Dropat

🚀 Dropat got a major upgrade

Smoother onboarding, real-time drops, map-first UX, and gamified discovery

TL;DR

Dropat helps you leave and discover geo-anchored drops (text, photo, video, or voice) around you.

Today’s big update makes onboarding smoother, identity consistent (full names everywhere), uploads reliable, and adds polish to the map feed, real-time updates, and gamification.

Looking for feedback on the location UX, achievements, and what would make this useful in your city.

🌍 What is Dropat?

Dropat is a location-first way to share and discover moments in the real world. Think “sticky notes for places” with:

• Proximity controls: Decide how close someone has to be to see your drop.

• Visibility settings: Public, friends-only, or private to you.

• Media-friendly: Photos, videos, and voice memos supported out of the box.

• Real-time feed: New drops, likes, and replies appear instantly.

• Gamification: Levels, streaks, and badges (like Pioneer and Local Legend) reward exploring and contributing.

🆕 What’s new in today’s update

• Smoother onboarding and identity

• ✅ Full names everywhere (no more random email handles).

• ✅ Clean onboarding that ensures name + avatar before map.

• ✅ Reliable avatar uploads (storage tightened, works first try).

Faster, cleaner drop creation

• 📝 QuickDrop Composer: text, photos, videos, or voice memos (with Undo).

• 🔗 Smart URL previews.

• 🎯 Proximity + visibility controls in one place.

Map-first browsing and feed

• 🗺️ Map clustering for quick overview.

• 📜 “All Drops” feed for fast browsing.

• 🎴 Modern drop cards with better media + link previews.

Real-time interactions

• ⚡ Instant updates (no refresh).

• 🔔 New drop indicators + subtle sounds.

Gamification rewards IRL activity

• 🎮 Levels + XP as you explore.

• 🔥 Streaks for daily activity.

• 🏅 Badges like Pioneer + Local Legend, with celebration moments.

Reliability, security, and performance

• 🔒 Safer storage + strict access rules.

• ✅ Consistent identity fallback (full name → username → email).

• ⚙️ Stronger database policies.

• 🛡️ Fewer edge case errors.

⚙️ How Dropat works (under the hood)

• Stack: React + Vite + Tailwind

• Backend: Supabase (auth, database, storage, real-time)

• Map: Mapbox

• Logic: Proximity filters, real-time subscriptions, secure storage, gamification tracking

👥 Who it’s for

• People leaving meaningful, place-based notes for friends or communities

• Urban explorers and locals discovering nearby updates

• Neighborhood groups & venues who want low-friction location updates

🙋 What I’d love feedback on

• 📏 Proximity feel — are the distance options useful?

• 🎙️ Drop types — is voice helpful, any constraints?

• 🗺️ Map UX — easy enough to switch map ↔ feed?

• 🏆 Gamification — what badges or challenges keep you coming back?

• 🔐 Privacy — do visibility controls feel safe?

🔮 What’s next

• ✨ Smarter discovery (“interesting nearby” drops)

• 📂 Collections: save & share drop sets

• 🤝 Social polish: friend features + useful notifications

• 💡 Creator tools: highlight “promoted” content (in select cities)
  

👉 Call to Action

If you tried Dropat at launch, this update should feel much smoother.

If you’re new: drop something in your neighborhood and tell me how it feels.

💬 Your feedback will directly shape the next sprint!

http://dropat.bradyux.com/