DEV Community: Lawrence Narh-Lawson

From Idea to Deployed App in Six Weeks: InterviewFlow

Lawrence Narh-Lawson — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 19:54:27 +0000

A few weeks ago I wrapped up Chingu Voyage 59, a six-week remote programme where developers collaborate in small teams to ship a real project under real constraints. It was my third voyage, and the one where I feel I made the most tangible progress.

The Project: InterviewFlow

Our team built InterviewFlow, an interview preparation platform that gives users real-time, AI-powered feedback on role-specific technical questions. The idea was simple, practice the kinds of questions you'll actually face in a tech interview, and get meaningful guidance rather than just a list of answers.

Tech stack: React, Vite, Tailwind CSS, Google Gemini API, Vitest

What I worked on

As one of the developers, I contributed across the full frontend lifecycle, including component architecture, UI implementation and writing tests. It was the kind of end-to-end involvement you don't always get in a larger team, and I found it genuinely valuable for that reason.

We ran proper Scrum ceremonies throughout, sprint planning, daily standups, and retrospectives. Working that way on a side project feels different to just reading about Agile, you really understand why the rituals exist.

Takeaways

Shipping something with a team you've never met in person, on a deadline, with a real tech stack, is a different experience to building solo. The collaboration muscle is its own thing, and Chingu is one of the few structured ways to exercise it outside of employment.

The project is live and the code is open source, links below if you want to take a look.

Live app
GitHub

Chingu showcase article: https://dev.to/chingu/chinguio-build-collaborate-learn-remote-projects-v59-showcase-56m3

Why I Am Going Back To The Basics

Lawrence Narh-Lawson — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 17:07:58 +0000

Frameworks! React, Vue, Angular, Svelte or whatever your choice is. Many of us jump into these frameworks purely out of necessity. React probably being the most popular, with such a large community and promising to make development much easier, faster and for the case of many aspiring/junior developers help you to build projects quickly and achieve the goal of landing your first developer role.

BUT there are many reasons why you should focus on the fundamentals of HTML, CSS and JavaScript before diving head-first into any framework. I've listed 5 important things to consider in no particular order:

1. Fundamentals > Frameworks
Understanding the basics will make you a better developer and is the key to long term success. Knowing how websites are structured using the core foundational skills of HTML, CSS and JavaScript will make you a better well-rounded developer overall. Having a strong foundation with these technologies will ensure that you are able to learn new frameworks and technical concepts much more easily and quicker in the future.

2. Solving Problems is easier
Learning the foundational skills will give you the ability to problem solve much more easily when you come across a bug or an error in your code. It's far easier to debug and fix a problem if you understand how something 'should' work and the potential reasons why it isn't. Understanding the basics also gives you a better understanding of which tools or techniques are best suited for particular projects before you even start writing any code.

3. Efficient Development
Having a solid grasp of the fundamentals allows you to write cleaner, more efficient code, leading to faster development times and a better product overall.

4. Overwhelming
Without having a solid grasp on the fundamentals, frameworks can be very overwhelming. Remember frameworks were created for developers to be able to do things quicker, easier and can therefore be hard for a newbie to understand why certain aspects of these frameworks work in the way they do. Without a strong understanding of the basics, you essentially won't know what problem is that you are trying to solve.

5. More marketable
Having a sound grasp of the fundamentals makes you much more appealing to potential employers. Whilst being proficient in a framework is almost certainly a prerequisite of most job roles these days, having a deep understanding of the basics means you have more options when applying to roles as you will likely be able to learn any framework much easier going forward, as opposed to just learning a particular framework and skimming over the fundamentals.

To summarise, whilst it can be very tempting to rush in and start building projects with the latest and greatest framework, learning the fundamentals will make you better equipped to solve problems, learn new skills quickly and be more marketable to future employers!

<100 Days Of Code />

Lawrence Narh-Lawson — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 13:00:03 +0000

What is '100 Days of Code'?

Firstly before I get into my journey on the 100 days of code challenge, let me tell you briefly what it is. Essentially it consists of two rules:

Code a minimum of one hour a day for 100 days.
Tweet your progress every day with the hashtag #100DaysOfCode.

I also incorporated a third rule which isn’t mandatory but I’ve seen some people do, which was to encourage at least two other people also doing the challenge by either liking or commenting on their 100 days of code tweet on Twitter. The purpose of doing the challenge is to create a habit of learning to code, particularly if you are a self-taught developer having to balance work and family life around studying. All information on this challenge can be found on the official website: https://www.100daysofcode.com/

Committing

The first step was to publicly commit to the challenge, this way I could have an audience of people to follow my journey and perhaps hold me accountable. I certainly got lots of encouragement and positive messages about my projects along the way, which is one of the best things about tech Twitter. I highly recommend anybody learning to create a Twitter account and join in with the tech Twitter community.

I've been coding for 30+ days now but deciding to commit again to #100DaysOfCode so I guess today is officially Day 1! On the agenda today is learning more about asynchronous JavaScript programming on @treehouse, @freeCodeCamp JavaScript section and learning about local storage.
— Lawrence Narh-Lawson (@NarhLawson) April 21, 2020

Setting a Goal

The world of development is vast and endless, and I felt that it was important for me to set some goals for what I wanted to achieve by taking part in this challenge. My general goal was just to become more proficient with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and to start learning a front-end framework (I later decided on React). I had already decided that I was going to take a more project-based approach to my learning, having previously been a victim to 'tutorial hell'. I'm not ashamed to say that I've struggled previously with building projects, I think this is quite a normal thing for many self-taught developers. So I was determined to build as many projects as I could during this challenge.

My main goal was to learn React and to create at least one basic project using it. However, I initially started looking into Vue because I'd heard so many good things about it, ease of learning and also how supportive the community is. I also watched an amazing documentary about how Vue was created by Evan You as literally just a side project.

I had no idea what to choose but I did some research, and thought about my long-term goals, eventually deciding to learn React but I definitely plan on learning Vue at some point in the future, mainly out of pure interest. I will likely touch on why I chose the React path in a future post but employment prospects definitely played a big part in my decision :-)

I've had a very mixed relationship with React so far, summed up perfectly by this tweet:

https://twitter.com/dev_avocado/status/1336748986582134784

The early days for me were largely spent working through coding platforms including Codecademy, Treehouse, and Freecodecamp on topics such as Object-Oriented JavaScript, Fetch API, Responsive Web Design, HTML, and CSS. During this time I started listening to podcasts such as Syntax which is a hugely popular podcast for web developers and is hosted by non-other than Scott Tolinski and Wes Bos, two well-known and respected web developers with years of experience.

Blogging

I started blogging during this time and by day 15 published my first blog post giving an insight as to where I was and what I was looking to achieve. Check out the post if you haven't already :-)

Day: 2⃣8⃣ & 2⃣9⃣ #100DaysOfCode
- Completed the React basics course on @treehouse
- Wrote a new blog post: https://t.co/6jSgftznG7
- Started learning Bootstrap 4 through Treehouse. Working on a basic landing page site after creating an initial email sign-up form.
— Lawrence Narh-Lawson (@NarhLawson) May 22, 2020

Honestly, the best thing about blogging about this whole experience is was firstly it helped me think about what I had learned and secondly served as a reminder of just how far I've come. Learning to code can feel like a slow burner at times, anything that can help you stay motivated is amazing. My aim is to continue blogging and also blog about more technical concepts once I feel comfortable enough to pass on that knowledge, but for now I'm happy to blog about the process generally. One benefit of this is that I can share this with non-technical people or people who are thinking about making the leap but having done so yet.

Building

I mentioned previously, one of the main things I wanted to achieve from participating in the 100 days of code challenge is to build more projects. As any developer will tell you, building projects is where the real learning happens. To use an analogy, working through tutorials is like learning to ride a bike with training wheels. However, at some point those training wheels have to come off, this is where building projects comes in.

The idea of building a whole project is very daunting to any beginner, but there are many ways to at the very least get started. One thing I started to do more of initially is coding along whilst watching videos of projects being made. I never did this before because to me it seemed like cheating, however, the only person I would be cheating is myself if I didn't make the effort to understand as much of the code as possible. The great thing about coding along to projects is that you can see how a website or application is built from start to finish, the setup, technologies used, how the code is structured and the thought process of the developer working on the project. As a self-taught developer this is really invaluable and from my experience, I found that watching these videos made the process of building websites and applications seem less daunting.

Development really is just breaking down a larger problem into small parts. Also, working through platforms that are very project focused such as FreeCodeCamp and The Odin Project are really beneficial to giving you that hands-on experience from early on in your learning.

https://media.giphy.com/media/zOvBKUUEERdNm/giphy.gif

#100DaysOfCode

Day 4⃣3⃣ #100DaysOfCode <

Learned about programming patterns in React whilst working on a video player project. Really struggled with this one, so will have to revisit this again 😓

/> pic.twitter.com/rUhGqWL10V
— Lawrence Narh-Lawson (@NarhLawson) June 12, 2020

Took some time off, as much as it can be enjoyable learning, it's important to be realistic and also think about your health.

Days 4⃣9⃣ & 5⃣0⃣ #100DaysOfCode

- Worked on a currency converter app using HTML, CSS & vanilla JS.
- Finished the React components section on Treehouse.
- Continued learning about HTTP requests on Codecademy and used a Rebrandly API key on a small link shortening project. pic.twitter.com/SQvmOXuahz
— Lawrence Narh-Lawson (@NarhLawson) June 24, 2020

There were moments of frustration:

Days 9⃣0⃣ & 9⃣1⃣ #100DaysOfCode
Continued learning how to use GraphQL and also GraphQL Playground, which was really interesting. But annoyingly broke my code and spent most of the day on stack overflow trying to resolve it 🤬 Resolved for now but might come up again 😭
— Lawrence Narh-Lawson (@NarhLawson) September 12, 2020

Ultimately it was worth it and great to finish the challenge:

Day 1⃣0⃣0⃣🎉 #100DaysOfCode
Continued learning React on @freeCodeCamp and studied some CSS and Sass concepts to use on an upcoming project. Happy to have completed the 100 days of code challenge, looking forward to round 2 and building more projects ☺️ pic.twitter.com/N2gb6jpp1j
— Lawrence Narh-Lawson (@NarhLawson) September 27, 2020

What I Learned

I learned a lot of new concepts during this challenge, but I was also pleased to have solidified some of the concepts I have previously learned and used in previous projects

HTML
CSS
Bootstrap 4 & 5
JavaScript
React
API's
Deploying

The project I'm proud of the most is my Codecademy 'Ravenous' project which is a Yelp-like clone built with React which uses the Yelp API to query restaurants and display information based on location.

Resources

One of the most important resources I had which gave my learning a great deal of structure was the Create a Front-End App with React path via Codecademy Pro. Codecademy gave out free trials for the pro version of their platform for anyone who had lost their job due to the pandemic. What I especially liked about this was that there was a structured path teaching you all the fundamentals needed, along with quizzes, mini-projects and a final capstone project to finish the path off. I'm definitely someone who favors a structure to my learning, so this was exactly what I needed. I also worked through FreeCodeCamp and Udemy courses mostly.

What Next?

I am thinking of potentially doing Round 2 of the 100 Days of Code challenge, however, at this moment in time I usually code most days so maybe I'll do another challenge when I want to learn something specific. The plan, for now, is to carry on learning React as this is still quite new to me and I haven't grasped it as much as I would like. I've also recently started working through the CS50 Introduction to Computer Science, as I want to improve my understanding of fundamental programming concepts. Most importantly, carry on building!

What Am I Learning & Doing Now?

Lawrence Narh-Lawson — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 12:53:19 +0000

What am I Learning and doing now? Mostly learning React.js. I have quite a good grasp of VanillaJS, although there’s always room for improvement. However, looking at the job market it’s clear that I need to equip myself with knowledge of a front-end framework such as React, Vue or Angular. I have chosen React purely out of necessity. React is by far the most popular required framework in job postings within London and its surrounding areas. However, I’ve been told that there are many similarities with other frameworks so learning one very well would definitely equip you with the knowledge to learn another reasonably quickly. Which is actually also often said for programming languages. I would love to learn Python once I have a firm grasp of JavaScript, but I digress.

Codecademy Pro

I applied to receive a free 3-month membership of Codecademy Pro for those who have been either furloughed or laid-off and was accepted. I am currently working through the ‘Create a Front-End App with React’ path. I had actually veered away from the platform in favor of learning through video courses and building apps, but the pro plan is better than the standard in that it offers much more variety with videos, quizzes, small and some larger projects. It’s definitely a more engaging learning experience. Codecademy is quite special to me as it’s the first place I started learning HTML & CSS online properly (I dabbled with W3 schools initially). There are so many online resources now but a few years ago I believe that they were one of the top options for newbies attempting to learn the basics.

Treehouse has probably been my favourite online platform to learn web development for the past few years. They are video-based learning platform, and the quality of their content is some of the best you will find. I currently have a subscription to their basic plan which costs about $25 per month. I am currently working my way through their Front End Web Development Track, which goes through all the fundamental skills needed to be hired as a Front End Web Developer in today's job market. It is an extremely thorough course and covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, version control, front end optimisation, Fetch API, hosting and much more.

FreeCodeCamp

After Treehouse, FreeCodeCamp is my favourite online platform to learn from. I actually don't think that the content is better than Codecademy BUT it offers a lot more in terms of structure, community, projects and rather importantly less hand-holding. FreeCodeCamp is where I learned how to build my first JavaScript projects, which is great for any aspiring devs who want to build something but just don't have any ideas about where to start. The online community is second to none and there have been thousands of people who have used this platform as self-taught developers and gone on to be hired by some of the biggest and most well-known companies in the world.

I am currently working towards my JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures certificate which is also another 300 hours worth of work and includes 5 projects. I am currently working through the ES6 section, which has been difficult at times, but still very interesting.

Projects

My focus is working on projects primarily using React.js to help me learn and also to use for my portfolio. I am looking to use the Spotify for Developers Web API to create some type of app based on a users' interaction with the platform, however, this is very much at the drawing board stage of development.

I am about to start working on a React app that uses the Yelp API to search for restaurants. I am also looking into creating a random quote generator web application, this will be part of the FreeCodeCamp Front End Libraries certification, which also includes a number of other projects such as a JavaScript calculator, Pomodoro clock and a drum machine.

Everything is pretty much a work in progress right now, but I am thoroughly enjoying the process, although it can feel frustrating at times and overwhelming, I'm learning to take pride in the small daily 'wins' which will lead to my much bigger aim at hand. Watch this space as I will definitely be blogging about my projects.

Volunteering

I decided to get involved with a fantastic non-profit organisation called Code Your Future, after speaking with a developer friend of mine who is also a volunteer teacher there. They are a fantastic organisation that supports refugees and disadvantaged individuals with the hope of becoming developers and I will be helping as a teaching assistant.

To find out more just visit: https://codeyourfuture.io/about/

Hello, world!

Lawrence Narh-Lawson — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 15:22:10 +0000

Welcome to my blog! The purpose of this blog is purely for me to share my thoughts, learnings, and experiences as I study web development.

This blog isn't intended to be purely technical, but I will likely post things I am learning on my web development journey, purely to reinforce my knowledge of particular subjects/concepts, but if that in turn also helps another relative newbie then that's just awesome.

Feel free to reach out and get in contact with me either via the blog or on social media. Happy coding!