How’d they do it?

Microsoft Silverlight™

Silverlight delivers rich, cross-platform, interactive experiences, including animation, graphics, audio, and video.


Microsoft Expression Blend™

Expression Blend is the professional design tool for creating engaging Web-connected experiences for the Windows operating system.

Learn more

AOL gets tech-savvy and boosts its youth appeal.

“Microsoft® technology is changing the way we work. Tools such as Microsoft Expression Blend™ let developers see what they are designing, in real time, which enables us to get products out the door faster.”

eric hoffman
Director of E-mail Client Development, AOL

The Situation

AOL's new gadget kicks butt and takes names.

In just three weeks, AOL, Microsoft, and strategic creative consulting firm, frog design, used Microsoft Silverlight™ to develop a Windows Sidebar gadget that streamlines communications and has the firepower to support slick animations. The gadget also works with legacy code and has minimal space requirements on the desktop. “It combines the power of the desktop with the nimbleness of the Web—creating an experience that is the best of both worlds,” says Eric Hoffman, Director of E-mail Client Development for AOL.

The Challenge

Get younger and more tech-savvy people to give a @#$% about AOL tools.

AOL has built its business on a broad range of communication tools—including e-mail, instant messaging, video and photo sharing, calendars, just to name a few. With the goal of appealing to a younger, more technically savvy audience, AOL wanted to streamline access to popular features, integrate them into e-mail, and simplify the overall consumer experience.

The Solution

Create a slick, customizable gadget that keeps online communication simple.

The team used Silverlight and Microsoft Expression Blend to create a Windows Sidebar gadget that pulls communications from any user’s top five friends into a single location. “We leveraged the visual flexibility of Silverlight to create animated icons that glow when a friend sends a new communication,” says Mark Ligameri, Executive Creative Director at frog design. “E-mails, online status, instant messages, and freshly uploaded media files are accessed with a single click—no more navigation is required.”

The Upshot

One size does not fit all and personalization is where it’s at.

“To support a community or social networking, you need design that resonates with each group—one size does not fit all. By using Microsoft technology to create ‘skins,’ AOL gives users the ability to change the design [of the gadget] on-the-fly,” — Eric Hoffman, Director of E-mail Client Development for AOL

About AOL

AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs the country's largest Internet access business, and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL is based in Dulles, Virginia.