Housing cooperative platform ready for the future in 1 month

Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland
Technology stack: Next.js, Vercel 

Baugenossenschaft Letten (BGL) is a Swiss housing cooperative founded in Zurich in 1922. The organization plays a meaningful social role in the community. It provides resources to help their communities grow and live happily. The company wanted to refresh their image and recreate the current platform. Part of refreshing their image was to recreate the platform in a way that allowed people in the community to see what BGL was up to, the projects they have in mind for the future, and to have more transparency with their users - so they approached Naturaily, a Jamstack development agency from Poland.

The agency used Storyblok to create BGL's new, modern, visually appealing platform, within only 1 month. They chose the Content Management System (CMS) for its intuitive content management workflows and Visual Editor. It was also appreciated for its future-proof technology implementation possibilities.

The new website also benefited from the Jamstack approach, which resulted in impressive lighthouse scores: 100% in web accessibility, 100% in best practices, and 95% in SEO ratio.

Section titled Challenges in preparing BGL for the exciting future Challenges in preparing BGL for the exciting future

Previously, Baugenossenschaft Letten had an outdated and inefficient website. In general, their platform had no significant performance issues. But, the company had to face the following challenges:

• BGL's platform was suitable for a text-based website only. It looked and felt anachronous with its simple table structure.
• Difficulties in reflecting BGL's values and traditions on their current platform. Refreshing the company's image involved recreating the website. The new platform was supposed to show BGL activities, plans, and user transparency.
• Limited visuals and no dynamic content made it hard for BGL to deliver and maintain a modern website. This also limited BGL from building an exciting user experience.
• BGL needed a lightweight website in terms of page speed and future-proof technology.

Section titled From outdated to outstanding: BGL's metamorphosis with Storyblok From outdated to outstanding: BGL's metamorphosis with Storyblok

Naturaily considered using Contentful, Sanity, or Storyblok as the CMS for this project. In the beginning, they would have chosen Contentful based on previous experience. Yet, Storyblok looked much better considering the following aspects:

• Simple and user-friendly Workflows: BGL's team could easily update and manage the content layer. They enjoyed a smooth user experience using Storyblok. It is also intuitive for non-technical users. Thanks to this, they were able to create a modern and visually appealing website. Moreover, it has an immersive and smooth user experience.
• BGL enjoyed Storyblok's Visual Editor. It allowed them to see changes and results almost instantly. Moreover, they gained better control over created content and dynamic visuals.
• Storyblok turned out to be the best choice for pricing. This is because of its flexible, transparent, and predictable payment plans.
• The Jamstack approach gives the new BGL's website all its advantages. It has excellent performance, scalability, high security, maintenance, and flexibility.

Section titled We learn from mutual experience We learn from mutual experience

The BGL project implementation was an exciting challenge for Naturaily. For example, they had to put in place both SSG and SSR scripting at the same time to reach different goals. Yet, they enjoyed the experience of working on this project. Effective collaboration with BGL as well as Storyblok’s intuitive Workflows allowed them to onboard the content team with ease. The content team can now easily update, change, and maintain their new site. It was a fun challenge, but they all enjoyed the process, and BGL were very satisfied with the outcome.

At the end of the project implementation, Naturaily used Lighthouse and GTMetrix to test BGL new site's performance. They found that the site's metrics improved to above 90 in all categories. As a result, the agency has a platform that allows for a more meaningful, connected relationship with their community.

Section titled Baugenossenschaft Letten ready for exciting adventures Baugenossenschaft Letten ready for exciting adventures

Baugenossenschaft Letten saw Storyblok as a perfect opportunity to revamp their online presence. They wanted to improve and optimize their website for themselves and their community. The company also aimed to streamline the technology. Finally, they needed to prepare for future expansion. With Storyblok, BGL has elevated the way they connect to their community. As a result, they created a modern website where people can find new homes and resources.