BuiltByWordPress Express Service

Project Overview: At Automattic, I led a 4-person team to develop the BuiltByWordPress Express service, a specialized offering that streamlined website creation for small businesses. This service combined a guided, multi-step onboarding process with dynamic pricing and automated page pre-generation to jumpstart the website design process.

Objectives

1. Create an intuitive, step-by-step onboarding flow for small business website creation
2. Implement dynamic pricing that updates in real-time as users select different page types and features
3. Develop a system for pre-generating WordPress pages based on user selections
4. Provide seamless handoff to designers with complete customer requirements

Features

1. Multi-Step Onboarding Experience:

   • Designed an intuitive flow guiding users through business information, design preferences, and feature selection
   • Created conditional question paths that adapted based on business type and requirements
   • Implemented progress tracking and save/resume functionality for complex setups

2. Dynamic Pricing Engine:

   • Built a real-time pricing calculator that updated as users selected different page types and features
   • Created tiered pricing models with package discounts for comprehensive site builds
   • Implemented transparent cost breakdowns for services and optional add-ons

3. Automated Page Pre-Generation:

   • Developed a system to automatically create starter WordPress pages based on selected templates
   • Implemented intelligent content placeholders customized to the business category
   • Created an API integration with content services for initial site population

4. Designer Collaboration Tools:

   • Built handoff documentation that compiled all client requirements and preferences
   • Created designer dashboards for tracking project status and client communication
   • Implemented revision management tools to streamline the feedback process

Technology Stack

• Frontend: React, Redux for state management
• Backend: Node.js services, WordPress API integration
• Data Storage: PostgreSQL for user selections, WordPress for generated content
• Infrastructure: AWS for computing and storage needs

Outcome

BuiltByWordPress Express successfully streamlined the website creation process, reducing the average time from order to initial design review by 40%. The intuitive interface and transparent pricing led to higher customer satisfaction scores, while the pre-generated pages gave designers a significant head start in the creation process.