The Power of Collaboration: Boosting Tongal's Long-term Success Through Team Augmentation

Table of contents

• Getting to Know the Client and How It All Started

• Expanding the Scope Through Team Augmentation

• Tackling the Next Project Phase and Its Challenges 

• The Solution: Taking Tongal's Platform to the Next Level

• The Results: Long-term Impacts of a Successful Partnership

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Getting to Know the Client and How It All Started

Our adventure began in 2019, when Tongal, a content creation platform connecting iconic brands with a global network of creative talent, was working on a new challenge: building a custom World Builder website for LEGO. 

Through industry recommendations, Tongal's search for a partner to expand its internal development capacity led them to NaNLABS. Soon after our first chat, we sealed the deal and our crew was tasked with creating a dynamic discussion system for the LEGO project. 

Expanding the Scope Through Team Augmentation

Our journey quickly unfolded beyond the initial brief. Instead of simply building the code for the discussion system and handing it over to Tongal, our usual commitment to going the extra mile led us to immerse ourselves in their business to fully understand their needs and deliver the best possible results. 

The outcomes and the work dynamic we established not only met but exceeded their expectations, leading to an extended partnership where NaNLABS was integrated into Tongal's squad through our team augmentation services. 

We worked on Tongal's internal system, enhancing the user experience on their content creation platform. 

Tongal wanted to make their content creation more efficient, while also boosting user satisfaction. The idea was to optimize the collaboration process between creators and clients and revamp the user interface, making it more intuitive and appealing. 

Tackling the Next Project Phase and Its Challenges 

Once we began this next phase of our collaboration with Tongal, our mission was multifaceted:

• Conducting a detailed analysis of Tongal's existing platform;

• Identifying areas for improvement in user experience and devising a plan to effectively bring solutions to life;

• Designing and building the new features and functionalities

• Implementing the technical solutions to enhance platform performance and usability 

The plan was clear but the journey was not without its challenges. Tight deadlines, context changes, and certain shifts in project specifications demanded a swift, efficient response from our team. On top of that, the technical aspects of working with Tongal's existing platform presented its own set of hurdles.

The Solution: Taking Tongal's Platform to the Next Level

To tackle the project’s challenges and deliver high-quality solutions our squad employed a diverse and robust tech toolkit:

Design and Project Management Tools: Using Figma, Zeplin, and Photoshop, we crafted wireframes and interactive prototypes. ClickUp and Miro facilitated project coordination and progress tracking.

Backend Technologies: We paired Kotlin with Spring Boot for a robust backend, integrating GraphQL for efficient data querying and manipulation. Clean Architecture principles were followed to maintain a separation of concerns, making the codebase modular, testable, and easily maintainable.

Frontend Tech: The application's frontend was built with React.js and TypeScript, employing Material UI for a consistent and visually appealing user interface. Legacy code maintenance involved AngularJs and Coffeescript.

Databases: MySQL and ElasticSearch underpinned our database management, supporting structured data storage and real-time search functionality.

Our Approach to The Work: Developing Solutions the NaNLABS Way

On top of leveraging a carefully selected tech stack, our strategy was to prioritize thorough planning and seamless collaboration between development and design teams. 

Through our usual proactive work ethos, we identified several opportunities to take things to the next level, making suggestions that were not initially part of the project scope, but highly valuable to achieving Tongal's goals. An example was the idea of incorporating an advanced search feature to streamline navigation and content search for users, which ended up being integrated into a later development phase.

This work dynamic is a product of 10+ years of experience in the game and a hard-core Agile development methodology. No matter the type of project, be it staff augmentation, MVP development, or any other service, our strategy will include a continuous improvement mindset, total transparency, and close collaboration with everyone involved. 

The Results: Long-term Impacts of a Successful Partnership

The collaboration between NaNLABS and Tongal has led to significant improvements in the usability and functionality of Tongal's platform, which has undergone several iterations, each introducing new features and enhancements. 

Our partnership's success is also manifested in Tongal's growth. In addition to seeing a steady growth in its creator and client base, the company also has evolved and improved internal processes. 

At NaNLABS, we don't simply sell custom software development services. We build strategic partnerships with clients, who can rely on us to be their trusty tech sidekick and go above and beyond to ensure their long-term success. And that was the case with Tongal too. 

As for the LEGO World Builder platform, it's still in use to this day, as a means of collaboration between the LEGO fans community and the LEGO Company. 

Keen to expand the possibilities of your development squad? Get in touch. Our experts will seamlessly integrate with your team and go above and beyond to ensure your long-term success!

Get in touch. We don't byte!