ENGINEERING CASE STUDY
Barbershop Books
App Development, Software Engineering, Technical Advising, System Architecture, Integrations
Scaling Literacy Access with a Modern Reading Platform
Client Overview
Barbershop Books is a national literacy program that inspires Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun. They create reading spaces in barbershops, schools, and community settings, helping children develop a positive reading identity.
Challenge
When COVID-19 limited in-person reading spaces, Barbershop Books needed to expand their summer program Reading So Lit into a digital platform. The first version, built by an international team, was left incomplete with a disorganized codebase, blocking them from piloting the program and scaling their impact.
Solution
We stabilized and re-engineered the platform to prepare Reading So Lit for school adoption. Our team:
Updated and maintained the codebase for long-term reliability
Applied best practices in database design
Re-architected the platform content to match user needs and the founder’s vision
Integrated Clever SSO and rostering for seamless school onboarding
Provided ongoing technical advising to guide future growth
Tech Stack: Node.js with NestJS (backend), AngularJS (frontend), AWS (hosting, Cognito authentication, relational database), Clever (SSO & Rostering)
Results
Barbershop Books was able to:
Launch and run 3 successful pilots
Facilitate program evaluation with LeanLab
Align the platform to their unique program vision
Confidently present a stable, scalable solution to schools and partners
Why It Matters
By transforming an unfinished product into a robust platform, Barbershop Books was able to move past technical barriers and focus on their mission: helping children see themselves as readers and discover that reading can be fun, personal, and empowering.