Behind the Scenes of Real-Life Projects


Book Description

Is there anything more insightful than learning about the workflows from fellow designers and developers, and what techniques they use? What made their projects a stunning success, and how do they overcome missteps? With this eBook, we'll take a closer look at the techniques and stories of some folks behind real-life Web projects. Among others, you will discover how renowned projects such as the Financial Times Web app or the Nike Better World website were built, and learn from the success story of a translation app that made it into Apple's top ten charts. You'll also get an insight into Google's User Experience Lab, and (illustrated by the example of Pinterest) explore the importance of paint performance. Furthermore, our Smashing authors share valuable lessons learned in the course of their careers — from both successes and failures. This eBook is full of handy tips, ideas, and personal experiences that are beneficial to any Web professional. TABLE OF CONTENTS - Building The New Financial Times Web App - Bringing Angry Birds To Facebook - Behind The Scenes Of Nike Better World - Behind The Scenes Of Tourism New Zealand - Tale Of A Top-10 App, Part 1: Idea And Design - Tale Of A Top-10 App, Part 2: Marketing And Launch - Gone In 60 Frames Per Second: A Pinterest Paint Performance Case Study - Inside Google's User Experience Lab: An Interview With Google's Marcin Wichary - Mistakes I've Made (And Lessons Learned Along The Way)




Design Secrets: Layout


Book Description

In this installment in Rockport's popular Design Secrets series, readers are invited inside the creative process that goes into designing a winning layout. This book features 50 real-life layout design projects and looks behind the scenes, uncovering the design processes that produced the end results. Original plans, sketches, visuals, interim drawings, and presentations, each accompanied by informative text and captions, show how designers present their ideas and solve problems. Each featured design project is shown in detail from concept to completion and all the stages in between. Rodney J. Moore focuses on the layout process for a wide variety of real-life graphic design projects, exploring the hows and whys of the layout's final look. He answers questions such as: Where did the idea come from? Why did the designer approach the problem this way? What failures did the designer encounter along the way? How did the designer achieve the end result? This book provides an over-the-shoulder perspective on the design process for 50 hardworking layouts.




Dare!


Book Description

Are you curious to find out the story of a company that went from a static platform to winning the Best Business Transformation Project in the World?Why another book about business transformation? The answer is simple: because it is needed. We have seen business transformation projects fail and being abandoned and forgotten by those who initiated them. In some business communities, these projects are perceived as an 'inevitable evil'. Therefore, many organizations seem to oppose, avoid or at least try to delay it. This 'inevitable evil' paradigm is just a misconception. Understanding how to use business transformation as a strategic tool is more powerful than any fears. And it pays off.This book is a book of layers. It is born out of an outstanding collaboration between professionals of rather different personalities, expertise and expe¬rience. It is about leaders who went all in to achieve a 21st century organizational model, a snapshot into the work of more than 2.000 people as they went above and beyond trying to change their fate for more than 4 years.This book tells the story of a Project that has been designed from the start with the quest for exce-llence as an objective - it was envisioned to be globally recognized as one of the best business transformation initiatives, not just within the utilities sector, but across all industries.Some early reviews: "I've witnessed several presentations of the Project and in all of them my first impression was that the precise construct of the new organization, the description of each new role, and the risk analysis conducted to ascertain the risks of such an undertaking, all had an extraordinary level of detail. Of particular interest to me was the amount of people involved from the organization undergoing the change. That speaks well not only of the level of commitment of the leadership, but also of the level of enthusiasm and engagement of the workforce. I attribute this to the dedication of the Company's Leadership and Project's Leadership to deploy such an initiative. About the next steps: I am eager to know how this effort is being replicated across the Veolia family, and what challenges and opportunities are being captured and learned from in these future deployments. I recommend the book to all Managers looking to transform their Companies to meet the 21st Century challenges." Hugo Ashkar, Risk Manager - Global Projects Organization BP"Corporations, especially the bigger ones, constantly undergo organizational changes. Unfortunately, they do not remember the basics. The basics are that the organization of companies has to follow the processes, which follow the priorities, which follow the goals, which follow the vision and mission of the company. Getting all of this right, with all its consequences, is key to organizational change. Organizational Structure follows processes and processes follow purpose. This is exactly what Veolia did, and they did it right. The Project and the book are an inspiration for any Organizational Journey." Alexander Breskvar, Corporate VP of Quality Management - Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy"Cristian Matei and the leadership team of Veolia impressed the judges at the Global OPEX Awards 2019 with the extensive and strategic work they've done to turnaround the Veolia businesses, so much that they won the "Best Business Transformation Project" Category that year! They have also shared the journey and the transformation methodologies behind this winning story at the event and the audience were inspired by the depth of the transformation and the game-changing methodologies that completely reinvented the company DNA. It was my tremendous pleasure to have worked with Cristian and his team in the past few years, sharing their successes with our PEX Community, and couldn't be prouder to see their work published, so as to provide insights and positive influence for an even wider audience." Cathy Gu, Event Director, PEX Network & OPEX Week




The Real Life Guide to Accounting Research


Book Description

This book provides rare, insider accounts of the academic research process, revealing the human stories and lived experiences behind research projects; the joys and mistakes of a wide range of international researchers principally from the fields of accounting and finance, but also from related fields in management, economics and the social studies of science.




Behind the Scenes in Social Research


Book Description

Behind the Scenes in Social Research discusses the informal, adaptive, and real-life process of doing social science research. It complements the material in standard methods texts that describe the basics—how to choose topics and ways of obtaining and analyzing data—but in doing so miss out on many of the obstacles and practicalities of doing research. Researchers may find themselves adrift when they start their research and discover that what confronts them doesn’t precisely match exactly what is described in the basic textbooks, such as the obstacles that frequently occur, the logistical matters that must be handled, and the improvisations in research design and data gathering techniques that successful projects require. This book covers this material, while also paying attention to the ways in which the personal characteristics of those doing the research affect how projects are designed and data gathered. In addition, it explores the manner in which doing research affects the researchers themselves, affecting self-images, altering political or social views, or providing skills that extend beyond the research enterprise. Based on the author’s own experiences and interviews with senior researchers in a variety of social science fields, Behind the Scenes in Social Research explores the practical problems that arise in undertaking a research project while showing how these problems can be overcome through perseverance and improvisation. It will therefore appeal to scholars and students across the social science with interests in research methods and the practical issues that arise during any research project.




Real-World Projects to Explore World War II


Book Description

This project-based examination of World War II explores the topic through answering major questions that define this period in history. Learners will tackle challenges and questions through an extended process of investigation and contextualization, guided by historical facts and events that help students refine their research and focus their projects. Placing WWII in a real-world context will lend authenticity to their understanding of the war's depth and significance. Students will retain autonomy over their process, reflect on what they've learned, and share their process with peers and teachers. The result of each project is an actual product students will present to their peers.




What If? Building Students' Problem-Solving Skills Through Complex Challenges


Book Description

If a fundamental goal of schooling is to prepare young people for the unknowable future, why do we assign students so many clearly defined tasks with predetermined solutions? According to educator and creativity expert Ronald A. Beghetto, the best way to unleash students''problem solving and creativity—and thus prepare them to face real-world problems—is to incorporate complex challenges that teach students to respond productively to uncertainty. In this thought-provoking book, Beghetto explains * How to foster "possibility thinking" to help students open up their thinking in creative, sometimes counterintuitive ways. * The process of lesson unplanning, a way of transforming existing lessons, activities, and assignments into more complex classroom challenges. * Four basic action principles that teachers and students can use to design and solve complex challenges both inside and outside the classroom. * The steps for creating legacy challenges, which require students to identify a problem, develop a solution, and ensure that their work makes a lasting contribution. With planning forms and detailed sample activities, this practical guide will enable teachers at every grade level to design a full range of challenges in any subject area. Invite uncertainty into your classroom—and discover what your students are capable of.




Integrating Project Delivery


Book Description

A revolutionary, collaborative approach to design and construction project delivery Integrating Project Delivery is the first book-length discussion of IPD, the emergent project delivery method that draws on each stakeholder's unique knowledge to address problems before they occur. Written by authors with over a decade of research and practical experience, this book provides a primer on IPD for architects, designers, and students interested in this revolutionary approach to design and construction. With a focus on IPD in everyday operation, coverage includes a detailed explanation and analysis of IPD guidelines, and case studies that show how real companies are applying these guidelines on real-world projects. End-of-chapter questions help readers quickly review what they've learned, and the online forum allows them to share their insights and ideas with others who either have or are in the process of implementing IPD themselves. Integrating Project Delivery brings together the owners, architect, engineers, and contractors early in the development stage to ensure that problems are caught early, and to address them in a collaborative way. This book describes the parameters of this new, more efficient approach, with expert insight on real-world implementation. Compare traditional procurement with IPD Understand IPD guidelines, and how they're implemented Examine case studies that illustrate everyday applications Communicate with other IPD adherents in the online forum The IPD approach revolutionizes not only the workflow, but the relationships between the stakeholders – the atmosphere turns collaborative, and the team works together toward a shared goal instead of viewing one another as obstructions to progress. Integrated Project Delivery provides a deep exploration of this approach, with practical guidance and expert insight.




Greenlit: Developing Factual/Reality TV Ideas from Concept to Pitch


Book Description

"Blows the lid on so many TV secrets" Tom Archer, Controller Factual, BBC "If every first-time producer read this before pitching a program, I guarantee a greater success rate" Gary Lico, President/CEO, CABLEready, USA In recent years there has been an explosion of broadcast and cable channels with a desperate need for original factual/reality programming to fill their schedules: documentaries, observational series, makeover formats, reality competitions. Yet television executives receive a daily avalanche of inappropriate pitches from pushy, badly prepared producers. Only 1 in 100 proposals are considered worth a second look, and most commissioners never read past the first paragraph. Greenlit explains how to develop, research, pitch and sell your idea for any type of factual or reality television show. It gives the inside track on: - What channel executives are really looking for in a pitch - The life stories of hit factual shows such as The Apprentice, Deadliest Catch and Strictly Come Dancing - Advice from channel commissioners, development producers and on-screen talent on both sides of the Atlantic - Eleven steps that will increase your chance of winning a commission In a rapidly expanding TV market, Greenlit is packed with resource lists, sample proposals, case studies and exercises designed to boost your skills and develop commission-winning proposals.




Animation Lab for Kids


Book Description

With this interactive book, kids will learn all kinds of animation techniques through exciting, hands-on projects. No previous experience required!