Xfive

Starlight is a media production company that provides media broadcasting, game film, and video analysis for athletes participating in organized sporting events.Starlight hired xfive to provide solutions to these challenges:

1. Build a video housing platform that can upload, organize, and sell all of our game film packages to athletes.
2. Build a software within the videos being uploaded that allows backend users to create a timeline of clips that breaks up sections of the game by stat and the players' number.

xfve built a video housing website that could organize, package, upload, and sell large amounts of film all in a centralized site. Some of the key deliverables were to provide backend users the ability to create small snippets of each play throughout a game, then label those clips by stat and player.

This allows athletes and coaches that purchase their film package to easily search and download specific plays while watching their game. 

The scope of work covered the end-to-end design and development of the MVP version of a self-publishing platform dedicated to independent musicians and multimedia creators.

xfive was responsible for translating the business concept into a functional digital product, including system architecture, backend and frontend development, third-party integrations, and deployment of the platform in a production-ready environment.

Key deliverables included:

• Development of the MVP self-publishing platform, enabling creators to upload, manage and distribute their music and video content
• Implementation of a digital distribution module connected with external technology providers
• Integration of multiple third-party APIs
• User account system with onboarding flows and basic profile management
• Admin panel for content moderation, release management and system control
• Integration of payment and subscription mechanisms
• Scalable and modular architecture prepared for further feature expansion
• Initial QA testing, bug fixing and technical documentation

xfive redesigned the branding and website of a chemical additives manufacturer. The team refreshed the client's logo and brand colors and was responsible for web development, QA testing, and data migration.

Main project challenges:

1. Refresh the company brand
2. Refresh the company website

Key deliverables were:

1. Branding
2. User Experience (UX) and UI design,
3. Scoping out and technical advisory,
4. Software development and testing,
5. Data migration,
6. Project Management
7. Redesign of the company website, including a refresh to the logo and brand colours. The assets will be prepared in such a way, that they can also be used not only in a digital context (website, mail footers) but also on physical merchandise.
8. Implementation of the new design, quality assurance of the delivered website and manual and automatic data migration.
9. Additional training and manuals for staff on how to use the website as needed.

New Lines Magazine came to us with a goal to enhance their website, offer exclusive content, and launch an Arabic version. We provided tailored WordPress solutions to meet their needs.

Key Challenges Solved

Website Design and UX Tweaks

We conducted a UX audit and made necessary design adjustments to improve the user experience, especially on the post pages.

Migration to a Dedicated Hosting Environment

The site was hosted on a shared server. We migrated it to a dedicated WP Engine instance. This change resulted in faster performance and more reliable uptime.

Google News Author Indexing

New Lines Magazine wanted specific authors to appear in Google News. We clarified how Google indexes authors and resolved the issue to meet their needs.

Subscription System Implementation

We introduced a subscription system using WooCommerce. This allowed users to subscribe to both online and offline versions of the magazine.

Arabic Version of the Website

Launching the Arabic version of the website was a major task because of both technical and language challenges. We implemented right-to-left (RTL) text formatting and ensured proper integration of Arabic content alongside English. .

Digitizing Historic Magazines

The client also wanted to digitize old magazine issues. We developed a custom plugin to scan and import thousands of pages, making them available online.

Custom Solutions Developed

Custom Gutenberg Blocks

We created custom Gutenberg blocks to present sophisticated content. These blocks allowed for sticky images and easy media integration.

Custom Audio Player

We developed a custom audio player that hosted audio tracks on their server or Podbean.

Magazine Import Plugin

To handle the digitization of historic content, we built a plugin that imported and managed scanned documents.

Results Achieved

Successful Arabic Website Launch

We successfully launched the Arabic version of the website, providing a smooth experience for users in the region.

Subscription System Success

The WooCommerce system allowed users to easily subscribe to both digital and print content. This drew new revenue streams.

Digitized Historic Content

Historic magazine issues are now available online, offering valuable archived content to readers.

In 2021, an early-stage startup Olera searched for a partner to build an elder care platform in the United States. The startup plan was to connect family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia to personalized resources to reduce the burden of caregiving.

Olera needed a reliable partner who could deliver a well-made MVP. Xfive was selected from 20 potential providers.

Starting with a series of discovery and UX workshops

Our cooperation kicked off with a series of discovery and UX workshops which aimed at defining business goals, analyzing in-depth interviews, and creating personas, and user flows, and initial wireframes.

Salana wanted to help craftsmen create and manage their own websites without needing any technical skills. This gives non-technical users confidence in the platform. In the end, Salana’s no-code solution allows craftsmen to build and manage their own websites without any technical skills.

A Simple WordPress-Based Solution

We chose WordPress as the foundation. It allows Salana to manage multiple websites from one dashboard. The first version of the platform used a Google form to gather information from users. This helped Salana create websites for them. Later, we added a live preview feature.

Craftsmen could see updates to their website in real-time without needing to code.

Rare Assembly specializes in corporate gifts for companies in all sectors. They needed a better solution for managing their bulk and custom orders. They also wanted to give website visitors a way to offer gift choices to their clients right through their site.

The app had to be seamless, brandable, and connected to Shopify on the backend.

The client interviewed three firms, and despite their initial preference that the firm is in the U.S. (for time zone purposes), she decided on Xfive because of our portfolio and understanding of what the client was looking for.

Quest Cruises aims to create a sustainable cruising service through a unique concept of sea travel in its brand-new eco-friendly and highly efficient superyacht. They promote responsible tourism and marine conservation in the remote locations around the Sea of Cortez in the Mexican Baja peninsula.

Growing their fleet, they want to expand their operation to other remote and difficult-to-access cruising grounds.

Quest Cruises contacted Xfive to design and develop its website with a booking and payment platform.

A brand and marketing agency hired Xfive to develop and redesign a website for their end client. Xfive improved the UX, integrated e-commerce functionality, and connected the website with an accounting system. 

Van Cafe of North Fort Collins has a unique position in the Vanagon market. It’s a result of their passion for innovation and the automotive industry, combined with the fact that they make a significant portion of their products in their manufacturing facility.

To support its growth and operations, Van Cafe switched to the Acumatica ERP system. Their existing e-commerce system Volusion didn’t provide native integration with Acumatica, so they decided to switch to BigCommerce. Van Cafe’s deployment partner, PC Bennett Solutions, reached out to Xfive to create a unique vintage-like branding and style and develop a new BigCommerce site for Van Cafe.

Xfive developed an event website for a renewables and environment company. We covered discovery, UX and UI, development, and website maintenance.

InnoEnergy’s objective is to become the leading engine for innovation and entrepreneurship in sustainable energy. They hired Xfive to design and develop a website for The Business Booster, a global event that takes place every year.

The client appreciated our daily communication and the responsiveness of our team. We also had review calls once a week. We used Basecamp to exchange assets and communicate.

Hi-Curious Premium is dedicated to an active group of cannabis lifestyle influencers so they can share their knowledge and life experience with their communities. The client’s goal was to build the platform as a community access marketplace for followers that want to be a part of what influencers are creating.

Cannabis startups in the United States face challenges like:

rapidly changing legal environment and inconsistent regulations between states,

many payment providers still not supporting cannabis businesses,

popular e-commerce platforms not supporting cannabis merchants and marketplaces.

We redesigned The California Salmon & Steelhead Coalition website and ported information onto the new platform.

Our cooperation with the client started with creating a new site’s architecture and providing wireframes and other key visuals, like mockups and high-fidelity designs.

In the development phase, we created a custom WordPress site so the client has an easy-to-use CMS. Then we migrated the original site to WordPress from a previous proprietary CMS system.

In the next stages, we supported clients with the maintenance of the website and the addition of new features.

Design and development of a WordPress website for a Canadian life insurance broker.

One of Canada’s leading Life Insurance brokers. Life Insurance Canada has provided advice, resources, and online quoting for over 15 years.

The website is one of the first life insurance platforms in Canada. The redesign process and quote wizard introduction made the application process easier and faster for the clients. On the administration side, it saves both time and human resources.

We created the Angular front-end and integrated it with the API of Boston Software’s insurance comparison application, SinglePoint.

Boston Software provides comparative and custom rating software to independent insurance agents and carriers. SinglePoint Rating is an essential tool for professionals needing an exact-dollar estimate of policy premiums as well as the sales and efficiency features to manage their book of business in today’s fast-paced world.

The solution is now used by thousands of insurance agencies and carrier users throughout Massachusetts.

After collaborating with Yanmar’s sister company, we have been recommended to Yanmar Europe, a Japanese company near Amsterdam that produces high-quality engines and machines. Yanmar Europe had multiple websites per business and country. Their old website was running on an outdated custom CMS. They wanted to replace it with WordPress.

After collaborating with Yanmar’s sister company, we have been recommended to Yanmar Europe, a Japanese company near Amsterdam that produces high-quality engines and machines. Yanmar Europe had multiple websites per business and country. Their old website was running on an outdated custom CMS. They wanted to replace it with WordPress.

In 2016 – 2021, Xfive collaborated with eleven departments of the prestigious University of California, Berkeley. University departments required simple, clean, accessible websites that were easy to use and manage. WordPress was a perfect fit for this set of requirements.

Xfive designed and developed their WordPress websites from scratch or based on a migration from Drupal or a legacy CMS based on Ruby on Rails.

Because of the specific requirements of higher education institutions, the design and structure followed a set of predefined rules. Depending on the size and complexity of the department, we either developed a custom WordPress website or suggested a purpose-made, higher-education theme called Press+.

The goal of the OECD was to build a public engagement platform to provide a channel for discussion and input on the Observatory of Public Sector Innovation website (OPSI). They found a free and open-source solution, Consul Democracy, that could serve as a good starting point; however, it required extensive customization to meet their needs.

They also needed a single sign-on solution (SSO) so the platform could use the same registration and login as their main website. We were hired to strategize and execute this customization and authentication integration.

Xfive was selected from a handful of other agencies because of a mix of skills and experience around Ruby on Rails development (for new platform development), WordPress development (for integration to the new site), and Auth0 (for single sign-on).

Goodiewebsite is a platform offering web development services to designers and small business owners. It allows clients to work directly with developers. Thanks to the optimized process, transparent scoring system, and internal communication platform, the final price of delivered work is affordable for more price-sensitive users. 

Xfive designed and developed a custom Shopify website that allows buyers to purchase custom blinds. The team integrated a variable pricing plug-in, created content, and designed a logo. The support is ongoing.

Check the full case study:

https://www.behance.net/gallery/113312389/Blinds-Downunder-E-commerce

And the client's 5-star review:

https://clutch.co/profile/xfive#review-1667901

Open Philology is an academic research project at Leiden University in the Netherlands. The project is funded by European Research Council.

The client wanted to develop a web-based application for producing scholarly editions of historical documents. When other vendors showed little interest in their specific technical objectives, they approached Xfive.

Our team stepped in, ready to take on the challenge. According to the client, we demonstrated a confidence-inspiring willingness and ability to understand their unique needs.