One of the things Zao prides itself on is taking on complex projects that require in-depth strategy and not only solve problems, but add value to the technology our clients are using. We take a boy scout approach to the work we do: Always leave the campground cleaner than you found it.

This means not only cleaning up what messes we may have found when we arrived, but leaving our clients with sustainable technology that benefits them in the future–both short and long-term.

We recently worked with Cancer Tutor, a website dedicated to providing valuable information on natural cancer treatment and prevention. Cancer Tutor is affiliated with and supported by prominent cancer researchers and the Independent Cancer Research Foundation, Inc., and aims to empower cancer patients to have unfettered access to information about alternative methodologies for their illness–and share their successes and failures.

You can read more about the work we did with them over at our portfolio (and check back–we may have another post here in the future delving into the technical dirty details of the work as well!).

Reggie Black, the head honcho over at Cancer Tutor, was generous enough to chat with us about why he chose Zao and how he felt about the project.

If you’ve been wondering what it’s like to work with Zao or why our clients go with us, here’s some insight:

Why did Cancer Tutor seek out a developer?

We were building something new. Something that had not really been done before, there was no template or plugin to compare it to. So we needed someone who could dream as big as we can.

We get a lot of crazy ideas for things we would like to build. It takes a very special combination of developer and people-person to really understand what and how we want to do certain things.

Zao seemed to get “it” instantly. Even from the first wireframe we sent over, they understood our vision and direction. They were the first developers we had spoken to that took a genuine interest in understanding our project from day one.

Was there an emotional component to the problem you were looking to solve? What emotions did you or other stakeholders feel because of what was going on?

It was a little bit frustrating to hear some people tell us it can’t be done or shouldn’t be done through WordPress, and the fact that we had not seen others do it before to prove that it was possible made it difficult for us to express the vision that was inside of our head. It was very satisfying to be told that we could do it, and [that] Zao could tackle it. They happily accepted the challenge and took on every new problem that we threw their way.

What led you to choose Zao over any other agency?

Response time. Clear Communication. Hustle.

I sent them a wireframe and specs for the project late on a Friday night. I got a response on Saturday morning! Zao wanted to do video call to see each other face to face (which I love). I could visually see the wheels turning in their head and I could tell they were genuinely excited by the project.

During our first call it became evident very quickly that they had already done a very thorough analysis of our wireframes and asked us very hard questions about the project (which I also loved).

What was the solution to these hurdles?

Magic wizardry. I have no idea how Zao pulled off some of the stuff we asked them to do. It always got done, though.

What was the biggest takeaway or success of this project?

We launched on time! That was a huge success. There were so many moving parts between our internal team, designers, other developers, and Zao. There were many times during the project that we were flying by the seat of our pants. Zao always got their part done plus a little extra…without ever complaining. They displayed an incredible attitude throughout the entire project.

How do you feel about your site now compared to when you were first searching for a developer?

The answer is now we feel like we have someone who can keep up with our craziness.

Me: Hey, I thought of this thing…let me tell you about it.

Zao: Yeah, we will have that done next week.

You guys get it instantly. One phone call and we’re on the same page. Even with the additional stuff we added, you were able to knock it out of the park

Are there any other comments or feedback you have for us about your project?

You guys have been, hands down, the most fun team we have ever worked with. “Making work fun again” should be your campaign. There were some incredibly funny moments in Slack and I really appreciated how you kept everything light-hearted.

Had we not gone with Zao, I know we could not have gotten this done on time. [You] were flexible with our crazy schedule and always got [the] work done.

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Don’t be jelly! Getting your jam on with Zao is easy peasy; all you have to do is get in touch.