Rubious

Archive for the ‘Your Website’ Category

Internet Technology: Surf the wave or be left high and dry!

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The internet is on the move! New devices like the fantastic Apple iPad and the multitude of smart-phones increasingly available on the market enable access to the web anywhere and at any time.

Whether in a cafe, on the train or during a late weekend lay-in, your customers need to access your website at a time most convenient to them. But did you know that most websites have not been created with such liberties in mind? In fact, some of the fundamental building blocks used by many web developers are simply not compatible with mobile devices at all. If your website falls into this category, the chances are that your business is suffering.

We’ve found many top-drawer companies with sites that have designs that fall apart, functionality that, well, does not function and at worst, sites that won’t even display.

Moving forward

Software developers have begun a massive shift away from reliance on traditional platforms such as Flash and compatibility solely with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, towards a more standards-compliant approach that works with all web browsers. They’re using platforms such as HTML5 to achieve enhanced results on all devices, in a slick and integrated way that makes a lasting positive impression.

Does all this sound like a foreign language? We’re not surprised, and unfortunately, unless your web developer is forward- thinking, these modern solutions to compatibility issues will be little more than tech jargon to them too.

At Rubious, we are experts in modern website building techniques. We couple these skills with inspiring design capabilities commissioned specially for your own bespoke requirements. We test every site we build not only on all mainstream web browsers that have appeared within the last decade, but on every device that we can get our hands on too. These include the iPad, smart-phones and mini netbooks, not to mention both Macs and PCs.

This ensures that your clients can always access your site, even if they are a little behind the times with their software updates, or simply enjoy browsing on the move. An uncluttered, unhindered and beautiful experience is the very minimum we strive to achieve for every one of your clients.

We invite you to revisit your own website and put it to the test.

Pop into our offices and use some of the devices we test our sites on, or pay a visit to your local electronics store and do the same. If you’re a little disappointed by what you discover, Rubious is here to help, and we make a great cup of coffee too!

[This article was originally published in Suffolk Business Magazine]

How does your website look on mobile devices?

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

We’ve had our iPad for a couple of weeks now, and we love it! With Apple selling one every 3 seconds, expect to see an increasingly large number of your customers visiting your website on a mobile device – be it an iPad, iPhone, Blackberry or Google Android phone.

With all these different gadgets around, some consideration is needed during the building of your website as to how people will access your information. For example:

  • If your site relies on Flash for content, this is not accessible on the majority of mobile devices. Non-Flash alternatives are available.
  • You will need to check your site works with touchscreen devices – features relying on a “mouseover” will not function.
  • Your site needs to be optimised for speed and layout – visitors using their iPhones want the information quickly and in an easy to read format.

We will be announcing our plans for mobile optimised websites and even native apps for iPhone and Android in the coming weeks.

So if you and your customers love these devices as much as we do, why not speak to Rubious about your website, and see what we can do for you?

How the Apple iPad will affect the way we make websites

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Last week Steve Jobs announced the impending release of the Apple iPad. The 9.7 inch touchscreen display will make it a marvellous new way to browse the web. But does this make any difference to the way we make websites?

With their hugely popular iPhone and iPod touch, Apple has transformed the way people see smart phones. Even if you do not own an Apple device, many similar devices (e.g. The Palm Pre, Android, future BlackBerry devices) use the same core technologies to browse the web (a browser called WebKit, on which Safari is based). Where Apple leads, others follow, and you can expect more news on tablet computing devices to spring up from other companies. Now is the time to make sure you are ready for this big shift in browsing the web.

If the iPad takes off and becomes a big player in the handheld computing market, then there are a few things you will need to take into consideration when getting your website designed:

It’s a big iPod touch, but it runs the full web

Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad is not intended to run mobile-optimised sites. With its 1024×768 resolution, the iPad is fully capable of displaying full web pages. Along with its ability to zoom in with multitouch gestures, there will be no need to scale your website down at all.

All of the websites designed by Rubious are designed to be displayed at a minimum of 1024×768 resolution, so we already have the right workflow to accommodate the iPad’s screen.

One consideration which is worth thinking about is the iPad’s lack of any “mouse hover” . Many websites are designed with drop-down menus which require the user to hover their mouse over the item in order to see the entire list. These will not work on the iPad, as there is no way to “hover” on a touch screen.

The iPad does not support Flash

The debate over whether this is a waste of an opportunity or a huge success for open web standards is rife on the internet, although our opinion is that this is fantastic news. With Flash not being very accessible, search-engine friendly or efficient, we have never been big proponents of it, and have limited our usage of Flash to simple website animations and video. With the iPad using the Safari browser, which is one of the world’s most advanced browsers and has support for great javascript animations and HTML5 video, the need to use Flash on your website will be greatly reduced.

What this means is that anybody with an all-Flash website needs to seriously consider making an HTML alternative site. This should already have been done for accessibility reasons, and because the iPhone and iPod touch do not support Flash either, but if the iPad becomes popular your website could soon get left behind.

It also means that anybody who is in the market for a new website should choose not to rely heavily on Flash, and to try and future proof their site with technologies such as HTML5 video.

The iPad uses the Safari browser and Mail app

These are the browser and mail client of choice at Rubious, and so we are very familiar with them. All our websites look great in Safari, and our email marketing is perfect for Mail.

If your web designer does not use a Mac, they might not be familiar with these applications and so they may have never tested how your site looks and functions in Safari. Now is the time to make those checks. If needed, you can download Safari for Windows but nothing beats the experience of running it on a Mac.

Conclusion

This is an exciting time for website developers as more people will gain a handheld web browser the web will continue to grow and become even more of an important part in people’s lives. If you want to know how your website will fair come March when the iPad is released, contact Rubious for some advice.

Season’s (electronic) Greetings

Friday, November 20th, 2009

If you are thinking about cutting down your carbon footprint—and your costs—this holiday season by sending out an email greetings card, then here are some tips for you.

Be Personal

The very nature of mass-emailing may make you think that your greetings card will be impersonal. There are a few steps you can take to make it that more special:

  • Include the recipient’s name in the subject line
    Our email marketing software has the ability to include the name of the recipient in the subject line, which makes it more likely they will open the email.
  • Include ‘Dear ….’ in your email body
    As well as adding their name to the subject line, why not begin your email with ‘Dear [firstname]‘ to ensure the message looks personal.
  • Be sensitive to traditions
    Find out whether your business greeting card recipients observe Christmas, and make sure your message is appropriate for each individual. You can specify their preference in your subscriber list and deliver the appropriate email template. Alternatively, just use an inclusive message such as “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings”.

Be inspiring

Your email greetings card need not resemble the repetitious christmas cards everyone else sends. We can design a unique card for your company which represents your views on the holiday season.

Contact us now to see what we can do for your company.

Introducing Rubious Packages

Monday, November 16th, 2009

At Rubious we believe in transparency. We have done a lot of research on our competition, and found that almost none of them actually display their prices on their website.

We want to add some openness to our pricing policies, and so are introducing our new packages pages: Website Packages, eCommerce Packages.

Our packages are an easy way for a potential customer to get an idea how much their website will cost, and what features they will get. Our project brief builder allows anyone to customise their own package, and send it to us; this helps us make a more specific quotation.

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all, which means these packages are just guidelines – once we have your initial project brief we will work closely with you to determine exactly the features you need. And of course, all of our websites are unique; we do not use templates or ‘off-the-shelf’ designs.

So if you have been thinking about making the plunge and ordering a brand new website, customise one of our packages and find out what is right for you. We will follow it up with a more detailed quote and arrange a meeting to further discuss your needs.