Thoughts and Articles from Blend Interactive

Much like we maintain our homes from season to season, our websites need periodic audits — to see what has changed and what has not. In this post, we focus on three specific types of audits: accessibility audits, performance audits, and design audits.

Accessibility  |  Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

Corey and Deane discuss what clients should look for when selecting an implementation partner. Then, Tony Byrne, co-author of The Right Way to Select Technology and President of Real Story Group, joins to talk through the implementation partner selection process, including common mistakes, the value of domain knowledge, and how most projects should focus on technology first.

Development  |  Optimizely  |  Project Management  |  Umbraco

Blend's CTO Joe Kepley discusses how to balance the need for better information, with a user's right to privacy, especially with existing HIPAA standards.

Development  |  Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

So ... what IS DXP? And how do you navigate the different forms and add-ons available within a digital experience platform (DXP)? Blend CTO Joe Kepley discusses the ins and outs of DXP, including how to prioritize the rollout of new features.

Development  |  Digital Optimization  |  Strategy

Corey asks Deane a brutally honest question: as non-developers, why should we care about hosting at all? Then, Elias Lundmark, product manager for cloud hosting at Optimizely, joins us to talk about website hosting in common terms — cloud versus on-premises, the reality (and politics) of “five 9s,” and the things you need to understand before choosing a hosting provider or vendor offering.

Design and Front-End  |  Development

Whether building websites and applications or repairing tractors, tools are at the center of life. Director of Development Bob Davidson believes in “the right tool for the right job,” but sometimes the right tool is not at hand. Sometimes it makes sense just to make your own.

Development  |  Optimizely

If you’ve looked into building or upgrading a website in the last few years, you may have heard about “headless” content management systems (CMS). But what is a "headless" system? And, more importantly, when is it the right solution?

Development  |  Strategy

Corey and Deane talk about a Donald Rumsfeld quote, and about the concept of “unknown unknowns.” Then, Cathy McKnight, Chief Problem Solver and lead analyst for The Content Advisory, joins us to talk about selecting a content management system — the process for choosing a system, how a CMS selection analyst can help keep vendors honest, and what to do if you’re selecting on your own.

Design and Front-End  |  Development

The path to computer intelligence hasn't proven quite so direct. On the surface, brains and computers seem very similar, but it's clear that computers aren't thinking yet. 

AI  |  Content and IA  |  Strategy

Life is full of complicated projects — event planning, construction, and, yes, building a website. This introduction to sprints and sprint planning will illustrate how we keep it all moving forward.

Development  |  Project Management