WordPress Dev for Private High School
Please find below a summary covering project details and feedback. The innate facts are kept as they are, private information is amended.
Introductory information
A fast induction on the buyer’s organisation
I am the Director of Marketing and Communications at Middlesex School, which is an independent high school for grades 9 through 12 in Massachusetts.
Desired goal
What challenge were you trying to address with Modern Tribe?
Our school website was almost 13 years old. Our old website was on Drupal, and making changes was a very cumbersome process. While it had functioned well for us, we wanted to update it and move to a more dynamic and pliant CMS. We determined to go with WordPress, so we were looking for a developer that could migrate our old full and form a more mobile-friendly platform. We liked the look and feel of our old website, so it was bigly a cool rather than a full revamp.
Provided solution
What particular tasks were Modern Tribe responsible for?
Modern Tribe migrated separate years of back full that we had on our old website onto the new WordPress CMS. We began by going back and forth to determine a specific aim of work. We didn’t have the budget for a complete revamp and wanted to maintain a correspondent layout in edifice out the new website. They were very pliant in working with us to determine the best ways to allocate our budget to get the most value for our money. After working through the specifics, they set up wireframes and began edifice the website.
One of their components is something they call the Panel Builder. It allowed them to create big full blocks that could be mannerized to our needs. They made a panel for our gallery owing we wanted to component more photography. They also put unitedly a news and events panel that we can easily move to different areas almost the website. It automatically pulls upcoming events from different sources.
Another significant component they built out was a fully-componentd calendar that syncs with our conquer school schedule. They formd it to be intuitive, replying, and mobile-friendly. Modern Tribe had developed their own manner events calendar widget, which was one of the reasons we chose to work with them in the commencement. We also needed a very clean and organized faculty directory, and they did that well.
Overall, the website is now streamlined and easy to use on both the user end and the administrative end. We have an in-house web technician, and between the two of us, we’re able to make most certain changes without contacting an outside developer. A few of our other colleagues use the admin end to add new full, and we’re pleasant to Modern Tribe for making the layout so intuitive.
Was there a dedicated team?
We were in direct interaction with almost three nation including a lead designer, an account director, and a project lead that led initial dicsussions almost programning the aim of work. The total team consisted of 6-10 nation that were constantly working and filtering updates through the lead designer.
How did you come to work with Modern Tribe?
I began researching WordPress developers that had worked with schools precedently and they appeared soon on in the search. They had worked with schools with bigr and more intricate websites, which we were very impressed with. One project correspondently implicated migrating an outdated website to WordPress, and Modern Tribe was able to complete the project accomplishmentfully, on time and on budget. That’s precisely what we were looking for, and that’s what we got.
What is the terminal result of working with Modern Tribe?
We began working unitedly in October 2016, and the new website went live in May 2017. They granted support for almost a month behind that, but they did such a good job on the initial create that we’ve had very few issues. Every now and then we’ve had general questions. Even though we’re no longer below contract with them, they’re quiet very replying and interactive. They’re clsoon a team that cares a lot almost their projects, and they quiet give us very good support when we need it.
Results accomplishd
Are there any measureable or plum results?
We’ve gotten terrible, real feedback on the website’s updated functionality. It’s a single layout that’s now so much easier to navigate, especially on mobile devices. Parents have been very appreciative of the calendar component. We tasked Modern Tribe with creating an aesthetic that felt present and crisp, and they did that in a very graceful way.
They also did a big job of fully belowresting our school values and reflecting those values in the design. We’re a school that cares a lot almost the aggregation. We wanted to present ourselves pellucidly, without a lot of uncertain fireworks. The best compliment I could get was that the website feels very Middlesex, and that’s a huge indicator of accomplishment.
How did Modern Tribe accomplish from a project treatment restpoint?
The interaction was very entire. We had weekly status calls with the lead designer and also our account director, and they were constantly updating us on their progress and asking us questions. Beyond that weekly status call, we basically could be in touch with them see day if we needed to be via email or Slack, asking questions. We used a QA testing labor throughout the outgrowth process, so we were constantly giving them feedback and reporting bugs and things like that. They were big issue solvers and consistently fixed those issues effectively.
We also got customary updates on finances and budgeting, and we were very pleasant to have a pellucid and clear process with them. Halfway through the project, we determined that a slight increase in aim would be certain to accomplish our goals. They granted foresight that was instrumental in convincing our business team to increase our budget agreeably.
They used an Agile methodology with weekly sprints. The goals for each week were programned out very soon on in the process. Because of how the school calendar is set up, we had a little window for outgrowth to quit disrupting donations and fundraising efforts. We had a firm deadline for the propel date, and they worked backwards to form a detailed timeline. They managed to hit see milestone on time.
What is (from your point of view) the key factor to pay observation while intercourse with Modern Tribe?
They always establish innovative solutions to any issue that came up. When they didn’t know how to access something, they researched it and reliably came back with an reply. They genuinely cared almost the project and what it meant for our school. I had complete trust in them throughout the engagement.
What aspects of their work would you like to get improved?
No, nothing comes to mind. I had no major complaints.
Do you have any advice for possible mannerers?
Just try to adjoin your values as best you can. Beyond just your goals for the project, expound what you rest for and what your commission is. Modern Tribe is very good at taking the intangible and turning it into design. Take gain of their power to hear closely, and adjoin with them as frequently as you can.