Think Say Do - Web & Mobile Apps, User Experience

At The Think Say Do Imagination Workshop…

Wow, my last post was in regards to building an app from scratch. I ran out of time to actually complete those posts - sorry. But, it was for a good cause. Things here at the Think Say Do imagination workshop have been going very well. Here’s a short list of what has been on the workbench:

• The Art Press & Think Say Do officially launched MyShirtSize.com, a place to make group ordering easy - for schools, for churches, for businesses, for non-profits, for artists designing their own t-shirts. And, the entire web app was tested and aimed at the Apple iPad. The Art Press staff uses the iPad internally to manage the business on the go using the 3G connection. So far hundreds of people have ordered shirts this way, and there’s more goodness to come for customers. If you’ve got a group of people needing to order screen printed shirts, give them a call right now!
• New Mission Systems International & Think Say Do have been collaborating on online donations and Raiser’s Edge data mining, along with Authorize.net API services for secure data storage and recurring donations.
• I have been working with the The Wesleyan Church World Headquarters since 2007 on web applications and systems. This year we’re working together on a new event registration system that will be a great improvement for their annual events. Launching early 2011 with lots of nice HTML5. Built on our new internal web & mobile app framework.
• GunterSchwarz Advertising in the Quad Cities has been contracting with Think Say Do to help launch a new website for a client complete with a powerful custom content management system (CMS) built specifically for the client’s needs. We’ve even got some nice map integration, MP4 videos, banner ad management, and other amenities that will give the staff a lot of flexibility.
• Along with those major projects, we’ve been doing hundreds of smaller projects for the likes of DK New Media in Indianapolis, Peterson Machinery Sales in Arizona, CEF in Kuwait, e-Media Resources in Sun Prairie Wisconsin, A Bride’s Choice Florist in Indianapolis, Ingold Sound Systems in Ohio, and others. Thank you to those of you who have trusted me to help you build great online experiences, from web apps to web sites to iPad apps to mobile sites. More good stuff to come in 2010 and 2011!

Today, I’m attending the 2010 Masters of Business Online conference in Fishers, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. The focus of the conference is on social media and online marketing, along with search engine optimization (SEO). Guys from HubSpot, FormSpring.me, and CrazyEgg will be there, along with many other well respected experts in their fields. If time permitted next year, I would love to speak on how web & mobile applications can be built for great online experiences. Mobile is hot these days, but it needs special attention. Slapping a mobile skin on your site isn’t enough.

Thanks for reading, have a great week!

~ Collin Schneider
President / Software Engineer 

After Thirteen Years: Blog, Twitter, Gmail… Still No iPhone.

Believe it or not, after thirteen years of resisting, I have started to blog, twitter, and gmail. That’s amazing, because I’ve worked as a web consultant for thirteen years! And, I’m young — a prime target for all things social and online. Yet, my life is too real to interface conveniently with the online social scene. I’ve never had the desire, need, or time to continually post what I’m thinking or doing. And who in the world would want to read what I have to say anyway? There are too many interesting voices these days. So, why would I start now?

Good question. Here’s why I think I am starting now:

1. Because I have the desire to connect with other people to see how we can collaborate — two minds might be better than one. And I have the desire to share what I am working on and thinking about.
2. I have the need to promote my new consulting firm, Think Say Do.
3. I have the time to write now — I am now my own boss after all. And, I have thirteen years of pent up words!

Here’s what I’ve learned in my first few weeks of being web-connected:

1. Observe others: read your favorite blogs and think about why you like reading them
2. Practice makes better: write often and you’ll get better with each post
3. Find a voice: initially posts/tweets sound formal and dry, but with time you’ll find your own voice, the way you actually write and think
4. Create hooks: be provocative in your writing and headlines, then go on to say something useful
5. Make contacts: keep up with your writing, keep up with your contacts, keep learning and growing your connections

For even better tips, check out Pam’s site.

So, while I have finally started to join the modern web scene, I still don’t have an iPhone. I’m not a consumer of tech gadgets, so maybe once Apple starts making them completely recyclable, I’ll join the crowd.

~ Collin Schneider, Founder / Systems Designer / Blogger / Tweeter / Gmailer / Environmentalist

Thirteen Years In The Internet Industry

This year I am celebrating 13 years in the Internet Industry. I can hardly believe that I’ve been building online experiences for 13 years! So much has changed since 1996… the “information superhighway” was young and untested. In fact, most businesses that I dealt with back then saw no real value in the Internet. It was a toy. Kind of like blogs were a few years ago, or twitter was a few months ago. Now everyone’s onboard, and there seems to be this frenzy to find the next big thing — to spot business value in the “toys” before anyone else does.

After 13 years of writing code, I often find myself burned out. I find it especially difficult to write one more line of code when I realize that 99% of what I wrote 13 years ago doesn’t exist anymore. The Internet is such a fleeting, instantaneous place. One millisecond you’re hot, and the next you’re not. So, to encourage myself and to celebrate, here are a few of my favorite, worthwhile projects from the past thirteen years and the lessons I learned from each:

• United Way’s ENCompass Project (1998-2001)
  Designed to house information on all Northwestern Illinois non-profits to provide a unified service experience for constituents. The system was originally a joint project with Orlando, Florida-based Human Resource Technologies and Northwestern, Illinois-based InterClay Software (my employer at the time). Lesson learned: non-profit projects are rewarding when people work together to build something great
   
• Milio’s Sandwiches (2000-Current)
  Designed to provide online sandwich orders. Yes, we took online sandwich orders in 2000. In 2008, Milio’s did nearly $1 million in online orders despite the fact that there are no Internet connections in-store. This was a joint project between Rippe-Keane Marketing and e-Media Resources. Lesson learned: there are always solutions, even to the most challenging problems
   
• OshKosh B’Gosh E-Commerce Site & Corporate Intranet (2000-2005)
  Designed to offer all of the famous OshKosh kids clothing online. The project was a huge success from a design standpoint, but the web application platform based on IBM WebSphere failed. I worked for e-Media Resources & The Gunter Agency at the time. We were in charge of the online experience — the design side of things. Lesson learned: design is always worth the investment. design is not just graphic designers. it’s for every project stakeholder - managers, developers, CEOs, customer service reps, etc..
   
• Firestone Tires E-Learning (2007)
  Designed to offer all of the Firestone Tire Center employees comprehensive customer service training. This was an e-Media Resources / Gunter Agency project. Lesson learned: take on projects that are new territory, learn constantly
• Sun Prairie Today Online Newspaper (2004-2008)
  Designed to allow journalists and the community at large in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin to post photos and stories easily. The site run by Paul & Teresa Bauman, was a huge success. Lesson learned: write amazing software designed for people instead of developers. even non-technical people can easily update a web site with only 20 minutes of training.
• BankingMyWay.com (2007)
  Designed to allow people to search for bank rates simply. The site was an e-Media Resources project. Lesson learned: teamwork is the more than the sum of it’s parts

Love what you do. Learn constantly. Give back. Here’s to another enjoyable and unforgettable Thirteen Years!

~ Collin Schneider, Founder / Systems Designer