Website Application Development Services
We develop applications that help companies harness the power of information in strategic decision making
Regardless of whether you need to capture more information from your value-chain or put existing information to use, our applications are made with a blend of ingenuity, creativity, and genius.
- What does application development involve?
- Multi-Tier Architecture
- Any information system is comprised of multiple levels that can collect, store, process, and retrieve data. Virtually all applications can be broken down into three categories as follows: data storage tier, business logic tier, and presentation tier. Recent innovation in Web technologies has transformed the composition of these three tiers and promises a host of exciting developments.
- Data Storage Tier
- In order to capture user transactions and system data, a Web application relies on a database. Databases offer system developers the ability to construct dynamic and powerful information systems that change overtime, allowing organizations to harness the power of their operational data as it grows. A good database design will combine intelligence and meaning with an organization's day to day information resulting in an insightful and powerful data management tool.
We design our databases to model real world tangible entities specific to the customer so that the resulting information system simulates the real world flow of information through their organization. We then use normalization theory to ensure that relationships between classes of information are logically sound and are capable of answering as many operational questions as structurally possible. We deploy all database solutions in either Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or MySQL depending on a client's preference, integration requirements, and/or scalability outlook.
- Business Logic Tier
- The business logic tier is responsible for delivering information from the backend database to the client's browser for display. Depending on the client's request, this tier conducts processing on the data so that the final delivery is useful to the client. For instance, consider the task of displaying a company's growth over a period of 12 months. The business logic tier would submit retrieval queries to the database and manipulate the response into a visual format that is meaningful to the user who submitted the request.
This tier is also responsible for processing user input data. This responsibility involves a tremendous amount of numeric and semantic translation to ensure that data remains within the confines of the container provided for its storage. Essentially, the business logic tier serves as an intermediary between the human user and the background database formatting, preparing, and processing information as it flows from one to the other.
- Presentation Tier
- The presentation tier refers to the interface that the user uses to access and manipulate system data. This tier is responsible for channeling user requests to the business logic tier and handling server responses. This layer comprises the interactive display with which a user communicates to the servers providing the information. Graphic design, report and content layout, and user forms all fall under the umbrella of the presentation layer.
- Read about AJAX technology and Rich Internet Applications
- How are we different?
- We realize that streamlining the transition between workflow and application is critical to the success of any information system. The application must accommodate the work style of the user presenting them with an interface that is both useful and intuitive. With an appreciation for well-engineered user experience and top quality graphic design, we can confidently say that we will meet and exceed your expectations.
- Conventional Page Refresh Model
- Historically, web-based interfaces are slow, bulky, and frequently fail to provide the user access to relevant information in an intuitive way. For years, Web developers have relied on the page refresh as the only means to transfer information from the server tiers (business logic and storage) to the presentation layer. A page refresh is abrupt and disruptive and we believe that it decreases the quality of a user's experience. A critical success measure for any information system user friendliness; how approachable/intuitive is the interface? By minimizing a user's required input into a system and leveraging the intuitive nature of information, we construct interfaces that are extraordinarily easy to use.
For example: a major problem with e-commerce business is abandoned carts: when a user adds product to a shopping cart and then exits the website without completing the checkout process. A lengthy checkout process discourages users from submitting their order and equates to lost opportunity for the e-business. To combat this trend, all user forms that we construct emphasize the principle "less is more"; we build forms with inferential logic that is capable of arriving at answers without having to take up user time and energy.
The result: snappy user experiences that maximize the power of your information keeping users coming back for more.
- The Rich Internet Application Approach
- It is possible to channel information to and from the server tier without subjecting the user to an irritating page refresh. AJAX (asynchronous javascript and XML) is a client-side framework that we use to move information between client and server without a page refresh. We use client-side event listeners to detect various user actions such as mouse movement and keyboard activity to coordinate real-time data exchange.
Based on the event listener, the client submits a request to the server via AJAX, meanwhile the client's interface remains unchanged. "Asynchronous" means that as the request moves across the internet to its final destination, the user can continue working as the browser awaits the server response. Once the response arrives, AJAX intelligently handles the response and makes any necessary changes to the user's interface. Once again, the entire process occurs in real-time with no interruption to the user's workflow.
Take a look at our Web design portfolio to see how our approach has aided in the success of our clients. If you are interested in talking to us about your Web-project, please feel free to contact us today.
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