Archive for November, 2010
“This placement is now filled – we are expected to need more similar people in the new year, so watch this space for further announcements. We are always on the look out for great freelancers with this skill set, so if you do have availability over the coming months and you’re excited about mobile web development then please get in touch at careers@bemoko.com” – Ian Homer 2nd Dec 2010
Background on bemoko
We are a small and enthusiastic team who provides a world leading mobile and cross-channel web development platform that powers several high profile brands and digital agencies. We have a thirst for web & mobile excellence, outstanding user experience and accessibility.
Summary
We are looking for a full time HTML/CSS developer to join our team in delivering mobile websites. We are looking for someone with a flexible, hands-on attitude, willing to learn and the ability to share your knowledge with the team. You will have the opportunity to refine your web skills, extend your understanding of all things web & mobile and help take bemoko to new heights.
Key Responsibilities
You will be creating mobile sites using the bemokoLive web development framework, although no knowledge of the platform is needed.
Skills/Knowledge and Expertise
- Ability to craft well designed HTML and CSS
- Ability to create web sites from Photoshop designs
- A passion for mobile and the benefits it brings
- Web testing experience
- A bonus would be experience of Javascript, jQuery, HTML5 and CSS3
- Any experience in developing and designing for mobile will be a huge bonus
- A flair for web and graphical design
General Requirements:
- An understanding of social media and the social space (Facebook, Twitter etc) plus awareness of API integration methods
- Self motivated and self disciplined worker able to work under own initiative
- Team player, able to collaborate with team members
- A flexible attitude with experience of working in a small dynamic team
- Must be able to continuously monitor mobile industry trends, technologies, and standards and be able to apply new technologies as they emerge
- Candidate must be self-sufficient with excellent verbal and written communication skills (English language) and attention to detail
Location
Farnborough
Contact Details / Deadline
Please email any questions, CV’s and covering letters to careers@bemoko.com
It looks like a nice site. There is certainly LOADS of content. As the Directgov website tells us, there’s everything from money and motoring to employment, pensions, news stories, handy tools like job search, journey planner and travel updates.
See their video for more info.
Unfortunately, it only caters for high end phones. It won’t be usable on anything other than a smartphone with a big screen. The reason being they have only implemented one user interface. This is a common mistake and could have been avoided by using bemoko.
We think this is especially bad as this is a government site. How many people that they want to reach have high end phone? Not many. There is a lot of talk about the digital divide – the gap between people with effective digital access and those with limited access. The iPhone for example only represents 4% of the market. The site should not only be accessible but inclusive and available to everyone. This is a alarming thing for the government to do.
We also noticed that for local services you have to type in your location. This seems unnecessary as the phone knows where it is, especially as this will only work on high end phones that will no doubt have GPS capabilities.
Have you tried to use the Direct Gov site? What was your user experience like?
Today I am at MediaPro Expo at London’s Olympia with the Bemoko team.
You can find us on stand number 128. Come by, play with some phones and talk to the team.
You can also follow live updates from people at the show by following our MediaPro Twitter list.
Phillip Clement spoke in the Digital Media Theatre this morning, he gave a flavour of what Bemoko can offer brands. A short video from Phillip will be available later.
Tim Avery, Head of Operations at Bemoko says he’d like to meet folks from some digital/advertising agencies.
Stay tuned for more updates throughout the day!
- Take advantage of context and deliver a relevant experience - most people enjoy the focused experience of an optimised web site. Put the relevant content in the hands of the user quickly. Give priority to the core functions that make more sense on the mobile – this is more about effective navigation and than disabling functions that a user might have grown to love on the PC. Also context is more than the physical device; it’s more about the user’s context (driving, on bus, in-shop, location).
- Give the user choice – if the user wants to view the full screen PC version, let them and remember what they prefer.
- Learn about the user (e.g. via facebook connect) and remember what you’ve learnt to reduce the amount of the information you have to ask from the user. Each piece of content requested adds pain.
- Reliable entry points and consistent cross-channel URLs – allow URLs to shared and accessed from all devices. A product URL that someone has liked in facebook from their PC MUST work well when clicked from their mobile. Don’t bump simply to the user to the home page of the mobile site. Take the user to the product information optimised for the mobile and let the user know where they can buy it nearby and connect with other relevant info.
- Encourage cross-channel interactions – bookmark, send to friend, continue journey later whatever channel they reconnect on, web to app (and vice versa). Think beyond digital, with physical sign posts (Location specific QR codes, SMS short codes) that improve discoverability and start the journey.
- Consistent cross-channel interactions – this doesn’t mean they have to be the same, but make sure they bread familiarity and trust through quality of service.
- Mobile is a disruption to the PC web – if you don’t make your web experience accessible to mobile user, and keep applying PC-only techniques to mobile web, your site will be marginalised.
- Think mobile first, be aware that the experience will be accessed from multiple channels. Designing for the constraints of mobile can help you focus on the interactions that are most relevant and effective. Design means more than the look and feel – think about the cross channel interactions, content variation across channels and technical services that are required.
- Deliver the high quality experience that users of each device expect. Use progressive enhancement techniques to layer on UI interactions that leverage the advantages of the given platform and what ever you do, don’t just deliver a lowest common denominator experience.
- HTML5 is here and works today – iphone and android browsers already support many of the HTML5 features today, geolocation, canvas, offline. Don’t be put off from using them.
- Web and native play well together – think about the strengths of both and don’t think either / or. Apps can ingest web content, apps can be created from web content, web can promote apps, individual users may use both or migrate from one to another, an app user might share content accessed by a web user
- Lessons you’ve learnt to help you design for mobile can also be applied other web channels. Mobile is just the start of it. In the coming years people will be regularly accessing the web from a diverse set of connection points, e.g. Internet TV (YouView, Apple TV, Google TV), in car systems, video games and digital signage.
- Measure and improve – understand the channels and interactions that are most effective and listen to users’ feedback. Think about usability. Think how pain can be reduced and function made easier.
- Deliver value – all said and done, your service needs to deliver something that benefits the user – entertainment, timely information, making life easier. Stay focused on these primary use cases that make the different.