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    +1 559 547 8668

Global Enterprise WordPress Firm

5.0
5 reviews

We are Human Made. One of the leading providers of large-scale enterprise-level WordPress platforms.

We’re building powerful digital solutions for enterprise-clients and big publishers: delivering technically complex WordPress instances at scale and transforming the way people interact with some of the most visited websites in the world. We have extensive experience consulting for and implementing large WordPress projects for internationally successful organisations such as NewsUK, USA Today, Capgemini, and Unison.

Our services represent the breadth of our experience; our projects are at the forefront of enterprise-level development, and our people are some of the most highly-skilled professionals in the industry.

We’re passionate about using WordPress as a tool to build large-scale platforms, websites, and applications that drive transformational business value.

READ MORE...
 
$50,000+
 
$150 - $199 / hr
 
50 - 249
 Founded
2010
Show all +
New York, NY
headquarters
  • Human Made
    154 Grande St, 5th Floor
    New York, NY NY 10013
    United States
    +1 559 547 8668
other locations

Portfolio

Key clients: 

ABC, News Corp, TechCrunch, Skype, Vocativ, BNY Mellon, CFO, Hibu, Indian Express, Fusion, Thunderhead, Sony

Headless WordPress: The Future CMS

Human Made have deep experience working with the REST API. Our engineers are building it, and leading the team behind it.

This re-released in-depth report introduces our latest projects using the REST API, including case studies on the TechCrunch and Fairfax Media projects. You can also expect an update on the challenges the REST API is facing two years on, and the changes that have happened since the merge occurred, one of the most monumental being Gutenberg’s adoption of the REST API to communicate data between the server and a JavaScript powered frontend.

Get in touch to read the full report [email protected]

Transforming WordPress for the modern newsroom

Fairfax Media is one of the largest and most influential media companies in Australia and New Zealand. Their portfolio includes The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and The Dominion Post.

In 2017, we joined Fairfax Media as technology partners on a huge project which would see us rebuild their entire platform; creating a custom CMS based on headless WordPress, with an improved publishing workflow, and an audience facing React.js based front-end (both of which were developed in-house).

This latest white paper details the story of the project, and the journey through some of Fairfax’s biggest publishing pain points. Read about our approaches to the project, and the technologies we used to help us achieve the final result. 

Get in touch to read the full white paper [email protected]

Reviews

5.0
5 reviews
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Wordpress Development for Tech Media Company

"We appreciated the ease of working with them."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2018
Project summary: 

Human Made served as the development partner for a third-party’s redesigned WordPress website. The team worked with the WordPress REST API.

The Reviewer
 
200-500 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Head of Product, Tech Media Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The team demonstrated their impressive subject-matter expertise throughout the collaborative process. They resolved complex challenges while remaining communicative and flexible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run a media company’s product and technology team. We focus on startups and technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Human Made?

We worked with them on a redesign of a third-party website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was WordPress-based and moved to a headless set up with a React frontend. The team only did development as we had another partner that completed the design aspect.

What is the team composition?

We had up to four people working on the project at any given time.

How did you come to work with Human Made?

I talked with other people in the WordPress community and decided that Human Made would be a great partner. They had expertise in WordPress’ rest API and prior experience using that in decoupled solutions.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2017 and launched the WordPress site in March 2018. The team continues to work on smaller things with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Human Made leveraged their considerable expertise in the space to solve numerous tricky problems. We felt fortunate to have a fantastic experience with Human Made. My team learned a lot about React and the WordPress API; we came out stronger. Since we embedded Human Made, the teams grew close and my developers appreciated the project’s collaborative nature.

How did Human Made perform from a project management standpoint?

They were communicative throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They solved tough challenges by understanding them and then coming up with effective solutions. The team was also flexible and things changed over the course of the project. We appreciated the ease of working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were very good at their jobs.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Web Development for Environmental Protection Company

“We appreciated their ability to work under pressure and provide resources to augment our team.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
3.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Sept. 2017 - Dec. 2017
Project summary: 

Human Made provided strategic and PHP consultation to launch a new site in WordPress. They also provided frontend developers who ensured a consistent yet flexible theme across multiple sites. 

The Reviewer
 
Amsterdam
IT Project Manager, Environmental Protection Agency
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The new site received praise from internal stakeholders. Although time differences delayed communication, Human Made’s technical knowledge and willingness to accommodate project constraints sets them up for potential future engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT project manager for an environmental protection company. We have a few offices across multiple countries. I work on site development for our various projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Human Made?

We lacked the in-house technical leaders who had sufficient experience in PHP development and WordPress. We needed resources who could consult us through certain technical decisions regarding our site and support our internal team on the frontend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they provided a set of recommendations for our site including reusing code, installing plugins, and general strategic decisions. Each of our offices will get its own site, so we wanted to maintain a consistent look and feel. Although we wanted to update the site ourselves, we realized we lacked the knowledge to execute our plan.

As a result, they augmented our frontend developers. They built our site with content blocks, which allowed for a uniform yet flexible theme. While the navigation would remain the same, the different offices can choose which blocks to use and where.

What is the team composition?

We first worked with a tech lead who consulted with us. Later, we worked with a team of frontend developers.

How did you come to work with Human Made?

We originally considered seven agencies before one of our offices referred them to us. We requested a quote and decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

I think it was about a $115,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work lasted between September–December 2017. Although we currently don’t have a contract with them, we will definitely consider them for future projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site has received a lot of positive feedback, which stemmed from our joint efforts. Internally, we were really happy with Human Made’s frontend contributions. They were essential to our project’s success.

How did Human Made perform from a project management standpoint?

We appreciated their ability to work under pressure and provide resources to augment our team. In this regard, they were extremely helpful and willing to collaborate. We communicated primarily through GitHub, Jira, and Rocket.Chat.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We weren’t a typical client because we wanted to execute a lot of the project ourselves; we needed help with code review and strategic suggestions. As such, we valued their technical knowledge and willingness to work with our requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We really appreciated how quickly they provided resources under pressure, although it did mean we were working with a globally dispersed team. This had an impact on the team's communication. At that time their Tech Lead was in India, whereas the frontend developers were in the U.S. As a result, communication was slower than necessary due to the time difference. We would consult the tech lead in the morning but would have to wait until late afternoon to communicate with the developers. By then, we couldn’t address concerns until the following day.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Nothing. They were a great company and considerate of our needs.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    We’ve never had an issue.
  • 3.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    Although they gave us a discount, they were a bit expensive for our budget.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    We’ve recommended them before.

WordPress Implementation For Investment Management Firm

"We've been very impressed." 

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
Project summary: 

Human Made built a scalable WordPress platform that could handle a high volume of users. They provided consultation, custom back-end development, deployment, and testing on an aggressive timeline.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
New York City Metro Area
Founder & CEO, Investment Management Firm
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Both visitors and employees love the site, which has doubled user engagement and logs nearly a million views each month. Human Made built a visually and functionally rich platform. Their proactive culture, round-the-clock availability, and dynamic customer service made them an ideal partner.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We are a leading provider of institutional quality investment research that’s widely available to the public. We publish professional research coverage on ETFs, master limited partnerships, and global equities. We’re a fast growing venture-backed company in New York City.

What is your position?

I’m the co-founder and chief executive officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached Human Made?

The core challenge for us was identifying high-end WordPress developers that could work on a project that could potentially reach millions of monthly users, certainly hundreds of thousands of monthly users to start, in a way that was scalable. When we began working together with Human Made, we had maybe tens of thousands of monthly page views, maybe a hundred thousand, and now we’re approaching close to one million monthly page views, with astronomical monthly and quarterly growth rates that just keep increasing.

It was really important for us to build a platform that could scale with us from early on in a quality way, and that we wouldn’t necessarily need to rebuild. Many times when startup technology companies hire developers, they build something that works pretty well. It doesn’t work after a certain point, or it doesn’t perform as well, and you need to scrap it and rebuild the whole thing. We wanted to prevent that coming in, so we decided to partner with Human Made in order to have them build it correctly in a very early stage.

We partnered with them even when the founders were investing with the company before we had any investors in the company. After we had our angel investor, we’ve been able to increase the size of our relationship and really scale with that team. It was very difficult to find developers that had experience in large-scale deployments; in particular, it’s difficult to find developers who have had experience developing large-scale projects at multiple companies. There aren’t that many large websites where you can work. The ability to work on multiple large websites is particularly hard to come by. WordPress deployments on a large-scale are very difficult, so we needed to ensure that the vendor we chose would be able to handle that.

The second dimension we were looking for were competent people that could work well with our team, our culture, and our startup environment. We knew there would be times where we might have problems. There would be times where we might have aggressive deadlines. There were problems where there might be an issue in the middle of the night, which would require immediate intervention. We wanted a team that understood that, and was able to be nimble and work with us when the pressure was on. They also needed to understand what our needs were and essentially be very reasonable, but also very high quality. We concluded that Human Made would be able to perform on both of those dimensions, and that was extremely attractive to us.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

Human Made collaborated with us on every stage of the project, from conception through development all the way to deployment and testing. We provided the necessary strategic guidance, but they handled the actual site build.

How did you select Human Made as your solution partner?

We had initially worked with a couple of engineers: one very experienced, and another one with less experience. We realized that we needed the core skills of engineers that could really build a site that would scale nicely, and that had a culture that would also fit with our team. We’d worked with an engineer that worked with one large site, and we realized we needed engineers that worked on multiple large sites. There weren’t that many of them to start with. On the one hand, that’s a big disadvantage because it becomes a lot more expensive to hire said engineers in volume. On the other hand, it actually means that you know exactly who to speak to because there’s a limited number.

We reached out to a number of WordPress VIP engineering agencies. Some were very large companies. When we first met Human Made, it was essentially two brothers and a third partner, and maybe a handful of additional, high-quality engineers and that was it. They were much smaller than any other firms that we spoke with. It was really clear that each of the VIP agencies had the experience with scalable solutions. Many had indeed worked on a very large scalable website. What was appealing about Human Made, though, was that they had experience with multiple scalable sites while most other companies didn’t have that. Human Made also had the closest cultural fit for us, and that was a huge deciding factor for us.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this project?

It’s very high relative to anything else you can do, but it’s worth it for us because the alternative is having developers that are less productive, or having code delivered to you that might require revision.

How long has your relationship remained ongoing?

We stated at some point in early 2013, so more than a year and a half, close to two years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

We launched a feature on the website, which grew engagement by more than 50 percent, so that’s a massive success. It was a two- to three-month project, and it was extremely successful. Feedback from staff members and other end-users was quite positive, both in terms of the design and the functional usability of the site. We’ve been very impressed.

When working with Human Made, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguishes them from other vendors?

We didn’t work with other vendors. In the cultural sense, we consider our engineers our partners. One of the challenges with partners is what happens when you have rough times, and they’ve been there for us 100 percent when there have been problems. I’m not sure that you’d get that kind of service and commitment from the vast majority of vendors.

5.0
Overall Score Very positive, which is why we’re continuing and growing the partnership.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They do a very good job of meeting their estimations.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I certainly have. For companies like ours, I would be more than happy to refer them.

WordPress Implementation For U.S. Cable Network Provider

"They provided a great level of service to ensure we received everything on time and within budget."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
Project summary: 

Human Made built a WordPress site that enabled a cable network to share World Cup articles and videos. They provided consultation, back-end development, design, testing, optimization, and support. 

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
United Kingdom
Chief Technology Officer
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

WordPress has proven to be a powerful, visually exciting platform. Employees appreciate the site's highly functional plug-ins and bug-free performance. Human Made communicated well, meticulously managed the process, and channeled their team's wide-ranging talent to build an exceptional product. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a media company. We provide cable network called Fusion.

What is your position?

I’m the chief technology officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you first approached Human Made?

We needed to build a website for the World Cup. We were going to cover the event, and tell stories about that, so we needed a technology platform to publish stories and videos. We decided to build the site using WordPress as the content management system. Humanmade helped us determine that WordPress would be the best fit for our project goals. They were to be responsible for designing and developing the site from scratch.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

We hired them as our external development team and essentially outsourced the majority of the deployment tasks to them. They were responsible for the design, development, testing, optimization, and support. We collaborated closely, but they handled the grunt work. 

How did you select Human Made as your solution partner?

A close friend recommended them to me after having a great experience with them. I had a few meetings with the founder, Tom [Willmot], and after the meetings, we decided to use them for our project. They seemed well put together and the work they’d completed in the past seemed to speak for itself. I felt confident in their capabilities and approach, and they certainly justified that confidence.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this particular deployment?

I would say we spent between $50,000 and $200,000.

When was this project completed?

I don’t recall the exact date, but it launched around June 10 of this year [2014].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

The staff was very happy with the flexibility and versatility of WordPress. There was some initial resistance to the idea of switching to a new system and site, but once we’d gotten it up and running, and people began using it, all of the anxiety subsided. Human Made customized the design, integrated all of our tools, plug-ins, and APIs [application programming interfaces]. We created a very rich visual experience that was used widely and was very popular. We received very few support requests at launch, which was also fantastic.

When working with Human Made, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

I’m very happy with them because they communicated very well and their entire process was transparent. Tom was very hands-on and kept track of how things were going. They provided a great level of service to ensure we received everything on time and within budget. They’ve got some very talented people over there, which is reflected in their process and all of the work they deliver to their clients. This was, of course, what my close friend promised, and Human Made didn’t disappoint.

In retrospect, are there any areas in which you think Human Made could improve as a service provider?

I have no critiques. I think they’ve done an extraordinary job.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

WordPress Implementation United Kingdom Marketing Firm

"They were absolutely tireless in making sure that our project got delivered when we needed it."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
June - Oct. 2011
Project summary: 

Human Made consulted on a new WordPress website and applied a provided design to the backend of the website. The team built and installed custom plug-ins and managed all testing and deployment.

The Reviewer
 
10,001+ Employees
 
Reading, United Kingdom
Digital Content Manager, Digital Marketing Firm
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The website delivered considerable improvements in process efficiency, administrative flexibility, and SEO ranking. Human Made deployed the website flawlessly and quickly resolved any issues. They have extensive expertise in WordPress, remained accessible, and were attentive to project requirements.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We provide digital marketing solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses.

What is your position?

I’m the digital contact manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address with you first approached Human Made?

We wanted a flexible, easy-to-edit website that would give us great SEO [search engine optimization] value. Our older site was obsolete and static. We didn’t feel like it adequately reflected the quality of our brand.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work in greater detail?

They were more like consultants in the beginning, so they were advising us on why WordPress was right and how they could use it to meet our strategic objectives. They weren’t directly involved with the design, but they took the designs from our creative team and applied it to the backend of the site. They did quite a lot of the custom work to install the various plug-ins we wanted. They built some plug-ins from scratch for us to meet specific requirements, and managed all of the testing and deployment process for us, too.

How did you select Human Made as your solution partner?

We’d selected WordPress as the preferred content management system beforehand. We then searched for a number of agencies that had extensive WordPress expertise Human Made was one of several shops that emerged from our search. We talked to them about their previous work and had them propose some ideas for our own project. We were impressed with their presentation and decided to award them the work.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this particular project?

It cost under £50,000 [$83,000].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, and user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of their work?

The site itself took about four months to build, and was launched in October of 2011. We operated the site for about two years before replacing it about a year ago. Since then, we’ve made the decision to go back to WordPress, because we miss the flexibility and the SEO value. During the two years we used the site, we saw considerable improvements in both process efficiency and administrative flexibility.

We also saw our Google placement in search results improve rather significantly. It definitely improved our SEO ranking on a number of key terms, which was the major objective of the project. The deployment of the site was absolutely flawless, too. They were really hard working, and any issues that arose were resolved quickly. They were absolutely tireless in making sure that our project got delivered when we needed it, despite any issues that came our way. They dealt with it all, and they’re fantastic in that respect.

When working with Human Made, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

They absolutely seemed to be at top of their game. I know they’re approved partners for WordPress, and I believe that’s quite a specialized thing to be, but these guys were superb. They’ve invited us to various talks that they contribute to, in London, that are organized by WordPress. They have very deep expertise. More importantly, they’re never difficult to get a hold of when we’re in need of their assistance.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think Human Made could improve as a service provider?

Sometimes, they wouldn’t always submit their invoices on time, but that’s not a detriment to the client. Other than that, they were completely attentive to our project needs.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer