From Zero to Beautiful UI: How I Built an Instagram-Like Layout Using Uno Platform Hot Design 🔥

Source: Dev.to

Why I Used Uno Platform Hot Design for This Challenge

I didn’t actually choose Uno Platform; the opportunity came through this challenge.
If you’re a .NET developer, you know the usual pain points:

• UI layout is slow
• Previews lag
• Hot Reload breaks at the worst times
• Cross‑platform UI? Even harder

Hot Design completely flipped that experience, providing real‑time updates while the app was running. It made the workflow feel smoother, faster, and genuinely fun.

The First Attempt: My “Ugly Version”

Let’s start with honesty: it was not Instagram. This early version shows where the journey began.

Designing the Final Layout

I wanted the app to look clean, fresh, and close to a real Instagram profile screen, while still simple enough for a Hot Design demo. Core design goals:

• Simple, minimalistic top section – profile image, stats, bio, and link.
• Horizontal story bubbles – with real borders and labels to mimic Instagram.
• A clean tab selector – (post grid, Reels, Tagged icons).
• A responsive grid – three columns, equal spacing, UniformToFill images.
• Adaptive layout – works on both desktop and mobile (screenshots included).

After experimenting with color styles, spacing, and icons, the final design came together.

Final Design: Desktop Version

(Insert desktop screenshot here)

Final Design: Mobile Version

(Insert mobile screenshot here)

Full Demo Video 🎥

Watch the demo video

GitHub Repository 🐈

Explore the source code on GitHub

What I Learned (Key Takeaways)

1. Hot Design is insanely fast for prototyping – real‑time feedback changed everything.
2. Uno makes cross‑platform development feel predictable – the same XAML works across desktop, mobile, and future targets.
3. Good UI takes iteration, especially spacing – refining padding, typography, and alignment made the layout feel real.
4. The workflow feels like a blend of Figma + XAML – visual experimentation combined with clean, production‑ready code.

Special Thanks to the Uno Platform Team

• Thank you for releasing Hot Design.
• The accompanying video was incredibly helpful; I recommend watching it if you’re starting with Hot Design.

Final Thoughts

What began as “let me try something small” turned into a full UI redesign experience. The most important part? I really had fun. If you’re thinking about trying Hot Design, go for it.