Here is the situation

Here is the problem: Many websites are not geared up to be viewed in this way and with screens being so many shapes and sizes, data can go missing.

Here is the solution: Responsive Design – designed for digital technology on the go. Due to the ever-increasing demand for mobile technologies and the need to access information on the go, ictQATAR’s website recently implemented a responsive design theme. Read on to learn how it works.

Single Code to Rule Them All
Responsive design is a cost-effective approach for accommodating the wealth of new devices, without having to create multiple versions of your site for each device. This new method ensures that your audience can access your most important content from any device on the market, by displaying an optimized layout of the same content through understanding the display size of your screen, whether that is a desktop PC, tablet or smartphone.

ictQATAR already had a mobile website for mobile devices. The dedicated site contained only a simplified subset of the full site. With responsive design, we were able to include almost 98% of the site content using the same code and design elements.

Optimizing Layout
The responsive design theme is optimized for desktops, tablets, and mobile devices, presenting the site in a different visual manner based on window size. However in order to be usable, responsive design is not simply an adjustment of layout, but needs to go farther by examining what users want to do at each screen size.

In general, smartphone users access information on-the-move and tend to be distracted. They also are frequently in a rush, and want to quickly find the information. Tablet users, on the other hand, are apt to be in a more relaxed atmosphere, many using their tablet devices for entertainment and browsing sites and services of personal interest. PC (desktop and laptop) users are multitasking and typically in work-oriented environments. Another key distinction is smartphone and tablets are touch-enabled whereas PC users interact with content via a mouse. Each of these screens call for a differing set of interactions and information display.

The Devil’s in the Details
Many aspects of the site change when switching between the different screen-size break points. On smartphones and tablets, interactions need to have larger touch areas to accommodate imprecise touch gestures.

In our case, at the smallest sizes, elements such as the site’s primary navigation, language switcher, and search field were removed from the content area completely, replaced by a bar at the top of the screen that includes buttons that, when clicked, display the navigation (including dropdown accordions) and search functionality in a modal overlay. This allows more of the content to be visible.
Content also needed to be optimized for the various screen sizes. On smaller screens, the layout is usually single column; therefore, important information needs to be presented first. In addition, each content block in the main column and sidebars had to be evaluated to determine whether it was essential to the mobile experience.

Interactive functionality, such as slideshows, movie players, and other 3rd-party plugins, also needed to be examined to make sure they functioned on the various mobile devices (e.g., Flash is not supported on iOS devices).

The Arabic Challenge
The ictQATAR website is a bilingual site. Making a site Arabic is more than simply “flipping” the pages to be right-to-left orientation, and making it responsive on top of the language switch presented a unique challenge. However, because the site had originally been designed with progressive enhancement in mind, retrofitting the site to use a responsive design was easier than it would have been otherwise.

Multi-device Testing
Testing on multiple mobile devices at once is time-consuming. Adobe recently released Shadow, which allows the same webpage to be displayed on multiple devices simultaneously by using an app to synchronize displays. This helped us to test the responsive design layout on a Desktop, Android, iPhone, and iPad all at once. However, the tool does not account for user flow or touch interactions, which still had to be tested per device manually.

See for Yourself
To view the responsiveness of the site, visit the site on a mobile device or enter “http://www.ictqatar.qa/en” in your browser, and then adjust the size of your window in and out in the lower right corner to view the site as it would appear on different sized devices. You can also use Quirktools’ Screenfly or Responsinator to quickly get an idea of how the site might look on a variety of devices.

Below is a handy YouTube video which explains the principles of Responsive Web Design in a video tutorial

Forum One has worked with ictQatar since 2010 to design, develop, and launch their current English-Arabic bilingual site on the Drupal 6 platform, and has continued to support them with usability and site enhancements since.

With Zipcar, it is not the cars that are the new technology, rather it is the way they are used and shared. Zipcar is a car share service that allows members to book cars online, pick them up at locations around a city, select different types of cars and use them for as little as an hour, or rent them for a few days. You simply register to become a Zipcar member online, and once approved after a check of your driving history you receive an access card and membership number. Once you have these, you book the car you want online for the time slot you want, select a pick-up location and then gain access to your car using the access card. All electronic and no interaction with booking agents – simple! There is a low annual membership fee, and petrol and insurance are included in the rates of the cars.

How about a Mini Cooper Zipcar? Fun!

Zipcar is widespread throughout the U.S. and Canada, and has also expanded into parts of Europe. It is most popular in big cities where it often does not make sense to own a car, but where the occasional need arises when a car is a must, such as a run to Ikea. This is how I used my Zipcar membership when I lived in DC. In Doha, we don’t have quite the urban life of some of the cities that have embraced Zipcar, but we do have a growing traffic problem, unreliable taxis and way too many giant cars that frankly are only needed if someone is driving into the desert. Zipcars parked around the city could decrease the number of people that actually need their own car and possibly encourage people to buy smaller cars because they could get that honking Land Cruiser online for the 5 days a year they actually go off road.

Yes, I know cars are in many ways a status symbol here, but for much of the population a full-time car (or two+ full time cars) are not needed. Zipcars wouldn’t solve all of our transport issues, but perhaps it could make a dent, and for people without a car, it’s a great way to have one when you needed it – empowered by a very smart e-commerce model. Bring on the Zipcars Qatar!

More cool technology I want to see in Qatar:

LivingSocial

Reward Speed Cameras 

Child Safety Seats 

E la Carte Presto 

Strawberry Trees 

Four crucial issues are raised:
• The planning and preparedness of people with a disability
• The format and accessibility of Alerts
• The speed and effectiveness of evacuation
• The availability of  accessible shelter and support for technologies

Technology has a vital role to play in addressing these issues.

The planning and preparedness of people with a disability
It is critical that people with a disability are fully involved in the planning of responses to disasters. Understanding the needs of disabled citizens is the first step in ensuring that the emergency plan is fully inclusive and appropriate for all. Think about how a blind person would know where to evacuate to. What should a wheelchair user do in the event of a fire? How does a deaf person know that a fire has happened?  Communication and information is vital. In Qatar, Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Center) can help organizations design accessible information that can be tailored for all.

The format and accessibility of Alerts
In Japan the alarm was raised through sirens and loudspeakers which is why so many deaf people died. Alternative visual or tactile alerts are vital such text messages, sign language or text on TV and text alerts on FM radio and digital audio text screens are all valuable. A multi-modal approach to communication is fundamental to reaching every member of a community. Such a person may have a low level of literacy, and it is by understanding the complexity of individuals that we will produce solutions that are effective for everyone. At Mada we can help design such communications.

The speed and effectiveness of evacuation
Once an alert has been issued, first responses need to be made immediately. Where that action involves evacuation, it may well need the support of neighbors and friends to be effective. Neighbors may need to be reminded that someone needs special assistance by simply placing a flashing beacon in a window. Where someone has been missed, there has to be a reliable means of alerting the authorities to a need for aid. At Mada we recognize there is an opportunity to create a very simple application that would inform the authorities of the location and disability of an individual and which would request immediate assistance. This is research we will be undertaking in the coming months.

The availability of accessible shelter and support for technologies
Once evacuated, the accessibility and modifications of shelters is a major factor in reducing the suffering of people with a disability. This requires shelters to have considered access, i.e. ramps and handrails, information and signage, i.e. braille and symbols and internal communications, i.e. how someone is registered and recorded so resources are adequately shared and loved ones can find them.

There is a great deal to be learned from the tragedy in Japan and those representing disabled people in Qatar and of course disabled people themselves, all have an important role to play in reducing the impact of a disaster or emergency. It is widely accepted that a society accessible to persons with disabilities is one accessible to all and a fully inclusive society is at the heart of Qatar’s vision for the future.  By listening to the voices of survivors and the silence of those lost we learn that by planning and preparing we can save lives, reduce pain and increase the ability of everyone to recover from the next disaster.

David Banes CEO Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Center) 

I’m sure most of you are familiar with Living Social by now, but if you’re not, here’s the quick pitch. LivingSocial in a site that offers a daily deal to its members who subscribe simply by registering with their emails. If you like an offer, you simply purchase it and are then sent an electronic voucher. You can then promote the deal, and if you get three friends to buy it as well, you get your deal for free! LivingSocial deals are location-specific and are based upon the mass buying concept. For companies it’s a great way to reach a large audience and market their goods or services, and for users it’s a great way to discover new things and be sociable while saving some cash.

Some LivingSocial deals in Ann Arbor

The deals offered on LivingSocial are varied, including discounts on hotels, spas, adventure tours, restaurants and stores. All of my friends in the U.S. seem to be using LivingSocial and I am always jealous when a cool deal they share comes through my email, such as a recent discount on baseball tickets. LivingSocial is in Dubai, after the company fairly recently acquired GoNabbit. The founder of GoNabbit, Dan Stuart, who now runs the Dubai and Middle East operations for LivingSocial, said that they would be interested in expanding to Doha, but that the market is still a bit small for a full-time office, and that restrictions on registering an online only business make it difficult to see a clear business model at this time – boo!

It’s definitely time for Qatar to think about changing its business registration laws, such as the requirement to have a physical office to have a registered business. Most of the major tech companies would never have been created if that were the rule everywhere. A change in laws and policies to make Qatar more e-business friendly would open the door to more cool companies like LivingSocial. I hope it happens and that soon all of us here in Doha will be able to take advantage of some Daily Deals!

More cool technology I want to see in Qatar:

Reward Speed Cameras 

Child Safety Seats 

E la Carte Presto 

Strawberry Trees 

I first learned of the Speed Camera Lottery when Gamification guru Gabe Zichermann used it as an example of how gaming can create positive change during his keynote talk at ictQATAR’s Everything Mobile Forum back in February, and what a great example it is. The Swedish Society for Road Safety tested out the Speed Camera Lottery System and found that they were able to reduce speeds in a school zone from an average of 32 km/h before the cameras to 25 km/h with the camera. That is significant change.

Qatar is littered with speed cameras and it is certainly debatable about whether they are reducing speeding here. For many of the wealthy inhabitants, fines simply are not enough of a deterrent. We have all seen this firsthand as a giant SUV comes barreling at us flashing its high beams. Perhaps a system of reward would work better. Why can’t Sweden’s success be replicated here? With the way people drive in Qatar, I think it’s worth a shot. That makes the Speed Camera Lottery a smart technology I’d like to see here soon.

Take a look at the video to see the Speed Camera Lottery in action.

More cool technology I want to see in Qatar:

Child Safety Seats 

E la Carte Presto 

Strawberry Trees 

We all know that LinkedIn is the premier Social Media site for professional networking but if you are out there looking for a new position, are you doing all you can to promote yourself on this platform? According to research by Socialnomics.com, 95% of companies who use Social Media to recruit, do so through LinkedIn. Human Resources Managers and recruiters often promote jobs on LinkedIn and search through it to find ideal candidates but given that there are over 100 million users, ask yourself, does your page stand out? Probably not, but if you are in the market for a new position, read on – we at Digital Qatar have a solution.

According to Social Media Evangelist, Joe Soto of One Social Media, it is important to add value to your page so that a person learns something just from clicking on your name. He suggests you use video to run a short promotion of yourself and your top skills. Or you could have customer testimonials or a few quick tips giving advice on your area of expertise. There are now many free software tools that can help you upload your video. Joe recommends Slideshare.net or Google Presentation to help you spruse up your profile. Here is Joe presenting some top LinkedIn tips.

Avoid these common mistakes:

Your Photo: This is the first impression your potential new employer is likely to get, so no holiday snaps with wildlife or nightlife in the background. Use a professional looking head shot, such as you would use for a passport picture.

Proofread Your Profile: It is astonishing how many people upload their professional credentials littered with spelling or grammatical mistakes. An employer is likely to think if your personal profile is this sloppy, so might your other work be. Carefully read through it and if possible get it checked by another person.

Jane Binnion Social Media Strategist

Be Proactive: Most people simply hit accept when a LinkedIn connect request comes in but to get the most out of LinkedIn it is important to be more proactive. Jane Binnion, a Social Media strategist suggests the following, “You will get the best out of LinkedIn by being proactive and having a strategy, this should enable you to decide who you want to connect with, who you want to follow, who you want to build relationships with and who you would like to trade with, now, or at some time in the future.” Jane suggests you start making connections with your plan in mind, write a list of who you want to connect with, and find them via the LinkedIn search bar and, if they’re not there then invite them, maybe they don’t know about LinkedIn.

Don’t Send a Standard Invite: A common error is sending the standard invitation. If I receive one of those it makes me think this person doesn’t know me and I wonder if they are serious about connecting with me or if they are just playing a numbers game or spamming. It takes just 60 seconds to write a little personal note on the invitation to say why you want to connect with them, but it makes a significant difference to how it’s received.

Work at it: Most people just set up their profile, occasionally accept requests and then forget about it. But it’s a good idea to get in the habit of spending an hour a week searching for who you want to connect with, accepting invites, developing things further with those that you are already connected with and doing some tidying up of your profile. You can then even add your blogs and Twitter feeds, advertise your events or promote yourself, your business or your talents.

Join Groups: Many people ignore this great resource for flagging up your expertise. LinkedIn makes suggestions of groups that you might want to join, or you can do a search. If there is nothing there that suits you, you can create your own group and invite people to join. The groups are a great forum for taking part in professional discussions, and you can start a discussion, thus flagging up your expertise.

Ask for Recommendations: Another common mistake is not asking for recommendations from people you’ve worked for or with. However, remember to not just send out the generic request but to ask, in your own words, for a recommendation saying what for and why. Equally it is really positive for other people when you recommend them, especially if they haven’t asked you. When you have a couple of minutes to spare and someone you know has just done a great job, just make a recommendation on their profile.

I’m doing a series on cool technology I’d like to see in Qatar. I plan to do one post a week for the next couple of months. Qatar has definitely come a long way technologically, but it still lacks that cutting-edge wow factor when it comes to trying new technologies. Let me know of any cool technology you’d like to see in Qatar and perhaps I’ll do a little write-up on it.

Ok, this one really seems like it should be a no brainer, but I am truly horrified each day by the number of young children I see here hanging out car windows, standing up through sun roofs or sitting on their parent’s laps in the front seat with no seat belt. Let me be blunt- if you are letting your kids do this, you are an irresponsible parent and you are putting their lives at risk. Harsh, yes, but let’s take a look at some numbers:

• Child safety seats reduce fatalities in car accidents for infants by 71 percent, and for toddlers by 54 percent.
• Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1-12.
• An estimated 8,959 lives were saved as a result of child car restraints from 1975-2008 in the U.S.

Need more?

Anyone that has driven in Qatar knows that the roads here are dangerous. While the majority of accidents are just fender benders, an unrestrained toddler could go flying during even a minor accident. There really is no valid excuse for not using car seats or at a minimum, having children sit in the back seat with a seatbelt on. I know every time I am home, I take the two minutes to buckle my young nephews into their car seats – and they know the drill as well. While the car seat selection in stores in Qatar does seem lacking compared to other places I have been, thanks to the Internet everyone can find great car seats online.

If you want information what car seat is right for you child, check out the very informative National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) page on Child Safety. Here’s three general tips from NHTSAon child car safety:

The campaign by NHTSA on Child Safety

• Select a car seat based on your child’s age, height, and weight.
• Keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as your child fits the seat’s height and weight requirements.
• All children under 13 should ride in the back seat.

Come on Qatar – let’s put this simple, yet amazingly cool technology to use here now!

More cool technology I want to see in Qatar:

E la Carte Presto 

Strawberry Trees 

The E la Carte Presto

Let’s face it, service in Qatar’s restaurants is pretty inconsistent and at times maddeningly bad. We have all waited for ages to get a check, had servers be unable to answer questions about what’s on the menu or been served something that we didn’t order. Sure, these problem aren’t unique to Qatar, but for some reason the waiters in this country just aren’t as wonderful as the ones I remember back home that made thoughtful recommendations, suggested excellent pairings and added to my overall dining experience.

So can’t we just get rid of the waiters and replace them with robots? There are some restaurants in China that are doing just that (a touch weird!), but what I’d rather see is a technology the augments or enhances the waiter experience as opposed to totally replacing it. Well that is exactly what E La Carte Presto does. The Presto is an iPad-like tablet that sits on the table at restaurants and allows you to order directly from the screen without having to interact with a waiter. You can easily browse the menu, see photos of food items, read a full description, and potentially even see what ingredients are in the selections, which is great for people with allergies. You add items to your cart, click submit, and your order is zapped straight to the kitchen – presto!

Beyond ordering, Presto makes it easy to pay and divide up a bill – no more waiting for the check or trying to explain how you want it split – and your credit card never leaves your sight. It also allows for restaurants to share other valuable content right at the table, such as information about the neighborhood, weather, other locations, and yes, advertisements. The at table marketing opportunities are huge and what a great way to enroll customers in a loyalty program.

Take a look at the video from E La Carte on how Presto works and what the potential benefits are. There are apparently already 100 restaurants using it and 150 more on the waiting list. I could definitely see this catching on, especially with the 10% estimated increase in revenue for restaurants. Presto definitely makes my list of cool technology I would like to see in Qatar.

More cool technology I want to see in Qatar:

Strawberry Trees 

As the title suggests, I’m doing a series on cool technology I’d like to see in Qatar. I plan to do one post a week for the next couple of months. Qatar has definitely come a long way technologically, but it still lacks that cutting-edge wow factor when it comes to trying new technologies. Let me know of any cool technology you’d like to see in Qatar and perhaps I’ll do a little write-up on it.

Qatar has plenty of sun, even if it is often masked a bit by dust and growing haze. With all this wonderful natural light, why don’t see more uses of solar energy here? Perhaps it is because Qatar produces tons of non-renewable energy sources, but still, it seems silly not to take advantage of one of the Gulf’s most abundant resources.

A Strawberry Tree in Serbia (source: Strawberry Energy)

One cool technology I’d love to see here that does harness the power of solar in a clever way is the Strawberry Tree. Developed by Strawberry Energy in Serbia, the Strawberry Tree is a simple structure that uses solar cells to charge mobile phones. The structure looks a bit like a tree and can be placed in almost any public place. Users simply come up to the tree, plug in their phone and let it charge. It’s a great way to harness solar power to keep our phones charged and it also promotes social interaction. It’s not hard to imagine a Strawberry Tree in one of Qatar’s many parks, and a crowd of connected citizens plugging in and hopefully starting a conversation about renewable energy.

Qatar already has numerous parks connected with free Wi-fi, so to me this seems like a logical addition. No longer would we have to worry about our phones dying when we were out enjoying a park or other public area. I’m not sure how much these cost, but my guess is that wouldn’t be a major barrier and that usage here would be huge. I say bring on the Strawberry Trees!

Note: I discovered Strawberry Tree in this article on Mashable that included a few other innovative uses of solar power. Well worth reading.

Instagram was set up in San Francisco by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in October 2010, by December of the same year it had a million users. They had clearly found a niche in the market for an application that lets you filter, crop and generally ‘artify’ your photo before distributing it across a range of social networks. They say they created Instagram to have one app solve a range of problems, such as why do mobile photos often look a bit mediocre and why does it take so long to up load to different networks and how to make photo sharing more fun? This innovative idea has netted the boys a big pay day, with unconfirmed reports that Systrom, as CEO, pocketed $400,000,000.

There is big money in these little apps. And that is not the only way to find yourself cash rich and business plan poor! Many cool and funny pictures have found themselves going viral after being uploaded to a social network causing instant fame to (sometimes) unsuspecting faces. Not to mention videos. Ever heard of Howard Davies-Carr? No, well how about ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’. Yes, you know this YouTube video, which has now reached an extraordinary 50,000,000 views and netted Davies-Carr, Charlie’s dad, half a million dollars! Cheeky little chappie Charlie took a chunk out of big bro’s little pinkie, the vid went viral and the rest is history.

Well, with the advent of apps like Instagram and built in cameras on both Android and iPhones, who knows maybe a multi-million dollar paycheck is just round a viral corner for you. All the hype and news around the acquisition of Instagram no doubt was instrumental in helping to launch it to the number one spot in Apple free app catalogue. However, not everyone is chuffed to bits at the news. There was a bit of an Insta-backlash! Users are concerned about Facebook’s fast and lose privacy policy, others say that Facebook will shut down or change favorite features and many are threatening to close their accounts.

CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg claims he will not change Instrgram nor merge it into Facebook but will nurture it separately. This is what Zuckerberg posted on his timeline regarding the purchase. “…we’re committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.”
Do you use Instagram for photo sharing? What do you think of the take over? Would you up-load pictures of children to social networks that can share them without restriction?