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Services... Overview
| Web Site and Multimedia Interaction Design | Our discipline of interaction design extends from computer-user interfaces to the human use of software systems and products of all kinds. Our objective is to create useful, usable products which give aesthetic pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction. | We combine the skills of
business analysts, software designers, software engineers, graphic designers, programmers,
and writers. Working wih you, we design consistent user models, clear, graphic representations, and comfortable interaction. |
| User Involvement | Our design process ideally includes early involvement, observation, description and analysis of the users' objectives and requirements of the software. | We develop imaginative scenarios describing a variety of users and their use of the projected system as a background for detailed user goal based interaction design. |
| Prototyping and Evolutionary Delivery | We encourage the development of early working models of software. These enable early user evaluation and determine finer needs. | Prototyping, our design skills, expert evaluation and user involvement combined iteratively ensure user centred design is maintained throughout the project. |
| Software Development | We have experience of
developing software since 1973, using a wide range of languages and methods during that
time. The methods we have used during that time includes: OMT, Fusion, Jackson, Yourdon, SSADM, Z, UML to BS5750 and other similar standards. |
We have also developed in
many languages: C, C++, Visual Basic, ORACLE, Access, Java, SQL, HTML, Flash, Javascript, Director, Prolog, Fortran, Cobol and on the following platforms: Windows 98/ 95/ NT Windows 3.1, Unix, Vax VMS, DOS |
| Requirements Specification | We carry out complete
requirements specification services, detailing the requirements using a method which
elicits the complete requirements within the scope of the project. This is done by
identifying the organisational requirements, and these may be
used to create organisational process models. Derivable from this or created independently, |
we specify the user's
profiles and requirements, the task requirements and task structures, the data or object
requirements and system functionality, thus the full system requirement. The techniques we have developed as a result of over 20 years in the software development industry, provide self checking processes to ensure completeness and consistency in a cost effective manner. |
| Workshops and Collaborative Design | We are experienced in preparing and conducting courses in interaction design, interdisciplinary design and 'Design for Use'. | We get the best results when our consulting is a collaboration of the diverse skills of our own people and our clients. |
| Usability evaluation | The only way to really test
if a software product performs the job it was designed to do, and can be used
successfully, is to actually perform usability testing on the product. It is best if someone outside of the development process performs the usability testing because they will have less attachment to the product and are able to look at it objectively. |
We are experienced at
independent usability testing a wide variety of products. We organise usability evaluations with "real" users tailoring them to your needs. We arrange remote and on-site sessions. Site sessions are video-taped and our staff brief and debrief the users. Afterwards, the videos and other material will be examined for usability issues and interpretation of user interaction. |
| Expert evaluation | We conduct expert
evaluations of user interfaces to ensure ‘good’ design principles are adhered
to. They can be carried out on very early prototypes prior to expensive user testing to ensure increased cost benefit. An expert evaluation would be carried out by skilled and experienced staff. |
The study will ask
principled questions as the evaluators are using the system. A report is produced which shows what works and what does not work well in the system and would offer suggestions about how the difficulties can be resolved. |
| Some of our clients | Nationwide Nuclear Electric plc Datastream International Brann Direct Marketing Renishaw plc |
Serco Services National Health Service Westinghouse Signals Hewlett Packard Open University Admiral Computing |