: Readability for Dyslexia From the Text Customization for Readability Symposium, hosted by the W3C, this abstract discusses how people with dyslexia normally prefer lower brightness and color differences among text and background compared to non-dyslexic readers. Learn more about readability on the web for users with dyslexia. host Mon, 03 Dec 2012 09:13:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:158 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/dennis-burton-and-kevin-thomas-join-the-team#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=157 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=157&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/dennis-burton-and-kevin-thomas-join-the-team Gravity Works Design & Development is pleased to announce that Dennis Burton and Kevin Thomas have joined the team, bringing fresh perspectives and three decades of experience. Both Dennis and Kevin are developing web and mobile solutions for a range of clients, including local businesses, statewide nonprofit organizations, and national franchises. Dennis Burton supports a vibrant development community as an active member and frequent speaker at local user groups who blogs at www.developusing.net. Since learning to manipulate video game code as a child, Dennis has looked for ways to remove obstacles from the final product. Dennis looks to the specific problem, and the intended audience, to solve every puzzle at hand. He respects people who can say "I don't know" and has cultivated a depth and variety in his own skills while looking for the best answers. Dennis is an Azure Microsoft MVP with a Computer Science degree from the University of Michigan-Flint. Kevin Thomas sees the tools around him—ASP.NET, SQL, Android—as a way to help people efficiently reach their goals. Kevin loves the puzzle of building great applications, turning requirements into functional tools by visualizing complex data and code structures. Since earning degrees in Biology and Oceanography, Kevin has moved from scientist, to data manager, to developer. His practical, scientific outlook frames his excitement to creatively solve problems. Gravity Works creates custom solutions—graphic design, websites, and mobile applications—with detail-focused designs and leading-edge development practices. They strengthen brands and bottom lines by constantly evolving, turning “I have an idea” into “you should see this” while improving the lives of people using technology. host Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:40:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:157 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/defining-our-values#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=155 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=155&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/defining-our-values The team spent our Friday lunch discussing our organizational values, and how to continue improving our quality service. We discussed prospective and current clients, and what their needs, wants, stereotypes, and emotions are as they start a project. Next, we worked through what clients want out of their projects, and what Gravity Works team members want to get out of projects. By grouping together client goals (like productivity, and value) with our goals (such as quality, or creativity), we mapped a clearer picture of the pillars of Gravity Works: Skill: ability to use to tools of the industry Character: the culture and moral compass of Gravity Works Effectiveness: efficiently produce value Creativity: novel ideas for elegant solutions Quality: deliverables that work without problems We love talking about the latest technologies, tools, and tricks to meet new goals, but Gravity Works is more than the sum of our professional certifications and publications. Gravity Works is a team of people with a culture that respects how we use our knowledge, and the people we work with (both clients and coworkers). We wanted to share the values we hold at Gravity Works, although we have not defined them explicitly in the past. We strive to always uphold these values in our projects and interactions: Skill, Character, Effectiveness, Creativity, and Quality. host Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:31:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:155 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/responsive-web-design--android-development-at-m3--dnn-world#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=156 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=156&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/responsive-web-design--android-development-at-m3--dnn-world Jeff and Amelia have been traveling across the country this past month, heading to DotNetNuke World in Florida, and then M3 Conference in Ohio. At each event, they were surrounded by a diverse community of web and mobile technology professionals: designers, developers, business innovators, and more. DotNetNukeWorld 2012 Both Jeff and Amelia attended DotNetNuke World: the annual conference centered around our most-recommended Content Management System. They got a sneak peek at the upcoming version, DNN 7, which will be released this month with a redesigned interface and new front-end code base. It was interesting to spend time catching up with the latest projects and innovations that others have built on the DNN platform, including the Department of Defense websites. Amelia enjoyed a session on advanced Google Analytics integration, by Bruce Chapman (view slides). While learning about the finer points of tracking actionable data from site visitors, the speaker detailed what to measure, and what to take away from your results. She also participated in a focus group for a new social system, set to be released by DotNetNuke Corporation in Q1 of next year, and presented two session in the design track. Advanced CSS in DotNetNuke Amelia Marschall-Miller Most designers and front-end developers know how to use CSS3 features on their websites. From rounded corners to media queries, CSS3 is now widely used, but there are many additional useful CSS features you may not be aware of. Amelia discussed some lesser-known CSS properties—both decorative and functional—and demonstrates how to best integrate them into skins, containers, and modules. Responsive Web Design for DotNetNuke Amelia Marschall-Miller As mobile device usage expands, the variety of screen sizes, resolutions, and capabilities of mobile phones and tablets is becoming more and more diverse. It's possible, and important, to ensure your site provides an optimal experience for whatever device your audience is using. Amelia spoke on how to design and plan your responsive site, develop your skin with a fluid grid, integrate modules into your responsive site, and test to ensure your site looks great on tons of devices. M3 Conference It's exciting to see—as mobile applications and responsive, mobile-friendly website design matures—that conferences are including more than beginner-level sessions. Talks included keynotes by Trak Lord on augmented reality, and by Leon Gersing on exploring the craft of mobile development. M3 had a mix of developers, designers, and other professionals interested in mobile; a variety of tracks meant there was something for everyone. Both Jeff and Amelia spoke: Do I really need a mobile app, or is a mobile-friendly website enough? Jeff McWherter When does an organization really need a mobile application, and when is a mobile website the appropriate solution? Jeff discusses how to cross this important barrier when struggling to define a mobile strategy. Responsive Web Design: From mobile to desktop, and beyond Amelia Marschall-Miller Learn how to plan, design, and test a website across a growing variety of device screen sizes, resolutions, and capabilities. Responsive web design allows your site to seamlessly adjust and fit the screen its viewed on, and can easily be implemented in most major content management systems; ensure an optimal experience for whatever device your audience uses. Getting started with Android library projects Jeff McWherter Battle code duplication by adding Android library projects to your development arsenal. This talk explores libraries, as recently-introduced for the Android platform. host Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:20:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:156 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/mobile-applications-sensors-are-where-its-at#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=154 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=154&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/mobile-applications-sensors-are-where-its-at Scott Gowell, just back from speaking at DevLink about mobile application development, says that sensors are where it's at. Accelerometers are a particularly exciting piece of technology to harness cutting-edge development. An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This proper acceleration is associated with the weight of a test mass. --Old Farmer's Wikipedia Smart Phones and Tablets commonly use accelerometer data for: Motion Data: I moved the device relative to the x, y, z for this long, and this fast.  Orientation sensing: Which way is the device oriented (Portrat or Landscape) Motion Data is the harder of the two to test. All three emulators and simulators have a built-in function for changing orientation, and there are not many reasons to want non-standard triggers to change in-app orientation. Android Mobile App Accelerometer There is a free tool created by OpenIntents that passes information from their sensor simulator to the Android Emulator. In this instance you will need to push a configuration app to your emulator, and then use the sensor simulator and Android emulator in tandem on your development machine. openintents.org/en/node/6 code.google.com/p/openintents/wiki/SensorSimulator iOS Mobile App Accelerometer Clever app developers have built a way to use the Accelerometer of a physical device to provide sensor data to the iOS simulator. It requires the use of a free app on your iOS device, then some quick configuration. builtby.me/2012/07/howto-use-the-accelerometer-in-the-iphone-simulator/ itunes.apple.com/us/app/accelerometer-simulator/id336476721?mt=8 Windows Phone Mobile App Accelerometer The Windows Phone Emulator has a built in Additional Tools Pane that includes a dedicated Accelerometer tab (see figure). This interface behaves similar to OpenIntents Sensor Simulator but does not require any extra configuration. Mobile Applications Custom Development host Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:56:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:154 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/michigan-technology--lansing-give-camp#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=153 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=153&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/michigan-technology--lansing-give-camp Michigan Tech Industry & Government Policy Amelia spoke with Senator Debbie Stabenow at a Tech Roundtable last week, discussing government policy and our education system in relation to the Michigan economy. As a local leader in web design and mobile application development, Amelia provided input on incubating Michigan businesses and educating future leaders. Other points of discussion included the SOPA and PIPA legislation, and how it affects Michigan technology businesses.  Technology and innovation are cornerstones of Michigan communities, and there is a vast potential for our future as technology grows. The event was hosted by Google and SEMPO Michigan, and the discussion included educators from Lansing Community College and SBAM representatives. Lansing Give Camp Refresh 2012 Lansing Give Camp looked a bit different this year, as a one-day event that focused on returning nonprofit organizations. Volunteer designers, developers, and project managers spent their Saturday "refreshing" the web presence of various nonprofit organizations: fixing calendars, CSS classes, and more. Their web design and website development skills are invaluable to local nonprofit organizations. The NAACP of Lansing membership application is now connected to PayPal, Mid-MEAC can offer a better user experience to "Smart Commutes" participants, and many of the websites have moved to a new hosting environment. A team of developers worked with the Capitol Area Humane Society to build an email alert tool for particular pet types, with an unsubscribe option once users find their next best friend. Other nonprofits included NAMI Lansing, REACH Studio Arts, CASA, I've Got Your Backs, and Capital Collective. We cannot send enough thanks to the people who helped make Lansing Give Camp Refresh 2012 possible: our organizers, hosts, sponsors (thank you MITN for the wonderful lunch!), and volunteers. Hope to see them and many more at upcoming Give Camp Events! host Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:27:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:153 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/july-web-design--mobile-development-roundup#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=149 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=149&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/july-web-design--mobile-development-roundup This July, Gravity Works hired three more team members, and launched websites for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association as well as the Lansing Housing Commission. During all this excitement, we've also found a few web design and mobile development resources: Web Design: Hover Effects & Navigation Menus with CSS Add a bit of polish, and help any web presence stand out with these CSS techniques (without using images). Resources include a how-to on the zoomable navigation used by Beercamp 2011, and a Flipboard-inspired interface. The article also includes fantastic CSS geekery for transitions and animations, typography and text techniques, as well as other practical tips. Mobile App Development: Apple granted 'the mother of all smartphone software patents Earlier this month, Apple was granted multiple, powerful patents, encompassing the user interfaces for blogging, e-mail, telephone, camera, video player, calendar, browser, widgets, search, notes, maps and most importantly, a multi-touch interface. The patents cover, "portable electronic device, method, and graphical user interface for displaying electronic lists and documents" (No. 8,223,134). Apple says that they cannot use time and money on research and development, and have another organization "put their name on it." Feature phones run on proprietary firmware, as opposed to smartphones, can run third-party applications integrated with the operating system. The Simon Personal Digital Communicator (prototyped by IBM) was the first commercially-available smartphone, which was a telephone with PDA features in the same device; Simon was released in 1994, a full 13 years before the sale of the first iPhone. Web Development: What does IE's policy update mean for web developers? Paul Irish discusses the sizable audience left behind by using old versions of Internet Explorer, and the newly-announced policy from Microsoft on autoupdates. IE upgrades are shipping as "Important" (and this class of updates are defaulted to install automatically). If it works like it has in Brazil and Australia, web developers will be able to use the powerful, emerging features they've been avoiding (to reach IE audiences). Web Development: Asp.NET Resources in JavaScript We recently came across one blogger's fix for a straightforward way to use the same resources in JavaScript when your strings have been localized on the server. With the adoption of many new JS templating engines in development this provides a way for developers and designers to reference the resources that are bundled in the project. This can be global variables or localized data, but it gives these resources much more breadth than simply internal to the codebase. Please note: don't want to expose anything this way that you wouldn't want a site visitor to see, because it will be readable over the web. host Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:08:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:149 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/our-growing-web-design--mobile-development-team#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=148 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=148&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/our-growing-web-design--mobile-development-team We're happy to announce three new members of the Gravity Works team! Aaron Lillywhite is Mobile Applications Developer at Gravity Works. Aaron served as a Sergeant in the US Army before working as a web developer for the State of Michigan; he can order a beer in Korean, as well as build powerful apps with exciting new technologies. We’re excited to see what mobile applications he develops next. Sarah Erwin will use her skills—at the evolving intersection of technology, business, and society—as our Operations Manager. Sarah's strength and focus as a third-degree black belt translates well to her professional and academic pursuits: she received her MBA from MSU while working full time developing apps for the banking industry. From web development to custom software applications, Sarah efficiently manages projects. Steve Jencks joins Gravity Works as our Senior Creative Designer. Steve solves visual puzzles, and believes that meeting user goals with intuitive interfaces is the basis of visually-attractive web experiences. Between designing streamlined, intuitive interfaces, he also maintains his B-Movie blog. Steve will be moving from illustration and graphic design to mobile websites throughout his day. “We are extremely excited about what every one of these individuals brings to Gravity Works,” says Partner & Creative Director Amelia Marschall-Miller. “Steve is an exceptional designer with a strong portfolio of prominent website designs, as well as print and illustration expertise. Sarah’s programming background and her recent MBA degree will provide savvy management of technical projects. And Aaron’s experience with the latest development technologies and programming community involvement makes him an ideal addition to our development team.” Growing from three to eleven employees in two years, we've expanded into the office space next door (previously Second Gear Coworking). More desks are sprawled across our Old Town Lansing office, but we remain committed to our mission of turning great ideas into accessible websites, intuitive mobile apps, and custom software solutions. host Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:46:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:148 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/mobile-myths-and-web-design-tools#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=147 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=147&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/mobile-myths-and-web-design-tools Recently, we've been asking ourselves how each team member is devoting their time. It's a question that any consultant will ask themselves, but we want to understand the favorite tasks as well as blocking points. To triple in size over two years, we have certainly had to evolve. We also want to support our skilled coworkers pursuing the latest technology and trying the newest methods. We found that the projects of highest interest are not because of the technology used. It's about working with people to make their lives better, easier, and more fulfilling. The comprehensive solution that reaches standard and mobile web users, reaching beyond "this is what I want" to "this is what users need" is the most exciting puzzle to solve. While we're out searching for new things to learn, take a peek through our most recent finds: Mobile Design: Seven mobile myths debunked. Seven mobile myths are debunked in this Forbes post. Some of our favorites? "Mobile" does not equal "less"; and a Content Management System (CMS), which can structure and repurpose content, is amazing for many mobile strategies. Web Development: DotNetNuke 6.2 launches Speaking of the benefits of a CMS, our often-recommended system DotNetNuke Version 6.2 launched this month. The new version includes default social features including groups, member directories, messages and notifications, and users can log in with Facebook or Twitter accounts. (Contact Gravity Works to discuss integrating these features in your website!) Agile Team: Work together better by working on yourself The GANG10 keynote by Leon Gersing was recently posted by David Giard, titled You. It's a great opportunity to think about setting enough, but not too many, personal boundaries. Digital Storytelling: Social tagging by laymen versus experts First Monday published a paper on social tagging and storytelling, which can enrich digital collections of cultural heritage. Researchers found that laymen were not statistically likely to add more tags, or more unique tags, than subject-matter experts. But when laymen and experts used the same words, these descriptive tags had a different weight. Mobile Development: Cross-platform development with Titanium and PhoneGap A great discussion comparing Titanium and PhoneGap was recently posted by an Appcelerator employee. host Wed, 30 May 2012 16:13:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:147 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/web-design--development-roundup#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=146 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=146&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/web-design--development-roundup We've recently found some interesting resources and useful tools online, and we wanted to share: Mobile Web Design: Best practices & common mistakes A recent podcast on O'Reilly Radar details mobile web best practices and common mistakes. Our team is excited about emerging mobile web design methods, recently launching a Mr. Handyman mobile website as part of the existing Sitecore Content Management System (CMS). Web Development: .NET 4 Scott found an interesting C# jQuery Port Implementation for .NET 4, called CsQuery. Software Testing: CSS & performance Another author explains that a web app's performance bottleneck might be in the stylesheet. CSS selectors that cannot be indexed are going to be slow; obsolete, unused CSS will also factor into performance. Learn more about CSS performance bottlenecks. Social Media: For the children "who never call" A really useful-looking tool is #mom, which sends automated calls and texts to specified loved ones when you add #mom to a foursquare checkin. host Thu, 10 May 2012 18:17:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:146 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/the-latest-in-website-design--development#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=145 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=145&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/the-latest-in-website-design--development The web is constantly evolving, and we're working on the forefront to bring the best user experiences with the latest technologies. Website Design: the UX role of front-end development The debate continues, on the role of front-end development in the design process. Gravity Works combines the strengths of our design and development teams in a collaborative, and ongoing process. According to UX Matters, great user experiences require great front-end development. Website Development: CRM (Customer Relationship Management) data Learn about using FetchXML from LINQPad, which can help developers build more-efficient queries. Website Design: the mobile web Scott Hanselman wants you to create a great mobile experience for your website today. Mobile websites are not dependent on operating systems like mobile applications; and as Luke Wroblewski pointed out this week, mobile OS fragmentation is growing. Website Development: Entity Framework code-first migrations Be sure to check out Andy Schwam's step-by-step guide to migrating code in C#, using Entity Framework. Website Design: interactive typography Some of our designers tend to drool over a really great font. As useful as @font-face in CSS3 is, have you seen the interactive type faces, which inflate and shed pixels? host Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:10:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:145 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/web-design--mobile-development-roundup#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=144 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=144&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/web-design--mobile-development-roundup Mobile App Design: Android UX & design Android mobile devices have driven the mobile experience on both iOS and Android platforms. One author argues that application creators need to pay attention to, and talk about, Android. Gravity Works develops both native Android and cross-platform applications, and this call for Android UX conversations struck a chord. On that note, check out this github project to have a raised center tab in Android. Web Development: JavaScript microlibraries & microframeworks JavaScript libraries are often larger than they need to be, so MicroJS helps developers choose the sleek frameworks and libraries they actually need. Code that uses the tools we actually need (without excessive extras) are better, faster, and more elegant. Check out MicroJS, "for fun and profit"! Mobile App Development: Search patterns A great article is up on Smashing Magazine about mobile user interface search patterns. Read the full article for an in-depth look at mobile-specific patterns: explicit search, auto complete, dynamic search, scoped search, saved and recent, search form, and search results. Content: Write better links Usability and Search Engine Optimization both benefit from descriptive, concise link text. Instead of "Click here for the class list," try "Class List" to clearly explain navigation options. Learn more about writing better link text. Lauren had the opportunity to see Molly Holzschlag give her talk, "From Documents to Apps: Evolving an Open Web," at Refresh Detroit. host Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:14:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:144 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/exciting-web--mobile-development#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=143 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=143&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/exciting-web--mobile-development This week, the theme around the office has been finding new and beautiful ways to reach users. From testing web apps to designing beautiful mobile experiences, our team is excited to see where these new technologies evolve next. Web Design: information surfacing @Ernestvo brings us an interesting read on how to prioritize UI elements with an intent to manipulate user engagement, also called information surfacing. Mobile Development: extending the experience beyond the design As users become more sophisticated, and devices evolve, it becomes increasingly important to build cross-channel UX. Every buisiness strategy that considers mobile must thouroughly consider the range of customer experience they will provide. Web Development: security through managed obscurity Ayende discusses hiding values, API keys, and other fun stuff. The blog lists code that will generate a guid-looking value to send users. Web & Mobile Design: parallax scrolling When the foreground and background scroll at different speeds, designers can give the appearance of depth to an interface. Especially in mobile interfaces, parallax works as a wayfinding device. Check out these 18 example of parallax scrolling in web design. Web Development: C# Testing Compilify has created a slick way to test C# snippets directly in your browser. A quick and painless way to streamline simple tests. host Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:16:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:143 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/across-the-web#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=142 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=142&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/across-the-web Have a minute to read up on what has our team excited? Here are a few things we've been passing around the office: Web Design: Starbucks style guide This has been floating around a bit, much like the foam in a Venti Triple-Espresso Mocha (no soy): the Starbucks style guide is open and online. Graphic Design: An impossible font Inspired by the physically-impossible Penrose triangle, see Frustro. Web Development: Lust-worthy F# features for C# programmers C# is a powerful language, but one programmer recounts the 5.5 F# features they miss when switching back to C#. Mobile Design: iPad & iPhone retina graphics One blogger discusses an elegant way to remove overhead on page load. This elegant solution uses media queries to only pull the appropriate image, according to the device. Read the full solution. Web Development: Using NODE.js as a WCF REST services accelerator The full NODE.js solution is online, where "the WCF service is only troubled if both client and proxy have stale (or no) caches," according to the author. Project Management: Trello Gravity Works has been using Trello for awhile now, but (as we recently shared on Twitter) we've broadcast Trello on our wall. It's a great way to collaborate if one developer is at a client site, and two others are pair programming in the office. We hope to make this a regular feature, to share new ideas or recurring trends with the larger community! host Fri, 06 Apr 2012 03:21:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:142 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/mid-michigan-addy-awards#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=140 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=140&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/mid-michigan-addy-awards Gravity Works spent an evening cheering on local Lansing design talent. Print, web, mobile, television, and radio were all a part of the 2012 Mid-Michigan ADDY Awards. Award-Winning Mobile Design Gravity Works was pleased to receive two ADDY awards: a Silver for the Molly Maid mobile website design, as well as a Gold for the Signing Savvy mobile application design. The ADDY Awards are the largest, most-recognized competition in the advertising and marketing industry. The evening was the first of a three-tiered national competition. Life moves fast and Molly Maid wants their website to keep up, so Gravity Works created a mobile version in their existing Sitecore CMS. Mobile users are automatically detected and redirected to a custom landing page, designed for the goals and constraints of on-the-go people with small, touch-screen devices. Frustrating menus and hard-to-reach content can lose leads; the action-driven mobile website now offers a streamlined, informative experience. Learn more about the B2C mobile website design. The Signing Savvy iPhone and Android mobile application was also designed and developed by Gravity Works. This American Sign Language (ASL) video dictionary supports real-time ASL language learning. Users manage personal flash card lists from ASL dictionary words; students can modify or randomize flash card display order, and select if ASL video or English text is displayed first.The intuitive mobile user interface provides the same, quality user experience for iPhone and Android users. Ashley Madau was also awarded a Silver Student ADDY for a book cover design for an in-progress adaptation of Brothers Grimm. We had a wonderful year of designing innovative, sleek user experiences, and we cannot wait to create more! host Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:45:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:140 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/your-english-teacher-was-wrong#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=139 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=139&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/your-english-teacher-was-wrong Plain Language enables precise, usable, and elegant communication. Lauren recently spoke at Refresh Detroit with the linguistic tips and web copy tricks to get findable, stay optimized, and say what you mean. It is important to remember: Find the common denominator Information scanning is okay Be concise Be specific Don't hide meaning with fluff Be consistent Know the rules that matter Speak to your audience Use visual aids According to Amelia, "you don't normally hear talks about language and writing within web group meetings, and I think it was a refreshing change of pace for people. It made everyone think about content in web design: a subject that is often overlooked but is certainly important." Download the slides for Your English Teacher was Wrong: Plain Language Concepts for Digital Environments. Straightforward words express ideas more clearly than verbose marketese or industry jargon. Learn more on the Plain Language Federal Guidelines website. SEO & Content Strategy Mobile Websites host Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:38:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:139 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/msu-speed-networking#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=141 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=141&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/msu-speed-networking Jeff and Dave were at Michigan State last week, meeting with MSU students at the Speed Networking event. Hosted by the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and coordinated by Club 181, students have a chance to meet with industry professionals in an event modeled after speed dating. Lansing is a supportive, engaging environment, and being a part of the Lansing community is a great opportunity to be a part of our growing Michigan economy. As MSU alumni, both Jeff and Dave heard what students are excited about, and helped connect them with great local resources. Plenty of user groups and professional associations are active in the area, and Gravity Works team members are an active part of many local organizations. It's not just who you know, but how you help, so Jeff and Dave could take the chance to talk about activities like Lansing GiveCamp. Jeff and Dave enjoyed the excitement of these students for the technology sector: from mobile application to promotional brochure, many MSU students have portfolios started. This is a fantastic time to be learning about and working in technology, and we are always thankful for reminders of how impressive a message, and user experience, can be. host Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:18:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:141 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/world-information-architecture-day#Comments 0 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=138&ModuleID=618&ArticleID=136 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=136&PortalID=3&TabID=138 http://www.gravityworksdesign.com/blog/world-information-architecture-day Lauren traveled to Ann Arbor for a day of information architecture, user experience, and interaction design. Speakers included Keith Instone, Peter Morville, and Karl Fast at World Information Architecture Day 2012. If you missed it, or if you just miss being there, check out World IA Day on YouTube to watch your the talks. The Future of IA One of Lauren's favorite talks was the second half of the Future of IA, by Karl Fast. Asking questions like, "what problems will IA be grappling with when I'm dead," Fast discussed some predictions: deep interaction, coordination and orchestration, and mess. While we can't fathom where IA will be in 2100, we can be sure it will move beyond the current "information overload" solutions of deliberate structure, computations and algorithms, and coordinated group action. Architecting Search-Engine Friendly Websites Shari Thurow spoke on the interplay between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Information Architecture. Good site structure means better on-site page links. Better site links means a higher click-through rate, which means better optimization. "People don’t go to search engines to organize content" --Shari Thurow Search engine placement is determined by on-site factors, such as keywords and architecture; there are also off-site factors to consider, like links and searcher goals.     host Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:05:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:136