Synchronize creates top-tier lectures in Russian on culture, history, and science. Despite awesome content, only 20% of users renewed their subscriptions. The culprit? A clunky platform.
We teamed up with Synchronize to relaunch their platform: built a new architecture, designed a slick user dashboard, and overhauled the content admin panel. Nailed it in just 3 months, when projects like this usually take 6 months to a year.
Synchronize had a killer landing page, but things fell apart post-signup:
These tech issues tanked the business: 15% of subscribers never added a course, and only 20% renewed. In fall 2024, Tanya Lunina, Synchronization’s Product Director, reached out to FANS for a platform overhaul.
A full platform relaunch with tons of user scenarios usually takes 6 months to a year. Synchronization wanted it fast—3 months max.
We dug into what we could realistically pull off in that time. After scoping the architecture, we zeroed in on three priorities:
To hit the deadline, we mapped out a week-by-week plan for three months. Dropped the first version in production right on time—February 3, 2025. Here’s how we built a Netflix-style hub for cultural content.
Slick, user-friendly interfaces are key but tough to nail in a rush. To make it happen, MateÇa studio designers, our frontend and backend devs worked in parallel.
Designers and frontend devs synced up multiple times a week, sharing progress and hashing out what ideas were feasible, what they’d impact, and what to tweak in mockups. The client joined these sessions, helping us nail solutions for all user scenarios that we could realistically build in time.
Frontend stack: TypeScript, Vue, Pinia Colada.
While working on interfaces, we leaned into component-based development. Pages were assembled only after coding and approving elements in a library.
Component-based development isn’t typical for MVPs—it’s usually for big, stable projects. But with tight deadlines and parallel design-frontend work, assembling pages from pre-built components was a game-changer.
Post-project, Synchronize got a robust, tested component library, speeding up future projects like mobile apps.
Synchronize’s old setup was a messy mix of off-the-shelf tools and custom code. Pre-built solutions weren’t flexible and—worst of all—didn’t save viewing progress. Tough to compete with Netflix or YouTube’s one-click resume.
Swapping the entire engine at once was too risky—if the new platform flopped, the business would take a hit. So, the new architecture runs old and new systems in parallel. We also ensured old promo page links stayed intact and smoothly handled data for purchases, subscriptions, and refunds.
Video is Synchronize’s core. Building our own video delivery system and player would’ve been pricey and impractical. We integrated Kinescope, a ready-to-go video platform, but designed the integration to let Synchronization switch vendors painlessly if needed.
The new architecture enabled a dream feature: phased rollout. We first opened the platform to loyal users, gathering real-world feedback and fixing bugs. If something broke, users could switch back to the old version, keeping the business safe.
The new system is future-proofed with flexibility: courses can be split into paid stages, and the homepage is modular—adding a new backend block with custom logic now takes hours. We planned not just for today but for cost-effective growth tomorrow.
«The new architecture lets us build products we didn’t even plan for in the original spec. Its flexibility means we can roll out almost any idea just through the admin panel.
For example, we added a free course with scheduled lecture unlocks—a scenario we hadn’t even discussed at the start. It’s awesome.»
The old content admin panel was a confusing mess. Building a new one from scratch would’ve taken at least six weeks.
We helped Synchronize define admin panel requirements to keep data mostly tabular. This let us use Django’s standard admin panel, shaving at least a month off development. If data or needs get complex later, they can build a custom admin panel—like we did for Webium.
Content managers got a powerful tool with features like versioning, with almost no extra dev costs.
«FANS didn’t just nod along with our ideas—they pushed back on bad ones, clearly explaining why they’d be inefficient or unreliable, which we really valued. But they stayed open to compromises, even if it meant stepping outside their usual stack or wasn’t perfect.
For example, partial redirects to the old platform, integrating a recurring payment widget, pulling points from the old system—these aren’t the most elegant solutions, but they saved us time and money, and most importantly, they work.
The team wasn’t afraid to go beyond the original plan, adding details like rotating avatars, a random image picker for the login page, cute empty states, and thank-you pages. These were spontaneous ideas, not tied directly to business goals, but they got built when there was bandwidth. And FANS didn’t inflate timelines or dump extra tasks on us.»
Synchronize now has a live product, CI/CD pipelines, processes, and their own tech team. We sourced candidates from the client’s network and our Strong Programmers School grads. We handled technical interviews, the client checked for culture fit, and suitable hires joined the team as we phased out our devs.
Product analytics show the relaunch boosted Synchronize’s business metrics—proof the overhaul paid off.
Agreed with the client upfront on a lean product, avoiding a year-long “rebuild everything” trap.
When the client wanted changes mid-project, we accommodated where possible. They reciprocated, accepting simpler solutions if features would take too long.
Synchronize’s designer joined our design studio, and our devs picked up mockups mid-sprint, staying in lockstep with their product lead.
Mobile App Launch
Built a full-fledged mobile app for offline lecture viewing, using web tech to reuse site code and save months of dev time.
Course Store Revamp
The client loved our speedy product launches and wants to redo their public course store with us.
Data-Driven Dashboard Growth
Set up analytics with tools like Mixpanel and Amplitude for Synchronize’s team to evolve the dashboard.