Keynote by Kavya Basavaraj 

Editor’s note: Below is an edited transcript of Kavya Basavaraj’s keynote at the GeekyAnts Design Meetup 2024, adapted to include more insights shared during the session. Catch all the highlights from the event in our full recap.

Let me start with a story that might just change the way you think about ideas. It’s the late nineties, and a young man named Ashish is on a beach vacation, the waves crashing, the air filled with possibilities. He’s tuned into a radio when he hears an ad—an ad about buying rugby tickets online. Little did he know, that single moment would plant the seed of a billion-dollar revolution.

Ashish returns from his vacation and sits down with two friends, and together they dream big. They weren’t just excited about a business—they were obsessed with solving a problem. This wasn’t just about selling tickets; it was about transforming how people access entertainment.

And today, we all know the result of that moment. Can you guess the platform? That’s right—it’s none other than BookMyShow.

BookMyShow is a prime example of what happens when inspiration meets execution. But it’s not just about the idea—it’s about how they identified and attacked a real, frustrating problem head-on. A simple concept, with the right design and market fit, turned into a game-changer. And today, that platform is more than just a service—it’s an ecosystem.

Before I dive deeper into this, let me take a moment to introduce myself. I’m Kavya Basavaraj, a Senior UI/UX Designer at GeekyAnts. Some of you might know me as “Designer K” from the viral Figma video I created a few years ago. When I’m not working on incredible projects at GeekyAnts, you can find me hosting design talk shows or devouring books—especially non-fiction ones. Recently, I’ve been hooked on Hooked. It's a fascinating read that I’d recommend to any product designer looking to deepen their craft.

Here’s something crucial—before you even sketch a design, you need to be sure there’s a demand for your product. This is the bedrock of every successful product out there: Product-market fit.

Take BookMyShow. They didn’t start by building something they liked—they started by solving a pain that millions of users were facing. Standing in long queues for movie tickets, dealing with limited options, last-minute frustrations—these were all problems they tackled head-on.

But what made BookMyShow stand out wasn’t just the solution—it was the way they broadened their reach. They tapped into underserved markets, from the bustling urban cities to tier 2 and tier 3 regions, where mobile access was limited to budget smartphones. They didn’t just build an app—they built an experience that worked for everyone, no matter their device.

One thing’s for sure: You can’t solve every problem all at once. That’s why MVP (Minimum Viable Product) testing is so critical. It’s about releasing a basic version of your product, gathering feedback, and adapting to what your users truly need.

BookMyShow started with simple movie ticket bookings, but they quickly realized the appetite was larger. They expanded into live events and concerts, constantly refining their offering. It’s a lesson we practice at GeekyAnts too—every great product starts small, but with a strong foundation.

Scalability Isn’t Just a Goal—It’s a Journey

Here’s a thought: A product isn’t successful because of how big it can get—it’s successful because of how well it keeps users engaged.

BookMyShow kept innovating, even when the world came to a halt during the pandemic. They launched BookMyShow Stream, a move that not only kept their audience engaged but also positioned them as pioneers in a suddenly crowded streaming space.

When you can engage your users, growth becomes a natural by-product. Look at Instagram. It’s more than just a platform—it’s an experience that keeps pulling you in, day after day. That’s the kind of engagement that transforms products into lifestyles.

Design isn’t just about creating something beautiful. It’s about creating something functional that serves the needs of the user. The best designs put users first—always.

In the design world, empathy is your best tool. You need to walk in the user’s shoes. Conduct interviews, run surveys, and observe their behavior. See how your product makes them feel—are they frustrated, thrilled, confused? These insights are pure gold and will guide your design to success.

In a market where attention spans are short and competition is fierce, innovation isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

BookMyShow didn’t stop with just ticket bookings. They leveraged data analytics and AI to offer personalized recommendations that made each user feel like the app was tailor-made for them. And that’s how you create a lasting connection.

At GeekyAnts, we have something similar—gluestack, a design and development tool that streamlines the creation of responsive web and mobile interfaces. It’s not just another tool—it’s about offering advanced customization, seamless collaboration, and pre-built components that work like magic, across React and React Native.

What’s the secret sauce for true innovation? It’s teamwork. But let’s be real—designers and developers don’t always speak the same language. That disconnect? It can create inconsistencies in the final product.

That’s why we at GeekyAnts introduced GlueStack. It unifies the workflow between designers and developers, making collaboration seamless from start to finish. We’re breaking down barriers, saving time, and making sure the final product is exactly what we envisioned—no surprises, no missteps.

So, how do we build products that users can’t live without? Start with this: Understand your users’ pain points, design around them, and always put product-market fit first.

By solving real-world problems and addressing user needs with precision, you won’t just build functional products—you’ll create something people love, something they keep coming back to.

Thank you all for listening! You can catch me on Twitter at @Kavya_Basavaraj. I’d now like to hand the mic over to our next speakers—Praveen J, Staff Product Designer from Hinge Health; Vineet Kiran, UI/UX Designer from GeekyAnts; Sheikh Murad Ahmad, Head of Design from Xwave; and Parul Verma, UI/UX Designer from GeekyAnts. Thanks again!

Watch the full video here. ⬇️