Project Overview
LaunchGood
Launch : 1st Jan 2018
LaunchGood is the largest Muslim-focused crowdfunding platform in the world. When we started, in 2014, total website donations were less than $100,000 and monthly visits were under 1.5K. We redesigned the platform to support: (i) automatic scalability; (ii) flexible content management; (iii) user experience testing; (iv) multiple currencies; (v) US and international regulatory reporting requirements; and, (vi) a suite of real-time management reports. Furthermore, we helped hire and train the Launchgood technical team with the goal of transitioning platform design and maintenance to the in-house staff.
Today, we are in the “transition” stage of our engagement… moving code and system maintenance to the Launchgood team while continuing to provide architectural guidance.
Launchgood is an excellent example of what we look for in an engagement. We are energized by complex problems whose solutions require both a business and systems perspectives. Sure, we are good at “putting-out fires” but our value is in designing, implementing and transitioning long-term solutions.
Okay, you have heard our speel. Here is what Launchgood has to say about us. (Yes, we do walk on water… but it has to be frozen.)
The Plan
01
Step One
Our first tasks were to: (i) learn Launchgood’s growth strategy and pain points; (ii) take a deep dive into the existing code; and, (iii) work with Launchgood management to identify and prioritize website features that would best support their growth strategy.
02
Step Two
We focused on fixing identified problems and adding features that would accelerate their growth. We balanced immediate needs with long-term requirements for scalability.
03
Step Three
We accepted responsibility for platform design and started the process of rebuilding the core architecture.
The Outcome
Launchgood’s problems were ubiquitous to most rapidly growing businesses… creating and implementing a system that is scalable and flexible so as to meet the Company’s changing needs.
For example, one problem Launchgood faced was autoscaling to support crowdfunding campaigns that go viral. The system needed to support traffic spikes that exceeded 100X normal levels. The revised system handles such spikes with ease while being dependable, quick and cost-effective
Another challenge arose when our payment provider gave us 45-days notice that it would stop servicing many of our international markets. Needless to say, we were not thrilled with the lead-time but our system architecture allowed us to make a timely transition.
Tech We Used
Tech We Used
