PLGRND (2020-2022) 

Building a social platform for sneaker enthusiasts

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 :)

Context

In 2020, I co-founded PLGRND with a friend: a social platform and marketplace designed for sneaker enthusiasts. The goal was to create a dedicated space where sneakerheads could document their collection, connect with others, and buy or sell sneakers in a trusted environment. This project, run full-time over two years, allowed me to be involved in every aspect of the product: design, strategy, content, and launch.

Problem identified

As reselling grew, the sneaker market became more competitive, speculative, and less accessible to true collectors.
We identified several pain points:

• Complex access to limited edition models, often via frustrating raffles.
• Market distortion caused by bots and speculation.
• No platform really focused on personal collections or the story behind the sneakers.

Our belief: the market was missing a community-first, culture-driven platform built by and for sneaker lovers.

User research

While I was creating a first design prototype, I conducted:

• 40+ qualitative interviews (around 1 hour each) with sneakerheads aged 20–40, mostly city dwellers who buy regularly.
• A quantitative survey shared in Facebook groups (200+ responses).

Key insights:

• High frustration with raffles and limited supply.
• Lack of trust in existing platforms.
• Strong desire for a more human, community-oriented experience.
  

This research directly informed our MVP scope and product priorities.

The first protoype — 'Add to collection' and 'Wishlist' features

Product definition

Our core value proposition: buy and sell sneakers between enthusiasts, while showcasing your collection.
Key MVP features:

• Profile creation and personal collection upload.
• Custom wishlist.
• Sneaker sale announcements.
• Chat with photo sharing.
• Integrated payment system.
• Upcoming release calendar.
• Sneaker pages with cultural and historical background.
• Search by model, size, or location.

We adopted an iterative approach, collecting feedback via an in-app form and prioritizing improvements based on user demand and technical feasibility.

Design & protoyping

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.

• Branding: Illustrator
• UI & prototyping: Figma
• Development: Adalo (no-code)
• User testing: 40 people tested the prototype during initial interviews

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)

Launch & acquisition

The app officially launched in September 2021.
Ahead of the release, we built:

• A mailing list of 2,000+ people
• A community through blog content and Instagram campaigns
• A pool of 50 beta testers

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.

Iterations & improvements

User feedback led us to make several key updates:

• Improved search filters (including by shoe size)
• User-submitted sneaker database via a form
• Performance improvements on Android
• Push notifications: for example, when a user added a sneaker to their collection, those who had wishlisted it received a notification — helping boost interactions and potential sales
  

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.

Key takeaways

What I learned:

• How to build a complete product from scratch in no-code — from concept to live app.
• How to define a realistic MVP and prioritize features.
• How to develop acquisition strategies and create content that attracts a niche audience.

About the market:

• Trust is absolutely critical in a competitive space like this.
• A web version would have significantly lowered entry friction compared to a mobile app.
• Marketing matters just as much as product quality when building traction.

On a personal level:

• Great collaborative experience as a two-person team.
• Learned to communicate clearly and stay aligned even during tough moments (bugs, diverging visions, UX challenges).

What I would do differently:

• Validate the product/market fit more thoroughly before development.
• Start with a web platform for accessibility.
• Build more exclusive, differentiated features.
• Invest earlier in marketing and visibility.

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.