gestaltware web strategy consulting + application design

Who is gestaltware?

gestaltware designs and builds custom web application solutions, specializing in helping clients establish a solid, sustainable Information Architecture with a user-centered Web Strategy.

Solutions measured by business objectives

Before a single line of code is written, we will conduct a thorough business process analysis to ensure your business objectives are accurately reflected in your Information Architecture and throughout the development process.

Solutions that are user-centered

Web 2.0 is about transforming information silos into sources of functionality that engage end users. Our user-centered Web Strategy consulting starts with qualitative and quantitative user research and incorporates usability best practices.

Solutions from a strategic partner

We recognize that clients come to us with the objective of gaining some competitive advantage in their market and work with them as a strategic partner on an exclusive basis.

Solutions leveraging open source

We are strong proponents of open source software, and strive to leverage and integrate open source as a foundation to our solutions. Previous engagements have used these open source projects, among others:

Content Management

Drupal

eCommerce

osCommerce
Zen Cart

Application Frameworks

CakePHP
Ruby on Rails
Zoop


gestaltware news + blog

Sep 30

Uneasy with the Top Drupal Modules on UnSpun

The Drupal community is rich in active developers. By my very unscientific survey, there are 1,110 contributed modules that are ostensibly 5.x compatible.1 It can consequently be daunting for both newcomers and old hands alike to keep abreast of what's useful on the Drupal scene which is why lists of top modules are ever-popular. I came across the Top Drupal Modules list on UnSpun by Amazon, and was shocked by which modules did not make the cut on the community-ranked list.Read more

  1. Module directories in the Drupal CVS were counted if they contained both .module and .info files. This number is likely to under represent the total available modules since projects without a HEAD tag are not available via CVS.
Sep 24

Pitfalls of Converting HTML Forms to PDF

For a recent project, I recreated an online version of the Federal form Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, otherwise known as the W-9. The form was stylesheet formatted and implemented as a Drupal custom node type. Then came the project requirement to convert the filled out form into a PDF document to be emailed as an attachment. Uh oh.Read more

Sep 22

Drupal Module: User Suspend

user_suspend_project.pngUser Suspend provides an interim step between account blocking and account deletion. The user record, user roles and optionally user-created nodes and comments are transferred to separate tables where they are not accessible by the normal Drupal system. Suspended users can be reinstated at any time, recovering all of their previous settings, roles, nodes, and comments.Read more

Sep 19

Must Have Module: Service Links

Social networks are one of the salient characteristics of Web 2.0. Social bookmarking services like del.icio.us and digg allow members to save and share their site findings, which when aggregated over a large number of users, creates a "wisdom of the crowds" effect. Think these services are only for bloggers?Read more

Sep 14

Must Have Module: Google Analytics

Drupal has its own core statistics module to track page hits, referrers, and visitors. While it serves basic needs, I have long been dissatisfied with this module and recently switched all of my sites over to the free Google Analytics service. The service is easily enabled on a Drupal site with a contributed module written by Mike Carter.Read more

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