Latest Project: Governance Code

www.governancecode.ie was unveiled on Monday 16 May to some very positive feedback. It is a site whose mission is to convey the complex and daunting detail of a code of good governance for community and voluntary organisations. Not very sexy, you might say, but such was the challenge!

The crux of the Governance Code lies in the concept of proportionality, i.e. that a small, low budget volunteer run organisation is markedly different from a big, complex multinational aid agency. Naturally, the requirements for each of those two types of organisations would be very different. Therefore, a big requirement of the site was to allow a user to view the code through a mask or lens, to let them see just enough to grasp at a time, and to hide from them anything which is irrelevant to their organisation.

The site uses tabs and carousels heavily to achieve this sort of "blinkered view" effect. A good smattering of JQuery and lots of variables to track location and state means a smooth ride for the user, and some dynamic loading of hidden tabs means that the site is always responsive. Speed was not an official requirement of the project, but rather a personal one. I've gotten bored far too often lately waiting for cumbersome sites to load.  In our tests the site was loading in around 0.6 seconds, which keeps me happy.

Server-side, the site has no database, being essentially a static site, but uses PHP to include files for modularity of code and ease of maintenance and to detect browsers. 

Although all modern browsers have a zoom facility, it was a requirement to include a text resize option. Once again, JQuery and a little CSS came to the rescue. Unlike many other examples of text-resize buttons, this site remembers what size you've chosen when you go to another page. 

We at Netrunner are pretty pleased with how this project turned out, especially as it involved a very successful collaboration with our friends at Von Scamp who did an excellent job on the graphic design. Roll on the next one!