News

07/2010 : iFactory's Work with Bloomsbury Academic Mentioned in the NYTimes!

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07/2010 : iFactory's Publishing Account Manager, Marc Segers, Covers Recurring Conversation Topics in an ALA Conference Wrap-up

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07/2010 : Alen Yen, iFactory President/Creative Director, to speak at eduWEB 2010

The web has become one of the most powerful relationship-building tools in higher education. As budgets tighten, it becomes even more critical to ensure a visitor's user experience is positive and strengthens the institution's brand affinity. Delivering brand messages does not need to be an arduous process. In this session, we'll walk you through a series of case studies, and present creative executions of website user interface best practices.

Join us for this Topic Table session, Empowering Your Brand on the Web on Tuesday, July 27th. We hope to see you in Chicago!

06/2010 : iFactory and Oxford University Press Partner on the Design of the Newly Launched Oxford Bibliographies Online

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06/2010 : What's Your Action Plan? Check out this iFactory webinar on our
YouTube channel

What do you want visitors to do when they visit your website? How can you actively guide their behavior? One way to map a user's journey on your site is through strategically placed calls-to-action. In this short, iFactory webinar, we walk you through a few examples that highlight the do's and don'ts around calls-to-action. You'll learn how to update your own site to guide your users and get them what they need.

View the webinar on our YouTube channel

06/2010 : Headed to DC for ALA10?

We'd love to see you and demo PubFactory for you – we've got exciting developments to share. Connect with us and we'll set up an appointment!

05/2010 : iFactory and Oxford University Press Launch Free and Subscriber Oxford Dictionaries Online

iFactory is pleased to announce the launch of Oxford Dictionaries Online, free and subscriber sites. The selection of PubFactory for Oxford Dictionaries Online continues a long-standing relationship between iFactory and OUP. Among some of the Web design and development projects where OUP has partnered with iFactory are Oxford Bibliographies Online, Oxford Language Dictionaries Online, Oxford Biblical Studies Online, which received an APA PROSE Award for "Best in Reference Works," and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, which received an International Information Industry Award for "Best User Experience." more

05/2010 : iFactory's Marc Segers to speak at the Society for Scholarly Publishing on June 2nd

We hope to see you at SSP 2010 Annual Conference. Let us know if you'll be there!

Re-inventing Reference: This is NOT Your Grandmother's Encyclopedia!
Reference works must be engaging if they're going to useful or profitable. Mash-ups, data visualizations, search technologies, and APIs now enable publishers and end-users to recombine content – engage with – and derive value from, materials that have previously existed in static circumscription. But how should publishers be investing in their reference content? Can they unlock the value of relationships found in and between their previously published works? How can they make their content more accessible to end-users or combine content, technology, and user interactions together to create a compelling, and complete, reference environment? See how publishers are revitalizing their approach to reference offerings. Then, consider new ways to expose, deploy, and derive new value from your [re-invented] reference content. Track: Technology

Moderator: Ann Michael, Principal Consultant, Delta Think, LLC

Speakers: Alix Vance, Founder/Principal, Principal/Founder of Architrave Consulting, LLC
Chris Beckett, Vice President of Business Development, Atypon
Marc Segers, Publishing Account Manager, iFactory
Mike Sweet, CEO, Credo Reference

05/2010 : PubFactory demos at BookExpo America

Looking forward to BookExpo America May 25th-27th! Connect with us to arrange a meeting!

05/2010 : iFactory and MarkLogic Team Up!

iFactory, an award-winning web design and development firm, is thrilled to announce that it recently entered into an OEM Agreement with MarkLogic, a leading provider of information infrastructure software.

Through this agreement, iFactory will provide the benefits of an enterprise level XML database/search engine, and offer it within the context of PubFactory, the revolutionary new publishing platform from iFactory. more

05/2010 : PubFactory, sponsor at Mark Logic User Conference

We're sponsoring the Mark Logic User Conference in San Francisco, May 4-6, 2010. We hope to see you there!

04/2010 : Earthscan Chooses PubFactory to Develop its EarthLibrary

iFactory, an award-winning web design and development firm, and Earthscan, the world's leading publisher on climate change, sustainable development and environmental technology, are proud to announce their partnership to develop EarthLibrary. Earthscan selected PubFactory as its official online publishing platform for Earthscan content, and the development of EarthLibary.

"EarthLibrary is a significant, strategic development for Earthscan, one that will enable our publishing to meet the needs of our markets around the world more effectively in the future. We were impressed with the experience, capabilities and responsiveness of iFactory and we look forward to a close collaboration with them in delivering the new platform," said Jonathan Sinclair Wilson, Earthscan's Managing Director. more

04/2010 : iFactory Project, Modern Language Association's Literary Research Guide, Was Awarded a 2009 APA PROSE Award

The Modern Language Association, a professional association of English and foreign language professors, worked with iFactory to develop a searchable online version of its Literary Research Guide, an indispensable reference for the study of literature in English.

The interactive site, based on the fifth print edition, allows users to search over 1,000 annotations of reference sources in English literary studies, including books, articles, and electronic resources. Updated regularly, the online guide features a "My Projects" tool for saving searches and writing notes about search results. more

03/2010 : Web-Metrics Express: What You Need to Know to Avoid Mistakes

Looking for ways to use your website metrics but don't know where to begin? iFactory Strategist, Pete Gaioni, approaches Web analytics as a three-step process in his article, featured on MarketingProfs.com

03/2010 : Does Your School's Website Need a Makeover? Thank you for joining our free iFactory webinar on March 31st!

In this 60 minute webinar, the first in an iFactory series, we walked our participants through an actual site audit for a client – a prestigious higher ed institution – and showcased the evolution that can occur in a matter of weeks. By taking a look at the school's original website, we gave a sense of what can and should be improved upon, then jumped to the refreshed website, to review what changes were implemented.

Our participants walked away with the tools necessary to review their site's content, and determine whether a temporary refresh, or a complete redesign, should be considered.

Future iFactory webinars will focus on:

• incorporating strategy into your digital initiatives
• the value of design as it applies to your communications
• industry-specific case studies
• recent technology and how it affects you

If you're interested in participating in one or all of the webinars in this exciting series, contact us! We're happy to send you an invite.

Cost is free, and the value is immeasurable.

02/2010 : PubFactory at Tools of Change Conference, Feb 22-24, NYC

Tom Beyer, iFactory Director of Publishing, showcased the custom publishing feature of our online publishing platform, PubFactory, at this year's Tools of Change Conference in New York City. Frances Pinter, iFactory client, and Publisher at Bloomsbury Academic, also featured PubFactory in her keynote, "Rethinking the Role and Funding of Academic Book Publishing."

02/2010 : Two iFactory projects receive APA PROSE Awards

We are pleased to announce that two of our clients' websites were recipients of the esteemed PROSE award, the American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence. We look forward to sharing details soon. Read more about the Prose Awards.

02/2010 : Bryn Mawr College rejuvenated site launches

iFactory, together with Bryn Mawr College, has launched the School's refreshed website. Bryn Mawr, a liberal arts college located in Pennsylvania, is dedicated to teaching critical, creative, and independent habits of thought and expression in an undergraduate curriculum for women, and a graduate program in the arts and sciences, social work, and social research.

The Bryn Mawr Communications team, along with iFactory, began work on the project in the Fall of 2009. The most compelling improvements to the site can be seen on the homepage. Headers and footers have been altered to allow for ease of navigation, as well as access to social media links; a new color scheme better incorporates the College's colors, yellow and white; key messages along with relevant and rotating imagery can be found in a large, central area; and navigation has been adjusted to allow for a more user-friendly experience. more

01/2010 : Oxford University Press chooses PubFactory

iFactory is thrilled to announce that Oxford University Press has chosen iFactory's new publishing development platform, PubFactory, to develop Oxford Dictionaries Online, a new global modern English dictionary and language reference service. OUP, a major provider of online reference and scholarly content libraries, turned to iFactory for this project because of its unique focus on design and custom development capabilities.

The selection of PubFactory for Oxford Dictionaries Online continues a long-standing relationship between iFactory and OUP. Among some of the Web design and development projects where OUP has partnered with iFactory are Oxford Biblical Studies Online, Oxford Language Dictionaries Online, and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, which received an International Information Industry Award for "Best User Experience."

10/2009 : MGH Institute of Health Professions

The mission of the MGH Institute of Health Professions, a graduate school founded by Massachusetts General Hospital, is to educate health care professionals to become leaders in their disciplines. When the Institute first approached iFactory, it was looking to redesign its Website that compelled prospective student visitors to inquire, and ultimately apply to one of the Institute's academic programs. The new site needed to:

• Be user-centric
• Have easy and intelligent navigation
• Provide effective online inquiry form and applications
• Spotlight distinctiveness of students, faculty, alumni, programs, etc.

By engaging stakeholders throughout the Institute, iFactory was able to get a complete picture of who the Institute is, both technically and emotionally, which led to a visual communication style that really conveyed the spirit of the Institute and clarified the navigation and structure of the site based on the end users' priorities and all the strengths of the organization that the stakeholders and students already know but were not reflected on the previous site.

The MGH Institute of Health Professions Website can be found here: http://www.mghihp.edu/.

08/2009 : The Wharton MBA Program

The Wharton MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania engaged iFactory to "engage the user and deliver the experience of the strength and defining leadership of the MBA program." The goal was to create a bolder web presence for the MBA program, and also to "improve the overall usability of the site." iFactory was tasked with the IA, design, specifications, and Flash for the site, which was handed off to Wharton for HTML production and CMS integration.

After conducting user interviews and attending Wharton's "Winter Welcome" to get a feel for the MBA program, iFactory began to redesign the site. Several rounds of Site Maps and Wireframes quickly established the new structure of the site, and a Functional Specification helped lock down the proposed functionality for all features on the wireframes.

After the page elements were established, the design team swung into action. Numerous concepts for the new site were proposed, refined, and developed to create the overall aesthetic for the site. Through close collaboration with the Wharton MBA and marketing teams, we planned out a stronger and more functional web site that communicated the transformative nature of the Wharton MBA program.

Notable features of the new site include:

• A custom-built homepage with unique Flash interface from iFactory
• A Flash-based Experience Gallery providing images and video that illustrate life at Wharton:
• A Student Profiles gallery designed by iFactory
• A custom-designed, interactive illustration of the Wharton MBA curriculum

To learn more about the Wharton MBA site and to click around iFactory's design, please visit the Wharton MBA web site at: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/

08/2009 : Harvard Education Letter (HEL)

The Harvard Education Letter is one of three sites living under the umbrella of the Harvard Education Publishing Group (HEPG). The other two sites are Harvard Education Press (HEP) and Harvard Educational Review (HER). iFactory is pursuing its great partnership with HEPG, and with this latest deployment, HEPG's online assets have now been fully redesigned and integrated on top of the iFactory CMS

The newly designed HEL site can be found at http://www.hepg.org/main/hel/Index.html.

08/2009 : Vista Higher Learning

iFactory is proud to announce the launch of the Vista Higher Learning (VHL) website. VHL is focused on raising the teaching and learning of world languages to a higher level. When VHL approached iFactory, the organization was looking for a redesigned site that offered an improved user experience for visitors that need to find quality information quickly in order to take the next step in the buying decision process. With this, iFactory aimed to establish a look-and-feel that reflected the VHL brand.

The redesigned Vista Higher Learning site can be found at http://www.vistahigherlearning.com.

08/2009 : RSA Conference

RSA Conference events are some of the most well-known events for the information security industry in the world, with conferences held in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. However, the organization offers more than just events and was looking for a partner that could redesign its website to convey that message. They turned to iFactory to develop a new site that more effectively combined the event-specific details they needed with the year-round information to give users a rich experience and a better understanding of what the organization has to offer outside of its annual conferences.

Redesigned by iFactory, the recently launched RSA Conference website brings new engaging features and truly conveys the innovative and leadership qualities of the organization.

The redesigned RSA Conference Website can be found at http://www.rsaconference.com.

08/2009 : Collaboration for Home Care Advances in Management and Practice (CHAMP)

iFactory welcomes the newly designed site for CHAMP, the Collaboration for Home Care Advances in Management and Practice and has been improving geriatric home care nationally for the past three years via educational programs in medication and pain management for frontline nurse managers.

Developed by iFactory, the new CHAMP website includes an interactive Community of Practice and is the first online national forum to motivate and support quality improvement efforts by home care organizations and other interested stakeholders. It is a place where members can share success stories, strategies, and experiences in advancing home care excellence, as well as ask questions and receive periodic advice from experts across a variety of home care topics. The new site also includes a Resources section, with a Netflix-like rating system and the ability for users to add reviews for the tools.

For a better look at the new CHAMP website, please visit: http://www.champ-program.org/.

07/2009 : Harvard Business School Executive Education

iFactory is pleased to announce the recent release of the new Harvard Business School Executive Education website. For the redesigned site, iFactory incorporated a dynamic Flash component to the homepage, and added improved program navigation options such as quick search on the homepage, as well as a full Program Finder which lets visitors to the site quickly filter down to the programs that are of interest to them. Additionally, the site’s pre-existing campus virtual tour was reconfigured to specifically focus on the HBS Executive Education program.

To experience the redesigned Harvard Business School Executive Education Website in-depth, visit: http://www.exed.hbs.edu/

07/2009 : Wyss Institute site launches
When the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering hired iFactory to design their new website, they requested that the site provide a "continuous flow of news items, major advances, awards, honors, industrial alliances and products, and clinical impact." The goal was to create a web presence that showed the general public about the exciting possibilities of the science.

Through close collaboration with the Wyss Institute, we developed the design of the site, focused on the idea of a "museum wall" on the homepage to showcase the science from the institute through a series of images. The user is able to "walk down" the wall by clicking to bring images closer, thus drawing them into the site and the mission of the institute.

Unique designs for the Team page, Faculty bios, and a multimedia library demonstrate the wide range of disciplines and experience within the Institute. A unique tagging system allows Wyss Institute to tag any media item (image, video, or audio) so pages can display related items. The user can thus see subtle connections between seemingly unrelated subjects, and explore a multimedia library with images, audio and video from Institute members.

Wyss updates the site using iFactory's customizable CMS. They can post news items, events, rich media and content, at will. Admin screens were fine-tuned to match the unique content on the website. For example, the Wyss Institute can control the Flash element on the homepage through a series of text boxes and fields, rather than having to edit the XML by hand.

To explore the exciting science currently being created by the Wyss Institute, please visit their website at: http://wyss.harvard.edu