Napier students upgrade online presence
Feast your eyes!
The Spurtle website has had a major upgrade, thanks to a student team from Edinburgh Napier University.
Since January, the group – codenamed Black Lagoon – have been working on the 3rd-year Napier 'Projex' scheme, which pairs students with clients.
Most obviously, they have refreshed the design. We were fond of the old design, which had evolved since the site's inception in 2009. But it didn't display well on smaller phones and devices. We wanted a new version that retains the simplicity of the original, but also works well on mobiles.
We are delighted with Black Lagoon's interpretation of these ideas, and their response to our feedback.
Unseen but amazing
Not visible to most eyes, Black Lagoon have undertaken the painstaking task of upgrading the software underlying this website – Drupal – from Version 7 to Version 8. This is a task that Spurtle's web manager David Sterratt had been dreading for months.
Black Lagoon rose to the challenge of navigating the relatively uncharted waters of Drupal upgrades, a veritable Bermuda Triangle of IT. They migrated around 7,000 items automatically, and then ensured that stories and events added between January and April of this year were also included in the new site.
Throughout the project, Black Lagoon have been very professional, and we're tremendously grateful for their expertise and patience. It's a testament to their flexibility that the latter stages of the project, conducted during the Covid-19 lockdown, were successfully completed using video-conferencing rather than face-to-face meetings.
Although the website has been thoroughly tested, a few unforeseen glitches may appear now that the site is on the Spurtle's server. Dear Reader, if you spot one, please let us know here: spurtle@hotmail.co.uk
Black Lagoon personnel are (L–R): Louise Roberts, Robbie Watson, Jamie Strickland, Jamie Williams, and Ryan Parsons (not pictured).
Louise Roberts
'Working on the Spurtle upgrade has been an absolute pleasure. Not only has it allowed me to broaden my skillset and delve further into the behind-the-scenes aspects of web development, it has also given me a window into the fantastic community that Broughton has.
'The team at the Spurtle should be incredibly proud of what they provide for their readers, and I feel lucky to have been a member of this project.'
Ryan Parsons
'Really enjoyed working with the project team and the Spurtle team on the site upgrade, and I'm very happy with how it all turned out.
'Overall, it has been a great learning experience and I would love to work with the Spurtle team again on any of their future projects.'
Jamie Williams
'The opportunity to work with the Spurtle team on the upgrade of their website has been a fascinating experience. I have been able to build on existing skills and learn some new ones.
'The Spurtle team have been encouraging and supportive with their input at critical times during the project, being of immense use to us. It’s been a pleasure to work with them, and for me personally a rare opportunity to return a little something to a community I was once resident in.'
Dr Brian Davidson
The organiser of Napier's School of Computing Group Project, told us: 'The Group Project brings students face to face with the realities of working for a real client with real requirements and constraints.
'It is satisfying when a team rises to the challenge and creates something of genuine value.'