Software Design and Engineering
User interface where it counts.

As industrial and graphic designers we understand the human-computer interface (HCI) and the relationship of form to function. The software user interface is not limited to its "look and feel" or its compliance to graphical user interface (GUI) standards. Usability includes clear documentation, intelligible error messages, intuitive navigation procedures, raw system performance and stability, integration with the operating system and other applications, and more. Here again, our operating design paradigm is "The system is the interface".

For a critique of the state of the art in software design and the methodology we employ to deliver complete software solutions, see our position paper Inventing the Future with Structured Planning. Whether you need to improve your existing software systems or you need Strategic Design expertise to develop radical new technologies, Design MatriX can help.

In addition to user-centered design expertise, our experience in the software industry includes UNIX operating system development and program management for a number of target architectures. We have established software engineering policies and procedures, written software tools, and headed teams from engineering to integration, QA, release, documentation and support. This means we have direct experience in all phases of the development cycle for major software products.

Combined with our capabilities in Strategic Design planning and systems design methodology, we can apply this experience to help you establish or improve your company's software development operations and processes.

Design MatriX has developed a specialized line of business using the Interactive Data Language (IDL) from Exelis Visual Information Solutions (formerly Research Systems Inc.), a cross-platform language specifically developed for visualizing scientific information in many fields including astronomy, physics, medicine and earth science. After using IDL for a major solar astronomy application we have been exploring IDL's potential for other visual information applications, including a set of in-house Design Tools. If your organization needs an IDL software application we can help design and implement it. You provide the science and we'll provide the functional design specs and user interface, including the code.

Businesses and organizations can maximize the effectiveness of their Web sites by taking full advantage of the other Internet services such as FTP, telnet, email and mail lists, newsgroups and, of course, in-house computing resources. They can best capitalize on Web marketing by integrating it into their daily operations. We strive to advise our clients on how best to utilize all Internet services to improve their internal operations and customer service. Our whole systems design strategy often leads to recommendations for internal process changes made possible by new technology.