If you’re asking, ‘Where is Dirk+Weiss!?’, then this may satisfy your curiosity, we hope. Truth is, we are the busiest we have ever been. Maybe a clear sign of a rebounding economy? We have been busy working steadily with our clients to provide the best solutions possible.

Since May, we have broken new ground with our website client from India, and are almost ready to launch a brand new website for them. We have also been in talks for a few new Apple iOS apps with local companies here in Boston, that range from utilities to more advanced experiential applications.

On a more technical note, we have gone 100% HTML5 and JavaScript in lieu of Flash for web and mobile based projects. While we believe flash can still have appropriate applications, the ever growing sector of mobile devices and platforms has shown it’s demand for such lightweight, open programming environments. And at the end of the day, we are looking at solutions for our clients that can range from computer screens to mobile devices, maximizing return on investment, as this is the road we are all on as consumers.

As the summer continues, we are preparing for a busy fall. We have some projects in the pipeline, and are working on what seems like a million things all the time. In addition to all the new projects that we are working towards, Matthew White of DW is working hard expanding his teaching experience over at the Art Institute of Boston @ Lesley University and Bunker Hill Community College teaching marketing and design classes.

Stay tuned to dirkweiss.com for a fresh, new, fast, efficient look coming soon. While the economy is rebounding, we all still live in an environment where trimming the economic fat is a necessity. If you’re unsure who to contact about your new design or marketing project, just give us a ring.

Matthew White of Dirk+Weiss will be co-presenting with Environmental Science professor Scott Benjamin at the ‘13th Annual Massachusetts Community College Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Development‘. This conference is being held this year at Bunker Hill Community College, in Charlestown, MA.

The project to be presented is a digital lab, used in professor Scott Benjamin’s science classes at BHCC. The lab’s subject matter is understanding Evolution by Natural Selection. Matthew worked directly with Scott to translate a previously analog lab, comprised of seeds, paperclips and bits of paper, to a Flash driven, interactive experience.

The process of creating this lab involved collaborating with Scott on every step, from graphic design to Flash Actionscripting.

The results of translating the lab to digital media, has proven to be quite successful. Scott has collected statistical data from his students, including pre and post lab usage. Based on his testing, Scott sees a definite increase in concept retainment after students have used the software. Matt and Scott will split the presentation between the design and development process (Matt), and the statistical data and impact of this digital lab in the classroom (Scott).

The 13th Annual Massachusetts Community College Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Development happens on April 9th, 2010 at Bunker Hill Community College.

Our latest iPhone app has gone live today in the iTunes App Store.

This app was created specifically for the online / distance education department for Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, MA. The target audience for this app is current students and faculty, with some emphasis also placed on new enrollments.

Some features include:

1. Student Testimonial Videos
2. Course and Degree Information
3. Readiness Quiz
4. Twitter News Updates
5. Blackboard Tutorials and more.

Click here to see the app in the iTunes App Store!

iPhone apps just seem perfect for high schools and colleges. Students have the devices, and teachers are looking for new ways to connect their classes with their students.  This update video showcases a few screenshots from two new apps, and discusses their origin and purpose.

The first app is for the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, and the second app (pending approval) is for Bunker Hill Community College’s distance education department. Each has different components, yet both share a connection…students.

Since the boom of the iPhone platform, tens of thousands of apps have been created. It’s not just games either. Smart, useful apps not only help out their users, they can also carry a price tag.

What about the education market? Recently, there have been some software development companies specializing in mobile apps for colleges, and have gotten a few big names. The problem we find though, is these apps are of a templated nature. One app to the next are almost identical. Basically, a logo attached to a bin of buttons. While we see that this could work, and probably just fine, it doesn’t quite have the ‘wow’ factor of a customized app, with a smart, clean design.

We have started our venture into education based apps. Recently we began to work with the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, to create an iPhone app for the students. While speaking with Deb Verhoff, librarian at AIB, she expressed the areas of interest that she finds useful, based on her experience in day to day library tasks. Basically, when people need information, they come to the library, books or no books. So, we have included certain college information inside the new AIB app including:

1. Current Student Artwork, pulled in from the AIB Flickr Account
2. Current Shuttle Schedules, for campus to campus travel
3. AIB News, via the AIB Front Desk facebook page
4. Blogs of college departments
5. Library Research/Book Lookup

Also, we have been contracted with Bunker Hill Community College to create a new iPhone/iPod Touch app for their distance education department: BHCC Online. This app contains student testimonials, video tutorials for navigating the online learning environment and all information related to courses and degrees that are available for Distance Education. The target of this app is mostly for current students, but also works for recruiting new students for the Distance Ed program.

In both cases, the development process is focused on customization, and smart and effective user interface design. We would love to create something for your college, just let us know!