Problem

• Data Bottleneck: The existing CMS tool was unable to handle the growing data especially large number of images that were uploaded and updated regularly multiple times a day, leading to slow performance and data management issues.
• Limited Personalization: Dynamically generating personalized user interfaces based on preferences wasn't feasible on large scale at effective speed.
• Development Hurdles: Building new pages and features was slow and lacked seamless data integration.
• Wasted People hours: The legacy CMS used to take hours to upload and process images and update content. This meant the operations team spent over 25% of their work day waiting for the data to be syned to the CMS which at time led to data loss and errors.

Scalable Data Management

A serverless database and storage platform was chosen for its scalability, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility. Its PostgreSQL backend efficiently handled high image volumes with features like:

• Object storage: Optimized for efficient image storage and retrieval with automatic scaling and CDN integration for faster delivery.
• Row-level security: Enhanced data security by controlling access at the individual data row level.

Data Migration Strategy

To ensure a smooth transition, a staged migration approach was implemented:

• Initial data synchronization: Utilized Supabase's built-in data import tools to migrate existing data from the legacy CMS in a phased manner, ensuring minimal downtime and data loss during the transition to the new platform.
• Image Optimization: Optimized images seamlessly with Vercel and Next.js, leveraging caching, format, size, and quality for swift, reliable delivery via Edge Network.

The Power of AI

To bring personalization to life, the solution leveraged AI:

• Chat GPT: Analyzed user responses from a comprehensive onboarding quiz, extracting key preferences like design styles, budget constraints, and desired functionalities.
• Dall-E: Based on extracted preferences, generated personalized visual content such as mood boards, sample room layouts, and product recommendations.
• Fine-tuning and feedback loop: An iterative process of fine-tuning AI models based on user feedback and industry trends ensured continued accuracy and relevance of generated content.

Agile Development & Seamless Integration

Streamlined the development process for enhanced adaptability and collaboration and responding swiftly to changes by using modern frameworks and tools:

• NextJS: Facilitated component-based development, enabling quick UI changes and enhanced modularity. Additionally, leveraging server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG) for optimal website performance and SEO.
• Vercel: Provided a seamless development-to-production workflow, enabling rapid iteration, deployment and ensuring rapid and scalable deployments, providing a hassle-free solution for continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD)

Streamlined Workflows with Automation

• Data migration automation: Built automated workflows using Make to streamline data migration from the legacy CMS and ongoing data updates.
• Content creation automation: Automated the generation of basic page elements and content drafts based on user preferences, reducing manual workload.
• Customizable workflows: Provided the team with the ability to create and manage new automation workflows according to their evolving needs.

Technical Deep Dive

• Supabase Edge Functions: Utilized edge functions within Supabase to further optimize image delivery by applying image transformations and compression on the fly, reducing bandwidth usage and improving user experience.
• NextJS Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR): Implemented ISR for content that changes less frequently, ensuring pages are always fresh while maintaining build performance.
• Make Webhooks: Leveraged Make webhooks to trigger automated actions based on specific events within the platform, creating a more reactive and efficient system.