Designing for Community – The Making of “Elemyntz,” a Social Publishing App with a Voice

“Can users find meaning in content they create, share, and save?”

That’s the question Elementss set out to answer and what followed was the design and build of a platform for topic-based publishing, discovery, and self-expression.

Here’s the product story behind it.

The Vision

Saloni’s goal wasn’t just to create another content-sharing app. She wanted to give users a place to:

• Follow content by interest

• Share insights with topic boards

• Mark posts for later (favorites, notes, bookmarks)

• Connect with other creators through profiles and messaging

The project was approached with content as the north star and usability, scalability, and creativity at its core.

Feed

Features We Prioritized

1. Topic-Driven Discovery

   Users land into a tailored feed based on selected interests, making the home experience personal from the first click

2. Post Creation

   From boards and tags to image uploads and link-sharing, every post is structured for clarity and expressiveness

3. Profile Exploration

   Browse other users, follow/unfollow, and view their topic-wise content library

4. Save and Reflect

   Save posts by board, mark them as favorites, or add a “note to self” for personal insights

5. Search & Share

   Search users, tags, or content. Share posts directly via social or email. Profiles are public and shareable

6. Notification and Messaging Layer

   Users receive alerts when their posts are favorited or messaged, bringing social feedback into the experience

7. Super Admin Dashboard

   Admins track platform analytics: total posts, categories, and engagement signals
   

Post creation

The Architecture We Chose

We leaned on React for modular UI, Node and Express for backend, and MongoDB for user-centric, flexible data structures. Key additions included:

• Google Auth and Email Login

• Mailjet Integration for email notifications

• WordPress blog listing via APIs

• CRON job for image cleanup

• Scalable profile + feed design

All built with future flexibility in mind including an in-progress “Maps” feature and a Coming Soon content roadmap.

Development Highlights

• Iterated weekly with tight feedback loops

• UI focused on board-based categorization

• Complex states: Saved posts, edited posts, viewed profiles, and comment threads

• Held back features like Facebook Login and Comments for future sprints, prioritized performance and clarity
  

  

  Google Auth and Email Login

Where the Product Stands Now

• Fully functional social publishing platform

• Auth, profile, posting, saving, and following system

• Feed-based discovery, private notes, and public sharing

• Admin oversight and real-time analytics

• Community-ready structure with soft-touch social features
  

  

  Dashboard

Want to build a meaningful community product?

Whether it’s content, creators, or collaboration MERN.AI can help bring your product vision to life with systems built for scale, feedback, and adaptability.