Seamless Events: The Meet App Case Study

Overview

Meet App is a serverless, progressive web application (PWA) designed to enhance event discovery and accessibility. Built using React with a test-driven development (TDD) approach, it connects to the Google Calendar API to fetch real-time events while providing offline access, dynamic filtering, and interactive data visualization.

Purpose & Context

In today's fast-paced world, keeping track of upcoming events can be challenging, especially when users need quick access across multiple devices. Meet App was created to provide a seamless event management experience by leveraging serverless architecture and modern web technologies.

Objective

The primary goal was to develop an efficient and intuitive event management application that allows users to:

• Search and filter events dynamically.
• View events even without an internet connection.
• Install the app as a PWA for easy access.
• Ensure reliability through extensive testing.

My Role & Key Contributions

As the sole developer, I was responsible for:

• Designing and implementing the React-based front-end.
• Developing serverless backend functions using AWS Lambda.
• Integrating Google Calendar API for real-time event data.
• Implementing service workers for offline access.
• Conducting unit, integration, and end-to-end testing.

Key Features

• Show/Hide Event Details – Users can expand or collapse event information as needed.
• Customize Number of Events – Control how many events are displayed at a time.
• Offline Access – Previously viewed events remain accessible without internet.
• Add to Home Screen – Install as a PWA for instant access.
• City Events Chart – Interactive visualizations categorize events by location.

Technologies Used

• React – Component-based UI for a responsive experience.
• Google Calendar API – Provides real-time event data with OAuth2 authentication.
• AWS Lambda – Serverless backend functions for scalable execution.
• Service Workers – Enables offline access and caching.
• Jest & Jest Cucumber – Used for unit and behavior-driven testing.
• Puppeteer – Simulates real user interactions for end-to-end testing.

Lessons Learned

This project allowed me to:

• Gain hands-on experience in serverless architecture.
• Implement offline functionality through service workers.
• Improve testing practices with TDD and behavior-driven development (BDD).
• Optimize API integrations for seamless user experience.

Challenges Overcome

• Offline Functionality – Implementing service workers and caching strategies to ensure event accessibility when offline.
• Testing & Debugging – Achieved high test coverage using Jest, Jest Cucumber, and Puppeteer to validate app functionality.

Future Improvements

• Personalized Event Recommendations – Suggest events based on user preferences and past interactions.
• Advanced Data Visualization – Improve chart analytics for better insights.
• Multi-Calendar Support – Extend integration beyond Google Calendar.

Project Links

Live Site: https://penathecreative.github.io/meet/

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/penathecreative/meet

Visual Overview

The visual representation of the meet web application, showcasing the main interface and key features.