Web Design Sun

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Lead Developer of BrainBuffet Solutions, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

BrainBuffet is a curriculum platform for certification preparation regarding software such as Adobe, Microsoft and Autodesk.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Web Design Sun to accomplish?

• Frontend and Backend Development
• DevOps
• WordPress Theme Refactoring

SOLUTION

How did you find Web Design Sun?

Online Search

Why did you select Web Design Sun over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Web Design Sun were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Over the course of several years, Web Design Sun helped with multiple aspects of our WordPress Curriculum platform development. Key deliverables included Front-end and Back-end development (WordPress template building, Nginx/PHP management, etc), DevOps (CI/CD) and code refactoring. They also helped with some proprietary function development regarding our education platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Web Design Sun's management set up a solid project management platform for us to work within. Using this platform, we were able to easily assign tasks, track progress and ask for updates or fixes when needed. The team at Web Design Sun quickly and effectively tackled each task, and we were able to review and deploy the changes to our live servers each week as needed.

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

Web Design Sun's project management was amazing. We worked with one manager, Igor, over the course of several years, on several projects. When needed, we were able to switch from milestone-based projects to hourly projects based on individual tasks that were assigned as-needed. Igor immediately assigned each task to an appropriately-skilled individual on their end, who always quickly delivered what was needed. If there was ever a change request, the change was made without question, except when clarity was needed. In those cases, our manager sent over detailed questions translated from the developers, along with screenshots, videos, code snippets, or any other examples necessary to get the answers as quickly as possible.

What was your primary form of communication with Web Design Sun?

Virtual Meeting

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

We thought it was great how many skilled team members Web Design Sun had on their end, who could work on our project wherever they fit best.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Web Design Sun could have done differently?

The only thing we could recommend is that more documentation be included with the updates, but this was not something we specifically asked for.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on May 10, 2021.

Steven Lykins
Lead Developer, BrainBuffet SolutionsSoftware

Orlando, Florida

1-10 Employees

Nov 2020 - Jul 2021

$10,000 to $49,999

Verified

Project summary
An online learning platform hired Web Design Sun for web development to bring PHP template designs to life. They are responsible for integrating the existing child and parent theme, several plugins, and more. 

Feedback summary
The homepage and about page are well delivered by the team, meeting the expectations of the client. The team is quick and flexible to the partner's demands and changes. Also, Web Design Sun is keen to manage bulk projects with their own tools, which established a successful ongoing collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the lead developer for an online education platform. Recently we've started handling multiple projects simultaneously, so we decided to outsource for some new UI designs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design Sun, and what were your goals?

We hired Web Design Sun to help us bring to life some PHP template designs that a front-end developer had made into simple SCSS/HTML/JS templates. They integrated with our existing child theme (and parent theme) as well as numerous plugins and APIs both new and dependencies to make totally dynamic templates for our site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We found this vendor from a few that matched our criteria on UpWork. After valuing the skills listed of their developers along with the interviews we conducted with their management, we determined that they would work well with our sporadic timelines and rapid changes, as we are a rapidly growing platform.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

When the project began, we held a discovery meeting to make sure that Web Design Sun understood the full breadth of the changes that would be necessary to meet our needs. Over the course of a few more meetings as preliminary work began, we decided to release our ~24 new page templates in four milestones, starting with easier, static content (homepage, about page, etc) and finishing off with our plugin-heavy, more dynamic pages. After about two weeks with each set of pages, we were ready to begin internal QA and move onto the next milestone smoothly.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

A project manager was our main point of contact, but there was also another team lead in on their usually bi-weekly calls with us. As their autonomy quickly became apparent, we felt the need to meet as frequently was not so necessary, as we were both able to improve our workflow to compliment each others. We worked with a team of their developers, although not directly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

While our project goals changed a bit over the course of the project and we decided to release these in phases, Web Design Sun has been great in helping us facilitate these changes, even as they affected their timeline. The homepage and about page release went great, and they are a well-noted upgrade from our students and teachers. We've also been able to take in their feedback in realtime, relaying it to Web Design Sun as last minute changes that they did not have a problem undertaking for us.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They offered to do the bulk of the project management on their end with their own tools, which they did at first for the bulk of the project. We used Google Sheets for QA, which worked great. Toward the end, we switched to Azure Devops internally, and onboarded their project management team as well.

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

I am really pleased with their ability to adapt, as well as to help us along the way with our challenges we are facing as a small startup.

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

There were some errors in the initial templates that our junior front end developer left in the templates (such as responsiveness issues) that we believed would have been fixed. We were not sure if it was a communication issue of functionality versus design only being necessary, but the issues were resolved.

STAR RATINGS
Overall rating: 5
Quality: 5
WDS has multiple talented developers, so that no matter the situation, someone with experience in the matter is there to help.
Cost: 5
Schedule: 5
I never had an issue contacting our PM contact, Igor. We were always able to work out a time to meet easily, regardless of an 8 hour time difference!
Willing to refer: 5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of an other industry company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Software development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Web Design Sun to accomplish?

• Website development
• Software development

SOLUTION

How did you find Web Design Sun?

• Other

Why did you select Web Design Sun over others?

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

How many teammates from Web Design Sun were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The project aims to develop a modern and user-friendly website for a real estate company to enhance its online presence, attract potential clients, and provide a seamless user experience. The website will serve as a central platform to showcase property listings, facilitate property inquiries, and engage visitors with valuable content related to the real estate industry.

Key Deliverables:

• Responsive Website Development: Create a visually appealing and responsive website design that adapts to various screen sizes and devices, ensuring optimal user experience on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Home Page: Design an attractive and informative home page that provides an overview of the company's services, featured properties, and calls-to-action for visitors to explore further.
• Property Details Page: Design a property details page that showcases in-depth information about each property. Include high-resolution images, property descriptions, amenities, floor plans, and virtual tours when available. And much more!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Increased Website Traffic: Measure the website's performance in terms of the number of unique visitors and total pageviews. An increase in website traffic indicates improved online visibility and engagement.
• Higher Conversion Rate: Monitor the percentage of website visitors who take desired actions, such as filling out inquiry forms, requesting property viewings, or subscribing to newsletters. A higher conversion rate reflects effective calls-to-action and overall user experience.

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

The team was A++ rockstars!! They delivered the entire project on time with high levels of satisfaction from everyone involved. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TEAM

What was your primary form of communication with Web Design Sun?

• Email or Messaging App

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

They are the hardest working software development team around. They truly care about serving their customers and give every project 110%. I could not recommend this team enough - very affordable pricing, attention to detail, amazing project managers to keep the project running, and much more.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Web Design Sun could have done differently?

No improvements - satisfied to the max.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CTO of a tailored clothing company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Made to measure clothing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Web Design Sun to accomplish?

• Migrate to Shopify
• Build complex product customisations
• Integrate 3rd-party customer database in Shopify

SOLUTION

How did you find Web Design Sun?

Referral

Why did you select Web Design Sun over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

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

The goal of the project was migrating 2 existing websites (Woo & Custom Laravel/Vue ecommerce website) to Shopify. Since we offer made-to-measure clothing, it was critical to find an agency that can build complex product customisation feature, as well as various integrations with our internal management tool in accordance with the existing branding.

The customer should then be able to use our new Shopify store as a one-stop-shop for managing his garment measurements and customise the products. WDS has delivered great results and I was extremely happy with the speed and quality of work! Highly recommend this agency, especially for the custom Shopify store development!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Delivered in time
• Integrations with our internal tools
• Pixel perfect design implementation

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

Annet was extremely helpful as a project manager and was deeply involved in all stages of the project implementation without forcing any internal processes as it may happen with agencies. Great communication and efforts to get the project up and running.

What was your primary form of communication with Web Design Sun?

Virtual Meeting

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

High development speed without sacrificing the quality. Great expertise in custom Shopify development. Creative approach.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Web Design Sun could have done differently?

Maybe pushing their client harder to quicker provide details required for the work :)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We create custom products with artwork of our customers pets on it. I am the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design Sun, and what were your goals?

We were looking to expand our business and therefore needed more automated processes. For that we've wrote a software requirements specification that would help us to manage our processes better and Web Design Sun implemented the software for us.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We found Web Design Sun during our online research for agencies that would be able to implement our thoughts. We decided on them because of their offer, their responsiveness and the general appearance.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They designed and developed a laravel based solution for order management and connected it to our WordPress WooCommerce website. Firstly we made a few calls to go through questions of the SRS we created and after that we had some calls for talking about bugs or issues. We were always able to give feedback or input which was promptly considered.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We mainly talked to Igor, our project manager. Igor is really a project manager rockstar :) He coordinated everything with the developers, designers and business analysts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The created software allows us to reduce time spent to fulfill an order by 90%, makes our customers more happy due to less human errors and faster turn around times.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project management was great and responsive. There were almost none unexpected delays, a great difference to our previous experiences with development agencies. We used Slack for communication, Bitbucket as code repository and Teamwork for project management.

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

We're impressed with their great project management and efficient process of creating deliverables.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Digital Marketing Manager of a manufacturing company. We manufacture private label products for cosmetics brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design Sun, and what were your goals?

We wanted to update the site to better feature our capabilities and product formulation services. We utilized them for both UX Design and Development

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

They were thorough and affordable while communicating very effectively during the sales process.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The site is built on WordPress. We were delivered timelines and estimates of proposed work, a UX layout during design and editing, and a final site developed on their staging server.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2 or 3 I believe. The project manager and the sales/account manager it seemed like.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The site looks good and I think its a well priced upgrade

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Very timely and the pace was good for the project size. Highly communicative during UX but less in development which is understandable because we'd ironed out the details in UX.

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

The price and quality of their work were both good.

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

I don't believe so, I was very satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re BuddyTexts, a small B2B SaaS startup based in San Diego, California. We’re just two people in the company, both co-founders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Web Design Sun?

We needed a software development partner to help us build a product that we could take to market and start selling.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Web Design Sun basically helped us create our SaaS platform from start to finish. Their work included creating the wireframes, defining the software architecture, and developing our web app and our website. Additionally, they helped us choose AWS as the platform to host our product.

My co-founder and I designed the first wireframes, and they helped us improve them using InVision to make them look more professional and workable. They also made the website on WordPress and used PHP Laravel to develop the platform.

Initially, we just asked Web Design Sun to build an MVP, but we were so impressed with what they did that we went beyond that stage. Now, they’ve been helping us create a very sellable and marketable product.

Ours is a CRM and SMS marketing automation platform for e-commerce businesses. Through the platform that Web Design Sun helped us create, we enable our customers to create text message marketing campaigns similar to what MailChimp does for email marketing.

Businesses can have their customers sign up for marketing programs and send them text messages. They also can create a repository for all of their customers’ information within the CMS.

Aside from those features, Web Design Sun helped us integrate a payment processing system into our platform so that customers can buy products from the businesses via text message.

What is the team composition?

We work with three main people from Web Design Sun. Ann (Project Manager) helps us understand what we want to build and scope it out so that Alexandr (Full-Stack Developer) can understand it clearly. Additionally, a third person works with us when we start new development phases. She gathers our requirements, puts them in a project plan, and estimates the cost.

How did you come to work with Web Design Sun?

We ran a very extensive search process to find an adequate development partner for us. Ultimately, Web Design Sun stood out because of their authenticity. They really understood our product, wanted to work with us, and seemed to have a great track record. Additionally, they fit our budget and were willing to work with a less capitalized company like ours.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Web Design Sun was able to create a platform never seen before — we’re very thrilled about it. Several customers have told us that they’re super enthusiastic about our product and what we’re able to provide to them. 

How did Web Design Sun perform from a project management standpoint?

Web Design Sun provides excellent ongoing support, and they’re very helpful and responsive, especially when we find a bug or experience any downtime. They don’t try to nickel-and-dime us for the ongoing support, which is awesome for a small, lean company like ours.

Ann communicates with us daily and gives us updates about how the project is going and what is coming up for the rest of the week. Every Friday, we have a short call to sync up and go through the product. Ahead of this meeting, they send us a video to review everything that they’ve built and how it works.

During the Friday meeting, we also log into the platform together to walk through the changes, which helps us identify any focus areas or changes that need to be made. Web Design Sun is very open to feedback, and they have no problem pivoting in the middle of development, which we really appreciate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Web Design Sun works as a real partner, which is impressive. Instead of just gathering our requirements and doing what we tell them, they bring value to our project because they’re more prescriptive than reactive. If we ask them to do something, and they think there’s a better way to accomplish it, they recommend that to us; that’s the most valuable part about working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Along the way, we needed to increase our cadence of check-in calls so that my co-founder and I could understand what had been built and what the deliverables were. Before this need arose, we communicated weekly, but we changed to a daily cadence, which definitely helped us keep on top of the project and hold them more accountable for the deliverables.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come into the project having a flushed-out plan of what you want to build and achieve. You don’t need to have all the technical requirements laid out. Still, you need a clear understanding of your objectives, and you need to be able to communicate them in really simple and understandable terms to make everything go smoother.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of the Web Development Company Valuedriven. Our company provides various IT services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design Sun, and what were your goals?

We had a project from our old client to create a Web Application for a Nonprofit Educational Organization that we have never implemented before, and we needed a solid and experienced team to develop it into a web app. So we decided to outsource this order to Web Design Sun that already had an experience in this field.

SOLUTION

How did you select Web Design Sun and what were the deciding factors?

Actually we did find them on clutch and chose them because of their diverse experience and good price level that fit our needs.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Our client needed help building a system to share knowledge between the members of the organization. Web Design Sun developed a custom digital platform in Python. Members of our client’s organization can post, share information from events, do webinars, read their monthly newsletter, and more. After an extensive discovery process, they created wireframes and mockups, they guided us towards making architectural and visual decisions.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

They have included a Business Development Manager, a Business Analyst, several Engineers, a UI/UX Designer and a Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

No we can't share any measurable results, but we can surely say that our client is satisfied with the result and gives us only positive feedback.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

They do well with meeting deadlines, and they are responsive. I knew they were staying late and working past normal hours to make it easier for us. If I wanted to make changes that were going to cost me more money, the team would always let me know beforehand and they would stick to it.

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

Their attention to detail and communication have been superb. They’re excellent strategists and they know how to come up with creative solutions that meet the goals of our client.

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

No. Honestly, I would say they do a pretty good job. I feel very confident in their level of work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of an accountancy firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Web Design Sun?

We hired them for web design services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Web Design Sun redesigned our WordPress platform. They also created contact forms.

What is the team composition?

We have one main point of contact, Alexander (Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Web Design Sun?

We found them on Upwork. They were quick to respond.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $1,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new website has improved conversions. The site has had a positive impact on our business.

How did Web Design Sun perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication with their team is very good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re quick to respond. They also deliver good quality work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure there is good communication from both sides. Their team needs to know the plan and specifications.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Wordpress development agency and SEO services. Main project lead for customer success.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design Sun, and what were your goals?

there was an urgent need to re-develop an ecommerce site based on wordpress but without the look and feel of standard woocommerce. this needed to be very fast loading and full of buying triggers for new customers. also including upselling products based on the current selections and interests.

SOLUTION

How did you select Web Design Sun and what were the deciding factors?

we've worked with Web Design Sun on multiple projects and always with satisfactory results. Having a solid partner in development that you can count on is important also with regard to future support.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

A full re-design of the e-com website, design iterations and after that creating working mockups. Continuous improvement changes where applied and the development took off. While there where many iterations on functionality the communication was swift and to the point. Every problem got it's solution in such a way that it satisfied the end client.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

besides the project lead, there where designers and developers involved for each stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

the site has been delivered and is functioning very well. Most important customers of the ecommerce site have been enthusiastic on the site more and more resulting in higher turnover and an increased customer base.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Very pragmatic when possible and formal when needed. timelines and project scope are taken care of very well.

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

reliability, quality of work and continued support on deliverd products.

Are there any areas for improvement?

increased development speed, although that is quite hard in a very busy market.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President and CEO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design Sun, and what were your goals?

WE hired Web Design Sun to do a full build out of our new website for our company that specializes in specialty lending, called Invoice Factoring.

SOLUTION

How did you select Web Design Sun and what were the deciding factors?

This companies developers wrote clean efficient code that was fast, and of much better quality than other companies. Easy communications in native English were a huge plus.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

We send website specs, design ideas, and over a 3 month period the site was complete and working great.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with 2 people that handled all of the website design and communication with the developers over the approximately 2 year projects. Both of these individuals were manager and senior developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our website looks better than 80% of all of our competitors, and we were able to do it for 50% of the cost.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Easy online communication. All deliverables were tracked digitally through the UP portal.

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

Good quality programmers, great native English language skills.

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

We initially had them do some copy-writing, however, stopped that after reviewing some of the earlier drafts. We had an in-house representative handle all copywrite for the website due to the specifics of our business and industry. I cannot fault a web development company for not having content writers that are experts in Banking.

One downside of working with developers overseas is the time delay. You typically will not get an instant answer to a question or email if it is past 10-11pm.

However, the staff at WebDesign Sun did a fantastic job being responsive outside of their, "Normal" operating hours. The developers were often writing, and emailing me back at 10 and 11PM their local time.