Portfolio Case Studies
Cornell University Center for a Sustainable Future (CCSF)
In an effort to promote a sustainable future for all, CCSF at Cornell University encourages multidisciplinary partnerships within and outside the Cornell community.
Business Need:
CCSF recently started an initiative called Academic Venture Fund where they fund sustainability initiatives across all disciplines at Cornell. Since this is a new initiative, CCSF wanted us to design an application for the grant proposal process using which, members of the Cornell community could apply for funding.
Key Challenges:
- Build an application around the existing technical platform used by CCSF - Short time frame (less than 4 weeks)
Solution:
This project was done in two phases. In the first phase, CCSF wanted to gauge the level of interest in the venture; hence we designed a letter of intent process. This phase was completed within a week. In the second phase we created a multi-step form for the proposal application process and delivered within 2.5 weeks. The application was custom built, from scratch, in PHP to tie in with the client's existing technical framework. Initially, the plan was to build off phase I. However, as we moved along there were significant additions made to phase II. First, this was a multi-step process and so, the code was significantly more complicated. New features were added such as linking the email id field to the Cornell LDAP server in order to pick up the applicant's name directly from the directory. The application theme was designed like a checkout process where the users could save and return later to add, edit or make changes to the proposal application.
Results:
Through our creative design process, we designed a seamless solution that enabled our client to use the application without any glitches. Despite tight project deadlines, the client was able to launch the program on time.
Client Response:
We were fortunate to find Sanmita when we did! Despite a sudden, 7 day project timeline, they delivered a reliable web application as specified, on time, and within budget. Thanks guys! -Mark Lawrence, Web & Communications Manager CornellCenter for a Sustainable Future
View the "Cornell University Center for a Sustainable Future (CCSF)" website.