Innovative Commenting Platform
Pluggable Comments Module and Moderation Platform
How we built a completely custom commenting system, redefining user interaction and moderation with cutting-edge technology.
The Client
Explore is a pioneering platform dedicated to connecting viewers worldwide with nature through live streaming and archived footage of wildlife, environmental initiatives, and educational content. With a vast community of nature enthusiasts and researchers, explore sought to enhance user engagement and moderation capabilities by replacing an existing third-party commenting system with a custom solution. Materialize Labs collaborated with explore to reimagine the comments module and rebuild the mobile app from the ground up, integrating advanced moderator features and optimizing performance for seamless user interaction.
The Challenge
Explore was utilizing an existing third-party commenting system that did not fully meet their needs in terms of performance, flexibility, and user engagement. The system lacked advanced moderation tools, role-based permissions, and was not fully integrated with Explore’s platform, leading to inefficiencies and a suboptimal user experience.
Explore needed a scalable and modular commenting system that could be easily integrated into their existing infrastructure. The new system had to support diverse user interactions and provide robust moderation capabilities, including role-based permissions for general users, elevated users, moderators, and administrators. Additionally, it was crucial to ensure that the commenting system performed well across various devices and network conditions, enhancing the mobile app’s responsiveness and usability. Furthermore, Explore wanted a solution that could be easily implemented as a third-party service for other websites and mobile apps, with a customizable administrative panel for seamless control and moderation.
The Solution
Materialize Labs conceptualized and implemented a comprehensive solution that encompassed both backend and frontend technologies to meet Explore’s needs. We developed a robust backend system capable of managing user comments, implementing role-based permissions, and facilitating real-time updates. This system’s architecture ensured scalability and seamless deployment. Additionally, we crafted an intuitive admin panel equipped with advanced moderation features, empowering moderators to efficiently manage user comments with transparency and precision.
On the frontend, we reconstructed the mobile app to enhance performance and interactivity. The revamped app boasted a sleek user interface, enriched interactivity, and seamless integration with the custom comments module, delivering an immersive user experience across iOS and Android platforms.
- Key features of the custom commenting system included:
- Real-time updates
- Reactions, threads, and profanity filters
- Reporting, blocking functionality, and notifications
- Profile integrations for Explore users
- Comprehensive UI/UX designs with Figma prototypes
- Custom WebSocket server for real-time chat
- Kubernetes integration for seamless deployment and scalability
Services We Provided
+ User Research
+ Web App Engineering
+ Mobile App Engineering
+ Admin Content Management System
+ UI/UX Design
Platforms
+ Web
+ iOS
+ Android
Tech Stack
+ PHP
+ Laravel
+ ReactJS
+ Next.js
+ GraphQL
+ MySQL
+ Docker
+ Websockets
+ TypeScript
+ SCSS
+ Apollo GraphQL
+ Vite
+ Enzyme, Jest, Vitest
+ PusherJS
+ Axios
Creating a robust community engagement platform with advanced features
The revamped comments module and mobile app transformed Explore’s user engagement strategy. By developing a tailored platform for community interaction, users could now focus on discourse rather than the limitations of the previous system. With advanced moderator tools, role-based permissions, and real-time updates, Explore.org now fosters a dynamic and inclusive online community, furthering its mission of connecting people with nature.
Crafting an engaging user-centric experience with focused design and development
While the custom commenting system formed the core of the solution, we also focused heavily on the user experience. We designed and developed an intuitive interface that made it easy for Explore’s community to interact, navigate discussions, and utilize the platform for meaningful engagements. Furthermore, our solution facilitated scalability, supporting Explore’s growth by smoothly handling increasing user volumes and interaction complexity.
