I know we've talked about QR codes before, but this will blow your mind.  Imagine ordering a grilled-cheese sandwich using a QR code.  It's happening in one San Fransisco restaruant.  The inventer of the flip camera phone is capitalizing on his love of technology and food by allowing his customers.  The Melt, as his restaurant is called deploys a mobile-ordering system that that lets customers buy a sandwich on their phone and then scan a QR, or Quick Response code (those pixelated black-and-white squares) on the phone's screen when they arrive. The QR code triggers the grilling process; Kaplan hopes to deliver hot grilled-cheese sandwiches, which cost $5.95, within two minutes.

Kaplan had hardware manufacturers develop a special grill that can toast bread and cheese efficiently and reliably, with minimal effort from the staff. Kaplan tested the software -- yes, this grill runs apps -- over six months, tasting thousands of sandwiches until the process was tweaked to his liking, he

 

Each Fox Design client has different needs/requirements for their website project.  Web site development is not just slapping a few pages together and inserting some pretty pictures.  There has to be careful thought and planning to figure out what the best solutions are for your specific project.  One solution does not fit all.

This week, I was working through the details of a project with a client.  There was some back and forth info gathering and prioritizing of must haves and don't have to have right away items.  Joe the jump roping champion of the Western hemisphere (names changed to protect the innocent) wants to build a crazy wicked site for his new venture - JumpStars.net.  All kinds of bells and whistles.  Like most of us, funds are tight and there are not a lot of lump sums of moolah sitting around.  There are a lot of moving parts to this site and each has its own nuances and solutions.  For example, Forums.  It's not just a bunch of published text or blog postings.  Forums require a database, secure log-in, specific design layout and some intricate installation processes.  You can't just plug n play a Forum - there's not an APP for that.

When Joe and I first began our discovery, it seemed MojoMotor would be the right choice to get the website up and running.  That's just it though, it would be up and running but the ability to add the bells and whistles would be a lot of coding effort.  Coding is expensive.  Did you know that "Coding is Poetry?"  Not everyone is well versed !  As we progressed, it became apparent that the best overall solution was to power JumpStars.net with Expression Engine (EE).  EE is a work horse with plenty of modules to make it hum like a fast skipping rope.  Expression Engine will prove to be the smartest and most cost effective long-term solution for Joe's website.

If you and your significant other are in the market to buy a house and you are planning to have children in 2 years.  Which would be the better solution - buy a small house now and purchase a bigger house when the kids come OR purchase the larger home now so you can lock in a currently low interest rate, have a smart long-term investment and have plenty of room to grow?  Like a website, there has to be careful thought and planning to figure out what the best solution is for your specific needs.

To find out more about our Website Development solutions, visit our website or call us at 800-257-9679.

Understanding Website Traffic

This traffic report shows you how people found your site, how they explored it, and how you can enhance their visitor experience. With this information, you can improve your website return on investment, increase conversions, and make more money on the web. This guide can help you familiarize yourself with the main features of Google Analytics.

Below you will find detailed statistics about the visitors to your website. It’s main highlight is that you can analyze where the visitors of your website or blog came from, how long they stayed on the website and their geographical position. Most important, you can define and track conversions or goals. Goals might include sales, subscriptions to newsletters, lead generation, viewing a specific page, or downloading a particular file.
 
By using this tool, you can determine which ads are performing, and which are not, as well as find unexpected sources of quality.

Common Traffic Terminoligy Glossary

• Hit - A request to the web server for a file. An HTML page can account for several hits: the page itself, each image on the page, and any embedded sound or video clips.
• Keyword - A significant word or phrase, relevant to the web page or document in question.
• No Referral - The "(no referral)" entry appears when the visitor to the site got there by typing the URL directly into the browser or using a bookmark / favorite.

• Pageview - A pageview is an instance of a page being loaded and viewed by a browser.

• Referrer - The URL of an HTML page that refers visitors to a site.
• Bounce rate - Bounce rate is the percentage of single-page visits.
• Unique Visitors (or Absolute Unique Visitors) - Unique Visitors represents the number of unduplicated (counted only once) visitors to your website over the course of a specified time period.
• Exit Page – The last page accessed before a user exits your site. The significance of an exit page varies according to each page.
• Time on Site - Time on Site is one way of measuring visit quality. If visitors spend a long time visiting your site, they may be interacting more extensively with the site.

• Page views - Page Views is the total number of pages viewed on your site and is a general measure of how much your site is used.
• Visits - The number of visits received by your site is the most basic measure of how effectively you promote your site.

Learn More about Google Analytics
 

As we know almost everyone has a smartphone now days. More and more people are going that route. In 2012 its expected that over 70% of internet viewers will be surfing the web on a smartphone. You will want to make sure your own websites are complete with mobile detection and have a easy to use mobile interface that is compatible with the newest phones and devices.
So whats in a mobile website? Here is a great guidelines to follow.

1. Only show the basics. When people are viewing your website on a mobile device, they are probably not going to spend a lot of time digging through it on their tiny screens. They are most likely looking for a key piece of information, such as your phone number. Strip out all but the essential information that is most useful to viewers in a mobile context.

2. Auto-detect the device. I've seen some websites that host the mobile version on a separate URL such as "m.domain.com" or www.domain.mobi." This is annoying because it requires the user to take an extra step to switch between sites. Your website should detect the device and serve up the most appropriate version automatically to make it as easy as possible for the viewer.

3. Reduce content to single columns. Mobile devices have limited screen space so it's important to make good use of that space by displaying all content in a single column with no sidebars. This keeps your content readable and usable.

4. Make sure phone numbers are rendered with text, not images. Phone numbers should usually be rendered as text on any website but it's especially important on mobile websites. If the phone number is part of an image, then it won't be clickable on a smart phone which makes it very inconvenient for the user to try to call you. Make sure phone numbers are rendered as text so it's easy for users to "click to call."

5. Avoid drop-down menus. This menu style is not good for usability on any website but on a mobile device drop-down menus are even more cumbersome. Stick to simple navigation that can be accessed with a simple click to make it easier for mobile users to navigate your website.

It's not difficult to create a mobile version of your website but it's important to consider the context in which your viewers are accessing your website. By keeping it simple and well-prioritized, you will ensure a great experience on a variety of mobile devices.

If you need help with your next mobile website, feel free to contact us and we will be glad help.