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Creator of "React on Rails"

5.0
8 reviews

You don’t need a software developer. You need a technology partner who understands your business and can help build a solution that evolves and scales in line with your business.

Delivering attractive, high-performance web and mobile apps that drive growth and profitability, ShakaCode is a web development software consultancy. Founded by Justin Gordon, creator of React-on-Rails, ShakaCode offers reusable IP, expertise, and experience, along with full transparency and streamlined communications to ensure success. Solving real-world problems using best-in-class technologies, ShakaCode helps startups, mid-market, and enterprise clients scale their business with high impact websites. Since 2011, we’ve designed, prototyped, and built dozens of e-commerce, marketplace, and information sharing solutions. Our core expertise is development and integration in the following environments:

  • Ruby on Rails with server-side-rendering for SEO optimization
  • React with a type-safe setup specializing in TypeScript or Reason
  • Optimizing React-on-Rails for performance, SEO, and efficient development
  • Gatsby for building lightning-fast websites and apps

As partners that work with you, not for you, we can either build your entire website or complement your existing team with the expertise, experience, flexibility, intellectual property, and knowledge transfer you need to meet aggressive deadlines - on time and within budget.

“The ShakaCode team brought out-of-the-box thinking that addressed concerns, met our requirements, and identified operational constraints, far exceeding our expectations." – Erik Krueger, CTO, Printivity

Professional but easy going with competitive pricing, transparent billing, and flexible resource allocation, ShakaCode makes it happen! Email us at [email protected]

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$25,000+
 
$100 - $149 / hr
 
10 - 49
 Founded
2011
Show all +
Honolulu, HI
headquarters

Portfolio

hvmn.com Image

hvmn.com

Challenge: With their entire backend built on Rails and React on Rails used for server-side rendering, HVMN's content and e-commerce site faced significant performance issues when traffic increased 10X. 

Solution: In just three weeks, the ShakaCode team helped HVMN migrate to React on Rails Pro, set up Webpack v4, and migrated their entire asset pipeline to Webpack

…
v4. 

Technology: React on Rails Pro for Server-Side Rendering, Webpack v4.

Results: "Our blog and product pages are 80-90% faster after that effort. The improved fragment caching was quick to set up and made a huge dent in our average server response times. We also observed an additional drop in response times when ShakaCode shipped the standalone Node server-side React renderer." - Paul Benigeri, Head of E-Commerce, HVMN

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Datacenters.com Image

Datacenters.com

Challenge: Focused on creating a global marketplace for buyers and sellers of data center, cloud, and connectivity services, Datacenters.com required a redesign with new features and functions to meet the needs of users, while ensuring the underlying technology was optimized for future growth. 

Solution: Based on their technical capabilities, intellectual property, and experience in

…
building HawaiiChee.com, Datacenters.com hired ShakaCode to take over and update the designs provided by the original outsourcing team. 

Technology: Rails 5.2, ReasonML for the front-end, React on Rails Pro for Server-Side Rendering, and Comfy-Mexican-Sofa CMS.

Results: ShakaCode quickly scaled up their development team to meet some critical deadlines and get the website ready in time for launch at an important industry trade show. Intellectual property from HawaiiChee.com was leveraged to speed up development, and members from the original team reallocated to streamline the process.

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Printivity.com Image

Printivity.com

Challenge: When the time came to rebrand their company, Printivity needed a website that matched their new look, delivered scalability and performance to enable business growth, and reduced time-to-market for new print products. 

Solution: Based on their technical capabilities, competitive pricing, transparent billing, and flexible resource allocation, Printivity hired ShakaCode for the

…
complete end-to-end implementation, including taking over and updating the designs provided by the original branding and design team. 

Technology: Brand new React front-end, Ruby on Rails back-end, Solidus for e-commerce, React on Rails Pro for Server-Side Rendering, and Typescript for JavaScript type support.

Results: “The ShakaCode team brought out-of-the-box thinking that addressed concerns, met our requirements, and identified operational constraints,” states Erik Krueger, CTO of Printivity. “Not only did they help us integrate technologies, but also helped us simplify the solution, probably saving us a month or two of complexity while still meeting our requirements."

  • Entire e-commerce website built in just three months
  • 75% new website adoption in just one month with higher than expected returns 
  • Faster time-to-market for new products (2-3 days from 3-4 weeks)
  • 80-90% cost savings for launching a new product
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HawaiiChee.com Image

HawaiiChee.com

Challenge: Create a local vacation rental comparison site that allows vacationers to find the best selection of rental properties in Hawaii, compare prices from owners and OTAs, and get directly in touch with property managers. Solution: Leverage ShakaCode resources, best-in-class technologies, and Agile methodologies to develop a bidirectional marketplace from scratch. Technology: Ruby on Rails, React on Rails, React on Rails…
Pro Server-Side Rendering, ReasonML, Webpack v4. Results: A brand new real estate marketplace with reusable IP that can be leveraged to accelerate time-to-market and reduce development costs for clients seeking to differentiate themselves by rolling out elegant, modern, and high-performance bidirectional marketplaces supporting both providers and consumers.
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Reviews

5.0
8 reviews
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UI Design for E-Commerce Development Company

"They laid a good foundation for a collaborative relationship that contributed to the success of the project."

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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
 
Dec. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

ShakaCode provided UI designs for an e-commerce developer. The team built a sophisticated rule-builder that enables clients to segment their customers into groups for email targeting.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Boston, Massachusetts
Justin Stern
CTO, SkyVerge
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The engagement allows the client to deliver the necessary functionality to their customers. ShakaCode is available and focused, establishing an effective workflow. The team is collaborative and adaptable, taking an active role in feedback cycles.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

With over 100,000 customers, SkyVerge is a fast-growing business that builds mission-critical tools for eCommerce brands on Shopify, Easy Digital Downloads, and WooCommerce. One of our solutions, Jilt, is an all-in-one email marketing platform generating over $90 million in revenue for online merchants through lost revenue recovery. I’m a co-founder and the CTO of both SkyVerge and Jilt, responsible for all things technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

Built by a team of backend and full-stack engineers, Jilt lacked the attractive, intuitive interface our users expected. We wanted a partner who could help us deliver a great user experience with an attractive, user-friendly and intuitive UI using highly-sophisticated, rules-based segmentation functionality. We also wanted a consistent look and feel across multiple screens to attract new users, retain existing clients, and reduce the number of support issues.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build an attractive, user-friendly, and intuitive user interface using React to delight new users, retain existing customers, and reduce the number of support requests we were receiving.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were using Ruby on Rails for the backend and had chosen React for the frontend, so we looked for a partner with expertise spanning both areas. We read articles and searched through Stack Overflow and GitHub, eventually identifying two possible candidates. Since Justin Gordon, the founder of ShakaCode, created react_on_rails and had an entrepreneurial spirit similar to ours, it seemed like a good fit.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

ShakaCode built a sophisticated rule-builder that enables clients to segment their customers, choosing which ones to group and target with which email campaigns. Since we previously had no React within Jilt, ShakaCode took us from zero React to having a fully React-driven, rules-based, sophisticated segmentation screen.

Once that was up and running, we extended our partnership. ShakaCode also made recommendations for the entire tech stack, including reusable UI components with TypeScript, Storybook, and Styled-components, Cypress.io for testing, CircleCI for continuous integration and delivery, and Webpacker for building deployment packages.

What was the team composition?

Overall, we’ve worked with five or six developers from ShakaCode, depending on the workload. Now that we’re building up our in-house frontend competencies, we’ve reduced that to working with two or three.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a fully functional, highly complex segmentation screen that delivers the functionality our users need. It’s built with the best technologies, leverages best practices, and has established a pattern that we’re able to apply consistently across the rest of the app.

Jilt also now has a consistent look and feel across all screens with excellent performance, translating to a significantly enhanced user experience. That’s contributed to our seeing significantly fewer support requests than before.

ShakaCode also developed screens for several new features, including email list management and support for sending out newsletters, reducing churn and improving retention. Now we can build and deploy fast, attractive, and user-friendly screens—something that we couldn’t do previously.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

ShakaCode’s project manager ensured that the team was always available and stayed focused on the tasks scheduled. Any questions or concerns were quickly addressed, and he was quick to add more developers to the project when needed. As a result, we hit all of our important deadlines and were very happy with the speed of development.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The project was a huge undertaking and the deadlines extremely ambitious. Even though the specs we gave them lacked detail in certain areas, ShakaCode delivered on time and within budget. I also liked ShakaCode’s openness to new ways of doing things.

They never gave the impression that they were the experts and you had to do things their way. They were always open to new ideas. They laid a good foundation for a collaborative relationship that contributed to the success of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that we weren’t able to address. One thing that we implemented jointly to keep things on track was a daily developer check-in via Slack. That allowed me to quickly see what each developer was working on, enabling me to help overcome roadblocks or redirect resources to focus on higher priority tasks.

5.0
Overall Score Our experience with ShakaCode has been exceptional.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    ShakaCode delivered on time despite the lack of clarity from our side at times.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    ShakaCode’s billing is super transparent and they’re always looking for ways to increase value.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    ShakaCode’s development team is highly skilled and responsive.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    ShakaCode was an immediate and effective extension of our team.

App Development for Digital Marketing Company

"...we ended up with a partner who’s committed to our business and offers tremendous expertise and experience."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
July 2016 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

ShakaCode is a frontend development partner, offering app development services using Ruby on Rails and React.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Denver, Colorado
Rachel Hazelwood
Head of Product Management, Blue Moon Digital, Inc.
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The features that ShakaCode has developed differentiate stakeholders from their competitors. These functionalities have enhanced productivity, profits, and internal culture. The vendor is a collaborative, flexible team that doesn't let challenges affect their ability to meet deadlines.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Blue Moon Digital is a digital consultancy offering a full portfolio of digital marketing services focused on helping our clients leverage the power of data to drive digital transformation. I’m the Head of Product Management responsible for identifying new opportunities and overseeing SaaS product development and launch to meet the needs of our staff and clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

Frontend development technology is complex and getting more and more complicated every day. We wanted to develop an app to run within a Domo environment using Rails and React.js, but lacked the in-house frontend development capabilities we needed to get the job done.

What were your goals for this project?

With speed critical to decision-making in today’s digital economy, the Domo platform provides fast, easy access to unified, cleansed data with automated updates for real-time insights. We felt that we could provide better value for our clients by using Domo to run our Ruby on Rails and React.js apps.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Since we were already using Ruby on Rails and React, we wanted a partner who was an expert in that area, and had experience successfully completing similar projects. We found the react_on_rails gem on GitHub and reached out to its creator, Justin Gordon, who’s the founder of ShakaCode. We initially started with a small project where ShakaCode built an initial application stack. Once we understood how they operated and that we worked well together, we continued our partnership.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The Revenue Equation App initially started out as a visualization tool to break down and report on key performance metrics for e-commerce sites. However, with most of our clients having a plan or forecast, we wanted to provide a way to track performance against those goals visually. Once ShakaCode had developed that capability, we realized that there were more features we could add that would make a real difference to our clients’ bottom line. ShakaCode developed a pacing functionality that will become the future of the product. It adds real value to our customers and differentiates Blue Moon Digital as a leader in this space.

What was the team composition?

We’ve worked with three different lead developers. We’ve always found the expertise and quality of their work to be exceptional.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The functionality that ShakaCode developed for the Revenue Equation App has made a huge difference to our clients. It enables them to be more proactive when it comes to identifying underperforming campaigns and optimize spend to drive revenue and reduce risk. That translates to increased profits and happy shareholders. It’s also increased the productivity of our internal team, since they now spend less time on reporting and more time focusing on the strategic needs of our clients.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Overall it’s been pretty good. We’ve had some challenges with communication at times, but that’s as much our fault as ShakaCode’s. The most important thing is that we managed to address it before it impacted our delivery milestones and deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We started off looking for a partner to develop a React frontend for Domo, but we ended up with a partner who’s committed to our business and offers tremendous expertise and experience. Our working relationship with ShakaCode is collaborative. It’s enhanced our capabilities and added significant value to Blue Moon Digital and what we can do for our clients. We’ve also appreciated ShakaCode’s flexibility. There are times when projects are slower, but when things speed up, ShakaCode always provides resources we need when we need them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Improving our communication is something that we could both work on. Sometimes, cultures influence the way things are done. We just need to recognize and address it as soon as possible.

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

Web Dev for Restaurant SaaS Platform

"They became an extension of our in-house team..."

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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
 
Apr. 2019 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

ShakaCode provided outsourced software development and Heroku optimization. They helped speed up technical backends with React to reduce infrastructure costs. They also built a new Node.js server. 

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Atlanta, Georgia
Justis Blasco
Co-founder & VP of Technology, Popmenu
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

ShakaCode's efforts exceeded expectations and significantly increased page speed and efficiency. The costs of the project dropped. Their team was easy to work with and became a full partner with the in-house team. They were instrumental in achieving the client's goals. 

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Supporting thousands of restaurant locations, Popmenu is a startup SaaS platform for restaurateurs. Popmenu’s technology supercharges online restaurant menus, providing a dynamic consumer experience that puts photos, reviews, ratings, and social validation directly on the restaurant’s website and under their control. Automated email and social post capabilities can be used to increase customer engagement. I’m the co-founder and lead software engineer/architect of the consumer engagement platform for restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

Popmenu can either be embedded into an existing website or fully hosted on our servers. In just over a year, we’d onboarded and launched over 1,000 restaurants nationwide, with the majority choosing us to build and host their websites. We grew so fast that our infrastructure couldn't keep up. Our Heroku hosting costs were also increasing as we cloned the app to meet demand. We had some ideas on how to address the issues, but needed someone to validate and help implement them.

What were your goals for this project?

We had three main goals. First, to enhance the user’s experience for finding restaurant information, browsing restaurant menus, and rating dishes. Second, to find a way to reduce the memory requirements for Rails server-side rendering and reduce our Heroku infrastructure hosting costs. Lastly, we wanted to accelerate deployments by improving developer workflows and reducing build and test times.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were expanding so fast that I wanted a partner who could help me make technical decisions, suggest best practices, and be available to assist over the long-term as we faced new challenges. I also wanted someone who could help improve our development workflow and the team’s overall efficiency by sharing new tools and standards for development and testing. We were already using ShakaCode’s react_on_rails, but React on Rails PRO could, if it did what it claimed, save me a considerable amount of time and effort. After a quick conversation with Justin Gordon, the creator of React on Rails and React on Rails PRO, we decided to partner with ShakaCode.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project required implementing the features of React on Rails PRO to improve performance and reduce infrastructure costs. React on Rails PRO incorporates code-splitting, cached server rendering, fragment caching, standalone Node JS server rendering, rolling restart of Node workers, improved Node tooling, and several other features.

What was the team composition?

ShakaCode provided a lead developer for the entire project. Additional resources were added as needed for their specific expertise.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The initial performance improvements far exceeded our expectations, with the average page response time for Popmenu users reduced by almost 75%. Even more impressive is that over the same period, we increased throughput by 124%. We’re now handling more than 2.2X the number of requests while maintaining much faster response times. Our Google Lighthouse performance scores have increased by over 40% to an average of over 90 across all our sites. We’ve also reduced our Heroku hosting cost per client by 20-25%.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The ShakaCode team was easy to work with, quickly adjusting to our way of doing things.They became an extension of our in-house team, sharing their knowledge, and helping us improve our capabilities.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The ShakaCode team brought out-of-the-box thinking that addressed our requirements and alleviated our concerns, implementing solutions that worked within our operational constraints. They also took the time to get to know our business and understand the impact of what we were doing from our clients' perspective. As a result, rather than just implementing a technical solution, they helped us stay focused on our business goals.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There is always room for improvement, but there was nothing significant that impacted the success of the project.

5.0
Overall Score ShakaCode exceeded my expectations.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    ShakaCode was professional, easy-going, and flexible.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    ShakaCode provides good value for the cost.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    ShakaCode gave us the performance we were looking for.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Based on my experience with ShakaCode, I would recommend their services.

Software Consulting for Aerial Mapping Company

"I give ShakaCode credit for empowering me and helping me to be the programmer I am today."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Less than $10,000
 
Nov. 2017 - May 2019
Project summary: 

ShakaCode consulted on how to best develop workflow systems for project management and production workflow. They reviewed code and provided suggestions about the tech stack.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Phoenix, Arizona
Kyle Maune
Lead Software Engineer, Cooper Aerial Surveys
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

They played an integral role in the timely creation of a functional product. The solution grows revenue and streamlines processes. ShakaCode offered prompt, expert responses to questions. They revealed new methods of problem-solving while teaching new concepts, and they were invested in tasks.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Established in 1966, Cooper Aerial Surveys Co. is recognized is the leading aerial mapping company providing surveying, digital aerial mapping, LiDAR, softcopy, aero-triangulation, earthwork and volumetric calculations, cross-sectioning and profiling, and digital terrain modeling (DTM). Our more than 35 employees across four offices nationally are among the most experienced in the aerial mapping industry.

I’m the Lead Software Engineer responsible for building and maintaining an in-house Ruby on Rails and React.js project management and production workflow system handling approximately $8,000,000 in sales per year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

Because of the unique nature of our business, the owner couldn’t find an OTS project management and production workflow system that met his needs, so he hired me to build it for him. I had some exposure to Ruby on Rails, but when it came to building a complex system, I needed someone with experience who could answer questions, help me choose the right tech stack, review the code, and guide me through some of the obstacles I encountered.

What were your goals for this project?

The project management and production workflow components were initially built as two separate systems. The goal of the project was to merge them into a single system, leveraging development best practices, and ensuring that the code was of a high standard an easily maintainable. I built the initial prototype based on my limited knowledge of Ruby on Rails, but when it came to developing the production system, I needed someone with expertise and experience to assist.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I came across ShakaCode and Justin Gordon when I was researching Ruby on Rails. They make a significant contribution to open source, and Justin is known as the “go-to” expert for all things Rails and React, especially because of his react_on_rails gem. I followed his blog and learned a lot from it, so when it came to looking for an expert to assist me, he was a natural choice. Most importantly, ShakaCode offers React on Rails Pro, a subscription-based support plan. It provides access to ShakaCode experts for a certain amount of each month based on a small fee.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I was responsible for doing the actual development. ShakaCode indirectly provided advice on the tech stack (I saw what they were using and simply copied them), did code reviews, and provided answers and guidance when I got stuck. It was often a case of my contacting them and saying “I'm trying to do x and y. What’s the best way to do it?”

What was the team composition?

I was the only developer for Cooper Aerial. ShakaCode provided a number of different resources, with a lead developer who provided most of the support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ShakaCode helped me get a reliable, robust product into production. It’s streamlined our workflow and provided consistency for our customers. As a result, our company’s revenue is growing steadily at 30-40% per year.

I believe I can give credit for some of that growth to ShakaCode. I also estimate ShakaCode saved me at least 25% in terms of time, so we got the product out faster than expected.

If I ran into a wall, it might take me upwards of a week to figure it out, but with ShakaCode, I always had an answer or solution within a few hours. They also saved us a significant amount of money.

We had a full-time employee who wasn’t pulling their weight, so we replaced them with a React on Rails Pro subscription which amounted to savings of tens of thousands of dollars.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We worked well together. When I needed help and contacted ShakaCode, I always had a response within 24 hours. However, for much of the time, the response was within a few minutes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I give ShakaCode credit for empowering me and helping me to be the programmer I am today. They never just gave me the answer. They made me work for it, pointing me in the right direction to the answers of resources I needed so I could discover the solution on my own.

For me, that was priceless. I’ve grown as a developer, and my approach to problem-solving has changed for the better. I feel like I owe a lot of my current standing and position within Cooper Ariel to ShakaCode.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s always room for improvement, but ShakaCode is extremely professional, and, irrespective of how many projects they have on the go, treat each client as though it was their only one. Their personal touch shows that they care, even if it’s only a small project.

5.0
Overall Score ShakaCode is great! I’m planning on using them for new projects I’m currently planning.
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    Sometimes I wanted to meet with a specific team member and had to wait for one or two days because they were busy.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    The value of React on Rails Pro is exceptional for the returns you get if you use it effectively.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    Everything ShakaCode does is of the highest quality. It’s very difficult to fault them when it comes to anything technical.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I would recommend ShakaCode to anyone who needs expert help on Rails and React.

Custom Question Builder for Computer Software Company

"ShakaCode gave us exactly what we needed - a high-quality, robust feature that adds real value..."

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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
 
Oct. - Dec. 2017
Project summary: 

ShakaCode developed a survey generator, which is embedded within a web application. The solution consists of a ReactJS frontend integrated with a Ruby on Rails backend through an API.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Washington, DC
Thomas Hoen
VP Growth Technology, Network For Good
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The solution has functioned seamlessly and received excellent feedback from users. ShakeCode had a seamless workflow accented by a depth of technical expertise. They collaborated closely with stakeholders, sharing their knowledge and skills.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Network for Good is a SaaS company providing innovative fundraising and donor management software for nonprofits, backed up with expertise, training, and support to drive successful campaigns. Based in Washington DC, the company distributes millions of donations from donors to good causes each year. Since 2001, Network for Good has processed more than $1 billion in donations to over 100,000 charities through its secure online giving platform. I’m the VP of Growth Technology responsible for identifying and utilizing technologies that can add value to our business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

ShakaCode was brought in to develop a questionnaire generator that enables customers to build tailored questionnaires for their donors. Intended to be a highly interactive tool, we felt that developing it as a server-based application would be too restrictive. After researching the different technologies available, we decided on ReactJS.

We believed it to be both the best fit for the questionnaire and a good tool for developing similar capabilities in the future. However, while we know Ruby on Rails well, we didn’t have the in-house ReactJS skills needed to develop client-based UX ourselves, so we looked for a partner and found ShakaCode.

What were your goals for this project?

Our general philosophy is to make software that’s easy to use and delights users. Our clients needed a way to augment their ability to gather additional information about their donors so as to understand their interests. We wanted to provide a way for them to easily create, manage, and maintain surveys independently without having to involve us.

Since our users aren’t very technical, we needed to provide a simple, intuitive way for them to build customized questionnaires for their donors to complete. The questionnaire builder was to be embedded in our larger web app, so it was adding a piece of functionality that we previously didn’t have but really needed.

Developing the dynamic questionnaire builder functionality also provided us with the incremental value we need to keep our customers happy and ensure retention.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Based on the fact that we’re a Ruby shop and wanted to find a ReactJS partner, Googling Ruby+React gave us Justin Gordon, the creator of the react_on_rails gem. Justin and I had a conversation. He had available bandwidth and the budget suited us, so it didn't make sense to spend more time looking at alternatives. Based on their experience and skillset, ShakaCode was a logical choice as a partner.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project consisted of creating an intuitive and highly-interactive client-based frontend in ReactJS integrated with our Ruby on Rails backend via an API.

A key capability was that the technology developed was flexible enough to be reused in different areas within the application.

Once ShakaCode helped us develop the questionnaire functionality as we wanted, we needed them to help us maintain it so we purchased a React on Rails PRO subscription which gives us access to their developers for a fixed number of hours each month without having to go through a lengthy search and procurement process.

Now, whenever we have smaller projects where we can use their skills, we just give them a call. It’s really made our lives a lot easier.

What was the team composition?

The ShakaCode team included a primary developer and a couple of other developers who participated in code reviews. If we had a particularly tricky challenge, they just brought in someone else with the right skills to resolve the issue. From our side, there was a Ruby on Rails developer and a UI/UX designer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One thing that really amazed me was how everything was just so smooth and seamless. Once ShakaCode had developed the dynamic questionnaire functionality, we rolled it out to a select group of beta customers expecting to get a lot of feedback.

We really believed that we’d have to iterate and make some improvements. What's fascinating is that we’ve hardly had to make any changes at all from what was released. It just worked.

The users loved it. They easily understood the questionnaire’s build capabilities and just jumped in and did it. ShakaCode gave us exactly what we needed - a high-quality, robust feature that adds real value to our clients.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

ShakaCode’s team was really easy to work with. They laid out the framework, created the test and deployment environments, and developed the code. Everything went extremely smoothly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

ShakaCode has a deep knowledge of ReactJS and, in particular, how to best integrate ReactJS into Rails. We brought them in because we wanted, not just someone who would build a feature and disappear, but a development partner for the long-term.

We wanted someone who would co-develop the questionnaire with us. We wanted them to be integrated into our regular development cycle, participate in pair-programming, do code reviews together, and share knowledge about best practices for building ReactJS apps. ShakaCode did all of that.

They were happy to share knowledge and transferring skills. They’ve made our team better and given us the confidence to build our own ReactJS components, although we still bounce ideas off of them and have them lend a hand when we need it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I started off with very high expectations and ShakaCode met those expectations. I can’t say there is any specific area where they need to improve.

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

Frontend Dev & IT Consulting for IT Services Marketplace

"ShakaCode is exceptionally good at what they do. They’re great communicators."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
Aug. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

After a previous vendor failed to satisfy, ShakaCode joined the project to improve the site structure for an IT services marketplace. They fixed legacy bugs, built a frontend, and helped with automated testing.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Englewood, Colorado
Michael Price
VP of Software Engineering, Datacenters.com
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Not only does the new site design now match the intended vision, but it's also helped onboard triple the number of adopted service providers and products. ShakaCode's team operates out of several timezones, allowing them to work around the clock. They're knowledgeable about efficient practices.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Datacenters.com is a strategic partner of Global Communications Group (GCG) offering high-density colocation, enterprise cloud, managed services, and connectivity solutions.

I’m the Vice President of Software Engineering at for both GCG and Datacenters.com, responsible for managing the worldwide software development and marketing teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

We initially contracted a different team to develop our new IT services registry with Ruby on Rails and React. They were using the React-on-Rails gem, but were unable to implement server-side rendering correctly to the level we were looking for from a design standpoint.

We hired ShakaCode to help us sort out the server-side rendering and fix a lot of legacy code that wasn’t working right. Since they did such a great job, we increased the scope and kept them on to develop the entire marketplace.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create a unique, disruptive, IT services platform that would evolve over time to allow enterprises to research, find, purchase, and spin up any IT solution or service.

To begin with, we needed to build a sophisticated, modern colocation and managed services marketplace, with each user empowered to manage their own experience. It needed to incorporate in-depth insights and offer access to expertise, enabling clients to make the best, informed choice for their business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The inability of our previous team to get server-side rendering running as designed was affecting our SEO. We quickly needed to find a way to render our pages correctly so Google could consume the information to increase our rankings and traffic.

Since ShakaCode created React-on-Rails and had an established development team experienced in launching sophisticated marketplaces (including HawaiiChee.com), we reached out to them.

Describe the project in detail.

We hired ShakaCode to improve the way the site was structured, fix the legacy code that wasn’t working correctly, and build the brand new front-end for the two-sided marketplace with IT providers the “sellers” and consumers the “buyers” of IT services.

In addition, ShakaCode provided guidance on choosing the technical stack and shared best practices to ensure automated test procedures were put in place, all code was peer-reviewed, and each task carefully tracked. Weekly, detailed reports made it easier for us to keep track of milestones and budget, and ensured that issues were promptly addressed.

What was the team composition?

The size of the team fluctuated between four and ten, with a project manager, designer, and two or three developers—including the lead developer—from ShakaCode entrenched in our team.

I and ShakaCode’s lead developer do all of the code reviews, while ShakaCode also provides a ReasonML specialist who makes sure that the site is mobile-friendly. Whenever we need additional skills such as SEO optimization, ShakaCode was quick to provide them to meet our milestones.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have a marketplace that’s a first in the industry. The entire site is redesigned with a brand new directory, a real estate section that we never had before, and an improved look for our blog.

The original vision for the site is finally a reality. We’ve gone from chasing a vision to creating a whole new world where we can explore ideas and scale the business.

From a design and functionality standpoint, the marketplace exceeded our goals. Following the launch, we experienced rapid adoption with more than 270 colocation and disaster recovery providers adding over 1600 global data centers and more than 300 products to the marketplace. That was 3X what we originally anticipated!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

ShakaCode was easy to work with and quickly scaled up the team so we could meet a hard deadline ahead of an important trade show. We really liked the way ShakaCode managed the project. Everything was super-transparent.

Because we’re extremely cost-conscious, that was important to me. With everyone tracking their time by task, it was easy for me to predict how long it would take and how much it would cost to develop new features.

Having ShakaCode’s team spread across multiple time zones is also an asset since it keeps the project running 24x7. As a result, we’ve never missed a deadline.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We hired ShakaCode to help us fix a lot of legacy code from the previous developers that wasn’t working right, but they ended up doing so much more. They also helped us create a great product upon which we can build our business, and a more efficient development flow that we’ve rolled out across all of our projects.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s always room for improvement, but ShakaCode is exceptionally good at what they do. They’re great communicators. They love the technologies they build on, and they’re passionate about coding. I trust them. I trust their opinion. I love these guys. I wouldn’t want to live without them.

5.0
Overall Score Based on our experience working with ShakaCode, they’ll be a key part of our plans as we take our platform to the next level.
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    ShakaCode gave us the resources we needed when we needed them. They did everything they could to help us meet our deadlines.
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    ShakaCode prices are in line with the value that they provide. Also, because everything is so transparent, it’s easier to manage your budget.
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The quality is exceptionally high. The tools and processes ShakaCode put in place ensured we delivered a high-quality product.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    With ShakaCode, we have the right people to help solve really tough problems on time and within budget, giving us the best chance of success.

Website Redevelopment for Rebranding Initiative

"ShakaCode was able to manage the risk while leveraging their experience and knowledge to deliver a quality product."

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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
 
Sept. 2018 - Mar. 2019
Project summary: 

To facilitate a company rebrand, ShakaCode developed an SEO- and mobile-friendly e-commerce site. They integrated an existing app server for the admin frontend and created the business logic for the backend.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
San Diego, California
Erik Krueger
CTO, Printivity
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

ShakaCode excelled at managing expectations and risks. The new site went live with all functionalities available (i.e., register accounts, log in, view products, cart features, track orders). Adoption rates increased by over 75% within the first month as customers migrated to the new site.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Printivity—previously known as MGX Copy—is a digital print company dedicated to providing the best possible print experience for customers. We have three production facilities—two in San Diego, and one in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

I’m the Chief Technology Officer responsible for choosing, developing, deploying, and maintaining technologies in line with business goals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

MGX Copy was growing fast, but our website and our name were limiting our growth plans. We decided to rebrand to Printivity, but our old site didn’t reflect the creativity, quality, or ease-of-use of our new identity.

It also lacked a mobile-friendly UI and SEO capabilities. We also had to cope with a long and expensive IT development cycle to launch new print products. To meet our goals, we needed to build a new e-commerce website that reflected our core processes and commitment to quality.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to build a new website that was fast, modern, scalable, and user-friendly to support our product growth and marketing campaigns. It needed to be mobile friendly with an easy to use interface, and incorporate best practices and processes to maximize the efficiency of our software team. The framework chosen needed to be easily extensible and have enough industry support to ensure longevity.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We considered several different options but decided on ShakaCode because they were the creator of React-on-Rails and had an established development team experienced in launching real-world applications.

They also offered expert guidance in technology choices and development best practices, along with flexible resource allocation, and competitive pricing.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

ShakaCode was our only technology partner for this project and did the majority of the development. They created a project structure based on industry best practices in terms of code coverage, formatting, testing, and typing.

They integrated our existing application server administrative frontend and created the business logic to integrate the UI with the backend. They also leveraged our current controllers/API interfaces for bidirectional communication between the React frontend and our Ruby on Rails application server.

They also empowered our internal software team through knowledge transfer to run, maintain, and implement new features after launch and handoff.

What was the team composition?

Over the course of the project, we worked with eight or nine different developers and one project manager from ShakaCode, together with myself and two other in-house staff.

While most developers participated only when their specific skills were required, ShakaCode’s primary software engineer was involved throughout the project. He was extremely knowledgeable, fast, thorough, and always available. He documented in detail everything that was done, communicated proactively with the team, and shared what he was doing and why.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went into production on schedule with all of the functionality needed to register accounts, login, view our current product line, add to a cart, and place and track orders.

Within the first month, we saw adoption rates of over 75% as customers moved from the old site to the new, aided in part by the user-friendly, mobile UI. Cleaner product and cart pages, streamlined navigation, and a more straightforward purchasing process resulted in record sales and usage, with internal customer campaigns enjoying higher than expected returns.

From a technical perspective, we’ve also reduced the time it takes to bring new products to market from weeks or months to just a few days, with cost savings of up to 90%.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

ShakaCode’s project manager was flexible and helpful in offering solutions and out-the-box thinking to meet our requirements and operational constraints. Risks were expertly managed, and scope reduced as required.

He never overpromised and carefully explained the time and cost implications of any decision we made. We used Slack, Zoom, Github, and Trello to communicate and manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This was a high-risk project. We had limited time and resources to develop and deliver a functioning website. We also wanted to have a development, build, and test environment that we could scale after deployment.

ShakaCode was able to manage the risk while leveraging their experience and knowledge to deliver a quality product according to schedule.

Are there any areas for improvement?

A few of SkakaCode’s newer front-end devs developed closely to spec, but not exactly. Some of the completed tasks were close to the diagrams, but not visually fluid across different devices. However, these issues were quickly addressed and fixed once the project manager became aware of them.

5.0
Overall Score ShakaCode was professional, thorough, and patient even with unclear and changing requirements, timelines, and budgets.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    We had a very aggressive timeline so everything had to go well during the development process, and basically, everything did.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    ShakaCode isn’t the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. We now have a top quality product upon which we can grow our business.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The quality of the code provided is very high to excellent. Their knowledge of modern technologies and best practices is fantastic.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Working with ShakaCode was a great experience. They produced quality work, communicated well, and worked within our schedule and time constraints.

Web Development for Online Booking Platform

"ShakaCode definitely went well above and beyond what we had originally anticipated."

See More

5.0

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Sept. - Oct. 2018
Project summary: 

ShakaCode redesigned a website for a hospitality-based online book system. Their team created a frontend using React and assisted with overall guidance, code scalability, and performance.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Santa Monica, California
Leora Juster
Software Engineer & Interim Lead Software Engineer, ResortPass
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The website speed has increased and the client's development processes have improved. ShakaCode took the time to understand longterm goals and offer well-thought-out solutions. Their team is knowledgable, adaptable, and dedicated.

The client submitted this review online.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

ResortPass is an online booking platform that sells non-resident access to the pools, cabanas, gyms, and spas of over 80 resorts and hotels in seven US states, including California, Arizona, Florida, and Hawaii. I was the Lead Software Engineer and Acting Director of Engineering responsible for deciding on and implementing the technical stack.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire ShakaCode?

The original website was built in WordPress and later ported to Ruby on Rails. However, it wasn’t scalable and the pages loaded really slowly. Users became frustrated when trying to make bookings, so customer retention became a major issue. We’d made the decision to use React on Rails but needed help in making decisions around the technical stack, file structures, and server-side rendering. We didn’t have the expertise in-house, so we brought ShakaCode on board to help with overall guidance, code scalability, and performance.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to deploy a React frontend to help accelerate performance, increase scalability, and enhance the overall user experience. We wanted to provide the foundation which would serve the needs of the business for the next couple of years and which we could build upon in the future.

The design was already complete, but we needed help on the technical side to do the actual port using Webpacker and ShakaCode’s React on Rails gem. We also needed to add an admin portal for providers to manage pricing and inventory.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After deciding that React was the best choice for the project, we considered outsourcing development to an overseas company but quickly discarded the idea. We wanted someone we could partner with and was invested in the project. I came across Justin Gordon and ShakaCode when doing research and looking for existing gems that could add value.

The thing that really attracted me was ShakCode’s flexible support plan. We didn’t have any React expertise or experience in-house, so the idea of having a scalable support service to rely upon during the project was extremely attractive.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

ShakaCode helped us talk through and validate technical design decisions and manage scope in a collaborative manner. That gave us the confidence we needed moving forward, Once we’d made the decisions, ShakaCode provided the developers to help us implement and document them.

What was the team composition?

ShakaCode provided three extremely experienced developers, each contributing based on the specific needs of the project. Continuity was provided with the lead developer and technical architect/project manager being involved throughout the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Load speed increased exponentially which was our original goal. ShakaCode also helped us refine our development processes to become more agile. They introduced us to tools that allowed us to build UI components in isolation without having to connect them to the backend, helping us to get more done within the limited time and budget. We definitely got more out of the project than we expected, not just in terms of quality code, but also in terms of best practices that extended well beyond the scope of the project.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

ShakaCode did an excellent job of writing up quantifiable goals that could be reached within the agreed-upon milestones and progress easily communicated to management. They kept the communication flowing and the project moving. As a team, ShakaCode was self-sufficient within the project scope. They created the milestones and stuck to them. We never had to chase them. ShakaCode set up Zoom, Github, and Slack which allowed us to communicate freely.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

After working with a couple of different outsource teams, ShakaCode did the best in terms of partnering and helping us reach our long term goals. ShakaCode didn’t just give us what we asked for. They helped us understand our challenges and offered recommendations without ever forcing their opinions upon us.

They made sure that the solution was properly engineered and maintainable, with the code of a high quality and easily testable. They shared their knowledge with us, helping us to implement best practices and improve our processes. ShakaCode definitely went well above and beyond what we had originally anticipated.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don’t think there are many areas ShakaCode can improve on. ShakaCode’s developers are dedicated engineers and have a passion for delivering the best code out there. However, as individuals with their own styles, each one has an idea as to the best way to do things. It was difficult to keep up at times.

5.0
Overall Score ShakaCode is flexible, easy to work with, professional, and committed to making a success of the project.
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    At times there was a difference of opinion between ShakaCode and the CTO as to what “complete” meant.
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    ShakaCode isn’t the cheapest, but you definitely get value for money based on the quality of code and knowledge transfer they offer.
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    The code was of exceptionally high quality, but some of the code wasn’t always easily repeatable by inexperienced developers.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    Probably the best team of consultants I’ve ever worked with. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.