As of 19th October 2024, KSI’s “Thick of it” is global 9th top song with 30 million + views within 2 weeks of it’s launch.
KSI wanted the initial screen to be on red screen and this is how we began:
Here is how we began working for such large scale website:
Someone from the team of KSI reached out to one of our partners in London. We were asked to help them build a website that would make people stay on one screen and once they would start to click their screen, they should get message after message, but it would not change the URL
And the sweet part, we were asked to do it on Wordpress AND within 48 hours. It had to be responsive, no lags, screen content had to be dynamic, texts should be bold and big on every mobile device.
Team composition
7 members
Client name
Wholistic Minds
Duration
12 months
Country
U.S.A
Industry
Years Ongoing
Estimated man-hours
Team size
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About the project
Wholistic app aims to provide comprehensive personal security solutions for individuals and organizations in need of enhanced protection.
Developing a mobile app to address the safety concerns of high-profile individuals and provide a quick response system during times of aggression or distress posed unique challenges in terms of ensuring seamless functionality, robust security, and real-time responsiveness.
Client Login and Notification System
The SPG app allows clients to securely log in and activate notifications
to inform friends and designated groups in times of need.
Live Streaming and Immediate Assistance Clients can live stream their situation and receive immediate assistance from field operators allocated to different response groups.
Integration with Monitoring Centre and Admin Control The app seamlessly integrates with a 3rd party monitoring centre, providing continuous monitoring and coordination, while SPG’s admin maintains control over the app and back-end users.
At one point, it was so tough to manage because they were adding too many “ooooo”s in a simple word “so”, we had to write custom code to not let the word extend out of screen so that users wouldn’t have to scroll horizontally.
From this:
To this:
Another time, we got a changed requirement that KSI wanted to have this image in the last screen of the flow:
His idea was to have an image with play icon, one that wouldn’t play anything.
Technically speaking, we were masking the URL by injecting post data(texts) into the initial screen via API so that someone on the internet wouldn’t be sharing the final apology URL directly; hence, we had to decline his request as this was a last minute request where at that point of time we hadn’t slept for almost 40 hours by then.
This was the final screen that showed the count down when the song would be released:
And the pressure!
Here came the twist:
We launched on a simple http://www.dreamhost.com/ VPS hosting. But the traffic was so insane that we were getting bombarded by KSI’s team asking us to fix it fast. We were not given any estimation on the kind of traffic we would be facing initially.
At this point of time, KSI had put this on his story:
Within 10 minutes, the website was down:
We then hosted the platform on azure app service, with scalable architecture. We ran a quick load test to replicate the behavior of the system if 1.25K users were to request simultaneously.
This solved the issue. And the website was then serving pages for more than 300,000 an hour users all without any lagging issues.
After the song was released, we were asked to point the website to the youtube video. Here came another problem:
We were asked to have it redirected 1.5 hours before the video was launched. But the hosting was telling us that it could take up to 72 hours for the DNS to propagate.
Here is a thread of reddit on how KSI faked
an
apology with the website we built:
https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1fr4u0o/ksi_really_faked_an_apology_to_promote_his/
This is the current song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At8v_Yc044Y&ab_channel=KSI
As development continued, we encountered another major challenge: building a weighting system for the questionnaire responses. Dr. Katiraei explained that different answers needed to carry different weights, depending on the symptoms they related to. For example, a “Yes” answer to the question “Do you have a damp room at home?” could carry a weight of 4 for symptoms related to bowel disorders, while a “No” answer might carry a different weight for other symptoms.
To address this complexity, we developed a sophisticated diagnostic system that could:
This advanced system enabled healthcare providers to offer more accurate and personalized care, based on the unique needs of each patient.
The second round of beta testing provided us with even more valuable feedback, which allowed us to make several key improvements:
Throughout the development process, Wholistic Minds was supported by strategic funding rounds. Dr. Katiraei initially bootstrapped the project with $300K of his own funds.
As the platform demonstrated its value through successful beta testing and provider onboarding, we secured an additional $300K to further enhance the platform’s provider-focused features. Later, we raised another $200K specifically for marketing efforts, bringing the total funding to $850K.
$300K
Self Funded$300K
Additional Funding$200K
Marketing Efforts$850K
Total FundingWe didn’t just assemble a team—we carefully selected professionals with the right skills to meet the project’s complex requirements:
Wholistic Minds could have chosen to build their platform with a Silicon Valley-based team, but this would have cost over $4.6M over five years. By partnering with our team in Nepal, Wholistic Minds was able to save over 80% of that cost, without compromising on quality. Here’s a breakdown of the potential costs if they had gone with a Silicon Valley-based team:
| Role | Cost per Year (Silicon Valley) | Total Cost (Silicon Valley) |
|---|---|---|
| Backend Developers (3) | $120,000 per developer | $1.8M |
| Project Manager (1) | $140,000 | $700K |
| QA Specialists (2) | $90,000 per QA specialist | $900K |
| Frontend Developer (1) | $120,000 | $600K |
| Designer (1) | $80,000 | $400K |
| Mobile App Developer (1) | $100,000 | $200K (2 years) |
By choosing us, Wholistic Minds saved $3.68M in development costs, allowing them to reinvest in marketing and expanding the platform.
One of the key benefits of working with our team was the ease of communication. We understand that remote collaborations can sometimes be challenging, but we made the process as smooth as possible for Wholistic Minds:
Our transparent pricing structure meant there were no hidden costs or surprise fees, giving Dr. Katiraei confidence in managing the project’s budget.
Some might wonder if a team outside Silicon Valley can deliver the same quality of work. Our team in Nepal was composed of highly skilled professionals with years of experience in building complex platforms. The platform we developed for Wholistic Minds matched the highest standards in the industry, proving that excellent work can be delivered cost-effectively without compromising quality.
Given that the platform involved sensitive healthcare data, security was a top priority. We implemented strong encryption protocols and multi-factor authentication to ensure that all data remained secure. We followed industry-standard security practices to guarantee patient privacy and protect against any potential breaches.
Another key concern for many clients is whether the team will be around for long-term support and updates. Wholistic Minds secured this by offering us a sweat equity deal, which ensured that we remain invested in the platform’s success. This partnership meant that we would be involved in future updates and improvements, providing ongoing support as the platform grows.
The final platform included a comprehensive suite of features designed to revolutionize autism care:
The Wholistic Minds app has transformed personal security for high-profile individuals, providing a reliable and immediate response system. Clients can quickly notify contacts, livestream emergencies, and receive prompt assistance from field operators.
Creating a roadmap to guide the development process and aligning it with your business objectives. Establishing best practices and methodologies to ensure efficient and consistent development.
Creating a roadmap to guide the development process and aligning it with your business objectives. Establishing best practices and methodologies to ensure efficient and consistent development.
Creating a roadmap to guide the development process and aligning it with your business objectives. Establishing best practices and methodologies to ensure efficient and consistent development.
Creating a roadmap to guide the development process and aligning it with your business objectives. Establishing best practices and methodologies to ensure efficient and consistent development.
You've already done the hard part — validating your idea and building something that works. Let's turn it into a product your users can trust and your business can scale.
