Wanted: a strategic partner

"We started the company in 2007 and set ourselves a target to go live in early 2008 with a small test audience, and finally in June 2008 for the general public", describes Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO of Shapeways. "With this challenging goal in mind, we quickly decided to outsource the development of our website. It was a logical choice, as we didn't want to do everything ourselves", Peter explains. "We needed a partner that could give us more than just programmers. We wanted the whole package, so were really looking for a strategic partner. This partner should be able to create the design and architecture of the new site, provide advice, manage the project and build the actual site. We found this package at Ibuildings, whose offer was different from the rest. They presented a well-researched, realistic proposal, which made our decision easy."

Complex project with several stakeholders

Peter describes: "From the very beginning, we expected Ibuildings to be flexible. In a start-up environment, it is difficult to estimate exactly how much support and capacity you'll need, as everything is still new. Now that we have moved to the next phase, we have a much clearer picture. The nice thing about Ibuildings is that they've grown with us. This was a very important point for us when choosing a partner."

"We first mapped our wishes and requirements, which Ibuildings then translated into a functional and technical design. The magnitude of our challenge soon became apparent: it was a complex project with multiple parties involved, plus integration with advanced 3D software. Because we anticipated peaks in visitor numbers and the possibility of international deployment, we took scalability into account from the very beginning. And everything needed to happen fast, because we wanted to go live in early 2008."

Customised tools

"Ibuildings provided everything that was needed to launch the site and provide the desired features, and the desired results. They developed customised tools for processing calculations, orders and other features in the most optimal way. Features such as "Best New Design" and the ability of other users to evaluate designs through ratings and comments were also included, along with a blog and forum functionality. For us, these community features were especially important. The site already has thousands of active members, which is a great result."

Developing online stores

"In 2008, we had a roadmap prepared for all the development that we wanted to achieve during that year. With Ibuildings, we’ve gone through the entire roadmap in 2008. They had a good overview of everything that needed to be done and how much resources would be needed. This is nicely highlighted by the development of our online store functionality. Users of the 3D software on our site can open their own online stores", explains Peter. "We had a hard deadline, as we wanted to launch this unique feature at the CES trade show in Las Vegas - the largest international consumer electronics show in the world. Ibuildings worked night and day to implement everything on time, and it was a success. We met the deadline, and there are already over 500 user stores on our site."

Planning new features

"For 2009, we prepared another roadmap, which in fact is the next phase of the project. While the 2008 roadmap introduced many major new features, it was now time to fine-tune the existing features. We naturally had many ideas ourselves, but we also received a lot of suggestions from our visitors. This keeps us alert, and we stay in regular contact with Ibuildings to consult on these changes", says Peter.

Co-Creator Platform brings designers and users together

One of the recent projects that Ibuildings has developed for Shapeways is the Co-Creator Platform. This allows designers to directly understand the wants and needs of the customer. Through the platform, the designers can offer commodity products that customers can then customise according to their own specific needs – things such as custom-made photo frames, cuff links, napkin rings and Christmas tree ornaments. There are now more than 100 designs on the website, all easily customisable.