Carbon’s site presented one of the most unique technical challenges WEBDOGS has faced. It runs on a separate ReactJS (Facebook’s JavaScript library) powered app, which means the code that shows the site to visitors (presentation layer) and the code that runs the WordPress backend (data layer) are completely separate. The only way the two applications “talk” is through the JSON REST API. While this may sound like a boring technical detail, this unique architecture means the presentation layer is almost completely custom JavaScript. The partner Carbon selected had to be proficient in WordPress, JavaScript, and ReactJS; a tall order WEBDOGS was able to fulfill.
A quick note on the site: as you’re browsing the Carbon site, you may notice that it feels particularly fast on each page load. That’s due to the ReactJS architecture that stores content in the browser rather than calling out to a server the second time a page is visited. Content stored locally means that page loads are instant, in the literal sense, which is one of the primary advantages to the ReactJS approach.
As previously mentioned, another major component of the project was timeline. WEBDOGS was hired to ensure a successful and timely website launch and help with completing the project. While Carbon was upfront about the timeline sensitivity, it still presented a challenge of ramping up development on a custom ReactJS build and completing a large task list prior to launch. Thanks to rapid communication with Carbon’s marketing team, WEBDOGS was able to push the project forward, completing tasks well before the launch window, and paving the way for a problem free launch.
After the initial launch, the Carbon team chose to continue to engage with WEBDOGS for a long-term maintenance retainer. Long-term retainers are a great way to make improvements to a site while offering flexibility that a tightly controlled, scoped project does not.
Overwhelmingly, WEBDOGS partners and customers find our friendly, responsive development team a great fit for ongoing support relationships. If you think that might be a good option for you and your organization, drop us a note and let us know!
