Spotlight on Crowdsourcing

July 06, 2010 - Russell Barnes

First coined back in 2006 by Jeff Howe, you could say ‘Crowdsourcing’ has more than earned the right not to be considered a buzz-word any more.

There’s certainly a wealth of information out there about it, so here's a (hopefully) digestible article showing some of the interesting projects and campaigns that have embraced the masses, and truly harnessed power from the people.

We've joined the ranks of the Profit 100

June 02, 2010 - Russell Barnes

Profit Magazine released its 22nd annual list of 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in Canada today, and Work [at] Play is delighted to be up there with the great and good.

It's been a tough road for all businesses in the past year, so we're even more pleased to be among other companies making leaps and bounds in spite of the rocky ground.

What is user engagement anyway? (part 2)

May 19, 2010 - Lorraine

My colleague Jordan Willm's put his thoughts into words on user engagement in an earlier blog post. That inspired me to do the same.

About a year ago, I decided to challenge myself to take a deep dive into the world of web analytics. But because user experience design is at the heart of my practice, and not number crunching, I wanted the numbers to make me a smarter designer.

Spotlight on Augmented Reality

March 24, 2010 - Russell Barnes

Work at Play loves anything that’s fun, innovative and pretty darn smart.

Augmented Reality (AR) ticks those off pretty well, so we've put together this snack-sized piece on one of the buzzy acronyms that’s been grabbing the attention of consumers and marketers alike.

Brainstorming "Rules" and Best Practices @ Work at Play

October 23, 2009 - Jordan Willms

Work at Play is an amazing place. Rarely do you see such an interdisciplinary blend of strategists, designers and technologists working so well together. Part of what I believe makes us successful is our "Rules" of brainstorming". It goes without saying that before you jump into a brainstorming session, the issue to address in the session needs to be clearly articulated and communicated to all parties.

Double take on user experience

October 23, 2009 - Lorraine

A few weeks back I was casually visiting my brother, and we got to talking about email. He'd just finished off his Master's Degree in Leadership, a program he completed about 80% online in a distance learning program. Alex's thesis on leadership in community gardening involved a lot of interchange with his adviser over the internet. He's a very social guy, and reasonably technically savvy. He has a problem. Turns out that with his email completed he was going to need another email account because the university account would eventually expire. He does have email for his day job, but he needs a personal one. I offer a simple solution... why don't you sign up for a gmail account? This is when he says, "I NEVER sign up for anything online".

Microlending, Social Media, Payback Periods, and Investing in the Developing World

October 05, 2009 - Jordan Willms

Work at Play is always thinking about making money =) That is -- helping out partners optimize their web presence, monetizing their digital content, and getting quick payback periods on any investment. Helping our partners make money through online channels is part of who we are. We also care about being socially responsible -- not only locally but to the world. So it is only fitting that we love kiva.org.

One Of Our Own Heads Up Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

September 04, 2009 - David Gratton

I am proud to be part of a company where people are doing extraordinary things everyday. Today is no exception. By climbing one of the highest peaks on earth, one of our own is helping raise a substantial amount of money for a BC charity. Jordan Willms, a Work at Play Account Manager, is departing today for Tanzania to ascent Mt. Kilimanjaro ( 19,331 ft), in order to raise money for the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia. To date, Jordan and his wife Lindsay have raised over $20,000 for charity, and have paid all the costs associated with the climb out of their own pocket. It isn't too late to support Jordan's fundraising. You can donate now online: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/PersonalPage.aspx?eventid=18810&Regis... We wish Jordan and Lindsay all the best, and hope to hear some tweets from Africa!!

Thoughts on Design and Fly Fishing

July 31, 2009 - Jesse Korzan

Lately I've been spending more time in the rivers near my house. As I endeavour to get my line out, trying not to hook myself, there have been moments when I feel like I am finally "getting it".

WorkAtPlay.com How It Was Made: The Slide Effect

July 17, 2009 - James Andres

The second installment in our "how it was made" series for WorkAtPlay.com. In the first part we covered flip and scale effect used on the home page. This post will dive into the slide effect used to navigate between site sections. Before we jump into the code, I was asked a few times why we didn't just use the jQuery ScrollTo to make the sliding effect.