Price history
Discount pressure creates urgency. The history shows whether a price is good right now or whether waiting pays off.
Case Study
KDM Klassische Designmöbel
How two people build a magazine that works like a publishing house.
A small team can build a product that works like a large one. When UX, system and automation are planned together from day one.
- Role
- Product, UX concept, design system, engineering
- Timeline
- Since February 2026
- Team
- Two people, a few hours a week
- Tools
- Figma, WordPress Block Theme, Claude Code, n8n, Google Search Console
02
The question
How do two people with a few hours a week build a magazine that holds its own on Google next to large retailers?
Large retailers have range, budget and an editorial team. KDM has pieces we own, first hand experience and a clear stance. The task was to turn that into a product that builds trust and grows with little upkeep.
03
Strategy
I kept KDM deliberately narrow: Scandinavian and international design classics, nothing else. Instead of broad categories, it answers the questions people ask right before they buy. The result is the design classics magazine zeitlosesdesign.de.
- Is it the original?
- Which size fits?
- What makes a good gift?
“Buy rarely, but buy right.”
04
UX and components
Each component solves exactly one user problem.
Size comparison
Dimensions in centimetres say little. The comparison shows every size of a model side by side and to scale, on desktop and mobile.
Spot the original
Fakes are a real issue with classics. A grid with our own photos shows the details that identify the original.
Buy box
Product, price and selected specialist retailers at a glance. Where to buy is the reader’s call. The price history is one click away.
05
Design System
I derived the design system from the live CSS, not the other way round. That way it describes what is actually on the site. More than 50 components, each a block in the editor with fields instead of free layout. After every theme update I align the two.
At KDM, consistency is not luck. It is maintenance.
06
Engineering
I removed Elementor because page builders can’t be automated.
KDM now runs on a custom block theme. Everything is built from components. When I change a component centrally, it changes on every page. New components start in the design system and are integrated into the theme from there in an orderly way. I carried out the migration with Claude Code, faster than planned.
07
Automation with judgement
What is routine is automated. Prices come from partner retailer data. n8n analyses Search Console and shows which topics have potential. Since 15 October 2026 a pipeline prepares Instagram posts. 3D views show classics from every side.
Recommendations, photos and approvals don’t come from AI. We decide those ourselves.
- SourcesPartner data, Search Console, our own photos
- n8nPrices, reports, draft posts
- ApprovalPeople decide what gets published
- PublishingWebsite and Instagram
08
Results
+160 %
Google clicks per day, July to October 2026
Clearly better
Average position on Google, July to October 2026
Faster than planned
migration to the custom block theme
Until now, SEO was KDM’s only channel. Growth came without an ad budget, purely from pages that answer one specific question. Since 15 October 2026 we have been building Instagram as the second channel.
09
Learnings and outlook
- 1A page earns more traffic when it answers exactly one question.
- 2A design system pays off even for a team of two.
- 3AI saves hours, but it doesn’t replace the judgement of whether a layout works.
Next comes more depth rather than more pages. Expanding existing guides, reusing components, extending automation where it saves time.
A product that works like a large one with a small team?
Let’s talk about it.