Flexible and scalable online architecture: TakeNote!

Take Note! is a digital publishing company specialising in advertising to students in the UK.

The problem

TakeNote!’s objective was to launch its new online platform: Urban Tribe. In this, it needed a company that could:

1. Create a robust, intuitive web portal, so that their business customers could upload and manage their adverts and campaigns.
2. Create a scalable architecture, so that it can achieve its growth ambitions.
3. Improve the overall user experience (UX).
4. Add new functionality quickly, and make it easy to add features in the future.
5. Design the solution mobile-first.
6. Integrate the solution with social networks, such as Facebook.

Nicolas Carey, Director at Take Note!:

“Success to us is delivering a product to our clients that they love, and that our users want to use every day.”

The solution

Working closely with TakeNote!, we did the following:

• Assessed their requirements using input from real users.
• Designed and budgeted a development plan.
• Provided strategic consultancy.
• Created an online service that worked on mobile and other devices.
• Ensured tight social media integration.
• Developed a highly scalable platform that could handle the needs of thousands of users.
• Ensured all discount codes were uniquely identifiable and traceable.
• Optimised the UX to ensure high conversion rates.
• Added a verification feature to ensure all users were actually students.
• Managed infrastructure – hardware, hybrid cloud facilities and

The Outcome

Thousands of students used TakeNote’s online services every day. It provides access to hundreds of deals from local and national businesses.

“We wanted to find a company that would go beyond version 1 of our service.”

“Helastel (now illumo digital) have both the technical expertise and the business acumen to see our vision through.”