New Story website
How low can we go?
Develop a powerful branded website for New Story, using low-code solutions that require little-to-no involvement of our in-house development team.
Context
In building an online application, you have two main options – high-code and low-code. High-code offers the customizability needed to create a unique digital service that won't be easily replicated - but this comes at the cost of taking more time, and development resources. On the other hand, with low code development tools, you can quickly get your product off ground though it may lack some of customization capabilities found in its hi-coded counterpart.
When it comes to creating websites, clients often want an on-brand solution that is able to amplify their story and carry out e-commerce or marketing. Low-code solutions like Shopify are a great option for managing e-commerce, while platforms like WordPress provide the flexibility of customizing templates according to individual needs. However, if you need something truly special that perfectly fits your requirements - then development is usually still necessary.
At New Story, we love custom development, but also seek an efficient solution that demands minimal - or better yet - no development. We are conscious of the fact that skilled resources are hard to come by and prefer to use them for developing more complex custom services; like those we deliver for Vogelbescherming Nederland and Sunny Cars.
Solution
Meet Webflow. This low-code solution promises you to easily create beautiful websites - coding experience is not necessary. Drag-and-drop interfaces are sufficient to design and develop dynamic sites without writing a single line of code. Some other nifty features include: it offers extensive animation capabilities, integration for e-commerce stores and an advanced CMS system - all in one convenient package. Sounds great right? To a certain extent it really does.
Non-designer disclaimer
Thinking device agnostic is key in web design. Websites can be viewed on any of the many devices available - from desktop to watch, you never know! Configuring a website in Webflow doesn't dismiss you from having usability and web design skills. At New Story, this is not an issue as even our non-coding designers have the knowledge required. They don't jump into Webflow Designer mode but set up their designs first in Figma, which is recommended by Webflow.
Concessions come with the territory
With planned knowledge of Webflow's limitations, you can both save time and reduce costs. But not without concessions. Use Wordpress as an example: it provides custom template blocks to tailor pages to your needs. With Webflow this option is currently unavailable - instead, you have to create a fixed structure page and follow this design every time. For us this doesn't pose a problem. Our copywriters make ends meet.
Our verdict
Despite initial anticipation of completely no-code development, we've come to realize that a necessary amount of customization and front-end coding skills are still required. Although more integrated than ever before, the platform does require specialist knowledge. All things considered though, our verdict is positive; there has been an impressive level of progress towards making website creation quicker and smoother for everyone involved!
Would you like to learn more about Webflow? Read our blog : 'When to use it and to lose it'.
Results
- Dramatically less developers capacity needed
- Our brand comes alive
- Content is pleasant to manage
- Development goes faster and faster
Want to learn more?
Get in touch with:
Check out some of our cases that prove our story, or go to the overview page.
