The app is not available anymore, however here is a small prototype to show you what it looked like — or you can also read the case below :)
As reselling grew, the sneaker market became more competitive, speculative, and less accessible to true collectors.
We identified several pain points:
Our belief: the market was missing a community-first, culture-driven platform built by and for sneaker lovers.
While I was creating a first design prototype, I conducted:
Key insights:
This research directly informed our MVP scope and product priorities.
The first protoype — 'Add to collection' and 'Wishlist' features
Our core value proposition: buy and sell sneakers between enthusiasts, while showcasing your collection.
Key MVP features:
We adopted an iterative approach, collecting feedback via an in-app form and prioritizing improvements based on user demand and technical feasibility.
The brand identity was built around four core values: expertise, community, sharing, and elegance.
I drew inspiration from social and cultural spaces like record stores or collector clubs, which led to the name PLGRND, derived from “playground.”
Visually, we leaned into a colorful, joyful aesthetic inspired by Travis Scott’s Astroworld — our logo featured a Ferris wheel with vibrant gradients to reflect a sense of celebration and nostalgia.
The UX approach was mobile-first, focused on simplicity, visual storytelling (through sneaker history), and Instagram-like inspiration for the collection-sharing aspect.
(Click to zoom-in)
The app officially launched in September 2021.
Ahead of the release, we built:
After a few weeks, we quickly reached 1,400 registered users.
Early signs were positive: users created many collections and published sale listings.
However, user retention remained low, likely due to the absence of push notifications, a still-limited marketplace offering, and the friction of downloading an app to try the service.
A glimpse of our launch campaigns on Instagram – mostly based on jokes and humor drawn from sneaker culture.
User feedback led us to make several key updates:
We gathered feedback through in-app forms and follow-up interviews.
Using Adalo’s built-in analytics, we tracked usage patterns and adjusted priorities accordingly.
We didn’t pivot the concept, but focused heavily on reducing friction, especially in the sneaker posting experience — avoiding the classic “empty club” effect for new users.
What I learned:
About the market:
On a personal level:
What I would do differently:
As a Product Designer:
This project helped me gain a deeper understanding of all the dimensions of product design — technical, business, and human.
It pushed me to focus more on real usage data, user feedback, and continuous iteration rather than assumptions.