Strategize

Physical Divide, Virtual Community: Living on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean can be isolating. With cloud-enabled technologies, that separation is made much smaller. Microsoft Research sponsors an experimental education program in Hawaii that provides students with tools, services, and equipment to design and build their own cloud-enabled mobile applications for the Windows 6.5 Smartphone (and soon the Smartphone 7). MS Research needed a website for students and teachers involved in the project that provided the information and tools they needed to start building and connecting.

Conceptualize

Cloud Brainstorming: The MS Research team wanted a website that was appealing but also practical to use for professors and students alike. Plexipixel got to work on the site from the ground up, creating the look and feel of the site, how the two different audiences would access this information, and what they would find when they got there.

Execute

Building a Bridge: We created an easily navigable site that reflected both the community spirit of Hawaii and the community within the cloud, and used Java to create interactive navigation to set the mobility mood. We created a site with different paths for teachers interested in implementing the program, and for students actually doing all the work! We made navigation simple, with easy access to sample applications and the tools and resources students need to contribute to the community of cloud-enabled technologies.

Measure

Enabling Great Minds: Students from all over the United States are using the programs originally launched through Project Hawaii, creating mobile apps that measure everything from traffic patterns to ambiance-aware ringtones to crowd-sourced tips on where to park.