Case study · 01
Open Play Finder
Founding designer + front-end on a live consumer web app, concept → launch.
- Client
- openplayfinder.com
- Year
- 2026 — Present
- Role
- Founding designer & front-end builder
- Tags
- 0-to-1 · Product · Front-end · GTM
Context
A new consumer web product for pickleball and open-play sports players who needed a faster way to find local sessions. Built solo as founding designer and front-end engineer.
Problem
Players were stitching together Facebook groups, screenshots, and out-of-date PDFs to find open-play times. There was no single source of truth, and existing tools were operator-first, not player-first.
My role
Owned everything: concept validation, market and competitive research, product direction, brand, UX, UI, and the mobile-responsive web front end. Partnered with engineering on data and APIs; led go-to-market positioning through launch.
Key decisions
A few moves that mattered.
01
Player-first information architecture
Re-framed the product around the player's job: ‘what can I play today, near me?’ A single search-first surface replaces filters and dashboards on landing.
02
Mobile-responsive web, not an app
Web kept distribution friction low for a 0-to-1 launch. Designed and shipped the responsive front end myself so engineering could focus on data ingestion.
03
GTM-ready brand from day one
Built the identity, voice, and launch positioning alongside the product so messaging and UI shipped together.
Outcome
0→1
Concept to live product
Solo
Designer + front-end
Web
Mobile-responsive launch
Launch metrics available on request.
What I'd do next
Layer in operator tools for venues, lightweight social (who's playing), and a notification layer for last-minute openings.
Next case study
Hospitality AI Agent →