Gruden blog

Technical Lead

2012-01-04T06:24:06Z

Summary

We’re looking for a Technical Lead to join a full-service, client-focussed digital agency.

Sydney CBD
Full time position
Salary based on skills & experience

Responsibilities

Allocating work to other developers, including our overseas offices
Being responsible for the quality of the solution
Ensuring all code is peer reviewed
Establish, document, and improve development process such as use of version control
Ensure testing plans are created and executed
Answer technical questions for clients
Work closely with project managers to establish scope and plan for projects
Drive implementation of projects

Essential experience

Working as part of a team of developers
Working on large scale applications
Work on web applications
Experience with ColdFusion
Procedures for deployment to production environments
Provide estimates and costs for new project work
Working with source control
HTML, CSS and JavaScript skills

Desired experience

Working with Linux
Experience with one or more ColdFusion frameworks
Experience with MySQL databases
Experience guiding other developers on a project
Working on more than one project at once
Writing functional specifications for development projects
Client facing experience
Understanding of the web and internet protocols
Experience with Java or .NET
Implementing and configuring continuous integration

About Us

Gruden has been around for 16+ years and we have a great mix of well-known brands – AMP, Disney Channel, Energy Australia, NineMSN, Walt Disney to name a few. We are a multidisciplinary team of 40+ strong with offices based in Sydney & China.

Apply Now

Please email a cover letter and your resume to david@gruden.com

A very Gruden Christmas

2011-12-23T05:23:56Z

After the coldest and most miserable start to summer in recent memory; the gods smiled on the Friday of the Gruden Christmas Party with a nice warm sunny day to put everyone in a festive mood for a great day ahead.

It was “keyboards down” at midday as the party began with the first order of the day being the decorations.

In keeping with our successful Adobe event theme the office was divided into 6 Pods with each section responsible for decorating its own part of the floor. Prizes were up for grabs and the teams put in a great effort with themes ranging from a full on Snowy Christmas Scene complete with snow ballooons and snowmen, to a Bad Santa stall, “The Vault” where all the money was locked away, Aussie Christmas with remote control floating shark, Traditional Christmas and from the sales team – “The Stolen Christmas” or should we say “Borrowed Christmas” in which they “borrowed” the Christmas tree from the lobby downstairs and asked each of the floors on the way up to help out with the decorations.

The competition was fierce and Brent’s team took out the gong for their impressive sleigh scene and won a lovely Christmas hamper for their efforts.

It was then into the main boardroom for Kris Kringles with the usual funny gifts and Brent hosting which is always a laugh. Stephen was asked to play Santa to hand out the gifts however he politely declined. (wise move with Brent hosting)

Then it was time to move on to the serious stuff at our ready made cocktail arena.

Mondo Bartenders put on a fine exhibition of cocktail mixing and then it was up to each team to discuss and create their own cocktail with prizes up for grabs again.

After some notable successes and some miserable failures Brent’s team came up with the “OH YES” and took top honours yet AGAIN !!

After enjoying quite a few of their own and other teams cocktail creations it was time for everyone to move onto Strike Bowling Alley in Darling Harbour where a great night was had knocking down some pins and singing Karaoke — when anyone could get the mic off Todd

The rest as they say is history; partly because no one can remember past Strike and partly because certain things should remain censored in this family friendly blog space.

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas party and all the best in the New Year.

Team Gruden.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T05:00:29Z

Gruden will be closing for business at the end of the trading day on Friday 23rd of December 2011 and will be re-opening with our normal trading hours on Tuesday the 3rd of January 2012.

Please make arrangements to contact your Account Manager, who can provide contact details in case of any critical issues during this period.

On behalf of all the team at Gruden, may we take this opportunity to thank you for your support and to wish you and your team a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Pre-Sales Technical Consultant

2011-12-13T00:50:10Z

Summary

We’re looking for a Pre-Sales Technical Consultant to join a full-service, client-focussed digital agency.

Sydney CBD
Full-time permanent position

As a Pre-Sales Technical Consultant for Gruden, you will be working closely with every aspect of our business, including Sales, Partners, Development, Creative, and the Project Management Teams. You will maintain a collaborative, team-based approach while delivering exceptional results to our existing and potential new customers.

The position of Technical Software Consultant requires a strong Software and IT background in developing and/or deploying Enterprise level Solutions including but not limited to CMS and Web based Applications, Webservices, Sharepoint (technologies could include, Adobe enterprise solutions, Sitecore, Ektron or other CMS technologies are desired but mandatory). It is also a plus if you have experience in scoping and pricing digital projects covering a broad spectrum of solutions, from website development through to mobile application development.

The ideal candidate must be passionate about Technology, eCommerce, & solving customer problems, and must keep up with the latest trends in the market as it is his/her responsibility to provide the Technical knowledge and credibility during the Pre-Sales Process to a potential client.

In order to be successful you MUST also be comfortable making presentations to, and gathering requirements from, clients. Experience working for a Digital Agency, Vendor, Systems Integrator or distributor / reseller is a plus.

Experience, Skills and Attributes

Have experience leading IT Teams and deploying Enterprise solutions
Be exceptionally confident and yet at the same time be accurate and honest & not make assumptions
Be exceptionally charismatic and have experience working with Sales Teams to help close deals
Demonstrate a high level of communication skills (fluent in English)
Have the ability to pick up new technologies quickly and stay informed of the latest trends
Be very comfortable in a fast paced environment where roles and responsibilities change quickly.

The successful candidate will have a Pre-Sales Technical Consulting experience in Digital solutions and/or IT consulting field.

About Us

Gruden is a client-focussed digital agency, with offices in Sydney and Qingdao, China. We’ve over 16 years experience, and a great mix of clients, including Disney Channel, Ausgrid, AMP and various NSW and federal government agencies.

Apply Now

Please email a cover letter and your resume to zane@gruden.com

User Experience / Information Architect (Closed)

2011-12-22T02:46:48Z

This position has been filled. We’re always on the lookout for talented staff, so if your skillset and experience matches, feel free to send through your résumé.

Summary

We’re looking for a User Experience / Information Architect to join a growing team within a full-service, client-focussed digital agency. With some exciting new projects kicking off in the new year, we’re developing our capacity with a young team dedicated to UX & Strategy.

Sydney CBD
3-month contract, view to permanent
Full-time position

You’ll work closely with clients to marry business needs with optimal user experiences. You’ll gather and develop requirements, engage with internal and external stakeholders, empathise with users, design customer journeys, and design and validate effective IAs.

We’re looking for someone who can quickly identify improvements, but knows when and how to validate changes; someone who can understand digital/business strategy, with a passion for the user experience.

Key Abilities

You present and communicate clearly and effectively, in both oral and written communications
You engage with and empathise with stakeholders
You co-ordinate and direct groups of team members and client contacts
You validate design decisions through research
You understand the position of the web in the digital communications landscape, and the needs of multi-channel and multi-device communications
You have attention to detail and a focus on delivering work of the highest quality
You can engage with a team and work self-directed, prioritising and communicating timelines

Experience

At least 2-5 years experience in UX and/or IA
Experience working with blue-chip clients
Knowledge of enterprise CMS’s a bonus

About Us

Everything we do in the web rests on our deep understanding of people and information. Your role will be crucial in developing this understanding.

Apply Now

Please email a cover letter and your resume to peterh@gruden.com

Guzman y Gomez, Mexican Taqueria

2011-12-09T05:45:34Z

Background

Guzman y Gomez (GyG) is a fast growing franchise of Mexican food outlets that focuses on its core values of “Passion, Remarkable and Authentic”.

Starting in 2006 from humble beginnings in Newtown, NSW, by the time they came to Gruden they had grown to 8 stores and were urgently in need of a major website upgrade.

The previous site was based around Flash which limited the ability to add features and updates, and to engage with the site from mobile devices.

A new look and feel to the site was required along with a comprehensive online ordering mechanism, social links and the flexibility to add videos, competitions, new menu items, charity initiatives, loyalty programs and mobile applications. In short GyG needed a simple looking and easy to use site both for the user and the administrators that was capable of growing in parallel with its rapidly growing franchise.

Of primary importance was to provide for the sale of its product online but also very important to the proprietors was to provide information on store locations and openings, promote Mexican Food and Latin culture and gain some insight into GyGs people and passion.

Response

After an initial scoping phase in which representatives from GyG and Gruden met to create user profiles and discuss ideas and functionality of the site it was decided to implement WordPress as a CMS as it allowed for plug-ins and additions to the site as requirements grew.

Conversely to this it was decided to minimise the use of Flash so as to avoid incompatibility issues with mobile and tablet devices.

Gruden then designed 5 base templates and content styles aimed at keeping the functionality simple, effective and easy to use.

From the creative side GyG supplied us with logos and artwork which we used as a starting guide to the overall look and feel of the site.

Contemporary. Clean. Urban. Street. Bold. Punchy. Colourful. Healthy. Mexican. Latin. Friendly. Happy. Social and Authentic. Just a few of the words used to convey the imagery of the site, and a slightly “off kilter” effect was devised to give the site a “hand crafted” look reflecting the values the owners saw in the preparation and presentation of their food.

Results

Online sales have risen considerably; at busy times some stores have struggled to keep up with in store and online demand.

GyG administrators love that they are able to regularly cycle promos through the home page, post videos and receive visible, live social content and comments via twitter and other social channels.

The ordering and menu navigation is greatly improved for the user and the store location maps are clear, concise and easy to access.

The site upon first opening appears vibrant, full of fun, busy, healthy and happy; achieving everything the client had in mind.

Next Steps

The site refresh is just the first step. With a platform established, we’re working on extending the online ordering capability and moving into the mobile space. Keep an eye out!

Visit the site: Guzman y Gomez, Mexican Taqueria

An insight into “Insightful Customer Engagement”, a Gruden/Adobe event

2011-12-05T22:59:56Z

Despite the terrible weather we achieved a fantastic turn out to our joint event with Adobe called “Insightful Customer Engagement” at The Hotel Intercontinental, Sydney.

It was exciting to have so many notable industry figures in the room taking an interest not only in Adobe technology but also in the concepts and strategies behind delivering Insightful Customer Engagement across multiple platforms and devices.

The event format proved to be a hit amongst the attendees. The presentations from leading industry figures were well received and the small group POD breakout sessions covering off the below subjects were well attended:

Mobile web & mobile apps and synchronized content
Targeted content and site personalization
Social content authoring and measuring the business return on social channels
The benefit of thorough site analytics and resulting optimization

The web has shifted from being something on the fringe to a tool tightly woven into our daily lives. The uptake of mobile only makes this shift more prevalent. “Digital Native” or not, your customers interact with your web presence in some form and expect an engaging, friendly and consistent
experience.

Connecting people and technology to building lasting memorable experiences has never been more critical. To address the gap between human needs and technology Gruden has responded by developing the Customer Engagement Strategy Workshop.

Regardless of where you are in your technology lifecycle Gruden can help kick-start the next phase of your digital journey through an intensive interactive workshop conducted by our team of Customer Engagement Specialists. The Customer Engagement Strategy Workshop is designed to identify your key customer groups and will look at the ways in which your web presence currently meets user needs and will provide clarity around any gaps in current strategy.

If you are unsure of just how well your organisation engages with your customer we now encourage you to contact the CES team at Gruden to enquire about this vitally important and eminently useful workshop.

Additionally should you or your team feel the above POD topics are relevant to your organization we are prepared to bring these PODS into your organization and conduct a 90 minute session with a select group of your executive team.

View more details and register for a Customer Engagement Strategy Workshop. Or contact our team for more information or to arrange for a Pod demonstration to be conducted within your work place.

And remember - The Web is Mobile. The world is Social. The imperative is Experience.

Melbourne Cup — Gruden Style

2011-11-07T06:11:52Z

As you may or may not know, every first Tuesday of November is Melbourne Cup Day. Billed as “the race that stops a nation”, who were we to disparage and dishonour this historical icon of Australiana?

Honour it we did. It would be un-Australian to see two flies crawling up a wall and not have a wager, so the sweepstake was on. Big spending was the order of the day and they were organised two categories: the $5 and the $10. The winners were Pauline for the $5 and Simon for the $10. As you may appreciate, they now have an awful lot of friends and relatives they have never heard from for years are now arriving in town…

And what would Melbourne Cup be without the hats? We also organised an awesome hat contest. People were really creative and the first prize was for Andrew who managed to attach a fake chicken to a Fez (go figure!). Congrats Andrew, you deserve it. It takes a lot of guts to wear a Fez!

All the afternoon was great fun (we think, not an awful lot of people actually remember what happened) and we thank everyone who participated in the organisation of the delicious food and drinks (lots of drinks) and a big thanks to Paul Bannon who made fabulous cocktails for us during the whole afternoon. Congratulations to Mark for winning the beer pong. Why are we not surprised.

Once again thanks to everyone for your enthusiasm, participation and sturdy livers.

For (lots) more photos, check out the album on Facebook (and remember to Like our page while you’re there!)

Adobe embracing the Open Web

2011-10-17T03:17:15Z

Adobe’s MAX conference in the US two weeks ago included some interesting announcements. It was particularly exciting to see Adobe firming their commitment to open web technologies, with acquisitions of Typekit and Nitobi, the company behind PhoneGap, and new support for CSS3.

Typekit have a technology and licensing arrangement that allow websites to incorporate a wider range of fonts than has traditionally been supported. Designs regularly warrant the use of more than the standard dozen or so web-safe fonts, be it for brand or aesthetic reasons. Developers have long struggled to support these font choices, with workarounds including image replacement or creative front-end solutions relying on Flash. Neither approach has been good for accessibility though, with images or Flash text missed or misread by screen readers, and with such text failing to respond to user settings such as changes in font size or colour.

More recently, developers found a way to use @font-face, a recent CSS extension with wide, if inconsistent, browser support. Typekit, among other providers, sprang up to simplify the implementation across browsers. More importantly, they’ve been able to work around the other major barrier to custom font use: licensing. Font replacement was long in a dubious gray legal zone, but it was an accepted practice so long as font files weren’t themselves being distributed. The @font-face technique, however, downloads font files to a user’s local machine. The font foundries’ licenses rarely support this sort of distribution.

Typekit demonstrated that people are willing to pay to use custom fonts — via a simple subscription service. We hope that Adobe can bring their own fonts to the table, and use their historical relationships with the font foundries to negotiate licenses for a wider variety of choices.

PhoneGap is a development toolbox that allows cross-platform mobile development using HTML5 and a set of abstracted JavaScript APIs. An open source effort, the programme currently focusses on iPhone and Android, with demonstrated support for Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, and Symbian. With the mobile market increasingly fragmenting, it’s important for developers to be able to support a range of platforms. It’s a bonus that we can do so while maintaining a common code-base, and while using languages and tools that we’re already familiar with as web developers. There’ll always be a place for native development, but for the vast majority of use cases, cross-platform development is the best approach. Moreover, for apps being built around web content or web services, building in web technologies means that we can share capabilities between the apps and client websites themselves, minimising redevelopment, or the amount of content management required.

PhoneGap joins Adobe’s cross-platform Flash Builder support in the mobile development toolbox. Flash Builder allows a developer to build a Flash or Flex-based application for multiple mobile platforms, again encouraging the reuse of common code, potentially with different skins supporting different UI paradigms. We expect Adobe to increase PhoneGap’s capability in actually building applications for multiple devices, and with an injection of support can expect development to keep driving forward, extending support for the different platforms’ APIs.

Finally, Adobe released a proposal, through to the W3C FX task force, of a CSS3 Shaders extension. A minor feature, in the scheme of things, but an interesting data point. The extension allows web developers to use a range of cinematic effects, previously only available when using Flash. While it will take a little longer to gather wide support, we can expect support to be rolled into the most common mobile browsers in the near future. What’s particularly interesting about the release was called out by Adobe’s John Nack:

So, yeah: Adobe’s using Flash-derived technology to make HTML5 more competitive with Flash.

Crazy, right? Not at all: this increases your ability to present visually rich experiences, and that increases Adobe’s ability to sell you tools for creating those experiences. The different playback technologies are just means to those ends.

While we work in Flash and Flex, we’re also strong supporters of open web technologies here at Gruden. It’s exciting to see Adobe embracing the open web (the sometimes-known-as HTML5), and improving the dynamic between the two approaches. We always welcome better tools in the toolbox, and look forward to discovering what Adobe can make of them.

Gruden appointed to Centrelink Creative and Design Panel

2011-10-10T11:35:04Z

Gruden is pleased to announce that it has been approved for inclusion on the Centrelink Creative and Design panel for the provision Web Design and Development Services. This panel appointment is our third for the federal government, along with IP Australia, and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

“Gruden’s inclusion to this key Federal Government panel is fantastic news for us. It’s a testament to the work that we’ve been providing to our valued government Agency clients and permits us to further demonstrate our capabilities and continue delivering on major digital government initiatives” says Gruden’s CEO Todd Trevillion.

Centrelink forms part of the Human Services portfolio and has established the panel in order to source a range of creative and design services for the group of participating Australian government Agencies. Since its inception on 30 October 2009, 12 participating Agencies were part of the newly formed Creative and Design panel. Today, there are 33 participating Agencies across the whole of government.

The range of services that will be provided by Gruden to participating Agencies includes, but is not limited to, Creative Design and Development, Research and Strategy. This includes web design, digital branding, on-line advertising and marketing campaigns, RIA Development (Flash, Flex, AIR, AJAX, Silverlight), Custom Application Development (.NET, Java, CF, PHP), Strategy & Consulting (UX, Business Analysis, Usability, Accessibility, Analytics, SEM, Social Media), Mobile development (Apps, iPhone, android, HTML5 – html/ajax, tablet), CMS frameworks (Adobe CQ5, Sitecore, WordPress) and content services (such as Migration, Language Translation, EDMs, distribution, asset management etc.).

In addition to the above, Gruden will offer Centrelink panel Agencies a comprehensive range of content, campaign, newsletter, asset & digital management systems & tools for any type of project.