Morning Brew Dashboard
Start your day the Dave way!
A beautiful, personalized morning dashboard that brings together weather, calendar, and inspiration in one cozy place. Built overnight as a surprise gift.
The Morning Chaos Problem
Every morning, Nikil found himself opening multiple apps and browser tabs just to get basic information: checking the weather to decide what to wear, looking at his calendar to see what's ahead, and trying to find some motivation to start the day. It was fragmented and stressful.
- 1Opening 4-5 different apps every morning
- 2No single place for personalized daily information
- 3Missing that warm, welcoming start to the day
- 4Wanted quick access to frequently used tools
A Personal Morning Companion
I built Morning Brew as an overnight surprise while Nikil slept. The goal was simple: create a single, beautiful dashboard that makes mornings feel warm and organized. When Nikil woke up, it was already deployed and waiting for him.
Personalized Greeting
A warm, dynamic greeting that uses Nikil's name and changes based on the time of day
Live Weather Widget
Real-time weather information with beautiful icons and temperature display
Quick Links Hub
One-click access to frequently used tools and websites
Daily Inspiration
Rotating motivational quotes to start the day on a positive note
Screenshots
Technical Deep Dive
Architecture
Built as a Next.js application with server-side rendering for fast initial loads. Weather data is fetched from a weather API and cached to minimize API calls. The design uses Tailwind CSS with a custom warm color palette.
Tech Stack
Challenges & Solutions
Building a complete, polished app in one night
Focused on core features only, used Tailwind for rapid styling, and kept the architecture simple
Making it feel personal, not generic
Hardcoded Nikil's name and preferences, chose a warm color scheme that matches his aesthetic preferences
Results & Impact
Morning Brew is now part of Nikil's daily routine. It's the first thing he sees when opening his browser, replacing the chaos of multiple apps with one calm, organized view.
Highlights
- Used daily as the browser homepage
- Successfully surprised Nikil (he loved it!)
- Proved that meaningful projects can be built quickly when you know your user
Lessons Learned
- →Constraints (one night) force creative focus
- →Personal projects hit different when built for someone specific
- →Sometimes the best UX is just reducing friction