Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jason Garber’s proud mother, Sharon

I would also suggest Backblaze.  It’s $50/year per machine.  You get unlimited storage, and it will backup everything on your computer. I’m currently backing up nearly 600GB from 2 machines. 

In the dreaded event you lose data, you can log into the backblaze site and download any files you need for free - OR you request they send you a USB drive with all of your data on it (for an additional fee).  It’s incredibly simple and easy to use. 

Check it out: http://www.backblaze.com/partner/af2070

I’m a Ubuntu user. The Ubuntu One service gives you 5G free storage to start with. Paid service is $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr. They’ve got Windows and mobile apps options too. Worth checking out as an alternative.

https://one.ubuntu.com/

Thanks for helping WeeklyEats film, edit, and produce an awesome video entry!

Thanks for your comment. To answer your question about Agile - it depends. The strategy we take is based on the specific project and client needs.

Here’s a bit more on the evolution on software development and our experiences adopting Agile (it’s a bit dated, but still relevant): http://www.viget.com/extend/software-development-lean-and-agile/

Thanks!

I see that you mentioned iterative delivery and feature prioritization.  Do your teams also deliver work using the Agile framework?

I like the idea of T&M;plus a budget ceiling, with the initial understanding that their lower-priority features may need to get cut toward the end of a project.

I find it helps to provide frequent updates (including comps, development site updates, and other deliverables the client can see for themselves), along with regular project budget updates so they know where things stand. If a client has seen our progress all along (instead of the agency being a black box), and has made regular prioritization decisions, everything goes more smoothly.

I launched my first client websites in 1997. As an web project manager, I do this work every day—whereas a client might launch a new website every 3-6 years, and this is a huge deal for them. I just blogged about this contrast: http://karlsakas.com/marketing-made-special/

Throughout the entire project, I can reassure clients about what’s coming up, and head off potential problems before they happen (e.g., getting content in time, handling the DNS transition early to avoid propagation delays, training them on how to use their new CMS, and talking them through the emotional rollercoaster of launch day).

It’s a nice feeling. And the guidance also helps everyone stay on-time and on-budget.

I like projects where interests are aligned -

Our T&M;pricing model generally includes a budget cap (see above for why).

Sounds similar to what you’re doing now with a hybrid T&M;/Fixed Bid…

I don’t like T&M;, it gives your clients incentive to manage your time.  While good clients don’t, I want the incentives to be lined up with delivery of software, not time spent.  T&M;doesn’t align risk/reward with software delivery, it puts all the risk on the client.  If you don’t deliver something, is it fair to charge the time spent on it?  T&M;is the safest for the consultancies though, which I like :)

Currently trying a hybrid T&M;/Fixed Bid approach that I like a lot.

We have definitely run into projects where our clients need a little extra coaching to determine who the main stakeholders should be. Of course, we prefer to have one main point of contact or even a small, core group—but, with larger organizations, it’s not always possible. I usually tell my clients that anyone who will be a key “decision-maker” should be involved in the kick-off. Ideally this includes not only our main point(s) of contact but also any higher-ups who have ultimate “veto power” on the project. These management/administrative participants don’t necessarily need to be present for the entire meeting, but we at least like to speak with them early on to educate them on the process and get their perspective.

How did you handle the situation with your client?

Have you also encountered situations where your clients benefit from coaching on who should be involved in the project?

Another thing I really like about the site is that you have managed to get away with drop-down menus.

Donny, I hadn’t seen Vassar’s site, actually. Thanks for sharing! Regarding responsive design, Penn has a mobile-specific site that was outside the scope of our engagement, so we had other priorities for this redesign. I agree it would be interesting for higher ed sites to take that step, although of course there are always a number of factors that influence whether or not they go that route.

Just curious. Why didn’t you guys go for responsive layout like you have done with Opower? It would be a huge step forward for higher-ed sites to go responsive.

Very nice work! Love the CSS3 transforms!

I wish our workplace provide such a good environment for us. Really envy you guys.

:)

side note: I am old enough to remember the days without emails and mobile phones. It was “different”, I can’t imagine I will want to go back but I do miss it.

@ Soymalau - Lots of folks at Viget have worked on the account, but Owen has been the lead designer—check out his post: http://www.viget.com/inspire/designing-puma/

Exemplary work and indicative of the thought leadership and creativity that you and your team are recognized for.

From the promo to the news + updates section to the footer, everything is tight, coherent and most importantly fun.  Just like the brand.

Well done.

Overall it really has made me way more effective!