Requirement

To develop a rich media viral microsite that would encourage registration and this data capture and also drive traffic to the end client’s websites.
Key functional elements included:

• An entirely Flash front end displaying user selected Flash video which was then sent to friends as the core content of the site
• A user registration and send to friend module to drive site traffic
• The option for users to upload images to create UGC for the site
• Detailed reporting on the traffic and registrations accessed via a custom admin module

Technical Solution

The site was developed using Flash as the front end integrated with a PHP and MySQL backend.
Data was passed between the Flash via XML generated on the fly.
The site was hosted on a cluster of four servers; 2 web and 2 DB replicating in real time with load balancing between them to ensure a resilient hosting platform.

Project Mechanics

The project ran for 6 weeks from initial planning to launch. Some key stages of the project included:

• Building Flash/PHP functionality to allow users to select from a pre-defined set of variables to assemble a series of video clips to be played back seemingly as a single video
• Developing a bespoke Flash video player to load multiple FLV’s concurrently to ensure the final video playback was seamless
• Integrating optional user picture file upload functionality with the ability for site administrators to select pictures from these to be displayed on the main site
• Creating a custom reporting module to allow site administrators to easily gauge site traffic and user registrations
• Implementing a fully redundant short term custom hosting solution based on the agency’s site traffic predictions

Conclusion

We have extensive experience in developing solutions that integrate rich media with databases and bespoke functionality in both .net and PHP.

For this project we were able to offer a turn-key solution of both the development and specialist hosting required for the projected user traffic.

Our deep understanding of how to deliver video into a dynamic environment combined with our experience in creating microsites ensured that we were able to deliver a site that did all that the agency and end client expected for their viral campaign.

Requirement

To develop a multilingual consumer facing website to update their existing online presence and enhance and improve on the interactivity for users and data capture for the end client.

Key functional elements included:

• Developing a multi-lingual Flash based product gallery and custom functionality within the site’s CMS to administer this
• Creating modules for site administrators to track product popularity and custom reporting modules to display this in a graphical format
• Developing a custom module to allow site content to be customised and delivered via iFrames to third party sites
• Building the site to deliver content and functionality in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese and Korean

Technical Solution

The foundation for the application was a commercially available .net CMS integrated with a MS SQL 2005 database with JavaScript, Flash elements.

The CMS was used as a foundation for the application with a significant amount of customised .net modules created to meet the end client’s specific requirements.

Project Mechanics

The project ran for nine months from initial planning to launch and involved working closely with both the agency and end client throughout the project. Some key stages of the project included:

• Developing prototypes of the look and feel and key functionality of the site for user testing
• Revising the functional requirements of the site to reflect user testing feedback
• Working with the end-clients local markets and the agency to localise designs as required
• Planning and delivering against a phased launch plan by developing a master version of the site in a single language followed by language variants
• Providing global ongoing support of the site

Conclusion

We worked closely with the agency as their technical partner from the pre-pitch phase of the project. Our expertise in developing and delivering multilingual solutions combined with their experience as a global agency ensured that we were able to deliver the best possible solution to the end client

The final solution was exceedingly well received by the end client’s offices around the globe and showed an immediate improvement in visitor numbers and site stickiness.

Careful planning from the outset of the project and project management which closely involved both the end client and the agency ensured that the 9 month build was delivered on time and according to budget.

Requirement

To develop a rich media based website to reflect the end client’s luxury brand position whilst at the same time ensuring that is was completely editable by their internal team.

Key functional elements included:

• Significant use of custom animation and video to meet the agency’s creative vision
• A series of Flash product galleries to dynamically showcase the end client’s jewellery
• A full product administration module to allow site administrators to easily maintain product information and details
• Bespoke search functionality for products within the site
• Content delivered dynamically based upon the user’s detected location

Technical Solution

The site was built using a combination of Flash, Paper Vision and HTML to create the look and feel that the agency demanded.

A bespoke content management system was developed using .net and MS SQL 2005 to allow site administrations to control all aspects of the site.

Project Mechanics

The project ran for four months from initial planning to launch and involved working incredibly closely with the agency’s designers to achieve the effects that wanted to display. Some key stages of the project include:

• Significant prototyping and iterations of the key pieces of functionality including using stop-motion animation to illustrate one section
• Developing three dimensional animated content sections in Paper Vision
• Optimising site load and resource requirements to ensure that the site would work well on the widest possible range of user machines
• Building a completely bespoke content management system that not only allowed users to add product information but also general page content, video and even the initial site loading images

Conclusion

We worked extremely closely with the agency’s designers from the outset of the project to bring their creative vision to life. With frequent conference calls and web meetings we were able to become a seamless extension of their team without compromising on any facet of the work.

Our strong experience with working with major brands and managing very creative projects offshore ensured that we added significant value both to the site itself and the project overall.

The project ran extremely smoothly, delivered on time and within budget with both the agency and end client being extremely happy with the final result.

Requirement

To develop a public facing website in Arabic and English to deliver content to the telecommunications sector in the end client’s role as industry regulator and to showcase best practice in the use of the web for both the public and government within the country.

Key functional elements included:

• A fully localised Arabic/English site with the entire site, copy and assets reversed to work right to left as well as left to right
• Creating modules for site administrators to be able to add content simultaneously in Arabic and English and for it to be displayed dynamically accordingly
• Developing a bespoke, dual language document management tool for public consultation and all legal documents produced by them as a ministry
• Building custom modules to enable site administrators manage video, images and sound files and display them dynamically upon the site

Technical Solution

The foundation for the application was the agency’s proprietary .net CMS integrated with a MS SQL 2005 database. The frontend was built using HTML, JavaScript and Flash.

As the CMS used as the core of the application was originally developed to work in European languages only it required a significant amount of customisation to allow it to work with Arabic content.

Project Mechanics

The initial phase of the project ran for three months from initial planning to launch. Some key stages of the project included:

• Developing custom functionality for the site’s CMS to enable it to deliver both static and dynamic content to the site
• Building HTML templates for end client approval in Arabic and English
• Planning and delivering against a tight launch plan requiring the Arabic and English sites to be launched simultaneously
• Providing ongoing support of the site

Conclusion

Our expertise in developing web solutions in Arabic ensured that we were not only able to develop a completely dual language website both more importantly to be able to work with the client’s existing CMS to enable it to work with Arabic content.

Detailed planning combined with a flexible approach to how the project as phased ensured that we delivered on time and within budget despite the challenges such projects typically present.

Requirement

To develop a 200 plus page product site promoting the end client’s new international business product targeting the senior management of global companies as users.
Key functional elements included:

• Developing bespoke user administration modules and functionality to integrate with parts of the end client’s customer data
• Developing Flash/XML components to pick up XML driven data from multiple third party stock market indices and displaying the information as graphs on the site.
• Creating and populating 200 plus pages of content and assets without a CMS
• Building the site to have a JavaScript and non-JavaScript version and for the site to be AA accessible compliant

Technical Solution

The site was developed as a non-CMS editable HTML website with functionality being developed using PHP integrated with an Oracle database to create all the bespoke functionality required.
Additional elements were created by integrating JavaScript, Flash and XML with both the frontend and the underlying application and database.

Project Mechanics

The initial phase of the project ran for six months from initial planning to launch and involved working closely with both the agency and end client throughout the project. Some key stages of the project included:

• Working with end client’s IS team to understand their coding and security standards and to replicate their hosting environment as the site is hosted on the bank’s own servers
• Developing front end HTML to meet the agency’s rigorous design requirements and the end client’s need for a very high level of accessibility
• Creating Flash functionality drawing data from XML feeds and that worked when the feeds were down whilst meeting the end client’s security standards for writing data to servers
• Developing bespoke functionality using PHP and Oracle to manage user access to the site and to integrate with some of the end client’s existing systems

Conclusion

The project required that we and the agency worked very closely with the client particularly in order to meet the end client’s very specific coding and security standards.
Heavy preparation at the start of the project ensured that we were able to meet a quite aggressive launch deadline to coincide with the global offline launch of the service whilst satisfying the rigorous standards of the end client’s internal IS team.
The project was extremely well received by the end client, being cited as one of the best they had recently worked on and has moved to further phases which we continue to develop and support.