CASE STUDY VAN SCHAIK Van Schaik has been under construction. THE BRIEF When looking at the site’s analytics, it was evident that there was a clear migration from desktop to mobile. Not only was there a need for a redesign, but also for the site to be responsive. Realm was tasked to redesign the site using the existing layout and page elements. Once the designs were approved, the Realm development team then needed to code the templates into responsive HTML. The reskinned website was built using PHP Version 7.1. This newer version can be up to 4 times faster than the old PHP 5.6 on small load requests. We also recommended moving web servers from Apache to Nginx. Nginx provides considerable speed improvements in the Read/ Write (I/O) sector, and can be up to 2.5 times faster than Apache. We stretched our technical capabilities further by upgrading from Elasticsearch 1.5 to version 6.4. Since Elasticsearch 1.5 is no longer supported and is relatively slower compared to newer versions, it was definitely a necessary upgrade. In addition to this, making use of modern technologies and having a mobile-first approach was our focus. As a result, we used HTML5, CSS3, Webpack, Node, and Bootstrap 4, which is the latest version of the popular Framework. Extensive testing was conducted to ensure that none of the site’s existing functionality was lost. Technology integrated in this project THE SOLUTION Interesting fact: Over 9000 cups of coffee were consumed in the process of the reskin. THE RESULT The gradual increase of mobile browsing activity over the last few years required a definitive adjustment of our e-commerce platform to remain competitive in a world that has significantly become ‘mobile-first’. Our response was to take the opportunity presented by our development partners at Realm in making the most of a new tech stack and adaptive UX to create a fresh, fast and efficient mobile friendly nip/tuck of our existing web-site. This is in keeping with our continuous strides to be ever-relevant in a world of changing student realities…to continue distributing bona fide educational content that is transforming lives for the better and ‘…taking you places’. Digital Manager, VSB Group Melvin Kaabwe The old Van Schaik Website The new Van Schaik Website Van Schaik is a key player in the South African education space and have always been quick to embrace technology. Realm Digital has been incredibly privileged to have been a part of this journey for over 8 years and we look forward to seeing the impact the new site has on making learning resources more accessible to the student market. - Realm Digital CEO, Simon Bestbier When long-standing Realm Digital client, Van Schaik were looking at their current site’s usability and sales, issues relating to the design, responsiveness and user experience were identified. This sparked the need for a complete website redesign.

CASE STUDY VAN SCHAIK - Realm Digital€¦ · technology. Realm Digital has been incredibly privileged to have been a part of this journey for over 8 years and we look forward to

Download PDF Report

Upload
others
View
4
Download
0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

CASE STUDY

VAN SCHAIKVan Schaik has been under construction.

THE BRIEFWhen looking at the site’s analytics, it was evident that there was a clear migration from desktop to mobile. Not only was there a need for a redesign, but also for the site to be responsive.

Realm was tasked to redesign the site using the existing layout and page elements. Once the designs were approved, the Realm development team then needed to code the templates into responsive HTML.

The reskinned website was built using PHP Version 7.1. This newer version can be up to 4 times faster than the old PHP 5.6 on small load requests.

We also recommended moving web servers from Apache to Nginx. Nginx provides considerable speed improvements in the Read/Write (I/O) sector, and can be up to 2.5 times faster than Apache.

We stretched our technical capabilities further by upgrading from Elasticsearch 1.5 to version 6.4. Since Elasticsearch 1.5 is no longer

supported and is relatively slower compared to newer versions, it was definitely a necessary upgrade.In addition to this, making use of modern technologies and having a mobile-first approach was our focus. As a result, we used HTML5, CSS3, Webpack, Node, and Bootstrap 4, which is the latest version of the popular Framework.

Extensive testing was conducted to ensure that none of the site’s existing functionality was lost.

Technology integrated in this project

THE SOLUTION

Interesting fact:

Over 9000 cups of coffee were consumed in the process of the reskin.

THE RESULT

The gradual increase of mobile browsing activity over the last few years required a definitive adjustment of our e-commerce platform to remain competitive in a world that has significantly become ‘mobile-first’. Our response was to take the opportunity presented by our development partners at Realm in making the most of a new tech stack and adaptive UX to create a fresh, fast and efficient mobile friendly nip/tuck of our existing web-site. This

is in keeping with our continuous strides to be ever-relevant in a world of changing student realities…to continue distributing bona fide educational content that is transforming lives for the better and ‘…taking you places’.

Digital Manager, VSB GroupMelvin Kaabwe

The old Van Schaik Website The new Van Schaik Website

Van Schaik is a key player in the South African education space and have always been quick to embrace technology. Realm Digital has been incredibly privileged to have been a part of this journey for over 8 years

and we look forward to seeing the impact the new site has on making learning resources more accessible to the student market.

- Realm Digital CEO, Simon Bestbier

When long-standing Realm Digital client,

Van Schaik were looking at their current

site’s usability and sales, issues relating

to the design, responsiveness and

user experience were identified. This

sparked the need for a complete website

redesign.

https://www.vanschaik.com/