The latest articles on DEV Community by Kunal Sindhi (@kunalsindhi). https://dev.to/kunalsindhi https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4230139%2F31568ced-bf5f-4ee5-afb0-22942ce8b42e.jpeg https://dev.to/kunalsindhi en Kunal Sindhi Fri, 06 Nov 2026 19:32:10 +0000 https://dev.to/kunalsindhi/questioning-my-first-layout-is-part-of-my-craft-56fl https://dev.to/kunalsindhi/questioning-my-first-layout-is-part-of-my-craft-56fl <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F14mcbrefnghbrlqjk7au.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F14mcbrefnghbrlqjk7au.png" alt=" " width="800" height="800"></a></p> Kunal Sindhi Fri, 06 Nov 2026 10:01:50 +0000 https://dev.to/kunalsindhi/i-built-lightdiwali-a-small-app-that-brings-people-together-48pe https://dev.to/kunalsindhi/i-built-lightdiwali-a-small-app-that-brings-people-together-48pe <p>I Built LightDiwali 🪔 — A Small App That Brings People Together</p> <p>Give it a try: <a href="https://www.lightdiwali.online/" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></p> <p><strong>What if a Diwali greeting could be more than just a message?</strong></p> <p>Every Diwali, we share greetings, images, and videos with our friends and family. This time, I wanted to try something different.</p> <p>Instead of sending another Happy Diwali message, what if we could create a celebration together?</p> <p>That's where <strong>LightDiwali</strong> started.</p> <h2> 💡 The Idea </h2> <p>LightDiwali is a small interactive web app where people come together to light up a virtual home.</p> <p><strong>One Home. Ten People. Ten Diyas. One Celebration.</strong></p> <p>Each person contributes one diya, and together they bring the entire home to life. It's about creating a small moment of happiness together.</p> <h2> 🪔 How LightDiwali Works </h2> <ol> <li> <strong>Sign in with Google</strong> — Get started without a lengthy registration process.</li> <li> <strong>Choose your home</strong> — Pick one of four uniquely designed festive homes.</li> <li> <strong>Light a diya</strong> — Add your light to a special spot in the home.</li> <li> <strong>Invite friends and family</strong> — Share your home and let others join.</li> <li> <strong>Complete the celebration</strong> — Once 10 people participate, the home lights up with a Happy Diwali message.</li> <li> <strong>Share the happiness</strong> — Share your completed celebration with others.</li> </ol> <p>Every diya brings the home closer to its final celebration.</p> <h2> 🎨 Thinking Like a Designer </h2> <p>As a designer and UI engineer, I wanted to focus on three things.</p> <h3> 1. Keep It Simple </h3> <p>No complicated screens or unnecessary features. The experience should be easy enough for anyone to understand.</p> <h3> 2. Make Every Interaction Meaningful </h3> <p>Lighting a diya shouldn't feel like clicking another button. It should feel like you're contributing to something beautiful.</p> <h3> 3. Design for Togetherness </h3> <p>The most important part of LightDiwali isn't the animation or visual design. It's the idea that <strong>one person cannot complete the celebration alone.</strong></p> <p>You need others to make it happen.</p> <h2> ✨ A Small Experiment in Digital Experiences </h2> <p>I enjoy exploring how design, code, and interactions can turn simple ideas into meaningful experiences.</p> <p>LightDiwali is one such experiment. It combines festive visuals, interactive elements, and a collaborative experience into a small web app.</p> <p>Sometimes, a product doesn't need hundreds of features to create an emotional connection. It just needs one good idea.</p> <h2> 🚀 What's Next? </h2> <p>I'd love to explore more festive home designs, personalised celebrations, and additional interactive experiences.</p> <p>For now, the goal is simple: create something that makes people smile.</p> <h2> ❤️ Final Thoughts </h2> <p>LightDiwali started with a simple question:</p> <p><strong>Can we make digital greetings feel more personal and connected?</strong></p> <p>This is my little attempt to answer that question through design and code.</p> <p>I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.</p> <p><strong>Happy Diwali! 🪔</strong></p> <p><em>Built with creativity, curiosity, and a love for meaningful digital experiences.</em></p> buildinpublic showdev webdev