Web Developer, Ryan Casey, gives us the low down on how Wakefly has adopted uSkinned themes to significantly accelerate their website development workflow with Umbraco CMS.
The Problem
Umbraco is already a great CMS, although initial setup and development can be rather time-consuming meaning that it isn't always the most profitable way to build a new project for a client on a modest budget. Furthermore, due to a wealth of experience using other content management systems Wakefly's development team was in need of a more consistent approach to their Umbraco builds, including setup and information architecture as well as creating even more flexibility within the content editor experience.
Umbraco is already a pleasant CMS in my opinion. uSkinned starter sites just take care of so much of the setup and architecture, especially around making a more flexible editing experience.
The Solution
The development team at Wakefly knew that any solution would need to offer greater flexibility to their clients, including the ability to rearrange and order the content and features of any page. That way a client can intuitively build their pages up any way they wish without having to contact the agency every time they need a slightly different layout.
uSkinned themes offer Wakefly a consistent baseline to work from when building Umbraco powered websites, including setup and information architecture. Furthermore, they're able to extend and adapt upon the starter kits, thus benefiting the specific needs of all clients.
With uSkinned, clients can add and edit content more intuitively from inside Umbraco CMS. They no longer need to contact us every time they need a slightly different layout.
The Outcome
uSkinned themes have enabled Wakefly's team to rapidly increase its development capacity on Umbraco projects, which has ultimately lead to a reduction in costs. The team have recently launched a new website for InfoNovus Technologies and here is developer, Ryan Casey, in his own words on the success of the project:
"This is an informational/corporate site for an IT services company. We were able to serve the various ways they wanted to present their information using uSkinned components straight out of the box. We also designed the site with uSkinned in mind, so we already knew what components were available to us. Although this was in no way restrictive, it was simply a matter of integrating our designs into the Harvest theme and then developing a couple of custom components to be used alongside the existing uSkinned functionality. In total, the development (front end and back end) of this custom design was completed in a week for this site."
Specifically, on uSkinned themes as a whole, Ryan continued...
"uSkinned offer starter kits for Umbraco that provide enough components to serve as a foundation for any Umbraco site. For more content-focused sites, there may be no custom development needed at all. For more complex sites, uSkinned doesn't get in your way and can be easily extended with custom components and functionality. We look forward to building more sites using your themes."
Conclusion
How would you rate the content editor experience in a uSkinned theme?
5 out of 5
What has been the biggest benefit of using a uSkinned theme?
Saved development time
Saved design time
Saved money
Increased profit
Increased development capacity
What specific features do you love in uSkinned themes?
