I recently built a small side project called The Aroma Nest, a curated collection of mostly free design resources for designers and builders.
It started as a personal need — I kept bookmarking tools, icons, and UI kits across different places and never found them again. So I decided to curate them in one place.
Shipping Early Helped
I didn’t wait for a perfect UI or feature set. I shipped early with just categories and tool listings.
That helped me understand how people actually use the site. Some users spent 10+ minutes browsing, which showed the idea had value.
How I Got Early Users (No Ads)
I didn’t use ads. Early users came mainly from Reddit and indie communities.
What worked:
- Sharing progress, not promotion
- Posting screenshots instead of links
- Talking about learnings
Lessons Learned
- Curation beats volume
- UX matters more than features
- Some UI changes can hurt engagement
- SEO takes time and patience
What’s Next
I’m focusing on refining UX, improving SEO, and expanding collections slowly.
If you’re building in public or working on a side project, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you.
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