Product Design And Development

Author: Jason Gluckman

Source: articleage.com



Product design begins with identifying the characteristics and expectations of the target market based on the product. The key benefits customers look for in a product must be identified. Multifunction products can give product benefits expected by many types of customers. On the other hand, a customer may suspect that the product promises too much, and that it will not, quality control, live up to its promises, quality control, .
A multipurpose,, quality control, quality control, product may also appear too complex and sophisticated to the average buyer. A product has to complement human effort rather than, quality control, overwhelm. Building user friendliness into products has become a very important factor in product design, and a whole discipline of study called ergonomics has evolved.
Aspects like quality, styling, performance and materials affect a product image. It is better to give desired quality at acceptable prices than to give the highest possible quality at unreachable prices. Product performance output and costs of product use is another important feature that should be part of product, quality control, design. The materials used for making a product have to be selected so as to be safe, free from health hazards, economical and appealing.
Product obsolescence refers to the life of a product or the duration it can be used. This is another very important aspect in the product design and development. Functional obsolescence occurs when a new technological finding makes an existing product out of date. The manufacturer controls planned obsolescence. Postponed obsolescence is when a marketer decides to withhold product improvements until present inventories are sold out or demand falls sharply.
Product Development provides detailed information on Product Development, New Product Development, Product Design And Development, Product Development Processes and more. Product Development is affiliated with Enterprise Risk Management.

FREE Web Hosting with no adverts!

Author: Anonymous

Source: free-articles



July 10, 2004 -- The newest automatic web page generation system using templates for your web site has arrived.



We cater to the Memphis market offering personals, yellow pages, free hosting, web links and a community news and events portal for the community of Memphis, TN. We also offer outsourced 24/7 help desk solutions for your company. We will handle application support, billing, quality control, support, and are available for custom web design work.



We also offer web design services, Search Engine Optimization and Software Architect services.



MemphisWeb (http://www.memphisweb.net/) is a high traffic internet portal for Memphis, TN. We offer high quality information services and database design.



http://hosting.memphisweb.net/

http://yellowpages.memphisweb.net/

http://www.memphisweb.net/



Our sites are powered by PHP and offer cutting edge technology solutions for our clients.



Resume follows:

Blake Billings

Memphis, TN 38120

901. 218.2343



webmaster@memphisweb.net



Skills:

10 years Graphic, quality control, Design, 7 years PHP scripting and programming (PHP 4 / 5), 8 years Photoshop, 4 years Illustrator, 7 years Dreamweaver, 1 year Java, 1 year ColdFusion, 3 years Flash MX, 5 years MYSql,, quality control, 5 years DBA, 1 year Oracle, 2 years JAVA, 1 Year C++, 1 year Sybase, 2 years postgres SQL, LAMP, 1 Year SAP, 3 years SQL, 5 years CSS, 5 years DHTML, E-Commerce, Web Programming,, quality control, 10 years HTML, 5 years JavaScript, 3 years ASP, 1 year ASP .NET, 2 years Perl, 4 years Linux system administration, 10 years publishing experience, 10 years professional photography experience, 18 years Technical Support Experience, 18 years hardware repair, quality control, experience, 20, quality control, years computer instruction experience



Other Skills:

Use Cases, e-business solutions, tech support, all aspects, quality control, of web design, software support, DBA, web architect, E-commerce, online marketing, publishing, photography, layout and design, graphic design, full understanding of software development lifecycle, team lead for small teams, IT Management, Content Management, Document Management, Data Warehousing,

http://www.memphisweb.net/ - Marketed to a high profile position on Yahoo, Dmoz, and Google, site has also been featured in PC Magazine (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,383727,00.asp)

http://www.johnmarkshaw.com/ - site designed for a San Francisco photographer

http://coolmadison.com/ - Madison WI Portal.



Education:

University of Memphis - English with a minor in Computer Science

Memphis College of Art - Photography / Computer Arts



Experience:

(02/04-current) FedEx


Webmaster

Webmaster for various projects within FedEx Express division. Contractor.



(01/03-02/04) Flextronics Repair Techician

Repair of Apple Macintosh laptops. Diagnosing and troubleshooting,, quality control, quality control, as well as hardware level repair of apple, quality control, laptop, quality control, computers.



(03/01-12/02) FedEx.com / Global Trade Tools Webmaster

Created an XSL / XSLT web based interface to a third party XML engine to support the dynamic calculation of tariffs, taxes, export licenses, denied party screening and export control numbers for international shipments. Was responsible for all graphic design of the entire project.



(04/96-Current) Ice 9 Designs Webmaster

Responsibilities include technical writing of all documentation, client use cases,, quality control, creation of Frequently Asked Questions for non technical users, software documentation (presented in both technical and non-technical formats), writing software manuals for distributed software, usability consulting, all phases of design, server administration, publicity, online marketing, newsletter management, copywriting, PHP scripting, ColdFusion, ASP, ASP.NET, Flash, Graphic Design, CGI / Perl scripting, online marketing,, quality control, newsletter management, technical writing, and customer retention, search engine optimization and maintaining a stable of 20-30 various content driven sites with members and subscription base. These websites have been both for clients and for personal use. Sites developed range from web hosting services, financial websites, local community portals, corporate websites, and targeted personals sites.



(12/00 - 12/01) Vservers.com Senior Help Desk Technician

As the sole swing shift Help Desk support technician for a large webhosting and dialup provider,, quality control, responsibilities included: Customer Support, resolving web hosting and technical issues for clients via email and phone, customer service, troubleshooting NT and Unix webhosting issues, server maintenance, security, solving scripting issues, and dns issues. 93% first, quality control, call close rate.



(01/98-12/00) Compucom 3rd Tier Help Desk Technician

3rd Tier help desk support for 50 clients, answering inbound product issues as well as general customer service. Support covered software, hardware, network and database issues. 98% First Call close rate. I was responsible for providing support to over 50 companies for their specific apps and configurations.



(05/96-01/98) Quality Control Technician, Sequel INC. Bench Technician / QA

My daily, quality control, responsibilities included diagnostic/support duties for IBM, resolution of hardware and software issues, creating outbound repair estimates, and repairing IBM ThinkPad laptop computers. I was promoted to Quality Control Technician in December 1996. Duties including: ISO 9000 standards ensured on all repaired units, and implementing IBM quality specifications on all repair work. Departmental purpose to increase, quality control, โ€œfirst time fix rateโ€ to 95%, control cost per repair action, control all aspects of shipping, 2nd level help desk customer support, liaisons between technicians and management, and to intercept and correct technical and/or satisfaction issues prior to product shipment.



Certifications:

HelpDesk 2000 Certified Field Support Technician (CFST)






2000



Sysoft Sysoft Certified Advanced Webmaster & EBusiness Architect

1998



Sysoft Certified Webmaster & E-Commerce Architect



1999



IWA Certified Corporate Webmaster (CCW)




1998



CIW Certified Internet Webmaster





1999



CompTIA A+








1996

How Small Business And Nonprofits Can Afford Multimedia For The Web

Author: Patricia Schmal

Source: articleage.com



Multimedia is everywhere on the Internet, whether in the form of floating ads at major websites, streaming video or animated presentations. Of course, there is a good reason why multimedia has become such an integral part of the web experience: it's an effective tool for capturing attention or provoking visitors to buy or contact the site owner. For these reasons, many educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations desire multimedia presentations. Unfortunately, at first glance multimedia, often appears prohibitively expensive for small businesses and non-profits. The following represent a number of ways to control the high cost that typically accompanies, quality control, multimedia production without losing quality. We believe these suggestions will ensure that you save money but still feel good about your investment.
Let's begin by understanding the components of professional multimedia production, which include creative development, actual production, and various stages for revisions.
The lion's share of multimedia production costs typically stems from creative development. This is often the most controversial line item for frugal business owners, who may ask, "shouldn't, quality control, the cost of the creative be part of the design or production costs?" As with fine clothing, where the choice of designer adds to the cost of your product more so than the actual material or sewing, multimedia design costs depend on the creative input as well. For example, if you hire a designer with more experience or with a track record of creating unique, catchy concepts, your creative development costs may be higher. Of course, the final product may result in having a stronger impact as well. The solution isn't to pick the least expensive creative professional, but rather to understand their process in order to help speed production (thus reducing cost).
The second component of multimedia production,, quality control, the design and production of the piece itself, typically requires less guesswork in terms of defining cost. The cost per minute of production depends on a limited number of specific parameters, such as the complexity of the animation and the overall quality of the design agency selected. Generally speaking, there are three types of firms - from a cost perspective - you can choose to work with: a, quality control, purely on-shore, purely off-shore, or a hybrid off-shore/on-shore firm. The type of organization you choose will have a strong correlation with the quality and the price you pay.
The third component, client revisions, is an area controlled most easily and typically is the cause of inflating or deflating multimedia development costs beyond a designer's original estimate, or your expectations. The most basic revisions consist of three rounds: changes to creative concepts, changes to a draft version of the final product, and a final review. Often, more revisions may be needed when a designer is provided with inconsistent or incomplete information. This invariably results in a higher cost than expected.
With the extensive time that some multimedia presentations call for, requiring the efforts of creative professionals and skilled developers, it's not surprising that multimedia presentations and ads can be expensive. Why, then, consider them? Are they effective?
Multimedia presentations are very successful at grabbing people's attention. Multimedia results in higher retention of marketing information by viewers, or more enthusiasm for an offer. When compared to static text, graphics, or even audio, multimedia is simply more compelling due to its ability to trigger multiple senses at the same time..
According to DoubleClick (quoted in ZDNet.com,, quality control, Joseph, 2002) multimedia ads have a 71 percent higher impact than their static counterparts, quality control, . Similarly, in 1997,, quality control, the California Community College system, "implemented a test design to assess the efficacy of, quality control, multimedia technology as a non-traditional form of instruction" (Luna & McKenzie, 1997). Surveys take after, quality control, the test determined, "40% of the students felt multimedia improved understanding and 73% found it a positive addition to the course." Finally, a study published in the Journal of Management Information Systems (Benbasat & Lim, 2002) determined that multimedia "facilitat [es] the retention and subsequent recall of explanative information…" The study consisted of two test groups. One group processed information through a "text-based system" and the other a "multimedia system." The subjects who were tested, quality control, on the basis of a "multimedia system" received a higher mean test score of 2.70 compared to the 2.10 of the text based group (p.114); clearly demonstrating that higher retention is possible with, quality control, multimedia, quality control, . The case, quality control, for implementing multimedia into your marketing, sales or advertising is clear. What can your business or non-profit do to cut its costs?
The first method involves separating the development of the creative (the message,, quality, quality control, control, concepts, and storyboards) from the production (design, animation, and sound production), or at least finding ways to control it.
An article by Mark Frits for EMedia Professional (1997) discussing a fax survey taken of 100 different multimedia production specialists determined, "the creative time spent by designers and project managers, as the most expensive factor of production." Therefore, if a business has already developed a detailed creative concept, storyboard, schematics, or other documentation of what needs to be done, it can reduce the total cost of producing multimedia by utilizing a small design firm or freelancer. Costs are cut because the time and skill spent on one creative is replaced by an in-house team. Of course, to ensure success, only those small, quality control, businesses who believe they possess strong creative assets (with professional advertising or marketing, quality control, expertise) should attempt this approach.
Remember, if you do ask your designer or design firm to handle the creative, that the route of working directly with a designer (rather than a firm with a creative team) may cut costs and also quality. Firms with full time creative professionals that are not involved in day to day design are often, quality control, able to craft unique storyboards that describe and explain products, services, or company mission in memorable ways. Freelancers are a poor choice for strong creative since they often work alone and have limited means to brainstorm and perfect concepts with other creative professionals - a principal differentiating factor and benefit of working with a firm.
If you do select a firm for your creative and production,, quality control, make sure that the creative team understands the message, quality control, you need to convey. Is a creative firm with, quality control, a great portfolio and appealing style really able to promote effectively your product and/or service? Only client testimonials, references, case studies with solid results, or market research, quality control, can tell you this. Even when obtaining the creative from a top line firm, if you do, quality control, your homework, you can still keep costs down. Prepare as much, quality control, information about your target audience, goals, customers, products and services as possible. Develop a few rough concepts of your own, in-house, to help orient the creative team. Finally, discuss these endeavors with your chosen firm up front and negotiate a reduction in fees if you both agree that the information you provide is helpful.
A second way to cut cots is to ask for fixed price development. This direction can mean losing some flexibility in the design of your site. However, the tradeoff can be worthwhile if you are able to exert self-discipline. For that reason, when choosing fixed price development, be limited with revisions, as you only get a few as part of a fixed price. Avoid common mistakes such as being unsure of what design direction you desire or being unsure of your marketing message. Carefully consider each deliverable in order to provide all your comments in as few phases as possible - take a couple of days, at least, to do this.
Finally, when working with a firm, make sure that, quality control, you provide them with only one point of contact so they don't spend additional time coordinating, quality control, between people in your company - although seemingly amusing, that mistake is quite common, especially so with growing businesses. Requiring your designer to handle internal coordination of ideas leads, quality control, to dramatic extensions in project timelines, so be sure that you appoint someone internally to act as a point of contact and clearinghouse of internal discussion. Another way to save on multimedia costs is by concentrating on developing, quality control, powerful ideas while keeping implementation simple. When too much time is spent on design and not enough on concept, you will waste production money and effort. To make this strategy effective interview firms that may front load the creative, but also display portfolio pieces that focus on conveying ideas rather than showing off lots of special effects. Work with the designer to simplify the production process by brainstorming easier ways to animate key concepts, and be open to using less labor intensive "vector" animation rather than 3D animations or video production. When it comes to sound, seek out talented and "undiscovered" freelance musicians or voiceover actors working from home who can provide original audio that will cut licensing costs., quality control, .
As a final point, the operational structure of your chosen design firm can impact cost and quality as well. Off-shoring software development is well established, but outsourcing design work abroad is less common and can lead to interesting results due to cultural differences or lack of marketing knowledge, quality control, . At the same time, larger multimedia projects often benefit from repetitive production taking place, quality control, off-shore. Depending on your needs, a "full" off-shore firm with just a sales presence in the US may not be able to provide you with the customer service needed. On the other hand, a fully US firm will likely double your production costs.
The best choice for small businesses is a design firm employing a hybrid approach, where creative development and high level design is handled by professionals that you can meet and build rapport with, but where larger production is handled costs effectively by a well managed offshore team.
By controlling the costs of multimedia your business can afford a highly effective communication tool that can pique site visitors' or ad viewers' interest. Remember these key points:
- Think "simple" when it comes to producing animations - focus on strong ideas instead.
- Be disciplined with your revisions, quality control, to avoid charges for many rounds of changes.
- Take over creative development and let your designers simply produce your vision when your in-house creative is strong. Otherwise seek out a trustworthy design agency, quality control, with a track record of strong creative development.
- Work with firms that, quality control, employ an optimal mix of US and off-shore, quality control, development.
One never needs to cut out quality while cutting costs. Strong concepts and ideas will make, quality control, the biggest difference in your presentation's success at the end of the day.
References
Benbasat, I., Lim, K.H. (2002). The influence of multimedia on improving the comprehension of organizational information. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19, 114-115. Retrieved August 5, 2004, from EbscoHost,, quality control, http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=6976838&db=buh&loginpage=cpidlogin
Frits, M. (1997, February). The cost of computer based training: A directory of development houses. EMedia Professional, 10, 109. Retrieved August 12, 2004, from InfoTrac Web: General Reference Center Gold.
Joseph, P. (2002, January). Beyond the Banner: New strategies in online advertising. Tech Update, DZNet.com. Retrieved August 27, 2004, from http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/o,14179,2841691,00.html
Luna, C.J., McKenzie, J. (1997,, quality control, February). Testing multimedia in the community college classroom. T H E Journal, 24, 78. Retrieved August 5, 2004, from EbscoHost, http://search.epnet, quality control, .com/direct.asp?an=9707163770&db=afh&loginpage=cpidlo
Copyright ฉ, quality control, 2004 Polar Design
Patricia A. Schmal
http://www.polardesign.com Patricia Schmal, quality control, is a Marketing Associate with Polar Design where she plays a pivotal role in its creative team's concept development, and also works to improve clients' link popularity and search engine positioning. Patricia is also an active participant in its public relations activity. Patricia is currently an, quality control, undergraduate student at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts where she is completing a degree in Business Administration.
Mark J. Jaklovsky
Mark Jaklovsky is Managing Director and a co-founder of Polar Design an interactive agency employing 25 designers,, quality control, developers and web marketers in North American, quality control, and Europe. Polar Design is a full-service provider of multimedia and graphic design, software development, and search engine marketing services. In his capacity as Managing Director, Mark spearheaded dozens of successful multimedia presentations, web sites and online marketing campaigns on behalf of Polar Design's clients since 1999. Mark is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service where he earned a B.S. in Foreign Service.

'The Perfect Home' Home Systems Design Installs Futuristic Systems into $3 Million Showcase Home

Author: Anonymous

Source: free-articles



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Steve Dubin, PR Works, (781) 878-9533, sdubin@prworkzone.comThe Perfect HomeHome Systems DesignInstalls Futuristic Systems into $3 Million Showcase HomeDATELINE: NORWELL, PEMBROKE, NANTUCKET, BOSTON, MEDFIELD, MA, APRIL, quality control, 29, 2002 Home Systems Design recently announced the completion of the security, electronics and comprehensive wiring systems for Design Home 2002, a $3 million showcase home built in Medfield, MA by Unique Homes in conjunction with Boston Magazine and Mindseye, Inc. Headquartered in Norwell, MA, Home Systems Design Associates designs, engineers, quality control, and installs electronic systems, quality control, for homes throughout the U.S. Showcase Home Benefits HomelessThe, quality control, Design Home 2002 project is the construction of a luxury residence outfitted with the latest in electronics, upscale furnishings and appliances. Upon completion in May, Design, quality control, Home 2002 will offer four weeks of tours"with all proceeds from ticket sales to benefit the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. State-of-the-Art SecurityHome Systems has installed a state-of-the-art security system in the showcase home that provides security through numerous door and window contacts, motion detectors, as well as video surveillance that monitors the home and its systems 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Ensuring the highest levels of safety, the system includes cutting edge smoke, heat, natural gas leak and carbon monoxide detectors.Offering the ease of remote accessibility, the security system can be armed/disarmed and modified from a remote location via telephone or Internet.Media,, quality control, Music and MoreHome Systems Design, quality control, has equipped six rooms, mostly within the common areas of the home, with distributed music. A media room, complete, quality control, with centerpiece plasma display is supported by a six-channel digital surround sound system.The EssentialsThe nuts and bolts of the house include a comprehensive communications wiring package that supports everything from fiber optic transmissions to computer networks, quality control, and the optimum high definition satellite TV broadcasts. Because the home is wired in an open architecture,, quality control, it will encompass technological change. This type of future-proof wiring provides capability for multiple telephone/data lines, shared high-speed Internet access, remote conferencing and local area network. Design Home 2002 contains all of the unique and essential components of a home that is equipped for the future, said Dennis MacLeod, founder of Home Systems Design Associates, Inc. Essentially, it's the ultimate home and we're please to have played a key part in development.Visit www.hsda.com to learn more about Home Systems Design state-of-the-art audio, video, lighting, communications, quality control, and control equipment, including upscale home theaters, hi-quality multi-room audio/video systems,, quality control, lighting, climate control and communications to future proof wiring solutions and security.For tickets or more information about Design Home 2002, visit www.design-home.com. For more information about Design Home 2002 builder, Unique Homes, visit www.uniquenewhomes.com. Retrofit for the FutureHome Systems Design caters to clients with existing homes through their Retrofit Division. Home Systems Design's Retrofit Division team of experienced professionals will design, engineer and install integrated state-of-the-art audio, video, lighting, communications, security and control equipment into existing construction. Site inspections are required prior to retrofit proposal.Designing Dream HomesHome Systems Design Associates, Inc. designs, engineers and installs electronic systems for homes throughout the U.S. Home Systems Design's team of experienced professionals integrate state-of-the-art audio, video, lighting, communications and control, quality control, equipment, including upscale home theaters, hi-quality multi-room audio/video systems, lighting and climate control and communications to future proof wiring solutions and security into both new and existing construction. Home Systems Design uses the finest consumer, professional and industrial products for their systems, which are found in private homes, conference facilities and boardrooms. Home Systems Design team are licensed contractors and responsible for all aspects of a project, from initial design through installation, maintenance, service and training, quality control, . All work, from CADD-generated layouts to interface engineering to custom software is performed in-house to ensure the highest level of workmanship and reliability. Creating systems that entertain, facilitate, comfort and endure, Home Systems Design Associates provide systems of impeccable performance, reliability, aesthetics and simplicity that will completely satisfy clients. Home Systems Design Associates, Inc. business office and showroom is located at 76 Accord Park Drive in Norwell, MA. Their satellite office is located at 171/2 Te, quality control, asdale Circle in Nantucket, MA. For more information, visit www.hsda.com or to schedule an appointment at the showroom, which features examples of audio/video, lighting and controls systems and a magnificent home theater, contact (781) 982-0525.