Rider University Students Design Web Sites For Area Businesses

By the end of May, two businesses in the area will have new Web sites up and running. The businesses did not have to seek out a design firm, nor pay a small fortune for the service. Instead, Rider University students in COM 460: Multimedia Production III: Advanced Interactive Design had a chance to flaunt their Web-savvy abilities and develop relationship with the businesses. For the class, the opportunity was priceless.

In the capstone course for the multimedia track in the Department of Communication and Journalism, students learn more advanced multimedia skills and project management theories. The final project for the course requires students to apply these skills to develop Web sites for a real business client. This semester, student groups worked with New York Hair Company and Skin Studio, which are housed in the same building in Yardley, Pa., and Caricatures by Jon and Friends in Potomac, Md.

Dr. Yun Xia, who has been using this business simulation model to teach Advanced Interactive Design classes for six years, said the venture gives students a strong understanding of the multimedia development field, and has allowed numerous students to jump start a career in multimedia production.

“The project brings in the business context to the classroom that makes this experiential learning more interesting,” Xia said. “The students get to apply classroom learning to real-life practice from which the students see the significant value of their work.”

The class was split up into three development teams. Each student on the team had a different role including team manager, graphic designer, animationist, scriptwriter, video producer, audio producer, Web developer and product tester.

The teams were responsible for developing the project, interviewing the client, writing proposals and creating trial templates before creating HTML and Flash versions of the Web sites. As a simulation, the students also calculated the budget for the entire endeavor in their proposals. Jon & Friends Web site was projected for $8,500; New York Hair Company was $11,000; and the Skin Studio was $13,000.

The students used programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop and Flash and Fireworks to design HTML and Flash Web sites. Throughout the Web site development, the teams kept in contact with the businesses to make sure they were meeting their clients’ needs.

On April 30, the teams presented their Web sites. Susan Pilate, who owns and runs the Skin Studio, attended the presentations and said she was impressed by the students’ work. “They’re very creative,” said Pilate about the student designers. “They don’t think in a box.” Stan Zuczek owns and runs New York Hair Company.

Teri Gerhartz, who co-owns the caricature company with Jon Enten, said the company and class benefits from the class initiative. They hope to have the Web site up and running soon.

“We are so happy that we were asked to be part of their project and the Web site looks like a professional company created it,” said Teri Gerhartz, whose daughter, Jennifer, was on the team that worked on the Web site. “We do feel the Web site will give us a presence in our area and be able to compete with the other online Web sites that do caricature work.”

Chris Finazzo of Chatham, N.J., a junior Journalism major, designed the HTML version of the Skin Studio Web site. Finazzo said the team’s direction for the project was largely dictated by the philosophy of the client and how they asked the business to be portrayed. In the process, Finazzo said he learned how to manage a large project and a client-developer relationship.

“Working for a real company definitely brought an additional sense of meaning and purpose to the work we were doing.” he said.

Crystal Leung of Eatontown, N.J., a senior Business Administration and Global Business major, was primary project manager for the Skin Studio Web site and designed the Flash version of the site. The project allowed Leung to hone her skills in Flash, Adobe Photoshop, HTML language and coding, as well as expand her business skills.

“I learned a lot in completing this project, but most of it was learning about myself and what I am capable of doing with the skills I have learned throughout my four years at Rider,” Leung said.

The rest of the class included: Danielle Dimeglio of Princeton, N.J., a senior Journalism major; Laura Franko of Mercerville, N.J., a senior Communication major; Jennifer Gerhartz of Potomac, Md., a junior Journalism major; Senad Haskovic of Long Branch, N.J., a senior Computer Information System major; Victor Mijangos of Lawrenceville, N.J., a junior Liberal Studies major; Keith Raymond of Mechanicsburg, Pa., a senior Communication major.

Businesses interested in participating in the program, should contact Dr. Yun Xia, yxia@rider.edu or 609-895-5489. For more information on the program, visit http://comm.rider.edu/digimedia.

Submitted on May 19, 2008