Context: Personal Project
Timeline: November 2025 (1 week)
Live Project: https://spwnpoints.com
The Problem
At Privateer Press, I constantly had to fix clunky store finders that frustrated both customers and publishers. They were outdated, hard to use, and rarely provided what people actually wanted. The company needed a modernized solution, but it never made it to production. I built SpwnPoints as a week-long proof of concept to answer: could better UX actually solve this friction point?
The Solution
Built a map-centric interface with a custom cyberpunk design system (Tailwind CSS and CSS variables) that speaks directly to the hobbyist audience. Integrated Leaflet for client-side mapping with a mock data abstraction layer in src/services/api.ts that acts as a switchboard between simulated local data and a live backend. This allowed me to validate 100% of the UI independently before committing to infrastructure costs. Used next/dynamic with SSR disabled to avoid hydration errors and maintain the immersive "Initializing Sat-Link..." loading state. No off-the-shelf components, just disciplined design patterns for a unique visual identity.
Results
- Sub-30 second store discovery with niche filtering (table size, vibe, inventory)
- 100% type-safe data flow from API layer through state management
- Sub-200ms reactive search performance and 100% mobile responsiveness
Why It Matters
This MVP proved the core concept works. But the real opportunity isn't the technology: it's the business model. There are multiple viable paths forward: community-funded, freemium features, or publisher partnerships. The week-long sprint showed what's possible when you stay disciplined about user needs and skip unnecessary complexity. The barrier to success isn't the code; it's finding the sustainable model that benefits the community.