Case Study: Simon & Schuster achieves a content-rich, interactive online community in 5 months with ThoughtWorks

Simon & Schuster - Customer Case Study

Simon & Schuster, a leading global publisher, engaged ThoughtWorks to replace a decade-old website with a content-rich, social platform for authors and readers. The project demanded new architecture to support multimedia, author-driven content and aggregation, integration of roughly 20 third‑party services, and evolving content‑database requirements—all while staying on budget and on a tight schedule.

ThoughtWorks delivered a cost‑effective solution using Ruby on Rails, user‑centered design, and a distributed Agile/Optimum Offshore model (onshore product management with an offshore development team), plus prototyping and time‑boxed iterations including an employee alpha. The result: a revamped, search‑friendly author community launched in five months, with improved navigation, social and multimedia features, 150+ authors contributing at launch, measurable cost savings, and four subsequent regional sites developed the following quarter.

Simon & Schuster