Family Network
Relatives on orbits by degree of kinship instead of a conventional feed
What it gave the business
A social network you cannot mistake for another: a map of kinship instead of a feed. That is what makes people bring their relatives in rather than scroll strangers' posts.
The problem
The client did not want another list-shaped family tree, but a metaphor: the family as a planetary system with the user at the centre and relatives spread across orbits.
My role
App and web from one codebase, the orbital graphics mechanic written from scratch, and the server side on cloud functions.
What was built
- Orbital visualisation: first orbit for parents and partners, second for children, third for siblings, fourth for ancestors
- Posts with media, reactions and chats between relatives
- Profiles of deceased relatives behind a password — family memory as a private section
- Mobile and web builds from one codebase
The engineering core
Kinship orbits are computed and drawn by code written from scratch: no off-the-shelf component does this. Plus a delicate subject area where privacy is a condition rather than a feature, and the memory of the departed sits behind a password. 39k lines, 199 files.
Stack
Tell me about your project
I will tell you how long it takes and what it costs before any work starts. If it is not my kind of task, I will say so right away and point you elsewhere if I can.
Message on Telegram