Mass Big Data Responsive Website Design
a new initiative driven by the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative on behalf of Governor Deval Patrick and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, needed a responsive website design to help welcome its identity to the world. With only a logo in place, MassBigData.org yearned for an experienced partner to help guide the new initiative in best practices of web design, generate interactive ideas for the website to drive engagement, and provide a flexible solution to position the initiative to be able to grow as demands and ideas grow.
MassBigData.org hired Polar Design and its 14+ years experience to bring the new initiative to life through responsive website design. With responsive website design, the website would be optimized for viewing for any screen and any device, as elements on the page would “respond” to the screen size the user is viewing it through. While it can be time consuming to consider how items on the page should be designed within different screen sizes, the end result ensures that the website is mobile friendly across all browsers.
The finished website also features multimedia and social media connectivity for those in the rapidly growing field of Big Data analytics. It connects employers, start-ups, researchers, media, and job seekers using advanced interactive features, including:
- An interactive map of Big Data organizations
- A Twitter Big Data live feed
- A Massachusetts Big Data jobs board
- A unique events calendar
The interactive map of Big Data organizations allows website users to visually see where Big Data innovation is happening in Massachusetts. Users can filter results by industry (data analysis, hardware, data integration software, etc.), resource (computing, research centers, open data sources, etc.), or tag (marketing, energy, financial services, etc.). When you click on an organization on the map, details appear such as the address, category and tags as well as the option to find out more about the company or look at open jobs.
The events calendar presents Big Data events in Massachusetts through a sliding timeline color coded based on the type of event. Event types include conferences, hackathons, meetups, workshops, and other. Users can also see the events in a traditional list below the sliding calendar by date, with filters for event type. The interactive sliding calendar is just one of many features that make this website stand out as a leader in connecting Big Data stakeholders across the Commonwealth.
Mark Jaklovsky, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Polar Design, says, “The site combines today’s most advanced technologies, including a framework based content management solution, social media connectivity, and a clean and responsive design in order to successfully orient visitors toward Massachusetts’ Big Data resources that have relevance to them. With its consistent, strong visitor growth, the MassBigData.org website will continue to deliver tangible benefits to the State’s strategy of positioning Massachusetts as a leader in Big Data.”