Product
MadeByUs
A moderated project-discovery platform where makers can publish work and visitors can find it quickly.
At a glance
The work before the feature list
- Problem
- A useful project showcase needs fast discovery for visitors, straightforward publishing for makers, and moderation controls for the people operating it.
- Role
- Full Stack Developer (Self-employed)
- Context
- Independent full-stack product
- Period
- July 2025 - Oct 2025
Outcome
A complete showcase workflow covering discovery, publishing, media, moderation, authentication, and a paid premium role.
The statement above describes verified shipped scope or current project status; it does not imply adoption or business metrics that are not available.
Decisions
What I chose and what it cost
Product decision
Treat discovery as the primary public workflow
- Context
- A showcase loses value when visitors cannot quickly narrow a growing set of projects.
- Choice
- Make search, tags, featured work, and continuous loading central to the public experience.
- Tradeoff
- Discovery state and query behavior require more care than a static gallery.
UX decision
Keep project management in context
- Context
- Makers need to add media, tags, and project details without moving through an administrative interface.
- Choice
- Provide a focused self-service workflow while reserving site-wide moderation for Filament.
- Tradeoff
- Two management surfaces exist, but each stays appropriate to its user.
Backend decision
Model premium access as authorization
- Context
- A successful Chapa payment needs to change what a user can do without scattering payment checks through the UI.
- Choice
- Translate verified payment state into a Spatie-managed premium role.
- Tradeoff
- Payment verification and role assignment must remain consistent and recover safely from interrupted flows.
Context
MadeByUs is a project showcase designed for both sides of the marketplace: people looking for interesting work and makers trying to publish it. The product also needs enough operational control to keep submitted work organized and appropriate.
Product and system shape
Visitors can search, filter by tags, and move through featured or trending projects. Authenticated makers manage their own projects and media. Administrators review submissions and manage platform data through Filament.
The Laravel application uses Livewire for server-driven interactions, Spatie packages for media, tags, and permissions, Socialite for OAuth, and Chapa for the premium upgrade flow.
Current status
The primary workflows are implemented and available through code and a recorded walkthrough. Development is paused while the product proposition and next scope are reconsidered.
Ownership
What I was responsible for
- Product concept and discovery workflow
- Full-stack Laravel and Livewire implementation
- Moderation, media, permissions, authentication, and payment integration
Under the hood
Technical depth, available when it is useful
The implementation detail is grouped by system area so the page remains scannable.
Public Project Showcase
- Real-time search with instant filtering and results
- Tag-based filtering for easy project discovery
- Trending and featured sections highlighting popular projects
- Infinite scroll with auto-load more functionality (Alpine.js)
- Premium project badges and highlights
Filament Admin Panel
- Custom branded panel provider with role-gated access
- Full CRUD ProjectResource with media uploads
- Status workflow management (Pending/Approved/Rejected)
- Batch actions and tag management via Spatie Tags
User Self-Service Dashboard
- Create, edit, and delete projects with image uploads
- Tag syncing and management for project organization
- Modal-driven UX with validation and error handling
- Automatic priority boosts for premium users
Engagement & Social Features
- Session-based view count tracking for projects
- Featured and premium badges for visual distinction
- Related tags display for improved discovery
- Livewire-powered comments system for community engagement
Technical Implementation
- Spatie Media Library for hero image storage and management
- Accessor-driven URLs for consistent image rendering
- Chapa payment integration for premium role upgrades
- Laravel Socialite for OAuth authentication (Google, GitHub)
- Comprehensive factories and seeders for realistic demo data
Evidence
What can be inspected
- Recorded walkthrough
- The product video demonstrates discovery and publishing interfaces.
- Public code
- The repository shows the application, integrations, factories, and seed data.
Contact