So Amazon launched Echo, and it’s really wowed the world… or not. Since then, we’ve seen the launch of Google Home, and Apple’s HomeKit. But, like the wearables market, the sales haven’t matched the hype. Well, at least this seems to be the prevailing opinion, but is it true? Well kind of. But that’s not…

Our knowledge of IBM on the Boots project tells us they have a largely inflexible webshop platform (Aurora) with no API capability. Given that OOTB product front ends tend not to be appropriate for any of their customers, and always need heavy customisation. The level of customisation depends on the budget, and is invariably not…

As another project draws closer to completion, I contemplate exactly how we brief staff to deliver modular projects. It’s an increasing requirement, especially in a responsive project, but one which is easily lost amid a flurry of client feedback. In order to address this, we at Splendid are trialling an approach to re-implement responsive even…

Autoblog recently published a report about car infotainment systems generally beginning to fail after a year. The issue is that most of these systems are bespoke, with bespoke connection to common handsets or data services. As those services change, the systems are generally difficult to update and often need to be taken back to the…

Around interesting energy consumption project… Watch this space in about a year!

While at the Amalia Hotel in Athens, Greece, I spotted this simple method of telling the staff you want your room cleaning. Now many hotels are employing smart digital technology to allow communication, but something about the simplicity of the controls struck me here. I can imagine my mum using this…

Our IT department uses Spyder calibration devices to ensure all of our screens are nice and accurate. The other day, while watching the process, I realised the software which comes with the device uses a visible template of where to put the device. This template is shown along with the first prompt to ‘Place your…

Banks aren’t thought of as ‘helpful guardians of financial wellbeing’, but as unflinching holders of ‘our’ money. Existing mobile banking experiences do little to counteract this, and don’t take into account the users needs and context. User’s we’ve interviewed want help managing their finances. This doesn’t mean an interview with a bank manager, but nudges…

Ultimately, everything we design is there to consume content. Whether that’s images, text, video, or whatever, they are (almost) all containers. When designing for responsive sites, this is even more true. The modules/components will scale and in many cases the content within them will too. A lot of the work we are doing at Splendid these…

A recent trip to New York got me thinking about my career again…