Becoming partners who share the same vision. CODING FACTORY's journey to renewing its website.

The service site for CODING FACTORY , one of Monosus' core services, has been revamped for the first time in 12 years.

The site has a completely different feel and now features a wealth of content that goes beyond just information about the service, but also introduces the company's attitude and members.

What was important to us in the renewal was to communicate who we are now, and to value our desire to work together with partners who share our mutual sympathy.

We spoke to four people involved in the creation of this website to find out how it came about.

Participants

Edited by Kyoko Sugimoto

A workshop where everyone could confirm their thoughts

Nakajima
The atmosphere of the CF (Coding Factory) website has completely changed. I heard that this is the first renewal in 12 years. What was the trigger?

Although we had talked about renovating Tatsuta many times, our own website tends to be put off. We just couldn't finish it. When Monosas's structure changed in 2020, we decided to get a proper budget and get it done. There were a lot of issues that were coming up.

Nakajima: What were the issues that you saw coming?

Tatsuta: The biggest thing was that the site was a "coding agency". From the beginning of CF, we clearly promoted our service of doing the production for you, but now it's not like that anymore. The reality is different, the members' attitudes are different, and the relationship with customers is different. If it's not a coding agency, then what is it? That was the biggest theme.

Matsubara had a price list, but as work became more complex, the actual content and the amount that could be handled had changed.

Website before renewal

The Tatsuta Renewal project started in June 2020. The company's structure had changed drastically, and the spread of the new coronavirus began soon after, cutting off communication. Regardless of the renewal, we decided to talk about this together. We invited facilitator Masayuki Aoki to hold a workshop where all members involved in CF gathered online.

Matsubara: We split into groups and talked about what we value in our work and the strengths of CF, and then shared that with the whole group. It might have been the first time that we all got together.

A scene from the workshop. On the top left is Masayuki Aoki, who facilitates meetings in a wide range of genres.

Tatsuta : It was a workshop with a really good atmosphere. In the past, there was a tendency for awareness to be divided according to roles, such as sales, production, and inspection, but around this time, it seemed like that this was visibly disappearing.

Nakajima: Once we spoke about what we were all thinking, our relationships changed after that.

Tatsuta: I think we found out that we were thinking a lot alike when we talked. At first, CF was a bit uniform, or we had to proceed within a set format, but that's not the case now. There was a lot of talk about how we face each customer and create things together. It was impressive that everyone was saying the same things.

Matsubara: I've spoken to people involved in projects before, but I think it was really good to be able to put it all together in front of everyone. In the midst of a lack of communication, I felt like my enthusiasm was lifted once again.

Machiyama: With the change in Monosas' structure, there was a good trend to eliminate the barriers between departments, in addition to the workshop. I feel that it has become much easier to work here compared to when I joined the company.

It's about us, so we think for ourselves

Nakajima :How will the workshop be utilized in the renewal?

Tatsuta : We didn't leave the keywords that came out as they were, but held several subcommittees to discuss them further. Workshops and subcommittees are a place for dissemination. I was in charge of consolidating them and thinking about what kind of content would be good and the structure and content of the site.

I was conscious of diversity and wanting people to know about the members. I thought a lot about what kind of content and manuscripts would be needed to achieve that. Also, CF has been a service for over 10 years, so it was important to think about it based on its history and trends.

Nakajima: How did you progress with the big theme of "What do we want to become from being a coding agency?"

Tatsuta: That was the most difficult part. We formed a project team with a few of the members here and put the concept into words.

Onogi : First, we all shared our essences, grouped them, and then lined up the keywords. With a lot of words coming out, we did a copy rush. We put them all out and narrowed down the ones that felt right. We did this process once a week for several weeks.

Tatsuta : It was a long process. Even though we all immediately agreed on the direction, it took time to find the right words to express it.

Some of the copyright proposals that came up. In the end, we all decided on "YOUR CODING PARTNER. Find someone who can empathize with your project."

Nakajima : It must have taken a lot of time and effort to do this so carefully and with everyone contributing together, not just one person. Is this the same process you follow when you create websites for your clients?

Tatsuta: I think it's often the case that we can't put in this much effort. It's hard when you have a schedule and a budget. I think it was because it was our own website that we were able to think about it thoroughly. I'd like to make use of this experience in future projects.

Design and coding challenges

Nakajima: When I saw the new website design, I thought it was surprising but really good. The colors were something I had never seen before in Monosus or commercials.

Onogi: In parallel with deciding on the concept, we held a workshop to think up a design. First, we asked questions such as "What kind of magazine looks like a commercial?" and "What kind of building looks like a commercial?" and asked each person to line up things that were close to their image. I realized that what we have in our heads in words is different from what we see visually.

For each picture, I asked them to come up with a keyword to explain why they chose it. When I grouped them, words like "simple" and "warmth" started to appear. What remained were keywords that were playful yet familiar.

Matsubara: It was interesting that Machiyama and I came up with the term "city pop."

If Tatsuta hadn't done this, I think the site would have been much more colorful.

Nakajima :So you started with the words and turned them into shapes and colors.

Onogi : That's right. From here, it was pretty smooth to create a mood board and share it. After that, it was difficult to create the actual first view. I want to include a person to match the words "YOUR CODING PARTNER." It would be good to have a sense of "construction and design." The geometric feel is logical, and a floating feeling seems good too. After considering various elements, we finally came up with this shape.

The final homepage design

I feel like Machiyama added some really detailed changes to the design that Tatsuta Onogi came up with.

Machiyama: That's right. This line is too three-dimensional, this part should be lighter in color, etc. They listened to my opinions and made the adjustments. I really like this feel.

Onogi : After that, the illustrations were the hardest part.

Nakajima : There are plenty of illustrations on every page. Did you create them all, Ono?

Onogi : Yes. It's hard to gather stock photos because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, I didn't want to end it half-finished, like many other company websites. We've taken the steps from the workshop and are building this site with everyone's precious time, so no matter how many illustrations there are, we'll do our best. I'm glad we were able to see it through.

There were times when I suggested that we don't need this place because there are too many of them , but in the end we did everything.

A page summarizing the words that came up during the workshop in which everyone participated

Nakajima : The content was decided, and the manuscript and design were completed. After that, Machiyama-san took over and started working on the project with the local coders from Monosus Thailand.

Machiyama : Yes. As for coding, since it was our own website, we decided to incorporate new technology. For projects, the time and budget are fixed, so there is no need to use difficult technology. Some of the coders said, "I was a little bored, but I was able to work hard because of this project." I'm glad we gave it a try.

Nakajima: What did you try?

Machiyama: For example, when you open a normal website, rendering only starts when you open the URL. The work of constructing the appearance to load and compose the page happens on the web browser. When you access the CF site this time, the page is displayed in a state where rendering has been completed.

Nakajima : Now that you mention it, all pages appear immediately.

Machiyama : I also tried using a technology called Next.js to deal with the recently updated Google search algorithm. It's popular worldwide, and I've never worked on it in a real project, but I've always wanted to try it. It was helpful to experience the obstacles I faced.

Our website is one you'll want to visit every day

Nakajima: It started with a workshop with everyone, and from concept creation, design, and coding, this project was full of challenges. Thank you all for your hard work. How does it go now that it's been released?

Machiyama : I don't know if people will notice, but I think we've created a seamless website that people will unconsciously feel good about. I'm happy to have been able to do this kind of work. Manabe-san (CDO of Monosus) is someone who sees a lot of things, so he often gives harsh criticism, but I was surprised when he praised me so openly. "That Manabe-san!"

I agree with Tatsuta .

Onogi: Sometimes after you create a company website, you feel a bit embarrassed. But that doesn't happen with this one. I like it so much that I could look at it every day.

Matsubara
I like how the members introduce each other in their comments. I also like the design. I'm currently working on transferring the CF News from the old site, and it's fun to update it.

Nakajima :Everyone is really praising our site.

Tatsuta: I think all the content is good. If I had to pick one, I like the way they show their achievements and the map of what they can do . CF is basically in the background, creating websites at the request of production companies. There are times when we can't say, "We created this site." We thought a lot about how we can get people outside to see our work and skills. It's easier for customers to understand if they can see what kind of work we do.

A page listing the accumulated achievements

Nakajima: I think this will be a page that the production team will also be happy with. Personally, I like the page on "How to approach work," which reflects the words that came up in the workshop.

Tatsuta: I think the three pages about us are really good. The reason for this renewal is not to increase the number of inquiries through the website, but to meet customers who share our views. We have been able to express everything about CF and ourselves, so we hope to connect with people who want to work with us through this site and continue working with them.

The site now gives a good look at what CODING FACTORY is like today.
Please take a look!
CODING FACTORY