Idealogy on the move...

We've done it! Well we couldn't go around much longer, preaching to our clients about having smartphone-optimised websites if we hadn't actually got around to having our own now could we!?

Rioters and Photo Albums – no, it’s not a new band. Just 2 stories for the price of one…

In these troubled social and economic times, here’s an efficient use of the bloggers keyboard – a double header!

Walking through the precinct this morning with Richard (one of Idealogy’s evil Digital clones!) we were warmed by the sight of a new Jessops store opening and the juxtaposition of the TV coverage during this violent week - images of this venerable but troubled brand being targeted by feral teen looters wandering the streets of our fair cities. There was something quite uplifting about the ‘old for new’ transition and that business leaders felt that Southampton was a good bet to refresh the fortunes of this trusted High Street name.

Fitness First goes mobile…a second time!

Fitness First was the first Idealogy client willing to experiment in the mobile arena way back in 2007/08; a long time before the rest of the market caught onto mobile applications.

The fast-growing Smartphone market of 09/10 and some significant analytical research by our digital team proved, beyond doubt, that a large proportion (10% and growing) of Fitness First’s online visitors came via a mobile device and current trends prove that this is only set to increase in 2011.

We approached them with a proposal to convert the most useful parts of their site into a mobile version, whilst still running it from one centralised source for easy administration. This solution, alongside a cost effective estimate with a strong ROI, made it relatively straightforward for them to give us the green light.

The actual project is fairly simple design-wise. Mobile sites need to be slick, responsive and easy-to-use while still emphasising the brand, so simplicity really is the key, as, to date, Smartphones still aren’t the fastest things in the world. Then the important considerations are good clean coding, testing and finally, speed to launch. This we duly achieved and the site is now live. If you visit www.fitnessfirst.co.uk on a mobile you’ll now be directed to the new mobile version of their site.

Posted by Simon Johnson