Community-driven web app for cataloging faerie sightings

Purpose & Goals

The goal was to create an engaging, community-focused web app that made it easy for users to share their faerie sightings and interact with others. It was important for the platform to handle dynamic content, allow for future scalability, and provide the Eden Arts team with tools to manage content independently. A seamless user experience and efficient technical architecture were key to ensuring long-term maintainability.

Approach

The tech stack was carefully chosen to balance modern development practices with practical implementation:

• Back-end: Laravel provided a solid foundation for server-side logic and secure API integrations
• Front-end: Inertia.js with React enabled a smooth Single Page Application (SPA) experience while keeping development structured and efficient
• API Integration: Google Maps API, including Places Autocomplete, was used to enhance the location input process and improve the faerie sightings map interaction
• CMS: Sanity served as a headless CMS, allowing dynamic content management and giving the Eden Arts team the ability to update static pages and publish blog posts

Core features

• User-generated sightings – Users can submit faerie sightings, complete with images, descriptions, and precise locations using Google Maps integration
• Community interaction – Users can like and comment on sightings, fostering engagement.
• Easily managed content – The Eden Arts team can add blog posts and update static pages using Sanity, without needing a developer.
• Mobile-optimised design – The responsive UI ensures a smooth experience across devices

Challenges & Solutions

Limited experience with PHP and Laravel

I came into this project with more experience in JavaScript-based frameworks, so Laravel required some learning.

Solution:

• Focused on React + Inertia.js, ensuring a strong front-end foundation while collaborating closely with the backend developer
• Studied Laravel's data flow and API logic, improving my ability to integrate with backend services efficiently

Maintaining codebase organised with multiple contributors

With multiple team members contributing, keeping the project structured and maintainable was essential.

Solution:

• Established clear folder structures and reusable components for consistency
• Used Tailwind CSS for styling, ensuring a scalable and cohesive UI

Spotlight feature: Interactive map with Google Maps API

A standout feature of The Unseen is its interactive sightings map, which enhances exploration and engagement.

• Autocomplete location selection – Users can pick their sighting’s location with Google Places API, making submissions easier
• Dynamically plotted sightings – Previously submitted faerie sightings appear instantly on the map, creating an interactive visual experience
• Encouraging exploration – Users can browse past sightings, increasing engagement and participation

Impact & Results

The Unseen is part of Eden Arts’ wider outreach initiative, which includes distributing 500 faerie maker kits to encourage engagement.

While the platform has yet to launch, early client feedback has been positive, and post-launch analytics will provide more insights into user interaction and usability.

Lessons learned

• Full-stack awareness improves front-end decision-making. While my focus was on the front end, collaborating with a Laravel backend gave me a deeper understanding of how APIs are structured and how data flows between systems. Even with limited PHP experience, this exposure helped me integrate backend services more effectively
• Clear communication makes collaboration smoother. Working with a team of developers, designers, and clients highlighted the importance of keeping discussions clear and expectations aligned. Managing a shared codebase, resolving Git conflicts, and maintaining clean commits were key takeaways that improved the overall workflow
• Adaptability leads to better solutions. Not every approach worked the first time, and knowing when to reassess and pivot helped me find better solutions faster. This project reinforced the value of structured planning, staying flexible when troubleshooting, and focusing on code maintainability to keep development efficient and scalable

Current status

Eden Arts is preparing to launch The Unseen, with the CMS allowing them to update content independently and keep the platform fresh. Post-launch data will provide deeper insights into community engagement and user experience.