Richard Lennox
- setting rather than resetting CSS styling: http://bit.ly/drvmMK
- does anyone know if Windows 7 starter (netbook) can use an external projector?
- Why do some e-commerce platforms get Javascript so wrong? http://bit.ly/awXZvZ from @econsultancy
Archive for November, 2006
IE7 breaks the mould and I don’t like it!
I have finally taken the plunge and downloaded IE7 on my home machine. Working on a site, with IE6 up until the last release has meant that I have not had the time to do this sort of stuff and missed the beta completely.
I hate the new user interface. My first reaction to it was I don't want those buttons here, I want them over there where I am used to seeing them, and using them. But I can't and no amount of searching has found a solution to my needs. Maybe it is just an initial reaction to the change but I do not understand the reasoning behind it, it seems to break the mold of browser interfaces. Maybe I am wrong and Microsoft interviewed and did fully user studies on what worked best for users but I feel that it is change for changes sake.
As a well rounded computer and software user I could adapt to it if I had to, but I think of the people I know who would be strongly affected by the change. Those without the Internet savvy of those of us who use it day in day out. I can think of several people who will not like it because it is not what they are used to, and I know exactly who will get the calls when they get stuck looking for the buttons.
I would like to think that Microsoft would listen to the calls to allow me to change the layout of the toolbars. I would like to think that most application software that relies on toolbars in this way would allow me to change the position and placing of buttons so I can use it in a way that feels right for me and not for the guy that decided this was "better".
www.skchase.com
It has been a long, hard slog over the last few months at work. I have put in the hours and the effort to produce something that I can happily say I am very proud of. I have been the sole developer for SK Chase since I started over a year ago now. Throughout that time there has been much functionality that I have added to their existing system that I am proud of, but nothing so visible as www.skchase.com.
When I first started working at Ezone and on SK Chase's project, I was instantly aware of the ambitions of SK Chase. They did not want to solely be a supplier of the gift voucher application to the hotel and tourism industry, but wanted to produce a site that took the vouchers loaded by the hotel clients into the gift voucher app and sell them through a single portal. Enter www.skchase.com….
The site originally a simple "About us site" was transformed into a basis for what you see now. Earlier this year SK Chase put together the design and soft launched a manual sales site. Manually controlled, with every bit of content being entered by hand, and with links to the existing gift voucher catalogues of their customers. The site was unmanageable, unwieldy and I believe it must have been difficult to use as an end user.
So over the last 2-3 months I have taken their design and rewritten it, to what you see now. It was a busy and ambitious development cycle, with not a minimal amount of stress, but the end result is what matters. And I am proud of the end result.
The site pulls in vouchers from the hotels using SK Chase's application, and categorise them. I have developed a bespoke search system that allows the categorised vouchers to be fully search-able by type, location, for who and other search aspects. This "search" might not compare with the likes of Google but it is an achievement in itself.
The site then lets you buy multiple vouchers from multiple hotels in one order and deliver them wherever you like. One thing I am really proud of is incorporating the conceptually two different sites – the hotel catalogue eg at Gleneagles and the SK Chase site – into the same application. This gives a great experience for a user who is used to purchasing vouchers from a hotel catalogue. The cart and checkout in particular look and feel and act in the same way – giving returning users the same experience, one which they are accustomed to.
I am particularly proud of my work on making the site Search Engine friendly and optimisable. Having a manually created site there first meant I was always reacting to existing search rankings. I still believe this is the wrong way round, but I developed a solution for even the most dynamic of pages, including the search results page, that allows SK Chase to maintain their positions in the rankings through an effective use of content. While I cannot go into details about the solution, it is something, I think will help SK Chase cement their strong reputation through a good set of search engine rankings.
The site itself from its soft launch at the end of October has been relatively successful, orders are coming through steadily, although not in great quantities as yet. There has been no advertising other than that of the search engine rankings and it is great news that the number of visitors and buyers is on the increase.
While I am hoping for less manic development cycles in the future I am looking forward to taking both the application and the site itself to new levels in the coming months. Please do take a look at the site, even if you are not wanting to buy anything….www.skchase.com
UPDATE: 2008/02/26
Check out their new site launched just before Christmas – www.kisschasegifts.com!
The illogical nature…
It never sees to amaze me how illogical in nature people are. Take today for example, I was asked to give my technical reasons for not releasing my software until a certain date.
The person in question was positive that my reasons were valid and in fact was genuinely pleased that I was strict and thorough in how I release my software. Yet he was insistent on my changing these methods to something less robust to suit his requirements. (Luckily the person in question does not have any say in the release process, otherwise it would be a bigger concern for me!)
This seems to be human nature, and is not the only recent example I have experienced. It seems totally illogical, to agree with somebody's reasoning and then take a standpoint against that.
I would no doubt expect that I do exactly the same thing at time. I guess it kind of makes life interesting.