Enhancing User Experience & Custom Functionalities for DekhoFamily Through Tailored PHP Development
1. Introduction
In the rapidly expanding digital landscape, content-driven platforms thrive only when their user experience is streamlined, intuitive, and responsive to audience needs. DekhoFamily—an emerging blog platform focusing on diverse lifestyle, entertainment, and informational content—recognized that their website needed significant user-experience improvements to support their growing audience. With increased site traffic and new content categories being added every month, the existing interface and functionalities were no longer sufficient for the platform’s long-term vision.
To overcome these challenges, DekhoFamily approached Technokaizen, seeking a reliable technology partner capable of transforming their website into a more user-friendly, visually appealing, and high-performing digital experience. As a company specializing in website customization, UI/UX transformation, and advanced functionality development, Technokaizen took on the project with a clear mission: to redesign critical components of the DekhoFamily user journey, implement a smart search functionality, improve city-based content segmentation, and modify the interface for an enhanced reading experience.
This case study outlines how Technokaizen provided tailored solutions using custom PHP development, focusing on UI/UX revamps, search bar enhancements, and multi-city content handling. It breaks down the challenges, processes, technologies used, executed solutions, and the impact delivered to the client.
2. Client Overview
DekhoFamily (https://dekhofamily.com/) is a dynamic content platform dedicated to providing informative, engaging, and lifestyle-oriented blog posts to a diverse audience. With categories spanning entertainment, travel, family advice, local information, and more, the platform aims to become a trusted online publication for Indian households.
As their content library expanded, the owners realized the need to improve:
- The UI/UX, ensuring users could navigate content efficiently
- The search functionality, enabling quick access to specific topics
- The city-based filtering system, allowing location-specific content visibility
- The overall user journey, making discovery simple and seamless
DekhoFamily’s existing website had strong potential, but the platform required custom development that aligned with user demand and industry standards. That’s where Technokaizen stepped in.
3. The Challenges
Before engaging with Technokaizen, DekhoFamily faced several operational and structural issues that directly affected user engagement and scalability. These challenges limited growth and hindered the platform’s ability to provide an optimal user journey.
3.1 Outdated UI/UX Structure
The original blog layout had:
- Poor spacing and typography
- Overcrowded elements
- Lack of visual hierarchy
- Inefficient categorization
- Unclear call-to-action structures
Users frequently found it difficult to locate content or browse categories effectively. This reduced session time and increased bounce rates.
3.2 Inefficient Search Bar Functionality
The search bar, one of the website’s most critical features, underperformed in several ways:
- Searches were slow due to inefficient backend queries
- Only exact keyword matches returned results
- No smart suggestion mechanism
- No category or city-based relevance sorting
This created frustration among users who expected an intuitive, intelligent search experience.
3.3 City Functionality Limitations
DekhoFamily aimed to offer city-specific content in order to personalize reader experiences. However, the existing system lacked:
- Dynamic city selection
- Proper filtering of posts by city
- Automated mapping between content and location
- A UI element guiding users to select or change cities
This reduced the platform’s personalization potential—a key differentiator for modern content sites.
3.4 Hardcoded Structure and Non-Scalable Codebase
The site’s backend relied on a disorganized, partially hardcoded PHP structure. Customizing new features or updating the interface required manual interventions, sometimes resulting in conflicting code or instability.
3.5 Lack of Professional Technical Documentation
Due to the organic, non-standard growth of the codebase:
- There was minimal documentation
- Code logic lacked comments
- Database structure was partially non-normalized
This made further development nearly impossible for the internal team.
4. The Technokaizen Approach
To address these challenges, Technokaizen adopted a phased, methodical approach structured around three pillars:
- Comprehensive UI/UX Enhancements
- Intelligent Search Functionality Development
- City-Wise Content Filtering with Customized PHP Logic
The team’s strategy blended research, planning, prototyping, and execution—ensuring each feature integrated seamlessly without disrupting existing content or user behavior.
5. Project Execution Breakdown
Below is a detailed explanation of how Technokaizen transformed the DekhoFamily platform.
5.1 UI/UX Enhancements
Technokaizen began by evaluating the website’s information architecture, visual journey, and category structure.
5.1.1 Understanding User Behavior
Using insights provided by the DekhoFamily team and studying user interactions, Technokaizen identified key UX issues:
- Users struggled to locate trending posts
- Category pages lacked identity
- Internal linking was weak
- Navigation menu was cluttered
- Images lacked proper optimization and placement
5.1.2 Redesigning Key UI Components
Technokaizen redesigned:
- Header & Navigation Menu – cleaned, responsive, and structured
- Blog Cards – improved spacing, thumbnails, and typography
- Sidebar Widgets – designed for clarity and relevance
- Category Pages – visually distinct and easier to browse
- Footer Section – streamlined with essential links
5.1.3 Optimizing Responsiveness
Because a majority of DekhoFamily’s traffic came from mobile users:
- Spacing adjustments
- Touch-friendly buttons
- Optimized font sizes
- Lightweight components
were introduced to provide a smooth, mobile-first experience.
5.1.4 Performance Optimization for Better UX
UI improvements were backed by technical enhancements like:
- Lazy loading of images
- CSS compression
- Reduced dependency on heavy JS libraries
- Caching mechanisms
This cut loading times significantly and improved user experience across devices.
5.2 Search Bar Functionality: Smart Search Development
The search bar is crucial for content discovery in any blog platform. DekhoFamily needed a smart, fast, and intuitive search system that could index hundreds of posts efficiently.
5.2.1 Search Requirement Analysis
Technokaizen identified the need for:
- Real-time search suggestions
- Flexible keyword matching
- Optimized search queries
- Category-wise and city-wise integration
- Prioritization of trending or relevant posts
5.2.2 Custom PHP Logic for Intelligent Search
The team built a new search engine using PHP and MySQL with the following features:
a. Fuzzy Search Algorithm
This allowed users to find results even if:
- They misspelled a keyword
- They entered partial phrases
- They typed synonyms or related words
b. Advanced Indexing
Optimized database queries ensured fast search responses even during high traffic.
c. Relevance Sorting
Technokaizen implemented logic to prioritize results based on:
- Popularity of the post
- Recent content
- Category importance
- City relevance when applicable
d. Auto-Suggestions
An advanced suggestive search system was implemented.
e. Multi-Parameter Search Integration
The search bar now understood:
- Titles
- Tags
- Categories
- Cities
- Slugs
- Descriptions
This enriched the discovery process for users.
5.3 City Functionality Implementation
DekhoFamily wanted a location-specific browsing experience, meaning content should be accessible based on user location preferences.
5.3.1 Development Goals
The new system had to:
- Offer a city selector
- Filter content dynamically
- Display city-specific trending topics
- Handle SEO-friendly URLs
- Provide a smooth way for users to switch cities
5.3.2 Custom PHP-Based City Filtering System
Technokaizen built a city logic framework inside the PHP codebase using:
- Custom database fields
- Mapping mechanisms
- Dynamic filtering algorithms
- Cookie/session tracking for user city preferences
5.3.3 Smart URL Routing
City-based blogs use SEO-friendly URLs like:
/mumbai/travel-guide
/delhi/events
Technokaizen built custom URL rewrites and routing logic so all pages remained accessible to search engines while serving location-specific content.
5.3.4 Future-Ready Architecture for Scalability
Technokaizen ensured:
- New cities could be added within minutes
- No manual coding was required for expansion
- Admin panel supported city selection for each post
6. Working with Hardcoded PHP Codebase
One of the biggest challenges was navigating the previous developer’s unstructured code. Much of the logic was:
- Hardcoded
- Without comments
- Mixed with HTML
- Lacking modern PHP practices
Technokaizen had to cautiously:
- Refactor sections without breaking functionality
- Preserve existing content
- Maintain database integrity
- Ensure no downtime occurred during development
Despite these challenges, Technokaizen created a cleaner, more maintainable code structure.
7. Testing & Quality Assurance
Technokaizen followed rigorous testing protocols:
7.1 Functional Testing
- Search logic
- City switching
- Blog categorization
- Navigation menu
- Pagination
7.2 Performance Testing
- Server response time
- Query execution speed
- Load testing
7.3 Cross-Browser & Device Testing
Compatibility checks on:
- Chrome
- Safari
- Firefox
- Edge
- Android devices
- iOS devices
7.4 UX Testing
Real-user simulations were done to evaluate navigation flow, search ease, and discoverability.
8. Deployment
Deployment was executed in multiple staged environments:
- Development server: where all new features were built
- Testing server: for client review
- Production deployment: with zero downtime
Technokaizen also performed a complete backup of the site and database before the final shift.
9. Project Outcomes
After implementation, DekhoFamily saw major improvements across all measurable metrics.
9.1 Improved User Experience
The redesigned UI increased:
- Average session duration
- Readership engagement
- Returning visitor ratio
9.2 Faster and More Accurate Search
The smart search functionality helped users discover more content, increasing page visits per user.
9.3 Higher Personalization Via City-Wise Content
Local users quickly found content relevant to their city, improving satisfaction and retention.
9.4 SEO Improvements
- Better URL structures
- Enhanced site architecture
- Optimized performance
all contributed to improved search engine rankings.
9.5 Increased Content Visibility
Smart filtering, city targeting, and improved navigation helped readers reach more categories and posts than before.
9.6 Scalability for the Future
The platform is now ready for:
- Additional cities
- More content categories
- New types of blog features
- Rapid implementation of future enhancements
10. Why DekhoFamily Chose Technokaizen
Technokaizen’s strengths included:
- Expertise in PHP and custom code handling
- Ability to upgrade disorganized codebases
- Strong UI/UX knowledge
- Experience in building personalized web features
- Transparent communication and milestone management
The client praised the team’s dedication to solving complex technical challenges that previous developers were unable to resolve.
11. Long-Term Value Delivered
Technokaizen didn’t just deliver a set of features—they transformed the platform’s foundation.
11.1 Code Stability
A previously fragile codebase is now strong and organized.
11.2 User-Focused Enhancements
UI/UX improvements ensure high satisfaction.
11.3 Stronger Digital Presence
The website now aligns with modern standards of user experience and performance.
11.4 Business Scalability
DekhoFamily can expand across cities and categories without redevelopment.
12. Conclusion
The collaboration between Technokaizen and DekhoFamily resulted in a significant transformation of the platform. From UI/UX improvements to implementing advanced search and city-based functionality, Technokaizen provided bespoke solutions through meticulously executed PHP development.
Starting from analyzing user pain points, rebuilding essential functionalities, optimizing the backend logic, and ensuring a seamless browsing experience, Technokaizen delivered a future-ready digital solution that strengthened DekhoFamily’s online presence.
The project stands as a testament to Technokaizen’s ability to turn complex, unstructured codebases into well-designed, high-performing websites that deliver real value to users and businesses alike.
