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Startboard

Brand, UX, and full-stack delivery focused on one daily frustration: finding the right link fast.

My Role in this Project

  • Product strategy and version 2 planning
  • Brand identity and visual direction
  • UX flows and interaction design
  • Full-stack product development
  • Data migration and relaunch

Technologies Used

  • Next.js 16 and React 19
  • TypeScript and Tailwind CSS
  • Neon Postgres
  • NextAuth authentication
  • dnd-kit and Backblaze B2

The Impact

  • One hub across every browser
  • Faster daily navigation
  • Search and AI from one field
  • Responsive access on any device
  • Clear work and personal boards

A closer look.

Explore the screens. Select an image to view it full size.

A glanceable home board keeps the sites used every day close, while separate boards make room for work and personal contexts without creating another nested bookmark tree.
Typing immediately filters the board, so a remembered fragment is enough to reach the right destination without opening a bookmark manager or scanning folders.
Dark mode keeps the same glanceable board and clear hierarchy while letting the personalized background recede behind the tools.
The same instant filter remains clear in dark mode, narrowing the board to Calendar without changing the interaction.

Startboard · 1 / 4

Startboard home board with search, category tabs, a customizable background, and frequently used bookmarks

A glanceable home board keeps the sites used every day close, while separate boards make room for work and personal contexts without creating another nested bookmark tree.

The rationale

Give the browser a front door worth using.

Bookmarks are supposed to save time, but most bookmark systems slowly turn into storage. A useful link gets dropped into a folder, that folder gets buried under another folder, and eventually searching the open web feels faster than finding the thing that was saved. The feature still works. The habit around it does not.

The problem becomes more obvious when the same person moves between Safari and Chrome, a Mac and a PC, or a work machine and a personal phone. Each browser wants to be the center of the system, which makes a basic list of links depend on a particular account, sync service, extension, or piece of hardware. I wanted the links to belong to the person instead.

Startboard treats the new tab as a small piece of intentional workspace. The sites someone reaches for every day are visible as a simple icon grid, while boards create just enough separation between home, work, and personal contexts. A background, theme, and ordering choices make the page feel familiar without turning customization into another project to maintain.

Finding something should be even faster than scanning the grid. Start typing and Startboard filters the bookmarks immediately. Press enter and the same field can become a web search. Switch modes and it can hand a longer prompt to an AI assistant. The interaction stays in one predictable place, so the person does not have to decide which tool to open before expressing what they need.

Version 2 was a ground-up rebuild of both the interface and the system behind it. I moved the product to a modern Next.js and React foundation, rebuilt account and board data around Postgres, added secure authentication, and created a migration path for existing users. Drag-and-drop organization, responsive layouts, background storage, and progressive web app details all support the same goal across devices.

The measure of a start page is not how long someone spends looking at it. It is how quickly it gets them where they meant to go. Startboard is designed to appear at the beginning of a task, provide the right path with as little friction as possible, and disappear. Every new tab becomes a calmer, more useful front door to the web.

Keep exploring

Additional reading

More of the thinking that shaped Startboard.