blueflavor.com: Latest blog entries

Blink Interactive acquires Blue Flavor

Nick Finck — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:34:32 -0500

Blue Flavor is happy to announce that we have been acquired by Blink Interactive. As part of the acquisition Nick Finck will be joining the team at Blink Interactive as User Experience Director.

Will Blue Flavor still accept new projects?

Yes, we are still accepting new project requests. All new work will go through Blink Interactive. Blink’s top-notch business services team will be able to work with you through the signing process. This means you get the support of a full staff as well as the expertise you’re used to seeing through Blue Flavor.

So why Blink Interactive?

To us the choice to be a part of the Blink team became obvious from the first meeting we had with Kelly and Karen. The pure talent Blink already has in-house plus their focus on user experience services really helped seal the deal. Kelly and Karen offered us an opportunity to be doing exactly what I want to be doing for a company that shares the same philosophies on user experience as Blue Flavor does. Blink stands apart from other user experience firms with their ability to translate research findings to actionable design recommendations. Clients have access to a wide range of research methodologies including field studies, usability testing (remote and in-person), surveys and interviews. But don’t take our word for it, head on over to the Blink Interactive website to learn about all of the services we offer.

Will I still be able to work with Nick?

Yes, absolutely! Nick will be doing the same great user experience work he has always done, only now with the backing of a solid staff at Blink Interactive. Nick’s focus will be on directing client projects and delivering evidence-driven design solutions. He will also be instrumental in strengthening Blink’s position as a thought leader in the user experience domain just like he did for Blue Flavor.

Omni Group redesign launches!

Nick Finck — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:09:57 -0500

You know when something good happens and everything just falls in place like peanut butter and jelly? This is one of those times. Blue Flavor is happy to announce that the Omni Group website redesign has launched. After a lot of hard work by the team here at Blue flavor and all the great folks at Omni Group we are happy to see the new design now live.

A special thanks goes out to the Blue Flavor crew that made this happen. To Kevin Tamura for his hard work on the design, templates, and creative direction. A big thanks to Kenny Meyers for doing all the technical lifting and getting ExpressionEngine and all of the Pixel and Tonic plugins up and running like a well oiled machine. Thanks to Martine Johnson for the front end XHTML and CSS template work. My involvement, of course, was doing all of the information architecture and account/project management to keep everything on the the right path. Additional thanks to Tiffani “Doctor” Jones and D. Keith Robinson for helping manage the project in its early stages. And last but not least, thanks to Leslie Doherty for jumping in with additional post-project EE support.

I also want to thank the team at Omni Group. Specifically to Molly Reed who lead the charge at Omni and really carried the vision of this project all the way thru. To Ken Case who trusted us with their website in the first place. For Grayson West for rolling up his sleeves and working with us to find something that worked for everyone. To Linda Sharps for your brilliant content, without you the Omni site would have no voice. To Tim Wood for the technical insight. And to the rest of the Omni Group team who gave us insight, guidance, support, and made the hard calls where needed.

Ok, so what are you standing around for? Go check out the read OmniGroup.com! You can also more details about the redesign on Omni’s blog.

New addition to the family: Leslie Doherty

Nick Finck — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:46:45 -0500

So, we have some big news to make today. After several months of searching and many conversations, often involving Dogfish Head Ale and geeky jokes, we are proud to welcome Leslie Doherty into the Blue Flavor family as Director of Development.

Leslie comes to us with a wealth of knowledge related to coding for the web, teaching, business management, and yes motherhood. She is highly experienced in PHP and represents the ExpressionEngine community as a developer and spokesperson. Recent presentations have included Blissdom 09, Type-A-Mom 09, and EECI2009 on the topics of blogging, web design, and coding performance. And that’s just scratching the surface. You can learn more about Leslie on her profile page.

Please take a moment to welcome her to the Blue Flavor family.

WebVisions 2009

Nick Finck — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:46:57 -0500

That’s right: it’s time for WebVisions 2009! WebVisions is a three-day conference that explores the future of web design, technology, user experience and business strategy. The event takes place every year in Portland, Oregon and continues to draw some of the leading experts in the web industry. This year is no exception…

A quick glance at the line up for this year’s conference shows a wide range of web experts from Jared Spool, Molly Holzschlag, Indy Young, Chris Pirillo, and Mark Frauendelder from BoingBoing, to our very own Jeff Croft. He’s going to be doing a talk on recommendation engines and collaborative filtering. The event will take place from Wednesday, May 20th through Friday, May 22nd in Portland, Oregon. The first day is packed solid with 1/2 day workshops and is followed by two solid days of sessions.

Event Discount

We spoke with Brad Smith about the event recently and he was gracious enough to extend a special discount to Blue Flavor’s readers. When registering online, enter the promo code “uxgeeks” to receive the discounted rate of only $225 for a conference pass (normally $250).

Workshop/Event Combo Discount

But wait, there’s more! If you want to both go to event and attend a workshop, call up and register over the phone using the promo code “uxgeeks” to get a combo deal of $325 (normally $625 total). Workshop/Event combo is subject to availability (some workshops are nearly sold out). Contact Brad or Dana at (503) 230-2058 to register over the phone or for Group Rate pricing (groups with more than 9 attendees).

WebVisions 2009
May 20-22 at the Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon

Product Comparison Research

Nick Finck — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:46:18 -0500

I have been doing a lot of research on product comparison tables for a project I am working on. I posted on my personal site a series of resources and conclusions that I found along the way. The post is called Research: Product Comparison and Pricing Tables. Some of the things that I identified is the need for personals, some kind of technical requirements, competitive analysis, and defined business goals. Which, of course all ended up circling back to finding the sweet spot.

The Omni Group hires Blue Flavor

Nick Finck — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:58:04 -0500

Or, as our web developer, Kenny Meyers, put it: World’s Best Software Company Hires World’s Best Design Company.

The Blue Flavor crew is proud to announce our newest client; The Omni Group, a Seattle-based software company known for such reputable products as OmniFocus, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, OmniPlan, OmniWeb and more!

The Omni Group shares our philosophy that work should be fun, and that employees should love what they do - they’re a great company and we couldn’t be happier about this project.

We’ll be redesigning their website, e-commerce site, forums, and blog—we’ll let you know when everything launches. I’m willing to bet that somewhere along the way, there will be a Rock Band challenge between our team and theirs… Stay tuned!

South By Southwest Interactive 2009

Nick Finck — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:24:33 -0500

Its almost March and that means Blue Flavor is preparing for our annual trek to Austin, Texas for SXSW Interactive. This year, in addition to our big annual party, we are also involved in a series of other events sprinkled throughout the week-long event. I will also be giving at talk at SXSW along with Donna Spencer and Michael Angeles.

Here is a rundown of where you can find us:

Friday March 13th @ 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM: 97bottles Happy Hour @ The Gingerman (304 W 4th St.) - If you haven’t checked out 97bottles.com contact us for a beta invite!
Saturday, March 14th @ 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM: Polaroid Breakfast (2nd annual) @ Katzs Deli (618 West 6th St.) - Tom Watson hosts!
Saturday, March 14th @ 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM: Bike Hugger After Party @ Mellow Johnny’s (400 Nueces St. & W 4th St.) - Blue Flavor is sponsoring the beer!
Sunday, March 15th @ 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: SXSW Interactive Web Awards (12th annual) @ The Hilton Austin Downtown (500 East 4th St.) - Skydeck, a application we helped design, is up for the technical achievement award!
Monday, March 16th @ 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM: Wireframes for the Wicked session with Nick Finck, Donna Spencer & Michael Angeles @ Austin Conference Center
Monday March 16th @ 10:30 PM to 2:00 AM: SXNW (4th annual) @ Iron Cactus (606 Trinity St. & 6th Ave.) - Our big annual party sponsored by Blue Flavor, Raincity Studios and Rackspace

Also, if you noticed that the SXSW.com website was easier to use, that is because Blue Flavor helped re-architect the site from the ground up. Go check it out!

After SXSW Interactive some of the Blue Flavor crew will be staying for the SXSW Music Festival. I will be headed to Memphis to attend the IA Summit. Hope to see you all in Austin or Memphis!

Motive’s Advent 2.0 praised

Nick Finck — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:11:00 -0500

Motive Interactive has released a new version of its advertising platform, called Advent 2.0, and the new user interface has gotten a lot of praise lately. Blue Flavor worked with Motive to create the front-end design of their previous system Advent 1.0. We are exited to see Motive continue to develop this system and flattered that they kept many Blue Flavor inspired design features from the first version intact.

ShoeMoney.com recently published a story on the new release that goes into a lot of detail. Jeremy Schoemaker explains: “At first glance, I’m really impressed. The interface is fast-loading and easy to use. …2.0 looks pretty sweet. I guess it’s run off of an ajax system, so everything is running off of one page. Very nice.”

You can read more about the details of our work with Motive Interactive in the Motive case study. It’s really nice to see our work so well received. Of course, it helped that we had a very cool client, who saw the value Blue Flavor brought to the table.

Introducing Whitespace

Nick Finck — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:02:55 -0500

On Monday, November 10th, Blue Flavor will open up its doors to freelancers and other independent, community-minded creative and technical people, with the grand opening of Whitespace.

Co-working, Blue Flavor Style

Whitespace is a coworking arrangement for professionals who are passionate about their work, but tired of working alone at home or in noisy coffee shops. Think of it as a co-op, artist and tech space. It’s also a great environment for relaxing and collaborating with like-minded people.

We offer three coworking packages: a daily membership, a part-time (four days/month), and a full-time (monthly) membership. Each membership comes with high-speed wi-fi, access to the space (which has a kitchen, dining room, conference rooms, and more) during normal business hours, and free admission to Whitespace events.

You are invited to our grand opening event on Friday, November 14th at the Blue Flavor offices. Please RSVP via Upcoming or Facebook. Hope to see you there!

For more info on packages, pricing, scheduling, etc., visit rentwhitespace.com

Nick’s Mini-games submission: a Web 2.0 Obit

Nick Finck — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:12:46 -0500

October 17th, 2008 - Web 2.0, who helped define (in a single phrase) the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform, has passed today. The cause of this passing has been determined to be distinguished insignificance.

While Web 2.0 undoubtedly struggled with it’s own identity and was often abused by media wonks and hype over the course of it’s four-year lifespan, it did have a place in the hearts of all of in web industry who struggled to bring value and interaction to the medium in past years.

Web 2.0 was nurtured into this world by two loving parents, Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty, in 2004 and was quickly adopted and loved by technology experts and professional marketers as a buzzword industry-wide. While some adopters viewed Web 2.0 as the second coming, there was criticism that Web 2.0 does not represent a new version of the World Wide Web, but merely a continuation of existing technologies to provide more value, interaction, and communication within the medium.

At it’s time of passing, it was determined that Web 2.0’s networth was approximately 362,000,000 web-based references as indexed by Google. Web 2.0 leaves behind several children by technicality including AJAX, REST, SOAP, XML, and the widely-adopted RSS.

While Web 2.0 will always hold a place in our hearts and minds, its passing signifies a larger adoption of the underlying philosophies Web 2.0 tried to hard to communicate in it’s years. Web 2.0, you will be missed from mainstream vocabulary, but not forgotten.

Webmaster Jam Session 2008

Nick Finck — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:48:43 -0500

Blue Flavor will be hosting the closing party at Webmaster Jam Session 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia on October 4th. Three of us from Blue Flavor will be speaking in multiple sessions at the event. Here are the details.

The party will be held at Bazzaar from 9:00 PM to Midnight. Drinks will be provided and food will be available. You’ll need a wristband to get in but if you are attending the Webmaster Jam Session a wristband will be included with your event pass. I am told that there are about 40 seats left for the event so hurry up and register before its too late.

Among the Blue Flavor crew who will be at the Webmaster Jam Session are Jeff Croft, D. Keith Robinson, and myself, Nick Finck. Jeff and Keith will be doing a two-day presentation on our process from start to finish called Web Design and Development: Behind the Scenes. The two-day presentation is part of the platinum pass. Jeff will also be part of the Website Critique session. Keith and I will also be a part of the Website Smackdown pannel, which, if you were there last year you’ll know how much fun this will be. Lastly, I will be giving a talk on The Seven Commandments of User Experience which I will outline what techniques and philosophies make a successful user experience.

I also wanted to give a special thanks to J Cornelius at CoffeeCup Software for securing the venue and making the party possible and to all of the team at CoffeeCup for making this event happen. I hope to see you in Atlanta!

BizJam Seattle 08

Nick Finck — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:41:03 -0500

D. Keith Robinson will be speaking on Wednesday, July 9th at BizJam Seattle 08 on the topic of Entrepreneurial Success By Design.

If you are planning on attending the BizJam Seattle 08 event please be sure to look for Keith and say hello. Here is the description for Keith’s talk:

You probably know that there are many opportunities to build your business and your brand online. But where do you start and how can you make the most out of your online marketing efforts? It’s a level playing field, but it’s also a big, wide open space with lots to know, learn and do. Starting with a solid brand and clear communication you’ll build a base upon which you can leverage technologies like blogging, video and podcasting to create a unique message and then share that message with the masses by leveraging community, both in the online and real worlds.

D. Keith Robinson will talk about how good design, a clear web marketing strategy, leveraging online community and consumer evangelism can help reach people and build a truly remarkable brand both on- and offline.

Brooklyn Boy Flies the Coop

Nick Finck — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:28:58 -0500

Today I’m sad to report that one of our family members will be leaving Blue Flavor. Garrett Murray, our Senior Developer, has decided to move on.

If you haven’t already checked out his Maniacal Rage podcast and sketch show, you definitely should. They’re killer.

We’re really going to miss Garrett. He has been an invaluable part of the family here and we appreciate his hard work. Some notable projects that Garrett worked on at Blue Flavor include Leaflets for the iPhone, which is up for an award at South by Southwest Interactive this year (go vote!), and Tipped, a UK-based social review site.

I have to say, I won’t miss getting my butt kicked by Garrett in Halo. We just hope he remembers the little people when his sketch show takes off.

We wish Garrett the best of luck in his future endeavors, and we plan to remain loyal viewers of Maniacal Rage TV for many years to come.

Web Directions North 2008

Nick Finck — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:42:26 -0500

Blue Flavor’s resident mobile guru, Brian Fling, will be in Vancouver, Canada for Web Directions North. He will be giving an excellent presentation on Mobile Web Design & Development. Keith Robinson will also be attending the conference and causing all kinds of trouble.

For those not familiar with the event, Web Directions North is a two day conference for web designers and web developers. It includes an optional two days of workshops, and two more days of skiing and snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb. You can still register for the conference but tickets are selling fast.

There is also a chance to win a free pass to the conference via the Digital Web Magazine/Web Directions North Snowboard Design Contest but you may want to hurry, there are just 8 days left to enter! Lastly, use the discount code WDN-DW to save $50 on your registration. We hope to see you in Vancouver and on the slopes at Whistler Blackcomb.

Web Design World 2007

Nick Finck — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:58:41 -0500

Brian Fling and Garrett Murray will be doing a joint half-day workshop at Web Design World 2007 in Boston.