Benedict Ireland

This week, the government division CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has published a directive intended to ensure that banks take advantage of technology in order to do the hard work for their customers. But what does it all mean for customers in the real world? Benedict Ireland, Head of UX at Splendid Unlimited has been…

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…