Selected Projects from the Gendec Design Stable

The line between stand-alone executables and web-applications is blurring quickly, due to the sophistication of modern browsers and the availability of fast Internet connections. Our TrackHawk project is a work-in-progress that well illustrates what can be achieved using today's technology. A partial demonstration is included in the public web-site.

It is the intention that the application will slot into supporting web-sites that already have solid infrastructure in place. The web-site link here is provided to explain and market the concept, but not necessarily intended as a permanent wrapper for the application.

Databases are an essential part of the back-end for any commercial site. Often there are templates that provide the required functionality e.g. collecting client-data or shopping-carts. In other cases, specific and unique database design is necessary. The Forex Equity-Logger provides a good example of a database designed for a specific purpose.

At the time of writing, this on-line application is still under development. When complete, it should be able to provide real-time charts of the equity flows in registered Forex trading accounts. It also illustrates the technique of using a specifically designed Flash component to display charts. Unfortunately this limits use on the increasingly popular iPhone, so alternative mechanisms must also be investigated.

For the owner of a web-site, the objective is to convey as much information as possible about products and services on offer. However, visitors have many different objectives, and varying attention-spans. It is important to convey the message visually as well as in word form.

Navigation should flow through the menu-items much the same as chapters through a book. Always provide quick and highly visible links to the things that would be most relevant for a visitor. And end with the 'Contact' or 'Checkout' section where there are options for more information and the possible establishment of a commercial relationship.

Writing good copy for a commercial web-site is an art-form in itself, and is often best addressed by the client or someone with industry-specific knowledge. In order to separate the graphic-design from the textual content, we often fill the content with official gobbledygook during development. This is an example of a design in progress.

The Beauty Salon prototype also illustrates some of the neat visual effects that can be accomplished using jQuery -- check out the 'coupon' and its associated print options. Javascript is required for this to work, but that should not be a problem as over ninety percent of web users have it enabled.

Many clients have a good idea about how they want their web-site to look. It is the job of the designer to implement these ideas, and advise on the best way to achieve the set objectives. At Gendec Design, we provide such a service. In the case of fairsy.com, another requirement was to develop a site that the client could maintain themselves.

By making the design modular, and allowing the framework to automatically adjust for changes, the goal of easy-maintenance has been met. For visual appeal, and a degree of attention-grab, a Flash menu has been used. This also allows a rolling slide-show to display the concepts that the client wants to promote to visitors.

The Knight Driving web-site is an example of a what can be achieved in a non-hosted situation. It is cross-browser friendly and should be fully functional with script disabled, albeit a bit slower. Graphic effects are not dependant upon any plug-ins. Sound-effects are included if supported by the browser environment.

A template similar to this would be suitable for the do-it-yourself web-creator wishing to establish a low-maintenance web presence for a small business. The focus here is to design the aesthetics to be satisfying, and appropriate for the target audience.

Race Maps introduces the technique of including external services into a web-site -- Google-Maps. The site was developed several years ago when the Google-Maps API was just released. The concept of using 'mash-ups' has now been widely and successfully deployed.

There are no special hosting requirements for this type of site, and it could easily be installed on a passive server e.g. ISP storage. The potential exists to take this idea a lot further, and with advances in accurate GPS-type devices, there could be some neat applications developed along similar lines.