Why does an end-user visit a web application or website? They want to get something done. Regardless of the stakeholders agenda, it is important to ensure the end-users agenda is catered for.

The majority of applications will have shared goals between the stakeholder and the user (e.g where a sign up is a success criteria). It's important to hold on to that goal and not let other (marketing/data collection) factors slow down the process for the user.

Over the years there have been 2 core preachers on this topic in my mind. Gerry McGovern and the good folks at 37signals.

Des Traynor recently interviewed Ryan Singer of 37signals on the importance of ensuring the end-user gets the job done when developing an application.

[...] there’s this idea that people are always trying to make some sort of progress. And, the only reason that people bother to buy your tool, or use your software, is because they are in a specific situation and they’re trying to make some progress—get from here to there—and they’re struggling to do that.

This rings true when developing a new website or application for a client. We constantly have to remind ourselves that our end-users are here to get something done and be gone. They don't hang around enjoying the moment and soaking up the atmosphere. This isn't a music festival, it's a web application.

Now for the hard part. At Dovetail, we work for clients and the buck stops with them. It is important for us to communicate our decisions to them; we are hired by them as the experts in software development. Can we convince our clients to feel the same as we do about certain design decisions? 

Sell your UX Solutions to your Clients. Smashing Magazine have an interesting piece on different types of clients, and different ways to build trust:

We have to understand who our clients are, what is important to them and what their goals are. And then we have to deliver work that not only meets the needs of end users, but also satisfies the personalities within the company itself.

By bringing a client through our thought process and the evolution of an idea, we can ensure they are on our side when decisions become more difficult. Client trust is vital, and it must be earned.

Congratulations to www.kitchenfittingsdirect.com on their new website.

It's a really clean design (like a good kitchen!) that integrates very tightly with the ecommerce excellent engine provided by www.acvenco.com

KFD is already a thriving business, supplying fittings to tradesmand and DIY enthusiasts across the UK and Ireland. We're sure the new site will help KFD expand in the future.

On February 24, policy experts, data owners and technical specialists gathered in the historic Wood Quay Venue for International Open Data Day.

The event kicked off with an open discussion amongst all present.  Projects were suggested and bounced around, before small teams were assembled and work began.

The event yielded several interesting systems, including:

- an Open Data Finder for the public to make and track data requests, by Peter McCanney's team

- the first spike of a Healthcare Dashboard, focusing on hospital waiting time, by Sara Burke, Garrett Heaver, John O'Brien and Conor Byrne

- a map of Ireland's political constituencies and voting histories, visualising the influence of each constituency's influence on election outcomes - akin to the US concept of "swing states" - by Robin Cafolla's team. (Check it out here.)

There were many other projects too and you can see them at the next Open Data Meetup on March 7.

I just found a few old machines lurking in the office and sent them off for recycling.

I felt a little nostalgic thinking of all the man-hours that have been poured into those machines: how they felt so quick when they were new; the various roles each had, and the brilliant staff, past and present, who used them.

And then, for security reasons, I drilled through the hard drives with a tungsten-carbide bit.

I think that was the nerd equivalent of taking a lame old dog around the back of the barn with a shotgun. I'm a little shaky, but confident I did the Right Thing...

We're closing off 2012 with another success: this week we delivered a new system for IKEA in the UK, the second we have built for IKEA this year.

The application is being used by the marketing team to capture customer information as they pilot a new service specifically for businesses customers.

It is a responsive, cloud-based app running on Microsoft Azure, so it can be scaled up quickly as demand increases.

This project was delivered in collaboration with our partners MJ Flood.

Dovetail is delighted to have been selected to implement an eTender proposal for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

This is an exciting project where we will deliver a web application to provide restauranteurs with an easy way to calculate the number of calories in each of their menu items.

Dovetail appeared in a feature article in the Irish Times on Monday.  The article covered our ongoing mentorship programme with the MBA Association of Ireland.  It was a nice little write-up, and a fair description of where we are.

Many people have asked about the "chance meeting on Lugnaquilla".  It's a great story that's worth a pint on its own.  Unfortunately the Irish Times didn't state that it was with Ivan O'Connor of MJFlood and IceTech.  IceTech are national leaders in provision of touchscreen technology, and we love working with them.

You can see the full article here.

It was great to see everyone at the party, thanks to everyone who came and all those who sent best wishes. Here's to another ten!

We're proud to announce that this month Dovetail is 10 years old!

It's been a fantastic decade and one that we've really enjoyed.  We're very grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way, whether you are a customer, supplier, friend, family or colleague.

So we invite you to join us in McGrattan's Pub on Baggot Street for a pint and a laugh.

We'll be there (in the back room) from 5pm on Friday the 26th October.  There will be finger food so if you can even pop in for a quick hello please do.  We will of course be there till late.  Probably quite late indeed! :)

• McGrattan's on Baggot Street (http://www.mcgrattans.ie/)
• Friday 26th October 2012
• 5pm onwards (Blowing out the candles at 6:30)

On Friday October 5, ITS Ireland held its annual industry conference at the picturesque Lyrath Hotel in Kilkenny.

Dovetail operated a stand at the event and we met lots of clients, colleagues and friends new and old.

This year's conference anticipates next year's big ticket event, the 2013 ITS European Conference which will be held in the Convention Centre in Dublin.  We hope to see everyone again there.

Special thanks to ButtonBox for their fantastic service, getting Dovetail dressed up for the event.