A few months ago, we created a small web app as part of an experiment to try out some new methods to generate interest in our services and products from folks who might not otherwise hear about us. A primetime commercial during “Law & Order” probably would have done it but I couldn’t convince Gi... [More]

Many web application firms spend substantial time and effort doing market research, analyzing requirements and coming up with sophisticated ways to provide their users with more value than their competitors. But business value alone doesn’t guarantee a high adoption rate. Your app needs to perform- ... [More]

We gave it a name, figured out how it would work and built the prototype. Now we’re going to let you have a look at GoodDemo- at both the very rough proof of concept and the more polished mockup of what the real deal might end up looking like. The Prototype No matter how refined and polished a web... [More]

There is no glamour in building secure ASP.NET web applications. The vast majority of developers I’ve met would much rather focus on building new & flashy features that can impress their managers and end-users. Even though security can usually take a backseat during the initial stages of develop... [More]

It’s amazing to see how fast the usage of a web application can outpace initial expectations. Growth is good for business but creates some real challenges when it comes to trying to keep everything up and running speedily along. When an application is being designed, estimates are made for the exp... [More]

Two weeks ago we began the process of bringing a new application to life. As mentioned in the previous article, we’re going to document and share every aspect of its development. We’ve firmed up a few ideas, gave it a name and started laying down the groundwork. Is it a boy or girl? Actually, it’... [More]

We’re kicking off a new project today. Starting from scratch, we’re going to build a small web application and document it in real time. Typically, the development of new products start out in a bubble, but the goal of this project is to keep everything out in the open- from the ideas to the code to... [More]

Behind any data-driven web application is a database in some form or another, making database performance critical for any growing application. Queued processing can substantially increase the performance and scalability of databases that drive a web application. This article provides an overview ... [More]

Animations can help make an interface seem more tactile and engaging, particularly when they serve a purpose. A common example is the bouncing icon on the Mac OS X dock. By hopping up and down in the dock, an application’s icon lets you know that your attention is needed in a way that’s obvious and ... [More]

Web applications are dynamic- many requiring unique content and interfaces for each user. There are a myriad of ways to take user content out of a database and present it in a browser. This article focuses on the different ways it can be done in the Microsoft world (specifically in ASP.NET), why we ... [More]