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Drupal & WordPress: Strategy, Design & Development

5.0
8 reviews

Kanopi Studios is a Strategy, Design, Development & Support Agency that specializes in data-driven, intelligent solutions. We create clean, modern, and user-focused sites that ensure your visitors build a lasting connection with your brand. We are a fully distributed team that hires the best and brightest web design and development talent across North America, but our heart and soul (and many of our staff) are in San Francisco and the state of California.

All "Kanopians" are senior-level experts, and many have been thought leaders in our tech space for over a decade.

Kanopi Studios is a Drupal Association member with several Acquia certified Drupal developers, and we are the lead organizers of the Bay Area Drupal Camp (BADCamp).

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Undisclosed
 
$150 - $199 / hr
 
10 - 49
 Founded
2010
Show all +
San Francisco, CA
headquarters

Portfolio

Key clients: 

EDUCATION: Stanford University, Yale Press, University of California, Washington State University, Stratford School.

NONPROFIT: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, American Epilepsy Society, Physicians for Human Rights, Teach for All, Benetech.

CORPORATE: Autodesk, Apartment List, Kilroy Realty, Big Switch.

CIVIC: San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco Public Library.

Orange Silicon Valley

Orange Silicon Valley, the Bay Area division of the French telecommunications company, noticed the speed at which Internet companies like Google and Facebook acquired new technology and moved into adjacent businesses — and was determined to be part of it. Kanopi Studios built them a WordPress website (www.orangesv.com) to help increase the visibility of their Silicon Valley office, extending Orange’s brand and introducing the

…
telecom giant to the Bay Area as they engaged with the startup ecosystem.
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Institute at Golden Gate

The Institute at Golden Gate (instituteatgoldengate.org) is at the intersection of park lands and social good. Kanopi created a Drupal 8 site that supported the need for park leaders to help solve complex social challenges, from healthcare to community inequities. The design system highlights initiatives, resources, and news while showcasing IGG’s knowledge and innovation. Newsletter engagement and donation opportunities were

…
simplified, and content editing made scalable for future growth.
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American Epilepsy Society

The American Epilepsy Society’s Annual Meeting (meeting.aesnet.org) is a yearly event that covers many topics around epilepsy, primarily education. AES came to Kanopi Studios with the goal of building a new Annual Meeting site that could be leveraged as a foundation for future meetings. The end result is a standalone Drupal 8 website built on a responsive framework which provides the AES team with greater flexibility to create

…
layouts that can evolve as their needs change.
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Reviews

5.0
8 reviews
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Drupal Development and Maintenance for a Mental Health Education Website

“We met with a lot of teams, but they were the best— and it's shown.”    

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
June 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Kanopi Studios provides ongoing support and maintenance for a Drupal platform on a monthly basis. In addition to bug fixes and scheduled module and security upgrades, they add features upon request.

The Reviewer
 
2-10 Employees
 
New York, New York
Consultant, Mind Your Brain
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

As evidenced by overarching web metrics and the business’s stability and functionality, Kanopi Studios has provided a satisfying level of ongoing services. Technical acumen, Drupal expertise, and industry presence set them apart from the competition. They’re communicative, organized, and reliable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Mind Your Brain is a company focused on developing courses and information for mental health professionals. Our organization is largely based around the work of Dr. Dan Siegel, a world-renowned author and speaker with a Harvard medical degree. I'm a consultant on the marketing and product development area. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kanopi Studios?

We were looking for a firm to help us with our website, which is built on the Drupal platform. At the baseline, we needed month-to-month maintenance and minor feature upgrades. We also hired them for the more significant updates and changes we need to make. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kanopi Studios provides monthly maintenance and base support. This level of service mainly revolves around minor frontend tweaks, security and module updates, and bug fixes. 

Some of the larger projects they've done have ranged from adding new features to updating how we handled aspects of the site on the backend. 

Recently, they created a functionality  we've termed an "all-access pass." This feature allows users to purchase access to our entire library, rather than buying individual courses. 

What is the team composition? 

Our main points of contact are a project manager and a Drupal developer. A few others from Kanopi Studios work for our business in the background. 

How did you come to work with Kanopi Studios?

When we decided to move on from our previous developer, we conducted a thorough review process and considered several different firms. Kanopi Studios came highly recommended. We met with them a few times to talk through their experience and methodology. They were a good fit for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $10,000–$50,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in the middle of 2017 and have an ongoing partnership. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To assess Kanopi Studios, we look at the overall health of our business including more general web metrics. They make sure everything is working the way we want it to. The work that they're providing our company is up to our standards. 

How did Kanopi Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Kanopi Studios keeps everything very well-managed. They're always on top of tasks and are skilled communicators. They keep our team appraised of progress. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

From a technical standpoint, Kanopi Studios has a tremendous knowledge of Drupal. Along with their internal developers, the team is well-connected and plays a significant role within the larger Drupal developer community. They have quite an extensive reach in that space, and their fingers are always on the pulse of new trends. 

They're very helpful when it comes to fixing a new problem or considering how to add new features. If they haven't done a task before themselves, they invariably know someone with the necessary skill set who can quickly provide answers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can't think of any. I've worked with many different firms over the years in a variety of roles, and Kanopi Studios performs very well. They're skilled and efficient. They communicate effectively and have maintained stability within the team they assigned us. We've had a positive experience so far. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust your first impression when you first meet Kanopi Studios. We met with a lot of teams, but they were the best— and it's shown. 

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 Dev and Maintenance for Environmental Nonprofit

"The peace of mind Kanopi Studios delivers cannot be understated."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Oct. 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Kanopi Studios is contracted for ongoing maintenance and troubleshooting for a suite of Drupal websites. They manage all updates and also support feature development efforts as needed.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Washington, D.C.
Eric Schwass
Visual Media Manager, ACEEE
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Their work led to consistently updated websites with cleaner code than before, which frees up time for internal staff to focus on content creation. Kanopi Studios maintains regular communication, making tech-related matters easy to understand while anticipating any possible issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the visual media manager for an environmental and energy nonprofit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

We hired them to provide maintenance and troubleshooting for our suite of Drupal websites and to deliver expertise and dev support on adding features to the sites.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to move the day-to-day management of our websites to Kanopi Studios, which would free up our in-house staff so that they can manage content better.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We identified vendors through conferences and online "best of" lists. Kanopi Studios stood out for having reasonable prices and Drupal-specific expertise. What stood out the most to us, though, was that they’re a woman-owned business, which helped us achieve our organizational goal of hiring minority-owned vendors. Kanopi also impressed us by being incredibly well-organized.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Besides handling all our core and module updates, as well as managing server-related updates related to our websites. Kanopi Studios is always offering recommendations for improving our websites based on their experience with their other clients. Their documentation and workflows follow industry and Drupal-recommended best practices, which is not a given out there.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a primary contact and a backend engineer. They allocate frontend developers, designers, and themers as necessary.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our websites are better built and cleaner, in terms of code, than they were when we handed them over. They’re now up to date and our staff spends zero time troubleshooting problems or bringing crashed sites back online. The peace of mind Kanopi Studios delivers cannot be understated.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Kanopi Studios communicates project statuses through Teamwork. They’re very good at keeping everything up to date and I can always view the status of a task by checking online.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I think there's a professionalism at Kanopi Studios that is not always present in the web development world. They’re adept at bridging the gap between plain language and tech-speak. They also make sure they’re thinking about any possible side effects caused by executing a task and they’ve mastered the almost lost art of effective, friendly customer service.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I have zero complaints about my partnership with Kanopi Studios.

5.0
Overall Score I wish all vendors were as professional and pleasant to work with.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They are sure to find a time that works and are flexible when last-minute changes arise.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They're not the cheapest, but they're far from the most expensive too. They offer a great value considering the work they do.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Their work never has to be redone.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Kanopi Studios would be my first recommendation.

Drupal Development for Economic Nonprofit

"The entire team is extremely responsive, accommodating, and pleasant."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
Nov. 2013 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Kanopi Studios redesigned an existing website and migrated it onto Drupal 7. They built wireframes, streamlined the UX, and simplified maintenance structures. 

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Auburn, Alabama
Chad Parish
Technology Manager, Ludwig von Mises Institute
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The website is not only intuitive and robust but also easy for staff to maintain and update. Kanopi Studios kept the project on track and under budget while implementing creative, elegant solutions. Their helpful advice, timely deliveries, and outstanding quality of work set them apart. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Mises Institute is an educational organization dedicated to researching and teaching the Austrian School of economics and politics. We publish books and journals, produce videos and podcasts, host conferences around the world, and offer free online resources. As technology manager, I handle audio and video production, graphic design, and management of our website. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

We first worked with their founder when she was our project manager with another vendor. When she started Kanopi Studios, we stayed with that firm for support and ongoing development. After a year, we moved to Kanopi Studios. That move was a game-changer, and we've been happy ever since.

What were your goals for this project?

In 2013, we redesigned our site from the ground up, moving our robust website from a proprietary setup to Drupal 7. Our goal was to build an attractive, efficient site that our staff could easily manage and constantly improve.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed several vendors. The deciding factor was the founder's professionalism and our ease in interacting with her.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We evaluated our mission and organizational goals throughout the wireframe design, architecture, site management, and launch. We interacted extensively and scheduled many conference calls. Since the launch, we've continued with ongoing improvements, development, and maintenance.

Because our website evolved over 15 years, it was a rat's nest of dysfunctional systems. Building a new home and importing a huge database into Drupal was extremely challenging, but they made it happen.

We're constantly improving our website and launching new development projects. We are working on a text-to-speech project and an API that will expand and improve site performance and features.

What was the team composition?

We mostly spoke with our project manager, information architect, and UX expert. We had limited interaction with the graphic designer and technical team, so I'm not sure how many people were involved. After launch, most of our interactions have been with our project manager and technical lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The most obvious impact has been the improved, responsive site design and streamlined website management. It's easy to add and edit content. Another unexpected impact has been the expansion of Drupal site features. For example, it's easier to host RSS feeds of our podcasts and audiobooks, feed them to platforms like Stitcher and Spotify, and add Spanish and Korean translations of our website.

We had 11,507,718 unique page views in 2018, and mobile device and tablet sessions accounted for more than 3.9 million total visits. The website is key to reaching new audiences and younger demographics. For example, 48% of our online readership in 2018 was under the age of 35, and nearly 47% of all sessions occurred on mobile devices. Their team makes this ongoing creative growth possible. Looking to the future sets us apart.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They're professional and systematic. The founder has managed the entire process. While quite responsive to our ideas and suggestions, she keeps the project on track and under budget. Our current project manager and tech lead are fantastic. They're quick to respond to and solve problems.

Since we're a nonprofit, it's important that they are also cognizant of our budget and timeline. They break down invoices, so we know how they spend every minute and dollar.

We communicate weekly through video conferencing, but they are regularly available through email and Teamwork and are always open to schedule meetings. The entire team is extremely responsive, accommodating, and pleasant. Their customer service is impeccable. Sometimes the founder calls, out of the blue, to see how things are going. They make us feel like their most important client.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I've never worked with a company that balances customer service, friendliness, work quality, deadlines, and professionalism so well. They are simply the best. We are pleased to work with Kanopi Studios and always recommend them. I've worked here for nearly 18 years, and hiring them was the best website-related decision we've ever made.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We should have been slightly more hands-off. They accommodated our constant requests and changes, but we should have stepped back and let the experts run with it.

5.0
Overall Score They have a superior balance of customer service, friendliness, work quality, technical expertise, and professionalism.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They're always flexible, and make a superior effort to be available when we need them.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They stay within our budget and help us plan our projects. The customer service and value are top-notch.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Their work quality is excellent and reliable.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    We're pleased to work with them, and always recommend them.

Web Dev for Mid Size Technology Company

"The team truly invested itself in our project and its success."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Aug. - Nov. 2018
Project summary: 

Kanopi Studios updated a website in WordPress. They refreshed its look and feel, and they made future content updates easier and less likely to cause crashes. The team now provides ongoing support.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Walnut Creek, California
Enterprise Account Executive, Mid Size Software Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The site experiences less downtime and has received positive feedback from internal stakeholders. Kanopi Studios ran a smooth collaboration from start to finish. Their team demonstrated technical expertise and delivered high-quality products on time and at excellent value.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an enterprise account executive for a mid-sized technology company. We provide infrastructure to build, launch, and run Drupal and WordPress websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

Our own website was outdated, but every time our marketing team made changes, the site would go offline. We engaged Kanopi Studios to revamp the site and make it easier for us to update content as needed.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to give our site a modern look and feel to reflect our company’s growth.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We spoke with three vendors. Kanopi Studios best understood our needs and provided a solid plan for how they planned to complete the work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Kanopi Studios redesigned and developed our website in WordPress. They now provide ongoing updates.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a group of WordPress developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Our marketing team can now push out updates much faster without worrying about site crashes.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project ran smoothly from start to finish. Kanopi Studios had a talented team with proven expertise in web development. They exceeded our expectations throughout.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team truly invested itself in our project and its success. They cared about meeting our deadlines and delivering excellent products.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

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

Web Dev and Design for BI Company

"Their employees are great; everyone is incredibly skilled, knowledgeable, and nice."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Dec. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Kanopi provides various services, including website maintenance and design updates. They performed a technical audit to identify key concerns and now work with the internal team to solve problems.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
San Mateo, California
Robyn Forman
VP Marketing, Zoomdata
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Unlike other firms, Kanopi has a skilled team that effectively communicates project concerns and updates. They hold regular meetings to discuss progress, and the partnership has been excellent so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the VP of marketing for Zoomdata, a modern business intelligence company for big and streaming data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

We needed a partner to administer and manage the website, as well as refresh the design.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to maintain a sound, technical website and refresh the design.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The frontend developer and account manager of a previous partner took a job at Kanopi, and when I started looking into them, I realized they were organized and professional. Their team was also skilled, so I hired them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The first thing Kanopi did was a technical audit to determine what was effective and what needed to change. They then began fixing the system, including our hosting situation. They manage our development and production web servers and take care of our Drupal code. They also maintain our site and keep the design fresh and updated; we hadn't changed it in over three years. Kanopi is already implementing the new CSS.

What was the team composition?

I work with three support members, a strategist, and a designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We're in the early days of working with Kanopi, but I can already see a huge difference.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They're efficient, using a small set of management and communication tools that they quickly added us to. They work well with our internal team and the multiple stakeholders for the main site, developer site, and documentation site. We have weekly meetings to discuss goals, priorities, and progress updates.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their employees are great; everyone is incredibly skilled, knowledgeable, and nice. They know what the site needs to function properly and to attract and convert visitors. It's a been a joy to work with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. 

5.0
Overall Score They do excellent work and have great people!
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Scheduling has been very easy.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    Kanopi is very reasonably priced.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Kanopi has been fantastic to work with.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I'd absolutely refer them to friends and will happily be a reference for them.

Drupal Development for Boutique Fitness Studio

“Their quick response and sense of urgency to our needs set them apart–they were unbelievable.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Less than $10,000
 
May - July 2018
Project summary: 

Kanopi Studios provided immediate security support for a Drupal website, as well as additional development work as needed.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
San Francisco, California
Alan Roberts
Owner, Pelo Fitness
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Kanopi Studios' dedication to quickly meeting the urgent needs of the company is exceptional. In addition to their ability to patch up security issues and provide quality development support, their team is very responsive, efficient with their time, and easy to communicate with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of Pelo Fitness, a boutique fitness studio chain with two locations in San Francisco, Calif.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kanopi Studios?

We weren't happy with our previous developers, so were were looking for a new vendor ASAP as we started having some security issues with the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kanopi Studios provided immediate, emergency security patching for our website on Drupal. They also continue to provide ongoing maintenance and additional development work for the site as needed. We may engage them for some web design services in the near future as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people primarily.

How did you come to work with Kanopi Studios?

We found them on Drupal.org and were drawn to their website. We liked the fact that they're an all-female company and felt they were honest in their approach to the work we needed done.

How much have you invested with them?

We probably invested less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from May–July 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we called Kanopi Studios for immediate help, they were able to quickly patch up holes in our online security. Their quick response and sense of urgency to our needs set them apart–they were unbelievable.

How did Kanopi Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic overall. We had great success communicating to their team via video conferencing, and they were able to answer every question we had. They also worked quickly and were very efficient with their time, so we got a great value overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We'd worked with three providers before Kanopi Studios, but none of the relationships went as smoothly as it did with them. They're easy to communicate with, making concepts easy for us to understand and remaining accessible to us throughout the engagement. They're also very reasonably priced for a US-based company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They were great all around.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, because my relationship with Kanopi Studios was so easy.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They turned things around very quickly.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They provide a lot of value for their services, turnaround times, and customer support.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They provide quality work and are efficient in their approach.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Website Redesign for Home Cleaning and Restoration Firm

"Building a website is never easy, but working with people you both respect and like makes a huge difference." 

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
Jan. - Sept. 2018
Project summary: 

Kanopi Studios handled design and development for a new website using UX wireframes, mood boards, and a pattern library. They also migrated existing content and introduced geolocation and scheduling features.

The Reviewer
 
5,001-10,000 Employees
 
Burlingame, California
Sara Arlia
VP of Marketing, COIT Cleaning and Restoration
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Kanopi Studios instituted an effortless collaboration using multiple management tools to ensure direct communication with key players. Their personable team fostered a collegial atmosphere and a productive partnership, improving page views, bounce rates, and conversions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the VP of marketing for COIT Cleaning and Restoration, a full-service cleaning company that handles both regular maintenance and one-off projects. We have locations spanning North America in Canada and the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kanopi Studios?

Our website was last updated in 2011 to an older version of Drupal. As a result, it needed to be completely rebuilt on the latest Drupal platform with a UI/UX that could serve both corporate and franchise locations.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a fresh, modern website that would guide consumers through a simple journey.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We learned about Kanopi Studios through a different digital agency that we used for our wireframes. Soon, we realized that we wanted to work directly with Kanopi Studios.

Describe the project in detail.

Before building the site, they developed UX wireframes and put together a design plan via mood boards and a complete pattern library. They also migrated our existing content and introduced scheduling and geolocation capabilities.

What was the team composition?

Kanopi Studios provided an amazing project manager, a lead developer, and a UX lead, among others.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Within a month of launching the new site, our bounce rate decreased by more than 10% in the US and 63% in Canada. Best of all, page views and conversions also increased, growing 24% and 30% respectively.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

After we established an unimpeded relationship with Kanopi, the project ran smoothly and stayed within our timelines. Working with other companies, I’ve only been able to speak with project managers. But Kanopi provided access to the right people. It was easy to communicate with the project manager and lead developer, especially over Slack and Teamwork. Our seemingly instant communication was amazing and made the project flow quickly and efficiently.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Kanopi Studios’ staff members are their most impressive assets—extremely intelligent, experienced, and personable. Building a website is never easy, but working with people you both respect and like makes a huge difference.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything.

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

Drupal Migration for Professional Graduate School

“They produced what they promised and did so on time.”

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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
 
Apr. - Oct. 2016
Project summary: 

Kanopi Studios migrated an obsolete CMS to an updated version of Drupal. They retained the platform’s content, rebuilt custom modules, and developed a new backend. They also redesigned the website’s UI/UX.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
San Francisco Metro Area
Sr. Director of IT, Professional Graduate School
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Kanopi Studios led and completed an intricate CMS migration. Their masterful use of Drupal helped revitalize a software development pipeline. They delivered a mobile responsive platform that performs well across all relevant devices. The site’s frontend is attractive and intuitive.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior IT director for a professional graduate school. We offer an interdisciplinary program that combines elements of computer science, social science, law policy, and economics to teach students how to improve IT systems. Our studies include analyzing the impact of advanced technology on both the individual and society as a whole.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Kanopi Studios?

We’d been using Drupal as our CMS for over 10 years before that version neared its end-of-life. Therefore, we had to migrate our system to the new version. However, we amassed a variety of custom modules and thousands of content pieces throughout the prior decade. As a result, the migration’s scale and a proposed website redesign proved more than our internal resources could handle at once. We hired Kanopi Studios to accomplish this project for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kanopi Studios analyzed all of our content and developed a plan to migrate those files to the new version of Drupal. They had to recreate the functionalities we had in place by integrating the off-the-shelf modules that come with Drupal. If a replacement module wasn’t available, they were required to create the unique code themselves. This process included designing and developing a new backend that’s capable of storing all of our content. Once they executed the migration, they completely redesigned our website’s frontend. Ultimately, they delivered a responsive site that works well on all devices.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an assigned project manager, 2–3 developers, a UX resource, and a designer. Different parts of the project required different expertise, but we interacted with roughly six people over the course of the engagement.

How did you come to work with Kanopi Studios?

We sent out an RFP and got responses from multiple vendors. Upon reviewing the proposals, Kanopi Studios stood apart from the other candidates by having the most experience with Drupal. In addition to a reasonable asking price, they provided a detailed solution that accurately addressed our problem.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $130,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our involvement with them took place from April–October 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Kanopi Studios successfully migrated our Drupal platform while preserving all the content that we’ve built up over the years. They worked hard to achieve a responsive design that works well on both mobile and large desktop displays.

How did Kanopi Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

As with any project of this size, we had to stay on top of everything and spend the extra time to keep communication clear. The project manager was responsive and kept us informed regarding their progress. They gave us accounts on Teamwork Projects so we could track different aspects of the engagement and communicate with them. They met the promised delivery dates, so we’re happy with their overall performance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expert knowledge of Drupal facilitated a quick and effective migration. They also helped modernize our software development process. By utilizing Git source code control and a series of other tools that enabled us to do automated deployments, we were able to develop an updated software pipeline.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any significant recommendations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I find that a lot of clients underestimate the effort that’s required from them to ensure a project is completed on time. It’s important to have an honest conversation at the start of the engagement to outline the responsibilities of both parties.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    We considered six vendors and their bid was the lowest.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They produced what they promised and did so on time.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    We had a positive experience working them.