HandBrewed builds, designs, and maintains web and mobile applications. We specialize in application architecture, custom content management systems, user interface and experience design, and standards based design implementation.
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Overview
HandBrewed redeveloped and redesigned one of the top book selling sites on the web. We were responsible for migrating existing data to a new platform while retaining and improving search engine rankings. We handled the integration of numerous API's and data feeds allowing us to build innovative new tools for comparing, purchasing, and selling books online. The separation of content and presentation allowed for multiple redesigns without prohibitive development costs.
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Information Architecture
After reviewing the site, HandBrewed determined that the structure of the existing database was inadequate to accomoate future growth. With a more modular, flexible and secure site in mind, we recommended that the entire site be migrated from ASP/MMSQL to PHP/MySQL. From there, we would be able to consolidate information into a completely new database schema, significantly reducing the overall size while dramatically increasing access speed.
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Data Migration
With security, speed, flexibility, growth and the client's long term goals in mind, we were able to migrate the CampusBooks website from an outdated Microsoft ASP technology to L.A.M.P (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) technology without ever taking the site off line. Attention to the existing pages, their page rank, and our knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) enabled CampusBooks.com to significantly improve in search engine rankings after the site was migrated.
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Search Engine Optimization
HandBrewed was able to dramatically change the search engine rankings for CampusBooks.com. It went from the second page on Google to the number one spot for the key phrase "college textbooks", and remains there today. We made a positive impact on almost every other key phrase we tested, all in less than 2 months. The site now benefits from an average of 50,000 unique users per day, and exceeds 1.5 million hits per day at peak seasons.
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E-Commerce
HandBrewed developed CampusBooks as a fully functioning eCommerce site allowing users to buy and sell books online using PayPal, credit card or eCheck.Advanced shopping cart features allowed for comparison shopping and checkout via multiple affiliate links as well as the campusbooks marketplace. Intuitive selling tools allowed a user to manage the process of selling multiple books through the campusbooks marketplace.
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Comparison Shopping
We completely re-developed the comparison shopping engine. In doing so, we incorporated API, datafeed and screen scrape administration allowing site administrators to check statistics, errors, and switch affiliates on and off at any time. Improvements were made to the comparison shopping engine's speed, efficiency, flexibility, error reporting and affiliate administration. Advanced comparison algorithms analyze multiple books from multiple affiliates and offer a variety of cost saving solutions.
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Design
Full CSS layouts and valid HTML in compliance with the latest web standards improved accessibility and natural search/SEO throughout the site. An intuitive user interface was designed to provide quick access to content in the least amount of clicks, and to give clarity to the complexity of comparison shopping, and the checkout process. The separation of content and presentation allowed for multiple redesigns without prohibitive development costs.
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Maintenance
HandBrewed maintained CampusBooks.com for a period of approximately 3 years. During that time the site underwent many significant changes including 2 re-designs, updating and adding affiliates, advanced bookbag/shoppingcart upgrades, Flash tutorials, adding DHTML and AJAX to certain pages and functionality, and moving the site to a new hosting facility to name a few.
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Overview
HandBrewed designed and built a cutting edge eCommerce site allowing "Green" businesses to register and sell their eco-friendly products online. We built a complete Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) to help businesses track sales and interact with users via the site. LivingEcho.com also needed to handle the functionality and management of articles, videos, user ratings and comments, affiliate APIs and feeds, shipping and more.
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Interface Design
With the Living ECHO website, HandBrewed was able to help design an intuitive interface for anyone interested in an eco-friendly lifestyle. Businesses registered on LivingECHO.com can upload products, track orders and sales, administer shipping options, post videos and write articles in a way that is easy to understand. Front end design includes category listings, featured products, featured businesses, product listings, featured videos and articles and more in an easy to use format.
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Customer Relationship Management
HandBrewed developed a system that allowed users to rate and comment on products and businesses, as well as buy products from them. Registered sellers are able to view, manage and track orders, upload multiple products, view sales statistics and manage much, if not all of their online businesses activity using the site.
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Website Administration
Almost every aspect of LivingECHO.com can be managed via the site's Content Management System (CMS). HandBrewed designed and developed a sophisticated user permissions system that allowed for virtually any number of privilages, privilage hierarchy and user roles. Administrators with the appropriate permissions are able to temporarily become any user on the system, manage featured products, articles, companies, videos and much more..
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Web Services
LivingECHO.com needed to leverage the functionality and capabilities of various web services APIs to help with video hosting, shipping management and affiliate product info. Some of the APIs HandBrewed utilized on the Living ECHO site include YouTube, UPS, USPS, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Payment Gateway APIs. These APIs help with video hosting, real time lookup of shipping costs, eCommerce making Amazon's organic grocery products available for purchase on Living ECHO.
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Overview
ReefGeek asked HandBrewed to redevelop their old Perl website and migrate all existing product and category data to a completely new platform. The new site was to be written in PHP/MySQL and required a whole host of new content management tools including administration for an "aquarium builder", page creation, manufacturers, users and orders, custom and featured products, product colors, categories and category navigation and much more.
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E-Commerce
We developed a fully functioning shopping cart from the ground up with sophisticated, easy to use tools for managing almost every aspect of the ReefGeek.com shopping experience. A user logged into the site with the correct permissions may even use the site to take orders over the phone. Visitors of the site may register and login to buy products, or they also have the option of making a purchase without ever creating an account.
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Data Migration
HandBrewed migrated from the original database to a completely re-structured and normalized database. Where there was a single "products" database table before, there were now "products", "manufacturers","colors", and "features" tables in the new schema. These changes to the database helped make ReefGeek.com a far more flexible and easy to manage application.
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Search Engine Optimization
The developers at HandBrewed.com pride themselves on building high quality, search engine friendly, accessable and standards compliant web sites. We feel that ReefGeek.com is no exception. Meticulously coded to the most exacting of specifications, ReefGeek.com adheres to the World Wide Web Consortium's HTML/CSS as well as several international accessibility standards.
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Content Management
HandBrewed built an intuitive Content Management System for ReefGeek.com, allowing the site administrators to manage virtually every aspect of the website including the images and text on the home page, users and accounts, categories, products, shipping options, orders, featured and sales items, discounts and product grouping, just to name a few.
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Overview
HandBrewed was contracted by TwoHeadedMonster.com (now sabertooth.tv) to build a new website to showcase Mark Liddell's photography. We wanted to create something as unique and powerful as Mark's artwork. From just a few design sketches and discussions regarding the sites requirements, Handbrewed came up with this intriguing solution.
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Flash Animation
The site is built entirely in Flash and ActionScript. Animated navigational elements add style and grace while enhancing the user experience. Design elements animate throughout the site to add contrast and interest to the multiple photo galleries. An mp3 player plays different tracks per gallery, and can be updated by the site admin.
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User Interface Design
The user interface was designed with one goal in mind, showcase Mark Liddell's photography. A large viewing area was created to display photos of varying sizes, with a menu of thumbnails displaying all images in the current gallery. All other design elements, including the main navigation where simplified in order to not distract the user from the experience of the photograph.
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Content Management
XML is used to manage the multiple photo galleries, individual photos, and the mp3 tracks per gallery. Mark has the ability to quickly and easily add, update, and remove photos, galleries, and music at any time. Its always a treat to view the the 'New Images' gallery and see the latest photographs and new celebrities Mr. Liddell has been working with.
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Clients, past and present:
