Experience Building Rich Interactive Websites

Interlated team members have been working for over 10 years building web-sites. This includes a large number of government web-sites and sites with a high level of interaction. Integrated applications and content management integration have been a consistent component of these systems over this period.

Web Frameworks and Content Management Systems

Interlated has many years experience developing using web frameworks and content management systems. This documents outlines some hilights, providing insights into: 

• Data driven views and how they can create highly effective applications.
• Use of integration technologies such as messaging [2] and web services to get access to data and deliver applications quickly without embarking on a large application redevelopment programme. 
• Use of patterns - interface [3], enterprise integration [2] and application [4] - to reduce the friction of 'new', reduce reinvention and generally increase effectiveness.
• Use of Domain Driven Design resulting in applications which can be more openly described and are associated with real world problems increasing focus on solving those problems and better match how people think about real world problems.

A broader list of sites developed by Interlated and MoutainRiver CMS is available under about us [5].

Interlated also provides tools to support development processes (git, scrum, testing) and has experienced scrum and development operations people.

Targeted Marketing Applications

Australian Hearing is a client for which Interlated has recently applied domain driven design processes. Interlated was able to develop an application for a legacy customer relationship management system with over 1 million customers in it that worked simply and effectively. The result was 25% of the organisations first time sales were originated through the application.

Techniques demonstrated: 

• Domain Driven Design: Interlated was able to pull off the 'pointy bit' of the data and use it effectively. 
• Enterprise Integration patterns: the application is part of a sophisticated messaging system which allows satellite applications, or even remote personal computers with intermittent access to be synchronsied.

Portal Development

Interlated has worked with the NSW Land and Property Management Authority to deliver services via their portal. Over time hundreds of services have been made available to the public and other departments resulting in this platforming being an exemplar of what is possible in delivering government services.

Example: NSW Department of Lands Spatial Information Exchange (SIX) portal.

Work: Portal development, application design, prototype development.

 

Similarly, Sunshine Coast Council MyCouncil application provides ratepayers with the ability to register things, become certified and make a range of payments online.

Sophisticated Application Development

Demonstrated capabilities:

• Secure logins.
• Skinnable - able to 'create a new application' by changing the presentation. 
• Multi-tenant - an organisation is able to only see 'their space' of the data. 
• Uses the productive Grails framework (Model-view-controller application pattern with contributed plugins for common application components). We also use some PHP frameworks (Symfony, cake).
• Reporting, both HTML generated reports and Jasper, plus download formats.

Example: GBRMPA Fisheries and Tourism emissions calculators. Refer to the Emissions Calculator guide [6] for a better idea of the capabilities of this application.

Outcomes: businesses were able to view their operations in new ways. As well as being able to report on emissions to customers and work to reduce them, many businesses found that they were operating more efficiently. The application works well with a range of 'champions' coaching busineses through the analysis process. The feedback is that the application is easy to use, effective and in spite of general sceptacism that it is 'another burden on business' it has a positive impact on business.

 

Interactive

Many of our applications have an interactive component. Even those that don't set out to enable people to explore data can use some effective graphic design, animation and interactive features that allow more functionality to be fitted into context maintaining screens.

Tablet and Mobile Friendly

Interlated has experience building mobile sites, touch friendly and responsive sites.

Technical Talks

Greg on Domain Driven Design

Groovy Sydney Messaging by Greg [7] from John Robens [8] on Vimeo [9].

John on sharing object data via messaging.

Groovy Sydney Spring and Grails [10] from John Robens [8] on Vimeo [9].