Live
Play Spotter
Helping parents discover playgrounds, parks and family-friendly play spaces.
Get the app: Google Play ↗
The story
Play Spotter is a family discovery platform that maps playgrounds, parks, and indoor play spaces with community sourced details parents actually care about: equipment, amenities, and accessibility.
The problem. Parents often rely on scattered blog posts, outdated lists, and word of mouth to find safe, suitable play spaces. Existing map apps rarely surface the details that matter for families.
The solution. A cross platform app and website with map first discovery, structured place data, community contributions, and AI assisted moderation, backed by a scalable cloud API.
Screenshots
How it’s built
Key features
- Interactive map with filters for amenities and play equipment
- Community reviews, photos, and place submissions
- Family-friendly search across regions
- Moderation workflows for user-generated content
- Cross-platform mobile experience with a companion web presence
Architecture
Clients
- Kotlin Multiplatform (Android)
- Next.js website
API & jobs
- Node.js on Google Cloud
- Media + moderation workflows
Data
- MongoDB (places, users, submissions)
- Google Maps + Cloud Storage
Technology
- Kotlin Multiplatform for shared mobile logic
- MongoDB for flexible place and user data
- Google Maps for location discovery
- Google Cloud for hosting and media
- Gemini AI for content assistance and moderation support
Behind the build
Challenges solved
- Normalizing messy community place data into a consistent schema
- Balancing map performance with rich detail panels on mobile
- Designing moderation that scales without losing human judgment
Lessons learned
- Community place data is messy early. A flexible schema beats fighting every edge case.
- Parents decide in seconds on mobile. Map performance mattered more than feature count.
- AI helps moderation, but humans stay in the loop for family-facing content.
Future roadmap
- Expanded regional coverage and verified partner listings
- Personalized recommendations based on family preferences
- Deeper accessibility and safety metadata