Category Archives: Colin’s Comments

The emotion of technology

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What we do here at the offices isn’t just website development, design etc.  People often think that it’s just all “tekky” stuff, code and database work – but it is more than that.  And how our customers and their users engage with our sites and software is more important than the bare bones of what it all does.

We all know why we have technology – to make life easier, to enable us to do more and be more efficient.  But why do we select certain technology over other technology?  Sure there’s the geeks who pore over the hard facts, look up the stats and research every angle – but they are in the minority.  Most of us make our final buying decision on the following:

  • How will this product make me feel?
  • Will it make my life easier?
  • What will others things of my new ‘thing’?
  • Is it cool/smart/sexy/desirable?
  • Will it solve a problem?

 

None of those questions involve RAM, CPU Speed or Power-to-Weight ratios, yet they are chief amongst factors for buying technology.

Think of the iPhone – it’s not the quickest, hasn’t the best camera, not the most feature-full nor advanced.  And it certainly isn’t the cheapest nor gives the most valuable.  But its success has been based on the fact that it is desirable, people love using one and it just works.  All three things are because it has been well designed, built and coded – but at no point does the end user ever think “wow – that’s sliding button to unlock the phone is beautifully coded” – no, it just works.

This is where we come into the fold – when I visit a prospective customer I don’t tend to talk about pixels, fonts, colours and code.  I talk about the emotion of the project.  We have been brought in and it is taken as read we can code and design; or else why would we be here?  What we have been asked to do is a solve a problem, cure an issue and (without sounding all Jeremy Kyle) fix an emotional problem or two.

Here’s some common statements:

  • The website makes us look bad
  • This system is rubbish and makes our lives a misery
  • We can’t be as good we want to be
  • I hate using our site/system
  • I wish we could get our systems working together
  • Customers have complained about our site and I don’t like that
  • I’ve heard so many bad things about website developers/designers
  • I love using competitor-X’s website – is so fast, fresh and modern
  • I spend all my time doing the same thing, why can’t the site/system do it?

 

Have a think about technology in your working life.  How much emotion does it invoke?  Do you find yourself liking, hating and wishing?  Our approach is based just as much on solving those emotional issues that you and your clients have, as much as any technological challenges.

A happy customers tends to be a valuable customer.

 

 

Important information for anyone who owns a website.

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I’m not usually alarmist – but here’s a question.  Do you actually own your website?  Could, if you wanted, you get a copy of your site, code, database, images etc. on a CD or via a server?  If not how do you claim ownership of it – even though you can’t physically access it?

I’ve come across some ‘alternative’ ways of purchasing a website.  They mainly revolve around paying a monthly fee, rather than an up-front cost and then any additional annual hosting charges.  These methods sounds very good – you get a new website without the initial ‘hit’ of paying for one upfront.  However I have yet to see one of these offers where you actually get a website – where you pay monthly and have the website on your servers, or on your computer or given to you to use.

These types of sites tend to be built into systems and software which are the property of your provider.  Although they have your company details and branding, the actual code behind the sites are run by software you cannot get a copy of – doing so would breach their Intellectual Property.  Therefore you don’t actually own the website, you are essentially leasing the website on a Pay-as-you-go basis.

Imagine if you bought a car, but couldn’t access the engine.  Only one mechanic with a magic key could open the lid, work on the car, service it and change parts.  Even if you just wanted to fill up the water, imagine if only he or she could do that for you?  What happens if the mechanic isn’t available, goes out of business or loses the key?

So why should that matter?  Well it doesn’t, until you want to improve and upgrade your site and move it away from your current provider.  Bespoke websites are built from the ground up and are created so they can work on any standard hosting platform (of which there are only 2 main types – Linux and Windows).  They can be put on a CD (code + database) and given to another company to be worked on, improved and extended.  Also key is the database – if you have an ecommerce or dynamic website, the last thing you want is to have to re-input all your orders, customers or products.  Any reputable development company can take another’s code and data and use that to create a new site or improve a current site.

If your website is just an extension of your advertising, and you are happy to consider paying monthly a way of leasing space on the web, that’s great.  If you consider your website as an investment, as something you have invested time and money into, you should want to have the piece of mind that if you wanted to, you could at any time get a copy of the site and code and do what you wish with it.  Do yourself a favour and double check.

By Colin Harris

(all our customers have full CPanel access to their sites, we have no transfer or termination charges and all design and development is 100% the properties of our clients)

The truth behind online web hosting companies

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With the economy as tumultuous as it is, the past several months have seen an increase in people using online web hosting companies opposed to specialist website development agencies. Here Colin Harris, discusses the reality of using these sites.

Recently there has been an increase in people using sites which allow them to choose a web hosting service and create their own website. Understandably many people have turned to using services such as these as initially they look like a cost effective way to run a website. You can design and host your own websites from around £9.99 a month or £36 for E-commerce; however over 2-3 years this can be more expensive than having a bespoke website designed – without the benefits and customisation.

Sites such as these can afford to have small monthly costs as there is little or no man hours put into developing the sites, this is up to the user who must upload and manage their own content and images.

As with most things you get what you pay for, for example, take the following analogy of cars. If you are looking to buy a new car and your choices are between a brand new Mercedes and a worn out Micra, which would you choose: a shiny new car which will turn heads on the street or a less attractive car whose reliability is questionable? Or on the other hand if the dealer offered you the Mercedes for £100 you would be sceptical – why would the offer a high-end product for such a small price?

Sites like these can be ideal for small businesses and personal websites who would like a pre-designed template. However, these do not tailor to individual design specifications restricting what you can do and ultimately how much your website represents and imitates your brand.

One of the main issues users of these sites face is that they have no ownership of the website or the domain name but are in essence ‘renting’ a website. This makes transferring domain names and switching web hosts extremely difficult.

Another problem many users face with sites like these is that there is no real point of contact or more particularly, no face-to-face contact is available. There is no expertise guiding clients into what works best on the web – having access to the tools isn’t the same as knowing what works on the web.

A website is often a consumer’s first point of contact with a company so it is vital to ensure it portrays the correct image. For some this may be possible through pre-designed sites, they are ultimately perceived as cost-efficient and easy to use however for many others this is often a high-end tailored website which can be equally as cost efficient.

By Colin Harris

 

Behind the Business

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Colin Harris Website Development has started the new year with a trio of new recruits and a host of exciting client wins. Here the eponymous Colin Harris takes us behind the business.

What key challenges has the company recently faced?

The key challenge we have faced in recent months is to successfully persuade potential customers to invest in themselves, in a time when they are tempted to limit their expenditure.

In this economy people are more hesitant about spending money; we aim to show them that they can have a high-quality bespoke website without spending huge quantities. A website is a platform for communication as well as promotion and will provide a good return of investment; the challenge is getting people to take that first step.

What is your biggest achievement over the past six months?

The past year has been very busy for the company, but by far our biggest achievement is expanding the company so fruitfully in such a short period of time.

We have taken a head on approach to this tough climate and have secured several new clients and tender wins resulting in the company growing at a phenomenal rate. In only a year and a half I have gone from being a freelance agent to employing six team members. In this economy not only is this an achievement but it is a credit to the expertise and reputation of our team.

What is the biggest focus for the coming year?

Our biggest focus for the coming year is to solidify our position as a lead producer of results-driven websites and create an even higher standard of work for our clients.

We will be working to gel our recently expanded team, merging our skills and expertise to grow our portfolio. From this solid base we hope to expand again in 2014 and beyond.

If you had to choose one top piece of advice for someone just starting out in business, or is currently operating within your industry sector, what would it be?

To anybody looking to start in the industry I would say “do it!” You’ll never work harder or longer, but you will be master of your own destiny. The rewards from building up a successful business are not only financial but a deep satisfaction.

The main advice I would give somebody in this industry is to never underestimate the power of the web. This is not only from the perspective of a website designer but also a business man. The internet provides a level playing field – anyone can set up a blog, Twitter account or Facebook page, this can create both more competition and more opportunities.

Can you share with us your view on the current landscape of business, in your region or generally, and where your organisation sits within it?

The North East economy seems to be strong despite the recent “double dip” and threat of further downturn. The recession has trimmed the fat from a lot of businesses and encourages lean and mean practices rather than speculative investment.

We are extremely fortunate to have won many new tenders resulting in hiring new staff and expanding our team. We pride ourselves on providing a personal, good quality yet affordable service and I feel this is why we are sitting comfortably in this time of economic turmoil.

As featured on The Bdaily

By Colin Harris

Room for improvement in the ICT sector

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Here Colin Harris, founder of the Northumberland-based website development agency of the same name shares his thoughts and expert opinion on the UK’s technological industry, with focus on the ICT sector.

With an astonishing value of £58 billion the UK is Europe’s market leader for IT services, however despite this strong position there is room to improve.

Due to its simplistic and easy to access nature internet shopping has never been more popular, in 2012 alone an estimated £50 billion was spent on online shopping in the UK, accounting for 11.8% of all UK trade. With the growing popularity of both E-commerce and M-commerce it is essential to encourage growth and development within this industry, particularly targeting the annual deficit of £26.9 billion which is lost due to cyber crime. Tackling this deterrent will encourage people to feel safer and to seize opportunities in cyber space, as well as to enhance the UK’s overall security and resilience

The UK has the highest number of ICT graduates in Europe, another statistic reflecting our thriving stance within the industry. However, as with most other sectors unemployment particularly amongst graduates is still a problem. To tackle and encourage sector development there needs to be greater availability of easy in, easy out incubation units for digital and technological start ups.

To advance within any sector it is essential to encourage growth; this entails offering business owner’s benefits such as tax and National Insurance incentives for employing and training staff. This would be advantageous to both companies and individuals looking to expand or start within the industry.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that by the end of the current Parliament fibre optic hubs will be introduced to each UK community, including previously isolated rural areas. This £830 million scheme will be extremely advantageous to the technology sector, particularly to those within industries such as my own. This will allow for faster upload and download speeds as well as permitting multiple users to access the same line without a noticeable change in connection speeds.

This access to fibre optic broadband will also allow for technology-based businesses to be located in more remote areas, with lower overheads which is ideal for smaller or start up companies.

In summation, it is essential to take advantage of the latest technology and monitor consumer interests and behaviour. Take for instance previous high street giants, Blockbusters and HMV, who have not utilised the internet to its full potential, neglecting M-commerce and E-commerce and failing to thrive in this tough economy.

As featured on the Bdaily.

By Colin Harris