Brief

We designed a data collection interface that operates like a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel, allowing information to be entered intuitively and checked for errors with immediate feedback.

Description

Our client required accurate and rapid collection of student performance data from over 1,000 schools. With each school submitting data independently the company was keen that data managers should have ownership of their data. This ensures that the quality of data is the responsibility of the school and not the responsibility of the company.

Our answer to usability and simplicity was to produce a fully featured interface including many of the features of Excel. The software has a spreadsheet style grid that allows data entry. We included enough features to give the user a sense that they were using a grid that would operate like Excel.

Some of the features of the spreadsheet interface:

• Copying and pasting to/from Microsoft Excel for rapid data entry
• Auto-filling for consistent entry and easy error-fixing
• Multiple data views, each suited to a specific task
• Sorting, filtering and reporting
• Instant data-checking and feedback.

Although really simple to use, the spreadsheet interface posed a big technical challenge; replicating an interface as rich as that of Microsoft Excel is not a trivial task in itself. On top of that we created a strong set of rules that allow the software to highlight and correct errors and inconsistencies in the data.

Brief

New developments in web technology allow websites to respond and engage.

Description

The web is constantly evolving, and the latest developments require web sites that are more responsive and provide a more engaging experience.

We have created responsive web sites well before their potential was public knowledge (see our Tullett Prebon case study) and have developed in-house knowledge and tools for creating the web applications of the future.

Great examples of responsiveness and engagement are:

• Tactile graphics - where users touch or swipe to make visual changes
• Websites that update their content in the background
• Collaboration - seeing changes in documents as they are being made
• Popups, notifications and animations that draw your attention to what's immediately important

Not many web applications currently provide this level of interactivity. We believe that responsiveness and engagement will define the shape of the web and we are ready to deliver the solutions of the future.

Brief

DocumentFIT creates beautiful documents of any size and complexity.

Description

One of our most ambitious developments, DocumentFIT was built to accommodate the demand for high quality and flexible document management. When we first designed it, we decided it should solve three problems:

• Create fully-featured PDF documents
• Fit into our clients' business processes
• Deliver documents at high speed, at high volume, and of high quality

DocumentFIT allows for high quality rendering including complex layout, tables and images. Custom artwork can be included where specific needs require this. This gives our clients precise control over their documents.

Its high speed procesing allows documents of any size to be created in seconds. Other products we have used typically stop at 100 or so pages.

DocumentFIT uses a flexible formatting language that allows new formats to be created quickly and easily.

It has been used to great success. One client used it to create 1000s of extensive reports over the space of a few weeks, beating their competitors by several months.

Brief

We apply our skills to optimise our own software development processes.

Description

At Condaal we use Agile software development methodologies that allow us to deliver projects reliably to fit our clients' needs.

Devcon is an internal tool that combines the two main pieces of software that any software development team uses: source control and task management. Traditionally these have been disparate tools, and yet they are almost always used in conjunction.

Combining source control with task management, Devcon allows us to:

• Ensure all our developers follow our successful software development processes
• Plan work using reliable estimates
• Track projects using up to the minute information
• Review key performance metrics at any point in time

Brief

Giving our clients control over their software’s communication.

Description

Without messages, you cannot effectively use a software solution. Which message to send, and when, cannot be determined at the start of a project. It’s going to change not just during development, but long after too. Organisations change, and so does their communication.

The Condaal Signalling framework is designed to:

• Ecapsulate in-application messaging between users into a single framework across multiple channels (E-mail, on-screen notifications, etc)
• Give clients control over message content and delivery
• Provide a framework for message analysis and reporting

The Signalling framework forms an integral part to our vision of responsive, engaging web applications.