tech, design, and business. mjølner update 2nd, 2014
DESCRIPTION
Why are strong partnerships important, what is Contextual IT, and where can you experience TouchGFX live? Find out in this issue of Mjølner UPDATE.TRANSCRIPT
2nd Quarter 2014
“MJØLNER HANDLES TASKS ACROSS PLATFORMS, TECHNOLOGIES, & DISCIPLINES”Benny Kristensen, Department Manager, Bankdata
EDITORIAL
PARTNERSHIP, INNOVATION & HAPPY EMPLOYEES
We dedicate this Mjølner UPDATE to three main
ingredients in our business: Partnership, innovation,
and happy employees.
A strong partnership enables us to help you in the best
possible way. We strive to understand all aspects of your
business to build the trust that allows us to move from an
operational collaboration to a strategic collaboration.
Innovation is a tool, not just a thought. With step-by-step
actions, we ensure realizable and profitable innovation
that leaves your competition desperate to catch up.
Once again, Mjølner is among Europe’s best workplaces. Our
employees are the core of our business, and our experience
shows that happy employees make for a thriving business.
On the following pages, you will learn why Bankdata and
Mjølner have strengthened the partnership with a long-term
mobile development contract.
Read what 14 to 19-year-olds need from their shared
economy services, and how we facilitated innovation in a
hackathon with eBay. For your tech fix, get up to speed
with the benefits and technologies of Contextual IT.
Furthermore, we disclose some of the reasons why we rank
as Europe’s 15th best SME workplace. Finally, we invite you to
stop by stand 3536 at the E-14 conference and experience a
live demo of our TouchGFX technology.
Best regards,
Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO UPDATECover photo: Mikkel Kjær, Mjølner Informatics
Benny Kristensen, Bankdata
EDITORIAL
PARTNERSHIP, INNOVATION & HAPPY EMPLOYEES
We dedicate this Mjølner UPDATE to three main
ingredients in our business: Partnership, innovation,
and happy employees.
A strong partnership enables us to help you in the best
possible way. We strive to understand all aspects of your
business to build the trust that allows us to move from an
operational collaboration to a strategic collaboration.
Innovation is a tool, not just a thought. With step-by-step
actions, we ensure realizable and profitable innovation
that leaves your competition desperate to catch up.
Once again, Mjølner is among Europe’s best workplaces. Our
employees are the core of our business, and our experience
shows that happy employees make for a thriving business.
On the following pages, you will learn why Bankdata and
Mjølner have strengthened the partnership with a long-term
mobile development contract.
Read what 14 to 19-year-olds need from their shared
economy services, and how we facilitated innovation in a
hackathon with eBay. For your tech fix, get up to speed
with the benefits and technologies of Contextual IT.
Furthermore, we disclose some of the reasons why we rank
as Europe’s 15th best SME workplace. Finally, we invite you to
stop by stand 3536 at the E-14 conference and experience a
live demo of our TouchGFX technology.
Best regards,
Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO UPDATECover photo: Mikkel Kjær, Mjølner Informatics
Benny Kristensen, Bankdata
Keeping up with Apple, Android, and Windows
Mobile self-service solutions have become indispensable
within the banking sector. As the smartphone market grows
increasingly complex, it becomes more and more
challenging to keep up with the technological and
platform-specific requirements.
It is extremely challenging to create and maintain
bulletproof solutions when technological demands change
at such a rapid pace. This is one of the challenges Mjølner
helps us overcome.
- Benny Kristensen, Department Manager, Bankdata
Learn more about self-service solutions at mjolner.com
Do you Need a Mobile Partner with Academic Diversity and
Deep Technological Insight?
Mikkel Kjær, Mobile Service Manager
+45 41 95 36 28
A long-term mobile development contract between Bankdata and Mjølner manifests a continuing partnership built on trust and skill, and enables strategic collaboration.
Bankdata is an IT organization with more than 600
employees. They deliver digital banking solutions to 13
Danish banks, such as Jyske Bank and Sydbank.
Competence, Honesty, and Trust
The development of Android and iOS banking apps started
Bankdata and Mjølner’s partnership in 2011.
This led to the development of Windows Phone apps for
all member banks in 2012, followed by the mobile payment
solution, Swipp, in 2013.
Competence, honesty, and trust characterize the
partnership. Just before Easter this year, we strengthened
our strategic collaboration by tying the knot in a long-term
mobile development contract.
Mjølner’s academic diversity enables them to handle
tasks across platforms, technologies, and disciplines.
A lasting commitment is beneficial both operationally
and strategically.
- Benny Kristensen, Department Manager, Bankdata
A team consisting of developers, graphic designers, and a
project manager from Mjølner is currently working with
Bankdata.
A Lean Process
Bankdata and Mjølner’s partnership is a testament to the
fact that familiarity with the organization you are working
with creates a leaner process.
We know Bankdata’s organization and solutions quite well.
This benefits the development process, as it lets us cut
straight to the chase.
- Mikkel Kjær, Mobile Service Manager, Mjølner Informatics
Knowing and understanding the stakeholders in an organi-
zation is a huge benefit: We know whom to ask and when.
BANKDATA & MJØLNER TIE THE MOBILE KNOT
Mjølner’s academic diversity enables them to handle tasks across platforms,
technologies, and disciplines.
Benny Kristensen, Department Manager, Bankdata
CASE
Picture text
Bankdata-Mjølner workshop to strengthen the joint development process
Bankdata-Mjølner kick-off meeting
Keeping up with Apple, Android, and Windows
Mobile self-service solutions have become indispensable
within the banking sector. As the smartphone market grows
increasingly complex, it becomes more and more
challenging to keep up with the technological and
platform-specific requirements.
It is extremely challenging to create and maintain
bulletproof solutions when technological demands change
at such a rapid pace. This is one of the challenges Mjølner
helps us overcome.
- Benny Kristensen, Department Manager, Bankdata
Learn more about self-service solutions at mjolner.com
Do you Need a Mobile Partner with Academic Diversity and
Deep Technological Insight?
Mikkel Kjær, Mobile Service Manager
+45 41 95 36 28
A long-term mobile development contract between Bankdata and Mjølner manifests a continuing partnership built on trust and skill, and enables strategic collaboration.
Bankdata is an IT organization with more than 600
employees. They deliver digital banking solutions to 13
Danish banks, such as Jyske Bank and Sydbank.
Competence, Honesty, and Trust
The development of Android and iOS banking apps started
Bankdata and Mjølner’s partnership in 2011.
This led to the development of Windows Phone apps for
all member banks in 2012, followed by the mobile payment
solution, Swipp, in 2013.
Competence, honesty, and trust characterize the
partnership. Just before Easter this year, we strengthened
our strategic collaboration by tying the knot in a long-term
mobile development contract.
Mjølner’s academic diversity enables them to handle
tasks across platforms, technologies, and disciplines.
A lasting commitment is beneficial both operationally
and strategically.
- Benny Kristensen, Department Manager, Bankdata
A team consisting of developers, graphic designers, and a
project manager from Mjølner is currently working with
Bankdata.
A Lean Process
Bankdata and Mjølner’s partnership is a testament to the
fact that familiarity with the organization you are working
with creates a leaner process.
We know Bankdata’s organization and solutions quite well.
This benefits the development process, as it lets us cut
straight to the chase.
- Mikkel Kjær, Mobile Service Manager, Mjølner Informatics
Knowing and understanding the stakeholders in an organi-
zation is a huge benefit: We know whom to ask and when.
BANKDATA & MJØLNER TIE THE MOBILE KNOT
Mjølner’s academic diversity enables them to handle tasks across platforms,
technologies, and disciplines.
Benny Kristensen, Department Manager, Bankdata
CASE
Picture text
Bankdata-Mjølner workshop to strengthen the joint development process
Bankdata-Mjølner kick-off meeting
Young and creative contestants showed off their tech talents in a quest to create the next shared economy service with eBay & Mjølner. Our hackathon united IT professionals from eBay and
Mjølner with enthusiastic students in a four-day race to
invent the next big shared economy service. The event
took place in Aarhus from April 28th to May 1st as part of the
first annual Internet Week Denmark festival.
The hackathon fostered three prototypes that all had the
customer, user, and business model in mind.
Facilitating Innovation
We kicked off the event with an innovation workshop
for 35 pupils from Hestlund Efterskole, representing the
14 to 19-year-old target group.
The students formed five groups and with exer-
cises such as Six Thinking Hats, Empathy Mapping, and
Storyboarding, they came up with five strong concepts.
We were quite impressed with the students. They brought
new perspectives to the shared economy theme and
produced great ideas for the developers.
- Inge Mølgaard, Senior UX Consultant, Mjølner Informatics
Students from varying IT related studies then took over
the concepts and tuned them even further. Finally, three
groups were formed and an intense three-day hack
commenced.
The Trust Issue
The innovation workshop with Hestlund Efterskole showed
that the main issue for target users was trust. The three
hacking groups chose different paths to address the issue.
Team 1: Andrei Git, Cristian Sarac, and Dragos Barbu
built a locally anchored platform.
Team 2: Anders Fauerholdt, Christoffer Bech, Theis
Nickelsen, and Kristian Jørgensen developed a cross-site
rating system.
Team 3: Jørgen Heinsen, Khaled Saied, Jonas Pedersen,
and Aleksandar Peev created a video chat extension to
DBA.dk.
The Winners
After three productive days, the groups presented their
prototypes to a jury of eBay and Mjølner experts. Rate28,
the cross-site rating system created by Team 2 won
the competition.
Rate28 is a simple, but very effective solution with great
potential. That’s why they are the winners. The event has
proven that a hackathon is a great way to tackle real life
challenges, and we strive to be back again next year.
- Flemming Laugesen, CTO of Ebay Denmark
The hackathon successfully encouraged innovative
thinking and development from students that proved to be
very productive.
Do you Need us to Hack Your Challenges?
Your organization’s ideas and challenges might benefit
from a similar approach. We help you develop the idea,
create the concept, and implement the prototype in a
matter of days.
Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO of Mjølner Informatics
HACKATHON: 3 PROTOTYPES IN JUST 4 DAYS
EVENT
A hackathon is a great way to tackle real life challenges, and we strive
to be back again next year.
Flemming Laugesen, CTO of Ebay Denmark
Picture text
Innovation in the sun Discussion and storyboardingThe hackathon camp in Ridehuset
Young and creative contestants showed off their tech talents in a quest to create the next shared economy service with eBay & Mjølner. Our hackathon united IT professionals from eBay and
Mjølner with enthusiastic students in a four-day race to
invent the next big shared economy service. The event
took place in Aarhus from April 28th to May 1st as part of the
first annual Internet Week Denmark festival.
The hackathon fostered three prototypes that all had the
customer, user, and business model in mind.
Facilitating Innovation
We kicked off the event with an innovation workshop
for 35 pupils from Hestlund Efterskole, representing the
14 to 19-year-old target group.
The students formed five groups and with exer-
cises such as Six Thinking Hats, Empathy Mapping, and
Storyboarding, they came up with five strong concepts.
We were quite impressed with the students. They brought
new perspectives to the shared economy theme and
produced great ideas for the developers.
- Inge Mølgaard, Senior UX Consultant, Mjølner Informatics
Students from varying IT related studies then took over
the concepts and tuned them even further. Finally, three
groups were formed and an intense three-day hack
commenced.
The Trust Issue
The innovation workshop with Hestlund Efterskole showed
that the main issue for target users was trust. The three
hacking groups chose different paths to address the issue.
Team 1: Andrei Git, Cristian Sarac, and Dragos Barbu
built a locally anchored platform.
Team 2: Anders Fauerholdt, Christoffer Bech, Theis
Nickelsen, and Kristian Jørgensen developed a cross-site
rating system.
Team 3: Jørgen Heinsen, Khaled Saied, Jonas Pedersen,
and Aleksandar Peev created a video chat extension to
DBA.dk.
The Winners
After three productive days, the groups presented their
prototypes to a jury of eBay and Mjølner experts. Rate28,
the cross-site rating system created by Team 2 won
the competition.
Rate28 is a simple, but very effective solution with great
potential. That’s why they are the winners. The event has
proven that a hackathon is a great way to tackle real life
challenges, and we strive to be back again next year.
- Flemming Laugesen, CTO of Ebay Denmark
The hackathon successfully encouraged innovative
thinking and development from students that proved to be
very productive.
Do you Need us to Hack Your Challenges?
Your organization’s ideas and challenges might benefit
from a similar approach. We help you develop the idea,
create the concept, and implement the prototype in a
matter of days.
Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO of Mjølner Informatics
HACKATHON: 3 PROTOTYPES IN JUST 4 DAYS
EVENT
A hackathon is a great way to tackle real life challenges, and we strive
to be back again next year.
Flemming Laugesen, CTO of Ebay Denmark
Picture text
Innovation in the sun Discussion and storyboardingThe hackathon camp in Ridehuset
Contextual IT is a rising trend, but what exactly is it, and should you be interested?
Contextual IT involves a series of new technologies, forms
of interaction, and consumer movements all of which lead
our use of IT in a more holistic and contextual direction.
Benefit: Personalized Real-Time User Experiences
The overall benefit of contextual IT is that it enables busi-
nesses and organizations across all industries to give their
users highly personalized user experiences.
As IT becomes real-time intelligent, it mediates
communication between us and the things in our digital
and physical context right here and now.
Six Contextual Technologies to Keep an Eye on
The internet is our main tool in achieving these highly
personalized user experiences, but the process is extremely
complex. Luckily, there are several technologies and trends
dedicated to help the development:
Cloud Computing ensures easy access to data and is
vital when we want to share data across devices and
situations.
Big Data, when analyzed well, enables us to predict and
present data in a way that creates the right experience
in a specific context.
Wearables, e.g. Google Glass and smart watches, make
it easy to collect and extract data continuously.
The Internet of Things unlocks the functionality of IT
with a minimum of interaction.
No-Touch Interfaces allow us to communicate with IT by
various gestures such as voice, eye movement, etc.
Finally, Augmented Reality supports the Contextual IT
trend by enriching our physical world.
CONTEXTUAL IT: BENEFIT & TECHNOLOGY
TECH
The Human Perspective
Leaving aside the debate of whether the symbiotic blend
of man and machine is desirable, it seems clear that such
symbiosis will not be achieved through technological
advances alone:
Good design is critical. Contextual IT products must under-
stand which information to present, when, and how. These
tasks need clever human attention.
- Kasper Svendsen, UX Consultant, Mjølner Informatics
As with any technology in its infancy, Contextual IT is
undergoing a rapid evolution. We are excited to take part in
this evolution and look forward to seeing it unfold.
Interested in Learning More?
Kasper Svendsen, UX Consultant
+45 41 95 36 23
Contextual IT is a rising trend, but what exactly is it, and should you be interested?
Contextual IT involves a series of new technologies, forms
of interaction, and consumer movements all of which lead
our use of IT in a more holistic and contextual direction.
Benefit: Personalized Real-Time User Experiences
The overall benefit of contextual IT is that it enables busi-
nesses and organizations across all industries to give their
users highly personalized user experiences.
As IT becomes real-time intelligent, it mediates
communication between us and the things in our digital
and physical context right here and now.
Six Contextual Technologies to Keep an Eye on
The internet is our main tool in achieving these highly
personalized user experiences, but the process is extremely
complex. Luckily, there are several technologies and trends
dedicated to help the development:
Cloud Computing ensures easy access to data and is
vital when we want to share data across devices and
situations.
Big Data, when analyzed well, enables us to predict and
present data in a way that creates the right experience
in a specific context.
Wearables, e.g. Google Glass and smart watches, make
it easy to collect and extract data continuously.
The Internet of Things unlocks the functionality of IT
with a minimum of interaction.
No-Touch Interfaces allow us to communicate with IT by
various gestures such as voice, eye movement, etc.
Finally, Augmented Reality supports the Contextual IT
trend by enriching our physical world.
CONTEXTUAL IT: BENEFIT & TECHNOLOGY
TECH
The Human Perspective
Leaving aside the debate of whether the symbiotic blend
of man and machine is desirable, it seems clear that such
symbiosis will not be achieved through technological
advances alone:
Good design is critical. Contextual IT products must under-
stand which information to present, when, and how. These
tasks need clever human attention.
- Kasper Svendsen, UX Consultant, Mjølner Informatics
As with any technology in its infancy, Contextual IT is
undergoing a rapid evolution. We are excited to take part in
this evolution and look forward to seeing it unfold.
Interested in Learning More?
Kasper Svendsen, UX Consultant
+45 41 95 36 23
Mjølner is among Europe’s top 100 workplaces for the sixth time. Employees say that our focus on skill development plays a vital role in our high ranking.
The global research and consulting firm, Great Place to Work,
conducts a comprehensive review of Europe’s best work-
places every year.
The 2013/14 edition had employees from 2,330 companies
in 19 countries assess their workplace and the results were
announces June 5th in Rome.
We’re proud to announce that Mjølner ranks as the 15th best
SME workplace in Europe.
Competence in Focus
Great Place to Work conduct their survey based on three core
values: trust, pride, and community.
Employees at Mjølner especially commend our willing-
ness to devote time to the development of personal and
shared competences. One of our initiatives to prioritize skill
development is weekly meetings in skill-related groups
across projects:
Our architect and test manager communities provide a
unique opportunity for knowledge sharing and education
within topics that are current and matter on a daily basis.
- Anonymous response from the report
Respect the Individual
CEO Brian Gottorp Jeppesen is more than satisfied with the
rating. He believes that happy employees are critical in the
software and design industry.
In an industry driven by knowledge and innovative thinking,
people are the foundation of our business. This makes it
essential that we respect the individual as a whole - both
technically, organizationally, and socially. Happy employees
create the best products.
-Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO of Mjølner Informatics
Visit mjolner.com/blog to learn about some of the
activities that make Mjølner such a great place to work.
MJØLNER IS EUROPE’S 15TH BEST SME WORKPLACE
AWARD
TouchGFX team meeting an interested crowd at NXP Semiconductors’ stand
Mjølner is among Europe’s top 100 workplaces for the sixth time. Employees say that our focus on skill development plays a vital role in our high ranking.
The global research and consulting firm, Great Place to Work,
conducts a comprehensive review of Europe’s best work-
places every year.
The 2013/14 edition had employees from 2,330 companies
in 19 countries assess their workplace and the results were
announces June 5th in Rome.
We’re proud to announce that Mjølner ranks as the 15th best
SME workplace in Europe.
Competence in Focus
Great Place to Work conduct their survey based on three core
values: trust, pride, and community.
Employees at Mjølner especially commend our willing-
ness to devote time to the development of personal and
shared competences. One of our initiatives to prioritize skill
development is weekly meetings in skill-related groups
across projects:
Our architect and test manager communities provide a
unique opportunity for knowledge sharing and education
within topics that are current and matter on a daily basis.
- Anonymous response from the report
Respect the Individual
CEO Brian Gottorp Jeppesen is more than satisfied with the
rating. He believes that happy employees are critical in the
software and design industry.
In an industry driven by knowledge and innovative thinking,
people are the foundation of our business. This makes it
essential that we respect the individual as a whole - both
technically, organizationally, and socially. Happy employees
create the best products.
-Brian Gottorp Jeppesen, CEO of Mjølner Informatics
Visit mjolner.com/blog to learn about some of the
activities that make Mjølner such a great place to work.
MJØLNER IS EUROPE’S 15TH BEST SME WORKPLACE
AWARD
TouchGFX team meeting an interested crowd at NXP Semiconductors’ stand
EXPERIENCE TouchGFX LIVE AT E-14
EVENT
Visit stand 3536 at Denmark’s largest electronics trade fair, E-14 from September 2nd to 4th and experience TouchGFX first hand.
E-14 is Denmark’s largest electronics event, held in the
center of Denmark, Odense. The trade fair visitors include
professionals from all levels of the Danish electronics sector.
Visit elektronikmesse.dk to learn more
Live Development & Graphic Design
The interest for TouchGFX is steadily growing and we want
to give you an even better understanding of the possibilities
TouchGFX offers.
To do so, we invite companies to challenge us with their next
embedded GUI project.
In a live development and graphic design session, we provide
an instant proof of concept on your target hardware.
More information will follow on touchgfx.com
Coming Soon!
TouchGFX will soon enter the mass market with an
updated software version. TouchGFX 3.3 will be available
from September 1st.
The Update Includes:
a license model tailored to fit the needs of businesses with low production volumes.
an open Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) enabling clients to port independently. ports to standard MCUs ready for your customization.
For More Information:
Jørgen MygindBusiness Development Manager, [email protected]+45 30 98 41 15
Can’t Wait?
Go to touchgfx.com and request a fully functional
evaluation license, free of charge, and get started
right away!
EXPERIENCE TouchGFX LIVE AT E-14
EVENT
Visit stand 3536 at Denmark’s largest electronics trade fair, E-14 from September 2nd to 4th and experience TouchGFX first hand.
E-14 is Denmark’s largest electronics event, held in the
center of Denmark, Odense. The trade fair visitors include
professionals from all levels of the Danish electronics sector.
Visit elektronikmesse.dk to learn more
Live Development & Graphic Design
The interest for TouchGFX is steadily growing and we want
to give you an even better understanding of the possibilities
TouchGFX offers.
To do so, we invite companies to challenge us with their next
embedded GUI project.
In a live development and graphic design session, we provide
an instant proof of concept on your target hardware.
More information will follow on touchgfx.com
Coming Soon!
TouchGFX will soon enter the mass market with an
updated software version. TouchGFX 3.3 will be available
from September 1st.
The Update Includes:
a license model tailored to fit the needs of businesses with low production volumes.
an open Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) enabling clients to port independently. ports to standard MCUs ready for your customization.
For More Information:
Jørgen MygindBusiness Development Manager, [email protected]+45 30 98 41 15
Can’t Wait?
Go to touchgfx.com and request a fully functional
evaluation license, free of charge, and get started
right away!
Mjølner Informatics A/S Finlandsgade 10, DK-8200 Aarhus N +45 70 27 43 43 www.mjolner.dk [email protected]
BANKDATA & MJØLNER TIE THE MOBILE KNOT
HACKATHON: 3 PROTOTYPES IN JUST 4 DAYS
CONTEXTUAL IT: BENEFIT & TECHNOLOGY
MJØLNER IS EUROPE’S 15TH BEST SME WORKPLACE
EXPERIENCE TouchGFX LIVE AT E-14