This meetup took us a little longer to organize than usual because we’ve added a new friend to our squad, a web designer! 🎉 I thought it was the perfect time to bring someone on board who could help us shape the visual aspects of our e-commerce venture.

If you’ve been following along, you know we’ve already covered optimizing the app, API responses, e-commerce flow, and high-level UI/UX. This time, we wanted a fresh perspective, so I invited my designer friend to join the brainstorming.

And guess where we met? 😜 Yup, back at Chai Ka Dhaba. 🙈 It’s practically our HQ by now 🤣 . The chaiwalay bhai, greeted us with his signature annoyed look, probably thinking, “Yeh log phir agaye?!” He’s not a fan of how long we hang out and occupy chairs! 😎

This time, we were diving into SEO, observability, and the all-important question: what users see immediately after the website loads.

While my friend and I were passionately debating SEO strategies, our designer friend quietly observed, sketched ideas on his tablet, and occasionally threw in a thoughtful nod.

One big topic on our list was observability. I explained to my friend how tools like Google Analytics can help us track user behavior:
– Which pages do users visit the most?
– Where they’re dropping off?
– How long they’re staying on the site etc…

The insights from these tools would help us fine-tune the user experience and even plan marketing strategies better.

My friend was amazed: “You mean we can see what users are doing on our site? That’s next level!”

After that, we jumped on the SEO topic, and I explained that we need to:
– Create original, helpful content optimized for search engines.
– Use proper, crisp, eye-catching product images with SEO-friendly headings.
– Ensure our metadata is top-notch because, let’s face it, search engines are picky eaters!

We also brainstormed ideas for marketing strategies, like:
– Leveraging keywords that matter to our audience.
– Experimenting with ads and social media campaigns.
– Building an authentic online presence.

My friend kept interrupting, with the same burning question:
“But what will users see as soon as they land on the site?”
He’s all about making a bold first impression, modern design, sleek visuals, and showcasing the latest products right on the homepage.

As we were digging into these ideas, our chai and parathas arrived ☕. Pathan bhai placed the tray on the table with a dramatic thud, probably hoping we’d finally finish up. 🙈 But we were just getting started!

Between sips of chai, we discussed using CDNs for faster image delivery and lazy loading for a smooth user experience.

By the end of the meetup, we had some solid next steps. The designer left with a clearer vision, I left with a longer to-do list, and Pathan bhai? He finally left us alone, muttering about chai bills under his breath 😂

There’s still a lot left to cover, stay tuned for the next chapter of our journey as we continue crafting this dream!