Enhancing the platform, one feature at a time
Platform engineering
Spacesuit Media engaged us to deliver new functionality for the Spacesuit Collections application, as part of a wider ambition to grow the platform's commercial potential. With an expanding catalogue and increasing demand from photographers, brands, and image buyers, the business needed to evolve the application to support new user experiences and streamline operational workflows. Our brief was to help shape and implement these enhancements, without compromising the stability of the existing platform.
Before we began expanding the functionality of Spacesuit Collections, we first invested time in understanding the application's existing Yii2 PHP codebase. The platform had evolved over several years, so our first priority was to thoroughly understand its structure and design. This included reviewing architectural decisions, identifying recurring development patterns, and mapping out opportunities for improvement.
Drawing on our extensive experience with Yii2, we carried out a structured onboarding and analysis process. This included setting up reliable local development environments, auditing the codebase, and aligning our approach with the platform's existing conventions - ensuring we could contribute effectively and safely from the outset.
With a strong grasp of the system, we began introducing new features with modern Yii2 best practices to improve both performance and maintainability. One example was implementing powerful filtering and sorting tools for the platform's extensive image library, through the integration of Yii2's DataProvider functionality. This improvement enhanced usability while preserving backend efficiency.
We also worked on strengthening platform security by introducing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for login, alongside improved user management features. Additionally, we developed new flagging capabilities, allowing admins to track and manage specific assets more effectively.
Our work throughout 2024 has been iterative, consistently adding improvements while maintaining the platform's stability. Each new feature was built to align with best practices, ensuring that Spacesuit Collections remains scalable and efficient as Spacesuit Media continues to grow.
Working with the Spacesuit Media team
Collaboration was a key factor in the success of these projects. We worked closely with Spacesuit Media's hosting provider and developer Jamie, the original architect of the application, to ensure a seamless development and deployment process, adapting to their existing infrastructure and processes.
We also worked directly with Spacesuit Media's in-house designer, photographer and Operations Director Adam, and MD Ross, aligning our development work with their vision for the platform. We engaged in detailed discussions with all the stakeholders on UX, feature workflows, and system architecture to ensure each new addition integrated seamlessly with the platform. By exploring existing systems and providing feedback on potential enhancements, we helped refine feature concepts and improve user experience, striking the right balance between functionality and usability.
