This article was originally written around 2016 and completed in 2020.

Around 2016 (exact time is a bit fuzzy), I came across a website called cafe nomad that caught my attention.

cafe nomad website

The structure of this website is very simple. It collects coffee shops from various regions in Taiwan and lists certain criteria for rating, such as location, noise level, time limit, power outlets, stable WiFi, etc. In later iterations, they also introduced features for user comments and photo sharing.

Why are there so many coffee shops? Apart from being a small desire for many people, there has always been a demand for finding quality coffee shops.

Typical blog articles or Google Maps don't specifically use the aforementioned criteria for ratings, and it's often difficult to find relevant comments in the comment section.

For remote workers, freelancers, and others, the mentioned criteria are often important considerations, especially for engineers, where WiFi and power outlets are crucial.

Through web archives, it can be seen that the UI at that time was very simple, using Bootstrap for the interface, which is not difficult to implement for experienced developers in terms of functionality.

https://web.archive.org/web/20161117083952/http://cafenomad.tw/

Since its release, this website has generated a lot of buzz in various communities. I believe the main reason is that this website solves the problems faced by people looking for coffee shops.

Through the coffee map website, users can quickly find their favorite coffee shops and even leave comments, reviews, and ratings. You will gradually discover that information disclosure is often a good starting point. WiFi, power outlets, minimum spending, atmosphere, service quality, etc., are usually only spread by word of mouth or found in blog articles. But this website provides a collaborative way for everyone to freely add pictures and rate each criterion. A few months later, it gradually expanded from just Taipei to the whole of Taiwan.

At that time, there were also some Google ads (I'm not sure if this is correct, welcome any corrections from those who remember). I guess the traffic had prompted the developers to see a business opportunity and use ads to cover server expenses.

Nowadays, the website has a stable user base, and the information inside has become more and more abundant! Although it's not an overnight get-rich-quick story, I think it's impressive to have come this far.

Business Model and Opportunities

From the Coffee Nomad website, I discovered a few things:

• The UI doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it's simple and clear enough.
• Information disclosure is often a good starting point. This website digests information and presents it in a clear and understandable way, helping others save time. Can the same model be applied to other areas? For example, information about law firms or comparisons of real estate companies in more specialized fields, where the users are more specific and their needs can be better understood.
• Collaboration with coffee shop owners for promotion.