GridCollector v2 went out to everyone today. v1 was built on a handful of conversations and deliberately tried a few directions at once. v2 is the consolidation: the collecting side done properly and ready for more users, with the other directions we explored, like social, parked for now.
What’s new in v2:
- One core loop. v1 gave showcases, binders, collections and your card list their own places in the app, but usage made it clear that collectors really only do one thing: collect. So we rebuilt around that, and five tabs became three: Collections, Browse and Hunt (the wanted list, renamed to how collectors actually talk), with binders now just a way of laying out a collection.
- System before speed. v1 was built in the first rush of how easy building had become, and things fell through the cracks. v2 started with the design system, a screen-by-screen spec, one rule that the live app keeps working whatever else changes, and other models reviewing the plan before anything was built.
- Don’t lose a single card. Our first data migration moved collections people had spent hours logging, so it was rehearsed on a copy of production, with a rollback plan for every change, a backup of every account and a kill switch. Every expected result was written down first, and when we ran it for real at the weekend, all 65 steps matched.
- Signpost every move. Rearrange an app people have spent hours in and the worst outcome is someone thinking their work is gone. So returning users get a short tour, and old binders carry a note saying they’re now collections, with the option to keep or split them.
It’s been a big month, and the app finally feels like it has a clear core. Now to see what collectors make of it.