Coldwell Banker Malta launch new web portal
15th December 2011

InFusion Solutions deliver a new website for the local branch of international Real Estate Organisation Coldwell Banker LLC. Coldwell Banker Malta forms part of Coldwell Banker LLC, a real estate company founded in San Fransisco in 1906. With over 100 years of Real Estate Innovation, Coldwell Banker has over 100,000 Sales Associates and Brokers, in 3,300 offices worldwide, present in over 50 countries, Coldwell Banker is the world's oldest and one of the largest real estate corporations. In Malta, Coldwell Banker operates 4 offices and due to the increasing demand has seen the importance of investing in a fully-fledged, functionally rich website for the local operation.

Aidan Xuereb, General Manager of Coldwell Banker Malta said, “It was a pleasure working with InFusion throughout the development cycle of our new website. They consistently met our needs and requirements in their professionalism and the quality of work. We wanted something professional, but easy to use. We wanted a clever design that would produce great functionality and a user-friendly experience. They understood our requirements and objectives immediately and built the website through a series of well-managed refinements. There was no schedule slippage, and Infusion sustained a high level of energy and responsiveness throughout the project. The website itself incorporates a wonderful content management system which works great. Hat's off to Infusion for the great job on our website. We are completely satisfied with them, and would have no hesitation in recommending them for web development.”

Switch Design & Brand Strategy worked with InFusion to deliver the slick look and feel of the new site whilst keeping in line with the tight branding guidelines stipulated by Coldwell Banker’s mother company.

The new site incorporates features such as an intuitive and easy to use simple search and advanced search facility but most importantly it was built to integrate directly with Coldwell’s property database. “The websites synchronises with Coldwell’s database every evening and automatically updates the system with any changes made allowing our clients to avoid the hassle of double data entry and making their online project easier to manage. This is the stage where many organisations moving online get stuck as they fail to plan to bring their business processes in line making the project more of an overhead then a benefit to the organisation.” commented Kristoff Zammit Ciantar, Director at InFusion Solutions. “We also built in additional features to our content management system to allow Coldwell to feature their Latest and Hot Properties, a feature that their property database did not cater for”.

InFusion Solutions has a consistent track record of developing and delivering flexible and scalable web applications. Their experience and background in IT Consultancy on an international scale gives them the ability to blend effective web design with dynamic web programming and powerful online marketing. Switch Design and Brand Strategy is the creative design engine behind many local brands and campaigns.

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UK based company chooses InFusion Solutions to develop their new website
25th October 2011

When the directors at Stable Traders first approached InFusion Solutions to discuss the development of the website, www.stabletraders.com, they knew that they needed a supplier who would work in collaboration with them in order to help them fully realise their business vision. The equestrian industry in the UK is a highly competitive environment and the company is to have a massive dependency on the website as the main revenue generator.

The requirements were various. Behind the scenes, the site had to be technically slick and incorporate aspects like advanced search facilities and photo and video up-loaders. On the surface however, it had to be instantly “likeable”, simple and intuitive to use. A further challenge thrown into the mix very early on was to develop the website in such a way that the final product could be easily configured to work with alternative interest groups in the future, from Motorhomes to Livestock. StableTraders.com is now an online portal which makes it simple to buy and sell horses, horseboxes and trailers and anything else that is equestrian related.

“With over 25 years’ experience in business management, I believe I know what constitutes a “good supplier”. It’s not just about technical competence! It’s also about listening and interpreting, challenging concepts and suggesting alternatives and demonstrably being in the business relationship for the `long haul`. InFusion has always, and continues to exhibit all these critical traits so rarely found in supplier relationships today. Add to this, what I can only describe as their “technical excellence” and there you have it - the complete package!”

InFusion Solutions has a consistent track record of developing and delivering flexible and scalable web applications. Their experience and background in IT Consultancy on an international scale gives them the ability to blend effective Web design with dynamic Web programming.

Internet for businesses: Much more than a website or e-shop
29th September 2011

Nowadays going online is no longer about having a simple website – a ‘shop window’ or brochure site – and although a number of businesses have turned to e-commerce to drive sales, most haven’t maximised the opportunities the web presents us with.

As the world becomes more and more globalised, businesses are realising the benefits of automating processes and are moving more of their core systems to the web to generate income or to increase efficiencies. Businesses can leverage the power, flexibility and connectivity of the World Wide Web in a number of ways; whether via web services or web solutions that integrate with the rest of the business, or systems that slash operating costs, as well as streamlining businesses through real time information sharing, business automation and staff/stakeholder/client collaboration.

As application development has undergone a transition over the last few years, with the migration of applications from traditional client/server designs to the internet, it is important to understand what has driven this change and the advantages and disadvantages of implementing web based solutions in your business.

One of the most important advantages web-based solutions present us with is that an online software can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Today, remote and mobile users make up a large part of system users. Freed from the constraints of the traditional office, these users expect to access corporate information and applications from anywhere in the world, any time of day, from virtually any type of device. Instant communications among employees, customers, suppliers, and other strategic partners – no matter where they are – is becoming increasingly critical.

With internet connected laptop computers and the emergence of new wireless devices users can choose from a wide selection of cheaper, simpler and more convenient devices for handling corporate and personal information.

In addition, online solutions do not require a large up-front investment in software or support contracts (which can get quite expensive). A web-based product also changes the database licensing cost from a per-seat model to a concurrent user model. This results in decreased deployment costs ranging from 25 to 75 per cent.

Another advantage of web-based applications is the reduced cost to install and deploy, upgrade and support the application. Web-based applications are installed centrally on a single server. For businesses this means substantial savings because there is no need to visit each user PC to install the software. On-going maintenance is also easier as new releases of the software are installed centrally, eliminating the need to update each workstation.

Online software facilitates safe transfer of data files and built-in security features can also be integrated with other applications and platforms. Good online software also makes provision for creating back-ups for your data so that you can access your data even if something goes wrong with your account. As the software is online it reduces the burden on your computer systems and allows an organisation to benefit from the associated cost benefits as the amount of hardware required to run their systems is reduced.

Web-based solutions also offer a lot of flexibility for future changes as they are typically highly scalable. Another plus is that the front-end interface of a web based system tends to be more user-friendly since it incorporates the design conventions we have all become accustomed to on the web.

When opting for an online solution it is important to ensure that performance-related issues are catered to. Poor performance can spell disaster for users if the application is meant to function well in real-time. Performance is however only an issue if the application is not written correctly. The business requirements need to be understood so to ascertain the performance requirements upfront.

Technology is constantly upgrading and provides organisation with opportunities to leverage its advantages. Software development is increasingly shifting towards web-based solutions however websites in their purest forms are like the tip of an iceberg – what’s visible is only a small part of your business.

What really keeps the clock ticking is the 90 per cent below the waterline – the rest of your business. It is here that you can easily leverage the range of powerful capabilities that the worldwide web presents us with in order to provide a host of financial and operational efficiencies.

Converting business processes to web based applications provides organisations with the opportunity to save time and money, and improve the way they interact with clients, suppliers and business partners - from turning a website into a virtual 24/7 sales person with the power to drive sales around the clock, to online document and file management systems, intranets for sharing across locations, to billing systems, online project management and payroll.

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Getting caught in the web
13th September 2011

Leveraging the web is not just about online presence, says Kristoff Zammit Ciantar. There are significant financial benefits too.

Nowadays going online is no longer about having a simple website that acts like a virtual shop window or a brochure site. Although many businesses have turned to the web to drive sales, most haven’t maximised the opportunities the web presents us with.

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The use and abuse of the term UI (user interface)
25th August 2011

If you work or are involved in the web design and IT sector, you would have definitely encountered the term UI – user interface – a term that is widely used by technology and design companies in reference to the visual/front-end of a solution.

Whether a website or any other kind of solution, UI has become a selling factor as the market increasingly recognises that visual appeal is vital to the success of a web or any other solution.

Clients and prospects today ask for details or a presentation on user interface design for websites and applications. They want to see proposed colour schemes, the font styles, etc. However, calling this UI is misleading.

With the advent of the Apple iPhone, tablets and ever-increasing processing power, graphically rich UIs are far more prevalent than they have ever been. However it is important that the market understands the difference between graphic design and usability design.

Graphic design is about how something looks whereas usability design is how something works. Although gaining a consistent look is important, a common style sheet will not solve all your problems. Just because the font is black 12pt on all your applications, doesn’t mean they will look or work the same!

For an analogy, let’s compare websites to cars. Websites all have a home page, navigation to get around, and probably a logo. Cars all have a steering wheel, doors, gauges, tyres. Graphic design on a website is like paint, finishes, and body shape on a car. Some websites look like the latest sexy car and others look like dated vehicles that have seen better days!

But if you want a car to work like a Ferrari, you can’t just paint it red and put a sticker on it. It won’t work the same way!

UI design is about studying and improving the interaction between humans – the user – and machines. Usability is about interaction: how the application behaves, rather than what it looks like. It encompasses issues such as the ease with which users can learn the site, the fit of the functionality to users’ goals, and the efficiency with which common operations can be carried out.

Usability and graphic design are two completely different concepts, working hand-in-hand to create a functional website that is pleasant to look at, easy to use and facilitates tasks. The user’s perception and environment are two key factors in building the right UI.

There are various subconscious physiological patterns within users which need to be catered to in order to create the most appropriate interface for your targeted users. Features such as always maintaining the main navigation in the same place throughout the solution, using icons to represent actions and colour coding similar tasks across the solution help the users brain to associate tasks quicker.

No matter how experienced the user base is, it is much faster to guide the user into what needs to be done rather than expecting the user to know it.

Environment may dictate the speed at which the user is using the solution, whether the user is wearing gloves to operate the system, whether the user is using the solution whilst walking or driving, whether it’s indoors or outdoors. All these factors help in building the right environment. The interface of a GPS needs to offer bigger buttons with clear contrasting colours to allow their users – drivers – to press a button quickly while glancing at the screen. If the interface is being used outdoors then colours need to be contrasting to enhance the visual experience in direct sunlight. If the environment on which the solution is going to be operated includes tablets and smart phones then the right technology needs to be used. FLASH, for example, will not work on most smartphones and tablets!

Environment might dictate a faster response or speed to operating a solution. UI design is used in order to improve the layout and process functions of the tool. An example of this is the interface that airport check-in personnel use in order to process the queues of passengers in the quickest way possible. Designing the best user interface for such a solution would entail conducting a ‘functionality weighting index’ of the tool to identify which tasks are performed by the user most and in what sequence. This study will allow you to design a solution interface that will maximise speed, efficiency as well as user experience.

UI is the study involved in building the most suitable medium of interaction between the solution and the human who is using it. Having a visually appealing design is crucial in today’s web solutions, however it would be pointless if the UI is not suitable!

(Mr Zammit Ciantar is a director at InFusion Solutions, a local provider of custom-made web solutions.)

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Tweaking online solutions for best performance
1st August 2011

Websites are no longer simply ‘shop windows’ or brochure sites. With the development of e-commerce and the concept of paperless and remote offices, websites have evolved into more elaborate web and IT solutions which contain advanced levels of functionality.

Businesses are moving more of their core systems to the web, from online payment gateways, intranets and billing systems to project management and payroll. However it is not enough for web and IT solutions to look good and be functionally rich, they also need to perform well and quickly, not only because final users have no time to waste or patience but because low performance sites do not rank well on search engines. The web is speeding up. The introduction of fast web and IT solutions has raised the bar for speedy browsing. If you don’t keep up (or push the boundaries) your website will become irrelevant. This is because people on the web are task focused. They aren’t there to hang out and the quicker they can achieve their goals, the more likely they will stick to a site and return to it. Contrary to low performance sites, fast sites increase user satisfaction and improve the overall quality of the web. Where is the real business benefit in having fast performing web and IT solutions?

Primarily, people remain on your website longer and view more pages resulting in a higher click-through rate and eventually a higher conversion rate and return on investment. People will also begin to perceive your business to be more trustworthy as visitor frustration levels will significantly decrease. As firms move more of their core business online, performance becomes even more critical. Besides the frustration of having to work with an incredibly slow solution, wasting time is expensive. Fast-performing solutions mean improved productivity as employees are able to get tasks completed faster.

Various parts of an online solution can be ‘tweaked’ to improve performance from the development tools used, to the design of the front end as well as the web server hardware set-up, the server-side scripting and frontend scripting. The main issues to tackle are the file or component sizes and the number of requests sent to the server each time a page is loaded or refreshed.

Tweaking the frontend (i.e. your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images) of an online solution should give you immediate results when it comes to performance. For every component that is needed to render a web page, a request is created to the server. Combining CSS and JavaScript files will also help in reducing requests sent.

AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and Xml) is being used widely to enhance performance and user experience when developing new solutions. AJAX improves both the performance of the solution as well as user experience. The technology allows for only select parts of the page to be updated rather than sending the whole page each time. This reduces the number of requests to the server which in turn improves speed and therefore user experience.

We also recommend that you profile your web page to discover which components can be optimised. Profiling a web page can easily be done with a tool such as Firebug. This will allow you to determine the components which are being requested by the user, the time the components take to load, and their size. Ideally, page components are kept as small as possible, preferably less than 15 Kb.

If the solution contains many images, it is essential that all images are saved in the right format and optimised for web. In general, you should use JPEG for realistic photos with smooth gradients and colour tones. You should use GIF or PNG for images that have solid colours (such as charts and logos). PNG typically produces a lower file size.

Loading common files from third party locations is another way to improve performance. The idea is that of getting publicly known files like JQuery scripts from public servers hence offloading your server from requests for these chunky files. You can use the likes of Feedburner for RSS, Flickr for images and the Google AJAX Libraries API to serve popular JavaScript frameworks/ libraries like MooTools, jQuery, and Dojo.

Mr Bonello is operations director at InFusion Solutions and for the last six years has focused on architecting and delivering intricate solutions to organisations in Malta and the UK.

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MONEY Magazine - SWITCHED ON
28th July 2011

As opposed to going for the usual interactive CD, Switch proposed launching a dedicated microsite. MCA quickly took the idea on board. Together with their IT and Web Strategic partner, InFusion Solutions, the team created a slick, highly interactive microsite

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Switch and InFusion team up to take the
Malta Communications Authority Annual Report online
6th July 2011

Last month the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) issued their 2010 Annual Report and Financial Statements online. Besides producing the traditional printed copy of their annual report, this year the MCA wanted to deliver a fully interactive, user friendly electronic version of their report.

As a result of a tender bid, Switch Design & Brand Strategy were brought on board to design and layout the final project, in-keeping with the Authority’s corporate image, whilst employing latest design trends. The task at hand was to produce the MCA annual report in both hard copy as well as an interactive electronic version whilst adhering to a ‘Go Green’ concept.

Switch put forward the idea of developing a fully-fledged microsite as opposed to an interactive CD or a simple downloadable pdf document on their existing site. The idea was quickly taken up and InFusion Web & IT Solutions were contracted to develop and deliver the microsite. Working hand-in-hand with Switch, InFusion created a slick, highly interactive microsite. User Interface (UI) was key to the electronic version of the Annual Report as it was important to allow the readers to feel as though there were actually leafing through pages of the physical copy.

The site was also developed to be fully compatible and accessible via all browsers, smart phones and tablets. In line with the latest trends, QR codes linking directly to the microsite were placed on the printed Reports.

“The MCA is always open to innovative ideas or solutions for a more effective and efficient delivery of its ongoing regulatory activities.” commented Ing. Philip Micallef, Executive Chairman at the Malta Communications Authority. “The implementation of a fully-fledged online solution for our 2010 annual report and financial statements, together with the use of QR codes - the latest in marketing technologies, was a first for us. So far this solution has been well received amongst our varied stakeholders and our foreign counterparts as it has facilitated access to the report. It is important to keep up-to-date with latest developments in these areas especially if such practices allow us to be more eco-friendly in our operations.”

When it came to the printed version, Switch pulled out all the stops. They took the `Go Green` concept to another level so that the final product, in its various forms, would not only look and feel green but would also make you think green. Without undermining quality in any way or form, the MCA report was printed on more environmentally friendly chlorine free, uncoated paper of a lower grammage then typically used. During the design process the document size as well as the amount of ink coverage used for print was taken into consideration keeping in line with the ‘Green’ concept.

Switch Design and Brand Strategy is the creative design engine behind many local brands and campaigns. They provide a specialised and dedicated creative service, obsessively exploring and crafting solutions to make brands more relevant to the consumer.

InFusion Solutions has a consistent track record of developing and delivering flexible and scalable IT and web applications. Some of their latest websites to go live include ElectroFix, leaders in Alternative and Renewable Energy (www.electrofixenergy.com) and JTS Trading, local distributors for Samsumg Staron (www.jtstrading.com).



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