Codalent

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the UX program lead at Happiful, a wellbeing magazine publisher. We also operate online directories connecting people with mental health and wellness professionals, aiming to promote mental health awareness and support across the UK.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codalent?

We were looking for a reliable development company that understood our brand and could support both our website and app. After being let down by previous developers and struggling to keep our products updated, we were effectively starting from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codalent has built our website and mobile app from scratch, transforming our digital presence into a modern, scalable platform. The team has migrated us from a simple Ghost publication to a fully headless CMS architecture using Next.js, Headless Ghost, and Storyblok. Codalent has also implemented a complete redesign from our Figma designs.The new platform has significantly improved our content publishing workflows and gives our team the flexibility to create landing pages independently through Storyblok. One of the standout achievements has been the development of our therapist directory, which includes around 30,000 UK therapist profiles.Codalent has delivered a sophisticated search experience with advanced filters for service, therapy type, cost, location, and more. The team has also created multiple result views and an interactive map. The map functionality allows users to search by city, town, or postcode, as well as by search radius. It also supports therapists with multiple practice locations.Codalent has also developed and continues to maintain our iOS and Android apps using React Native and Expo. The apps provide access to our digital magazines, therapist directory, and other key features, with a consistent experience across mobile and web. The team has managed the entire app release process for both the App Store and Google Play, making updates straightforward and reliable.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 teammates from Codalent.

How did you come to work with Codalent?

We found them through an online search. Codalent's pricing fit our budget and offered good value for the cost. Additionally, their company values aligned with ours.Codalent's proposal gave us confidence from the outset, as it included all the technologies we wanted to use moving forward and demonstrated a clear understanding of our long-term goals.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we've spent around $200,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Codalent has successfully delivered a completely new website and mobile app, replacing our previous platform with a modern, scalable headless architecture. We've launched a therapist directory with around 30,000 UK therapist profiles, featuring advanced filtering and map-based search, which has become a key feature of our platform.We've also launched fully featured iOS and Android apps, giving users seamless access to our digital magazines and therapist search. Internally, the move to Storyblok has significantly improved our content publishing process, allowing our team to create and manage landing pages without developer involvement, reducing turnaround times and increasing flexibility.Since launch, the platform has remained reliable through ongoing maintenance, uptime monitoring, analytics, A/B testing, and regular feature enhancements. Most importantly, we now have a stable, future-proof platform that supports our growth and can be developed further without the limitations of our previous system.As our previous website was primarily a blog, there wasn't a like-for-like platform to compare against. However, the new website and mobile apps have delivered excellent results. Since launch, our apps have achieved a 4.8-star rating on the Apple App Store and a 4.6-star rating on Google Play, reflecting the quality of the user experience and reliability of the platform.We've also seen an increase in organic traffic to the Happiful website following the launch of the new platform. Combined with the improved content management system, enhanced search functionality, and the introduction of our therapist directory and mobile apps, the project has provided a strong foundation for our continued growth.We've received plenty of great internal and external feedback from people. For example, one user said, "This looks amazing! I love that it's fully integrated and doesn't take you away to YouTube." Another user said, "The new app release is AMAZING! I love the Find a Therapist search. I didn't think it would be that seamless an experience… so good!" Another user said, "Love it! So… when can we get it on the directories?"

How did Codalent perform from a project management standpoint?

Codalent has managed the project efficiently, providing valuable suggestions and practical solutions whenever needed. The team works in well-structured sprints across both the website and app simultaneously, keeping development organized and on track.Codalent collaborates seamlessly with another company responsible for our online shop integration. The team also works closely alongside our designer and project manager to ensure everything aligns. Codalent's communication has been excellent throughout the project. The team is always approachable, responsive, and quick to resolve any unexpected issues that arise.Importantly, these issues have been caused by third-party providers rather than Codalent, yet the team still takes ownership of finding solutions and minimizing any impact on the project. Codalent's proactive approach and commitment to keeping everything moving have made them a pleasure to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Codalent consistently delivers work exceptionally quickly without compromising on quality. Every milestone has been completed to a high standard, often exceeding our expectations. The team's ability to work at pace while maintaining excellent attention to detail and producing high-quality results has been one of the standout aspects of working with them.Codalent's communication has been excellent throughout the project. The team is always responsive, transparent, and easy to work with, making collaboration seamless. Over time, they've become a trusted extension of our team — someone we can rely on to consistently deliver exceptional work, meet deadlines, and exceed expectations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing Codalent could improve on. They've been some of the best developers I've worked with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Graphic Web Designer of Planning Center

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software made to help churches help people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Codalent to accomplish?

• Integrate Storyblok as the headless CMS
• Enable marketers to build and launch pages independently
• Support visual editing for non-technical users
• Set up multi-CMS architecture (Storyblok, Ghost, Zendesk)
• Collaborate with internal marketing and design teams
• Migrate site from Gatsby to Next.js

SOLUTION

How did you find Codalent?

Online Search

Why did you select Codalent over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Codalent were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

For the past two years, our marketing team at Planning Center has had the pleasure of working with Codalent, who has been instrumental in helping us elevate our web presence and streamline our content workflows. Codalent has led several key initiatives that have fundamentally improved our marketing website:

Headless CMS Integration: They successfully integrated Storyblok as our headless CMS, enabling greater flexibility and performance.
Empowering Independent Page Building: Thanks to their architecture and tooling, our marketing and design team can build and go live with simple landing pages independently, without needing to rely on them for every iteration.
Visual Editing Support: Codalent made it possible for non-technical users to make edits visually in the CMS, lowering the barrier to entry.
Multi-CMS Setup: They implemented a multi-CMS architecture that includes Storyblok, Ghost, and Zendesk—tailoring to our diverse needs.
Migration to Next.js: Codalent led the migration of our site from Gatsby to Next.js, enhancing performance and aligning us with modern best practices in web development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Improved Editing Experience: They implemented visual previews and drag-and-drop components, streamlining content updates and allowing our team to make changes more intuitively and efficiently.

Because of their work, we now have a faster go-to-market setup, allowing us to move from concept to live page in a fraction of the time it used to take. This has been a huge asset for timely campaigns, product launches, and iterative improvements.

One of the standout aspects of working with Codalent is their seamless collaboration with our teams. They’ve shown a deep respect for our brand, our goals, and our creative process to bring each page to life. Their responsiveness and transparency are qualities we appreciate.

Performance boost with Next.js: faster page loads and better Lighthouse scores

99% uptime of the new website: Zero reported regressions or major bugs post-launch

Improved Editing Experience: They implemented visual previews and drag-and-drop components, streamlining content updates and allowing our team to make changes more intuitively and efficiently.

Because of their work, we now have a faster go-to-market setup, allowing us to move from concept to live page in a fraction of the time it used to take. This agility has been a huge asset for timely campaigns, product launches, and iterative improvements.

One of the standout aspects of working with Codalent is their seamless collaboration with our internal teams. They show respect for our brand, our goals, and our creative process.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Once our team finishes writing and designing a page, we hand it off to Codalent, who handles the development. They are fast, and when a task takes longer than anticipated, they always communicate clearly about timelines and next steps.

We’ve developed a smooth QA process with Codalent using ClickUp, which allows us to upload screenshots and videos to provide final feedback.

What was your primary form of communication with Codalent?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Codalent has become a trusted extension of our team. Their technical excellence, clear communication, and collaborative spirit have made them enjoyable to work with.  

Are there any areas for improvement or something Codalent could have done differently?

While our overall experience has been extremely positive, there are a couple of areas where that could further improve the collaboration:

Design Precision on the First Pass: Occasionally, details from the design specs are missed in the initial development pass and are caught during QA. Increasing attention to these subtleties up front could help reduce back-and-forth.

Browser Compatibility: There have been instances where a page works perfectly in Chrome but encounters issues in Safari, which are later flagged and resolved. A more thorough cross-browser testing process would help catch these inconsistencies earlier.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of KrakenD, an information technology company. We provide a high-performance, stateless API gateway software that helps companies transition to modern microservices architectures. We offer simplicity, scalability, and open-source solutions for efficient API management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Codalent?

We needed to redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Codalent redesigned our website. We provided the design materials in Figma, and they converted them into our current website. The team used CSS and HTML with Hugo and Tailwind to build the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–5 teammates from Codalent.

How did you come to work with Codalent?

Someone referred Codalent to me.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May to November 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Codalent implemented 20–30 pages, and their work met our expectations.

How did Codalent perform from a project management standpoint?

Codalent delivered on time. We mainly communicated through virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Codalent’s quick reaction was impressive, and they were trustworthy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing they needed to improve.