Software design philosophy
We endeavour to produce high quality software that is easy to use, and that keeps evolving as our users bring new features to our attention.

In the unlikely event that you find a bug, it will be dealt with in record time while you are kept informed of progress.


What defines high quality software?

Microsoft standards for design

We follow Microsoft standards for designing screens and interfaces, thereby assuring that the software is intuitive and easy to use.

We believe that it should rarely be necessary to go to a help file; you should be able to see on the screen what to do next. You can be assured that if the answer does not leap out at you from the screen, it will be on a right-click pop-up menu.


Thorough testing, low incidence of bugs

We develop our software in an object orientated language, and have invested a lot of time in writing components that perform core tasks through the GoldMine API (Application Programmers Interface).

This enables users to use these components in all programs, and through a beta testing program, making sure that all the different components are thoroughly tested. Once a component is tested, it is "locked away", so that future updates and changes do not introduce defects.


Software is tested for memory leaks

We thoroughly test our software for memory leaks.

Memory leaks are caused where badly written software uses system resources (memory) to perform certain jobs, and does not release the memory back to the Windows system when it completes.

The Windows environment then cannot use this block of memory, because it has no way of knowing whether the badly written program still needs it. If this process is repeated often in a session, it can have the effect that you need to reboot your PC, due to "out of resources" errors.


Our software is easy of use

One of the objectives at SquareGiraffe is to provide software that radically increases data entry efficiency and data quality in GoldMine.

We therefore spend extraordinary amounts of time and energy to make sure that a program has the right look-and-feel, and that the functions and features you need to access are clearly labelled and visible on the form.

In addition, one of our quality commitments is that we adhere to Microsoft interface design recommendations - therefore if you are used to Windows programs, you should be able to figure out the SquareGiraffe programs easily.

We also pay particular attention to flow on the screen, and make sure that a typical data entry task flows logically from the top-left to the bottom right.

We make sure that you can access different parts of the program with keystrokes on the keyboard, thereby achieving the best of both worlds: The intuitiveness of a graphical user interface, combined with the quick data entry associated with a well-designed layout and keyboard shortcuts.


Our Support Commitment

Our commitment to you is that we will not leave a stone unturned to solve a problem.

Whatever the problem, SquareGiraffe will work with you to solve problems.


On-line support via email

We believe this is the best form of support, as this method requires you to define the parameters within which the problem occurred. This in turn helps us to diagnose the problem, and get the answer / solution to you in the minimum amount of time.

If, after some email exchanges it becomes clear that a verbal exchange is necessary, we will call you.


FAQ's on the website

Over time, common questions are asked. We will compile a list of these frequently asked questions, and publish the answers.

Reading FAQ's often has the effect of prompting you to re- visit a section of the program that was pushed to the background due to a perceived problem. More importantly, if you have a question, you can get the answer instantly.


Built-in help file

As with most software, SquareGiraffe has a complete and up-to-date help file that gives you accurate information on specific topics.


Videos

We have several videos with a voice element to it. It simulates a one-on-one training exercise, which can be an extremely effective way of learning.


Improvements

Our aim is to have software that constantly evolves. Through your feedback, we will constantly improve the program, which may mean simplifying a specific interface, or even adding new functionality that proves to be important to a large number of users.

We will let you know via email of changes if you opted to receive these notifications.

Where possible, improvements and updates will be free of charge, but we reserve the right to charge for any major updates. You will be notified if any charges are applicable to a specific update.