AusIndustry is an Australian Government Department that falls under purview of the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism (DIST). Among other tasks, it is AusIndustry's responsibility to maintain and promote the BizLink product. Essentially, BizLink is a database that contains information regarding government and industry assistance programs for businesses. Our first contact with AusIndustry was to help promote the BizLink product. To this end we produced the BizLink Demonstration Diskette (see below).

After the success of that project, we were then employed to place the BizLink product itself on the WWW...BizLink Online (see below).



More on  BizLink Demonstration Diskette

Project:

Develop a demonstration diskette which will engender interest in BizLink, a product developed by AusIndustry. The same demonstration materials should be made available in three ways:

• by single 1.44MB floppy disk
• in a multimedia trade show kiosk with audio & video
• as an Internet demonstration

It sounds like an impossible dream, no? Well, each of the demonstration "items" had its own requirements. To see how we did, you can view the demo disk online here at this site (courtesy of Shockwave).

Our Brief:

• marketing content must be fun and simple to understand - utilise hand drawn characters to introduce the BizLink product, with professional voices for the kiosk version.
  
  
• demonstration must simulate the software and provide a guided tour - provide prospects who are viewing the demonstration with an opportunity both to try the product themselves and to participate in a guided tour of the product (to see how it works).
  
  
• demonstration must provide ability for customers to order - the demonstration must give clients the ability to order the product by offering a simple fax form which they can complete and print.

• kiosk version must have full audio and video support - the same source code must work when delivered without media (on diskette) and with full audio and video media (in a trade show kiosk).
  
  
• kiosk version must have self-running mode - when running at a trade show, the demonstration must run continuously unless interrupted by a trade show attendant or customer.

Interesting Bits:

• our favourite area - the character voices – fun in the studio! Working with Chris & Janine was a wonderful experience.

• demonstration fits on a single 1.44MB floppy disk - the entire demonstration can be installed from a single diskette, even though it contains some sound effects.
  
  
• single source code for kiosk and diskette versions - the same demonstration source code is able to sense and play media, if present in a kiosk situation.
  
  
• Internet demonstration simulations - the BizLink product simulations and guided tours were made available on the AusIndustry site, utilising Macromedia's Shockwave technology. These were the first uses of this technology for proper software simulation in Australia.

More on  BizLink Online

Project:

Develop an Internet database product, called "BizLink Online", for the public (and specifically small and medium sized businesses) to find which government assistance programs will benefit their immediate needs. Deliver the product on the Internet with the functionality of AusIndustry's current BizLink disk product.

Our Brief:

• make it simple to use - since the public user may not be experienced with the product or the Internet, the product must be simple to use and easy to understand.
  
  
• provide multiple ways to query the database - the project must give users the same query abilities as the disk-based product, and in addition provide program search by keyword and partial program name.

• provide multiple ways to print the query results - programs which match user criteria must be able to be printed individually as well as in a group.
  
  
• provide up-to-date information -each quarter, AusIndustry publishes new government program information - this data must be converted in a timely manner, and made available to users of BizLink Online.
  
  
• manage the BizLinkOnline web site - The Learning Group must manage and maintain this site.

Interesting Bits:

• our favourite area - working with Chris Hughston, Alan Henderson, Ben Healy, and Mark Kirshner, AND any link to the site!
  
  
• tracking usage levels - the site tracks which areas are most commonly accessed and used.
  
  
• provision of PIN private areas for users - BizLink Online allows users to store their favourite queries for execution later.
  
  
• online newsletter - each quarter, a paper-based newsletter is published for subscribers - this is made accessible in BizLink Online.