Maiden International a provider of custom and branded insurance products is set to work with Cyber-Duck to create a new website and iPad web app.

Part of the Maiden Global Holdings group, Maiden International partner with insurers from around the globe to deliver specialist automotive and life insurance products to leading financial institutions and automotive brands.

Cyber-Duck are currently developing a new website and iPad web app for Maiden International.

Cyber-Duck have been commissioned to redesign the existing Maiden International website, whilst keeping consistency with other Maiden brands. In addition to this Cyber-Duck were nominated to produce an iPad web app to help the Maiden International sales team.

To achieve the desired result, Cyber-Duck will utilise their award-winning user centred design philosophy to create something aesthetically pleasing, whilst also ensuring an optimum user experience for new and existing users of the Maiden International website. The website will be translated into 6 languages to cater for the needs of Maiden’s international audience.

The UX strategy phase of the project is already well under way; watch this space for more on the project when it launches.

Cyber-Duck are pleased to reveal we will be developing a brand new mobile app for Fitbug.

Fitbug is a pioneering product and website that allows you to take control of your health and lifestyle by aiding you in achieving your health and fitness goals. The website allows you to measure your physical activity daily, by providing you with a ‘Bug’ (a small device which you wear as you go about your day) which allows you to track your steps and calories burnt. You can then analyse the data on your Fitbug account online.

On top of that, Fitbug also provides you with dietary help and information as you can keep an online food diary which monitors the nutritional value of your meals as well as giving access to healthy eating plans, recipes and challenges.

Cyber-Duck will produce an iPhone app for Fitbug.

Cyber-Duck have been commissioned to design and develop an exciting new mobile version of their web based tool, hosted on fitbug.com. The application will offer users an alternative way of accessing their Fitbug account, as well as easily documenting their diet through a mobile device.  Danny Bluestone, Cyber-Duck Managing director said;

“I think it’s safe to say that the whole office is very excited about the prospect of working on the Fitbug project. The Fitbug project team have tried out the Bugs, and are busy competing to see who can amass the most steps. This is helping them to gain a better understanding of the service and product as a whole. We are delighted to be working with such a successful and prestigious client as Fitbug, and believe we are well equipped to deliver an extremely user friendly application.”

Cyber-Duck’s award winning user centred design process will be used to produce an engaging and highly pleasurable solution. The new mobile app is in the early stages of production and is due to be launched later on in the year.

The ducks are to re-develop leading film and TV directory service “The Knowledge Online” for publishing giant Wilmington Publishing.

Cyber-Duck have been commissioned to redesign the website, a leading directory service for the video and broadcast production industry. The purpose of the new website is to increase industry awareness of the directory as well as convert standard users into subscribers. Cyber-Duck will also be in charge of designing a new paid online service for the website called ‘Production Intelligence’ which will aim to provide information for potential users on forthcoming productions.

The Knowledge Online’s current website.

Cyber-Duck were selected due to our award winning UCD (user centred design) process. On top of that, Cyber-Duck will refresh the art direction with a new look and feel and utilising web 2.0 and Ajax to make the user experience more dynamic. Another differentiator is that the key users of the Knowledge Online will be engaged throughout the project.

Matt Gibson, Production Director at Cyber-Duck said of the new client win, “This is more great news for Cyber-Duck – yet another project which gives us the opportunity to showcase our User Centred Design Process. We’re privileged to be hand picked by a prestigious client like Wilmington Publishing, and everyone in the project team is eager to make the new design come to life”.

Doug Marshall of Wilmington Publishing stated “The process of selecting the best digital agency was a vigorous one, but we eventually chose Cyber-Duck because of expertise in user experience and their outstanding reputation. Matt and his team have already shown a great deal of enthusiasm towards the new website, and we can’t wait to get going.”

As well as the re-design, Cyber-Duck is to provide continued online marketing and technical support to the site team.

Cyber-Duck is happy to be working with Arsenal in the Community’s awarding winning “Double Club Languages” programme on a brand new web presence.

Cyber-Duck were selected by the European Commission backed language-learning programme as part of a tender process to build and design a new website. This project win follows on from the success of Cyber-Duck’s previous work on the design and build of “The EU – What’s in it for me”; a project aimed at informing the British public what the European Union does to positively affect their everyday lives.

Double Club is co-ordinated by Arsenal in the Community, the non-profit wing of Arsenal Football Club and encourages school children to learn foreign languages by combining them with football training. It is hoped that the website will enhance communication of the programme to schools not only in the UK, but throughout Europe too.

Matt Gibson, Cyber-Duck Production Director was thrilled with the project win; “This win really speaks volumes about the quality of our work at Cyber-Duck. After the success of ‘What’s in it for me?’, we’ve been selected again as the agency to work on the latest European Commission affiliated website project. We can’t wait to get going!”

The new website is to provide general information about the Double Club and their programme including events, news and a fun zone which encourages a younger audience to interact. The site will also boast social media integration, as well as games and multimedia centred on sport and languages.

The Arsenal Double Club materials are available in German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. They have been developed in partnership with several language institutions; European Commision, Goethe-Institut, UK-German Connection, Consejería de Educación, Institut Français, Italian Consulate and Capital L – Routes into Languages.

Find out more about the Arsenal Double Club.

Cyber-Duck can officially announce the win of a brand new client.

RetireEasy Ltd will offer a web-based service which is aiming to give retirees and soon to be retired users an unprecedented ability to understand and take control of their finances in retirement. The product (called LifePlan) is thus aimed at the fastest growing age demographic.

Danny Bluestone, Cyber-Duck Managing Director said of the news, “We’re delighted to be working with such an innovative start-up with solid experience in the field, and keen to get going on what we see as an incredibly intriguing project.”

The start-up backed by retirement, technical, financial and design experts aims to make the system highly intuitive and user-friendly so that the product is accessible to all levels of financial proficiency.

LifePlan at launch is aimed principally at those retiring with assets including Cash, Pension Fund, Investments, ISAs and Home Equity of at least £50,000 aged between 55 and 70. A subsequent version will be targeted at pre-retirees in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

Cyber-Duck were chosen to provide full digital agency services from branding and UX design right through to building the SaaS platform itself.

Richard Collinson from RetireEasy said, “We chose to work with Cyber-Duck after a rigorous selection process involving several London digital agencies. They shone through with their knowledge and experience, particularly in the areas of user experience, branding and SaaS development.”

Cyber-Duck were also chosen to conduct the marketing of the project with more details of this and the launch being announced later in the year.

Due to be launched in summer 2010, the site is designed to build on the popularity of the brochure, ‘The EU: What’s in it for me?’ which was first launched in 2007 and showed U.K residents aspects of everyday life that the EU contributes to.

The website will be available at www.the-eu-and-me.org.uk and will offer information, multimedia and news in a concise and accessible format. A wide range of topics will be covered, including the EU contribution to economic growth, protecting consumer interests, fighting crime & policing borders, and making our food and environment safer.

Cyber-Duck’s role will range from strategic planning of the website and analysis of how to make it more accessible to search engines, through to design, web production and creation of multi-media interactive content that actively engages users.

The user feedback has so far been excellent with a first time buyer registering every 20 minutes – Hablib is already working towards its goal of allowing anyone in the U.K to buy, sell or rent homes at no cost.

Hablib.com brings together social media and property listings online. It offers an alternative to the usual property advertising offering; 0% estate agency fees on sales and 0% letting fees on rentals so that consumers can sell and rent properties online and free of charge.

Although designed to be extremely easy to use for all site visitors, behind the scenes the Hablib system is extremely complex. The site includes a wide variety of AJAX functionalities such as suggestive search, affiliate support, integrated payment gateways and APIs with other companies. Furthermore, all automated processes were designed to strictly adhere to the many regulatory requirements involved in offering property sales services.

The Managing Director of Hablib Anton Kreil, a high profile UK entrepreneur and star of the BBC’s TV show ‘Million Dollar Trader’ has said:

“From the outset it was clear that the user experience was a critical factor in realising my dreams for Hablib. My vision was to bring a fairer approach to the property market and I felt that Cyber-Duck were best placed to transform this vision into an online reality. Cyber-Duck have consistently guiding me through the inherently technical, regulatory and legal minefields that can surround a project of this nature and size. It’s been a great working relationship, and I’m delighted with the outcome”.

Read the official press here: http://ow.ly/1b63G

Boonspace, Cyber-Duck’s latest web development, is an exciting new service that allows users to send virtual emotional gifts along with personalised cards, photos, audio and video messages to loved ones. A cash sum can also be attached to each Boonspace gift and sent securely via the internet so the recipient can choose a real gift to go along with their virtual one.

The service is perfect for those that find themselves away from home and the people that are important to them for long stretches of time. Boonspace makes it possible for people such as servicemen and women, students studying abroad, travellers and ex-pats to send something meaningful to family and friends who are far away.

As part of a series of promotions to mark the imminent launch of the Boonspace website on December 10th, anyone who signs up to Boonspace for free by November 30th will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win a brand new 8G iPod Touch. All you need is a name and a valid email address and you could be receiving an early Christmas present.

To be in with a chance of winning, visit Boonspace and sign up before November 30th. Good Luck!

Find out more about Boonspace on YouTube.

The Challenge

The BAM team set Cyber-Duck quite a challenge but, yet again, we have proved ourselves up to the task.
BAM is one of the UK’s largest construction organisations operating from 12 regional offices and employing almost 3000 staff nationwide. One of the key objectives of the brief was to integrate the diverse business and service sectors covering the core areas of property development, design, construction, engineering, FM and plant hire.

The original BAM website was lacking usability. It was difficult to navigate and the overall layout and design was uninspiring.

BAM recently underwent a corporate rebrand, so the new site had to tie in with the company’s new printed branding whilst still making a huge impact on the screen.

The Solution

Cyber-Duck’s brand new website for BAM fits perfectly with the company’s contemporary vision using a simple and effective graphics style.

The website reflects BAM’s versatile and integrated approach and brings together separate websites into an all-encompassing new one. Users can browse and explore BAM’s profile, case studies, press releases and much more, giving BAM a distinct edge on many of its nearest competitors.

The flash banners on the homepage create interest, drawing the user in and highlighting some of BAM’s fantastic feats of architecture.

The new website is much more user-friendly in its layout with easier navigation throughout and uses additional banners and images to inspire and engage viewers’ interest. BAM’s incredible portfolio of projects is showcased using case studies that are arranged in a consistent and orderly manner.

Cyber-Duck implemented a unique profiling system that helps different users find exactly what they need immediately. For example, job applicants can search and apply for jobs online and subcontractors can apply to become a BAM-approved supply chain member.

The Outcome

Since the launch, traffic and enquiries to the site have seen a noticeable increase.

Barbara Cahalane, BAM’s Director of Corporate Communications, says, “The new site is full of visual appeal and market intelligence, aimed at allowing our clients to see inside how we design, construct and manage the integrated services BAM offers. And it lets our people tell our story. Our graduate trainees show and tell those who want careers in construction what it is like. It helps our supply chain to find out what they need to do to work with us.”

Danny Bluestone, Managing Director of Cyber-Duck added, “It’s been a pleasure working with a forward-thinking company like BAM, to produce a leading-edge website that gives an inside view of the construction process from start to finish, while radically enhancing their online presence”.

In addition to working with Halcyon Gallery, Cyber-Duck will be working Halcyon’s Gallery’s sister art centres Washington Green and Castle Gallery.

Cyber Duck will be overhauling the current Halcyon website, implementing a brand new design within the perimeters of the current Halcyon Gallery branding and working with Halcyon Gallery on improving backend database systems.

The new website will feature vibrant photography of both the Gallery and the pieces it houses, along with detailed analyses of the work, set in a clean design. Creating a sleek and uncluttered layout will be fundamental to the site- the layout must support the artwork, not detract from it.

Halcyon Gallery, which has exhibition rooms at New Bond Street and Bruton Street, Central London, has displayed work by some of the greatest artists of our time including Bob Dylan, Eve Arnold, Douglas Hoffman and many other names. Currently the Gallery is housing a collection of Lorenzo Quinn’s striking symbolist cast sculptures.