Barracuda - Kandy Kiss by Amedia Creative

Information architecture

One major challenge with this project was building interactive technology and services and defining component modules which can work independently and be moved physically around the page. In addition, these interactive tools needed to be fast. Like really fast. Like really really really fast. In fact, many technologies were implemented with a primary focus on speed. Technologies such as Query Caching, SOLR development, JSON development, real time jQuery validation, Zend, and Nitro servers from our hosting partner, Media Temple (we love them).

In fact, the time and effort put forth played a valuable role. Barracuda is a swift attacking scalable monster capable of handling the most complex data task in the simplest of forms.

In addition to the extensive speed research, the Barracuda platform is built on a scalable modular system. What makes this series of modules so powerful is the fact that its small, fully featured MVC development core operate in an object oriented environment interacting between each other. Using modules, Amedia can extend or alter system behavior as custom solutions, as well as create new features on the fly.

Features & functionality

Amedia Creative proposed a custom implementation of their Admin Tools divided into several modules including but not limited to Stats, Searching, User Management, Yield Management, Communication Management, Sales and Marketing Management, and Bidding and Costing Management. This development process and set of features coined a new name for this set of web based applications, the "Barracuda" platform. Barracuda is here to solve this issue that faced Kandy Kiss. In short, Barracuda is one large pool of custom based interactive web modules joined together to create a custom data tracking solution for Kandy Kiss's successful garment business.

The user

Bringing this all together – Kandy Kiss's greatest asset, the user, was the central focus of each point throughout the entire process. Like any project of this size, once the Kandy Kiss stakeholders were consulted, technical specifications were mapped out and efficiency goals were defined, we moved on to the hardcore production. We began with an extensive interactive design wireframing (or blueprinting via IxD) phase, to quickly lay out the entire phase one build. At this stage, we explored key interaction points and built mini-prototypes to identify problems and create solutions early on, when a change can be made quickly and cost effectively. Simultaneously, we began design directions and a preliminary build of the page templates.

The application today stands with over two hundred pages of documentation, yet the interface so easy to use, some of the most complex day to day tasks could be completed ten times as quickly with error free results. Yes, we said error free.

Development

Once the entire application was wireframed, the interactive designs approved and page foundations built, we moved on to the critical initial build. Page-by-page optimization, Amedia assembled the site into a monster of an application. From there, we began the process of developing tutorials for each facet of the application. Finally, the finished product went through Amedia's rigorous AQA (Amedia Quality Assurance) process to ensure the launch was successful. Collectively, Kandy Kiss and Amedia launched a rapid succession of updates to enhance the experience as quickly as possible. Kandy Kiss provided its standard post-launch support of bug fixing, testing and building a list of features for Phase Two.