| I taught myself to program to build [redacted], a comparison website for phone contracts in the UK. Front end: plain JavaScript Back end: Node.js Host: $10 DigitalOcean droplet Web server: Nginx SSL: Let's Encrypt with certbot Proxy: Cloudflare Database: Postgres Caching: Redis Indexing: MeiliSearch I wanted to learn JavaScript and understand the fundamentals, so I used vanilla JavaScript for the front end without any framework (React, Vue, etc). Initially, the comparison engine was slow, so I learnt about indexing and added MeiliSearch to the stack. I try to keep it as simple as possible and only add what I need. I plan on migrating to Next.js eventually - not because I need to, but because I think it will be a good learning experience. However, that's not my priority right now, and is probably an excuse for marketing/content procrastination! |
Obviously you speak about the tech stack you use here, but your UX is absolutely perfect. I just used your product and got exactly what I wanted without even thinking. My brain didn't second-guess myself once. I didn't read anything superfluous - in fact I don't think I read anything at all. The search box and images of the phones did it all for me, and the autocomplete for search was perfect. I loved that only after I searched did it give me the option to refine (like size of model)
I usually use comparethemarket or something similar when shopping around, and it's a bit of a pain - though I only realised how much of a pain since using yours.
I don't know how much conscious thought and work you put into the UX - as you mainly talk about the tech - but it's great. Well done!