Nathan SpinettiGratitude Bar
Architected and rebuilt the Gratitude Bar live event platform using AppSync GraphQL, DynamoDB, and WebSocket subscriptions, supporting 5,000+ concurrent users, increasing engagement by 264%, and reducing monthly cloud costs by about 80% through database and infrastructure redesign.
Tools used:
Next.js, React, TypeScript, DynamoDB, AWS Amplify, AWS AppSync, AWS Lambda, AWS SQS, Marketo, Figma
The Challenge
The primary challenge was to create an app that could represent a key aspect of our product in a quick, engaging, and digestible way at large-scale events. Previous versions of the app closely mimicked the product but lacked live, interactive elements, making it less engaging for attendees. The goal was to build an experience that truly captured the real-time, social nature of the product, encouraging attendees to interact more dynamically and feel a sense of immediate connection.
The Solution
To deliver a seamless and interactive experience, I leveraged modern tooling with Next.js and DynamoDB, integrating Amplify AppSync for WebSockets to enable real-time updates. When someone sends an award, it appears immediately in the awards feed. Attendees can send points to one another, and these transactions reflect instantly on the platform. A built-in raffle system incentivizes continued interaction, drawing users in to engage more frequently. By prioritizing real-time responsiveness, we created a highly engaging event experience that successfully embodied the spirit of our product.
