A BuiltBy2 workspace · Open for ideas
Community idea workspace
BuiltBy2 Ideas
A place to share an idea and help choose what we build next.
Share an idea (opens in a new tab)
- Public idea submissions
- Community suggestions
- Optional email updates
The project
What we set out to build
BuiltBy2 Ideas gives people a direct way to suggest what we should make next. Behind its small interface is a submission flow, a database of real ideas and a word cloud that brings those contributions into the page. Optional email updates are kept separate from making a suggestion.
01 / Foundations
Keeping the contribution focused
The page starts with a single question and a short form. We used a monochrome layout so the ideas themselves provide the visual detail, surrounding the form with a rotating cloud of contributions. React coordinates the form, suggested ideas, submission feedback and completed state. The email field belongs to an optional updates step, rather than being a condition of sharing an idea. That keeps the first interaction focused while still giving people a way to hear about what happens next.
02 / Implementation
Giving the visual interface a reliable store
Next.js provides the page and server endpoints, with TypeScript describing the idea and board data passed between them. Neon PostgreSQL stores the contributions. We normalise spacing, letter case and Unicode before comparing ideas, and the database gives each normalised idea a unique record. Zod checks the input format and the relationship between email and consent. These details keep the data consistent and stop a visually simple input from becoming an unstructured collection of slightly different copies of the same suggestion.
03 / Refinement
Refining motion and submission states
The opening examples and the live cloud are deliberately separate. Example phrases introduce the interaction, then fade away as the form and real contributions appear together; an empty database does not get filled with invented community activity. Reduced-motion preferences skip the opening delay and stop the orbit. We also built explicit success feedback and a completed card, and validation asks people to keep links and personal details out of public idea text. Optional email consent is checked on the server as well as in the interface.
Where it is now
The public workspace is open for submissions at ideas.builtby2.co.uk. Its current purpose is to collect suggestions and optional requests for updates; a contribution is not presented as a promise that a particular project will be built.