Happy clients
Dr. David Carrasco
Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of
the Study of Latin America at Harvard University
responsive website design, construction, and hosting
Dr. Carrasco's achievements and contributions speak for themselves. In crafting his site, we focused on creating the path of least resistance between his visitors and the content they were seeking.
David Carrasco
Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin America
Harvard University
Responsive design: visit Dr. Carrasco's site from a variety of devices— laptops, tablets, and smartphones—to see how the site adapts.
TheraKey
iOS Development, design, consultation
TheraKey is an iPad app for psychologists custom built from concept to placement in the App Store, in four months.
For many years William Zangwill, Ph.D., has been training psychotherapists to use a technique and set of questions he developed with Cindy Browning, LCSW with great success. Still working with pen and paper, the promise of the iPad tantalized them but each imagined improvement to the process but the counterbalances of cost and risk persisted. Brainstorming elucidated ways an iPad app could augment or replace the tech-savvy therapist's note-taking and record-management tasks, but a more thorough consultation uncovered a foothold into the digital world that would prove compelling to even the most technophobic of clinicians.
Don't hesitate. Hire Aaron immediately. Let me tell you why.
We didn't start with Aaron and it cost us—in time and significant amounts of money. Our experience indicates that many app developers fall into two categories: Those who know a lot about software development, but neither know, nor care, to learn very much about you and what you're trying to accomplish. The second group are those so enamored of their work that they forget that the goal should be to showcase your product.
In contrast, Aaron added value to every phase of our work.
- He was incredibly easy to work with. Aaron has an easygoing style that created an atmosphere of trust and openness for two novices. He has the ability to translate software concepts into plain English (and even helped in the editing of our app).
- He added value to every phase of our project. Before he started writing any software code, he took the time to find out what we were trying to accomplish; who our target audience was; and the overall purpose of our app. This process was not only was useful for him, but greatly clarified our thinking and goals.
- He was sensitive to cost. Throughout the project, Aaron would give us options with estimated costs so that we could decide which features we wanted to include and which were too expensive.
- He has continued to provide us with needed support. Apple seems to delight in changing their operating system on a regular basis. Aaron has already updated our app through two different iterations of iOS. He has always been available to discuss improvements, needed changes, etc.
As I said before, don't hesitate; get in touch with Aaron.
William M. Zangwill, Ph.D.
Psychotherapist, New York, New York
If you are looking for a talented artist and knowledgeable, skilled web designer/programmer, you have found what you are looking for in Good Looking Software. Aaron is a pleasure to work with, an excellent communicator and a fast, hard working guy who says what he means and means what he says. He answered questions and taught me what I should be asking all at the same time. I am ecstatic with the product he created for us! I am from New Jersey and I am not accustomed to offering up such accolades, nor collaborating with any so worthy of them. I have no complaints and happily recommend Aaron and Good Looking Software whole-heartedly.
Cindy Browning, LCSW
Psychotherapist & Public Speaker, Chatham, New Jersey
Zangwill and Browning's process involves asking a series of questions where patient answers are used as part of subsequent questions. For example, one question half-way through the session comprises original text interspersed with answers from three previous questions. Traditionally, training develops a clinician's facility in keeping track of answers, but it requires quick thinking, paper shuffling, and makes room for error and distraction. The iPad's ability to automatically, immediately incorporate answers into subsequent questions markedly improves a therapist's capacity to provide focused, quality care—justifying the expense of creating the app and asking therapists to invest in the transition to the iPad.
A clear path to exceptional value was laid bare. To maximize benefit and minimize cost, we focused development on executing simply this task as cleanly as possible without getting bogged down in creating a comprehensive administrative system. Within four months, the app was for sale on the Apple Store and embraced widely.
As the app matures, new features are introduced as demand for them is voiced by existing customers. The latest version retains the simplicity and ease-of-use of the original; continues to improve therapists' quality of care; and presents a cost-effective, comprehensive note-taking and record-management alternative to pen and paper.
Collector of Rare Czech Art
Data driven Adobe Illustrator design and scripting, consultation
Creativity and proactive communication uncover significant savings and value.
Description of me and my job:
I am currently the Collections Manager for a privately held collection of rare avant-garde books by Czech artists published between 1917 and the late 1940s—soon to become the largest such collection in the world. Although Czech avant-garde movements are lesser known than Russian Constructivism, German Bauhaus, or French Surrealism, major exhibitions of their works have been staged at MoMA, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Tate Modern to great critical acclaim. The collector, currently anonymous, sits on the board of a major art museum in the New York City area. As his Collections Manager, I have processed his materials into an online database (Refworks), developed various catalogues and inventories of the holdings, and overseen the acquisition of nearly 400 texts—bringing the total collection to over 1,000 volumes.
What I did with Good Looking Software
I contacted Good Looking Software because I need a data-driven solution to compile and display my research on the collections, including 3 by 4 inch illustrations of book covers and artwork. In specific, I needed easy to use templates that would pull data from spreadsheets and jpeg files, and then organize them into visually pleasing, customizable catalogues. Aaron at Good Looking Software not only proposed a simple and effective solution, but quoted me a price lower than his competitors (in part because he came up with a creative idea for the project that made irrelevant the software plug-ins other contractors recommended).
Working with Aaron at Good Looking Software was, simply put, a complete pleasure. He was sensitive to my needs and the needs of the collector, and demonstrated admirable patience explaining what work he was doing, and why. In fact, he actually prefers that clients stay active in projects, giving them (and me) an opportunity to learn about the software he is using. When he completed the templates, he trained me to use them on my own, and whenever I ran into problems he was available to take the call.
Dr. Shawn Clybor
Collections Manager, New York, New York
Monsoon Company
iOS Development
Aaron served as development lead on a content curation iPad app for a Fortune 500 pharmaceuticals company which integrated videos and end-user feedback accessed via the YouTube API with updates from a client-facing, Parse content management system (CMS) enabling enhanced healthcare provider–patient communication.
We asked Aaron and Good Looking Software to help us with a difficult project for an important client. He was consistently professional and communicative and delivered exactly what he said he would deliver under difficult circumstances. Our client did not know what they wanted and Aaron was able to guide them to a technical solution that fulfilled their business needs.
I would work with Aaron again in a heartbeat.
Drew HunzekerHesed
CTO, Monsoon Company, Oakland, California
Cindy Browning, LCSW
parallax & responsive website design, construction, and hosting
Following close on the heels of her experience creating Therakey with Good Looking Software, Cindy was looking for a stand-out site for her private practice. She brought examples of a few peer websites to the table but was impressed by the parallax effect, and we never looked back.
Parallax in action: visit the page from a laptop or desktop and scroll down to see how the different scrolling speeds create a depth of field.
Responsive design: visit Cindy Browning's site from a variety of devices— laptops, tablets, and smartphones—to see how the site adapts.
If you are looking for a talented artist and knowledgeable, skilled web designer/programmer, you have found what you are looking for in Good Looking Software. Aaron is a pleasure to work with, an excellent communicator and a fast, hard working guy who says what he means and means what he says. He answered questions and taught me what I should be asking all at the same time. I am ecstatic with the product he created for us! I am from New Jersey and I am not accustomed to offering up such accolades, nor collaborating with any so worthy of them. I have no complaints and happily recommend Aaron and Good Looking Software whole-heartedly.
Cindy Browning, LCSW
Psychotherapist & Public Speaker, Chatham, New Jersey
Blake Zweig, M.A.
parallax & responsive website design,
construction, and hosting
Chicago singer songwriter Blake Zweig turned to Good Looking Software for a website following the 2012 release of his album Dandelion.
Good Looking Software did amazing things for my website and musical career. I've never been very skilled with technology or web design, but I really wanted a website of my own, one that I could explain to someone who could take my vision and make it real. Good Looking Software was perfect for me. Aaron took my ideas and used his own creativity to create what I could not do on my own. He also kept me a part of the plan throughout the entire collaborative process. Thanks to Aaron, I now have an attractive, appealing website with music, videos, pictures, write-ups, a direct way to contact me, and more. People out in the world have been able to find me easily online and often pay compliments regarding the layout of my website. I couldn't be happier with the final product, as well as the collaborative, creative process that Good Looking Software provided for me.
Blake Zweig, M.A.
Musician & School Psychologist, Chicago, Illinois
Two years later, Blake, who is also a school psychologist, opened a private practice. Good Looking Software was honored to have the opportunity to help him with another website, this time using parallax techniques to integrate nature photography into a simple, professional, cutting edge site.
Parallax in action: visit the page from a laptop or desktop and scroll down to see how the “camera” descends the rock face as the sky brightens.
Responsive design: visit Blake Zweig's music website or BZPsych.com from a variety of devices— laptops, tablets, and smartphones—to see how the site adapts.
Multilingual Family Resource Center
website design, construction, and hosting; consultation
Dr. María Luisa Parra Velasco, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University and mother of two, recently founded the Multilingual Family Resources Center. The nascent group needed to establish a foothold in the web with convincing professionalism. The resulting design is mobile friendly and will accommodate changes as the organization grows without looking spare in the meantime.
When starting a new enterprise you need expert guidance and professionalism, especially when it comes to developing the presentation of your services. Working with Aaron Surrain and Good Looking Software was the best decision I made in the first stages of my consulting company, and he continues to provide the ongoing support and high quality I need for my website to be persuasive. Aaron Surrain is professional and sensitive to his clients' expectations. The result of the combination of his expertise and reasonable pricing with mastery of the latest in design and technology is a website of the highest quality.
Dr. María Luisa Parra
Spanish Senior Preceptor
Department of Romance Languages and Literatures
Harvard University
Responsive design: visit the Multilingual Family Resource Center's site from a variety of devices— laptops, tablets, and smartphones—to see how the site adapts.
KIT Showroom
website design, construction, and hosting; consultation
When Krista Hylbak took the reigns of Bobbie Brody Showroom she changed the name of the company to KIT Showroom and set out to update the image. Having designed and maintained the original site for Bobbie Brody Showroom, we were honored to be invited to continue the relationship with the site overhaul.
One of the best business decisions I made was choosing Good Looking Software to build and design my website. Aaron Surrain has provided me with superb customer support, as well as the highest quality web design at a fair price. I am extremely pleased with the work done!
From the very beginning I knew that I made the right decision in trusting him. He is professional and quick to respond. I felt the quality of his work was excellent. Aaron listened to my ideas and worked collaboratively with me to transform my ideas into reality.
Krista Hylbak
KIT Showroom, Chicago, Illinois
I wanted to pass on my endorsement of Aaron Surrain and Good Looking Software. Aaron did a website for me—my first one back in 2008. I couldn't have been happier and more satisfied. He is personable and patient. I needed a lot of guidance and direction, which he provided with such care and diligence. The website was so amazing, I had positive comments from all my clients. Kudos to Aaron.
Bobbie Brody
Previous owner of Bobbie Brody Showroom, Chicago, Illinois
Visit the KIT Showroom website
Ras Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant
responsive website design, construction, and hosting;
consultation
Ras Dashen is Chicago's premiere Ethiopian Restaurant and a long time client of Good Looking Software. In 2013 we updated the site implementing responsive design principles to better serve the growing mobile market.
Visit Ras Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant website
Responsive design keeps a site looking good regardless of the size of the screen size you're view it from, but we extend the principle by applying some context awareness. For example, if someone views the site from a phone, we've ensured the address and phone number of the restaurant will appear on the first screen in a text format that will allow a smartphone to tie them into their native mapping or calling applications.Responsive design: visit the Ras Dashen website from a variety of devices— laptops, tablets, and smartphones—to see how the site adapts.
Count Ras Dashen among your happy clients.
Kevin Swier
Owner, Ras Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant, Chicago, Illinois
Nutrition ExChange
WordPress custom theme, web hosting
When Amber first approached Good Looking Software, we set her up with a domain name, a WordPress blog, and hosting so she could administer the site herself and she should present her brand without advertisements that typically come with a free blog. As her business grew, she came back to Good Looking Software for a custom site that would look better on mobile devices. A custom theme for her existing blog addressed her concerns without disrupting her established processes.
As a small business owner, I was in the market for a company that would be flexible. Good Looking Software allows me to share in the update management of my own software and website. Aaron takes time to listen to what you need now and what you may want later. His approach allows my site to grow with my business needs without a major financial risk. His approach starts from an in-depth understanding of the process with the end-user satisfaction in mind. He suggests, provides pros and cons scenarios, and then leads you into a deeper understanding of what you want. I found his approach to be what I was looking for—advice from an expert without the loss of control of my brand.
Amber Wamhoff, RD, LD, CDE
Dietician, St. Louis, Missouri
Responsive design: visit the Nutrition ExChange website from a variety of devices— laptops, tablets, and smartphones—to see how the site adapts.
Lactation Partners
responsive website design, construction, and hosting; consultation
Lactation Partners was designed and built from the ground up—technically, from the logo up (designed by Megan Lipke Kenney of Ruby the Fox) using responsive design principles.
We formed our new practice in April 2011. One of our top priorities was the development of a website that would provide information about who we were, what we did and how to reach us. In a competitive market it was important for us to have the site draw attention quickly. The aesthetics were also important to us.
We turned to Good Looking Software for solutions and could not have been more pleased. They helped us develop concepts that would put our practice priorities in an order that would quickly share information, were pleasing to view and provided easy access to us. Our concerns and questions were addressed in a timely fashion. We were very pleased with the final product and fine-tuning they continued to provide.
Kathy Lipke RN, BSN, IBCLC
Owner, Lactation Partners, Northbrook, IL
I am in health care and know very little about websites and technology. I worked with Good Looking Software to develop a website for my practice and found Aaron to be patient, helpful, insightful, and thorough. We met to explain what we envisioned the website to include and he integrated our desires into the final product.
His work was good and he was responsive. I recommend him.
Judy Teibloom-Mishkin, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Owner, Lactation Partners, Northbrook, IL
Sumner Garte
website design, construction, and hosting
Sometimes, less is more. After years of working with Sumner selling his art online, he retired and became and grandfather. With less energy to devote to his website but with a renewed interest in sharing his work, Sumner came back to Good Looking Software for a simpler, more easily maintained site.
Being a total illiterate in website design, it was very comforting to have Aaron walk me through the various options, considerations and ramifications of my decisions. I have no idea how he wound up with the beautiful website that evolved from our discussions aside from just labeling the results “magic.” Needless to say, I was ecstatic! Aaron was very patient with me. He provides not only exceptional expertise, but considerable human interaction skills.
Sumner Garte
Fine Artist, Highland Park, Illnois
