Meet the Techies - Ciaran Murray from Creative Metrics

We’re working with some of the best tech minds in Northern Ireland on Techies in Residence, and officially, the best digital mind in the business at the minute is Ciaran Murray, who’s the reigning DANI Awards Digital Person of the Year. 

Tell me a little about yourself and your organisation

I am a technology consultant and programmer with over 15 years experience in helping clients and delivering digital solutions into industry. I am the former found of Fresh Made Media in Belfast and in 2015 I moved home to focus on projects and clients in the North West. Creative Metrics is my consultancy practice and I undertake a wide variety of project for clients including web & app development, technical consulting, social media management, graphic design, search engine optimisation and hosting.  

What attracted you to the Techies in Residence Programme?

I am attracted to the prospect of adding genuine value to a charitable organisation who help people and who can truly benefit from a solution that is put in place to fulfil a need. In contrast to a lot of the private sector work I normally engage with this type of work provides a genuine opportunity to do something tangible and meaningful for people rather than for business.

What attracted you to working with the NOW Project

I really like the concept of the JAM card and its purpose to promote empathy and understanding amongst people who deal with the public and in the wider community. I felt it was a good fit for a project that technology could add value to and provide a solution for.

Tell us a little about what’s exciting about this project?

The current card is merely a piece of plastic with no actual ‘smart’ features or RFID to record usage. I like the appeal of adding analytical insight about how the JAM card is used in the community by creating a companion digital version which will provide feedback and statistics to NOW about how the card is actually used by those who use it.  Currently they have no way to collect or gather this data and this problem is an interesting one to provide a solution for.

What challenges do you think you’re going to face in this process?

Making the digital version of the card accepted and used by clients will be a challenge as it competes with the simplicity of a simple plastic device. It will have to incentivise and reward users in some way and make the process extremely simple.

Also there is the question of what mobile platform will be used most by the clients? The budget likely doesn’t allow for developing on two platforms so we need to be clear about what we can deliver within this programme. 

How do you think this process can help VCSE organisations in Northern Ireland and further afield?

I think it can help VCSE’s in understanding if they can maximise and utilise a techie in-house either full-time or on future projects. It can also hopefully educate organisations on the benefits of putting technology solutions in place and seeing solutions for problems beyond their in-house skill-sets. 

You can follow Ciaran on twitter here.

To find out more about this project, and the rest of the Techies in Residence programme check their website - techinres.com or follow them on Twitter - @techinres.