Chiamaka Fortune | Product Designer & Strategist

Feature BLOCspace

Founder's Perspective

6 min read

Building BLOCspace: How I designed a

community platform as a first-time founder

Building BLOCspace: How I designed a

community platform as a first-time founder

Building BLOCspace: How I designed a community platform as a first-time founder

From the first wireframe to MVP - the decisions, trade-offs, and design thinking behind Africa's first community as a service platform.

Building BLOCspace: How I designed a community platform as a first-time founder

When I started BLOCspace, I wasn't trying to build another events app or another social platform.

I was trying to solve a problem I'd experienced repeatedly.

Across Africa, incredible communities exist; tech communities, design groups, startup hubs, creative collectives, women-in-tech initiatives, but discovering them often depends on luck.

Someone shares an invitation. A friend sends a WhatsApp link. You stumble across an event on X. Someone mentions a Slack group in passing.

Community discovery isn't a system. It's mostly chance.

That became the starting point for BLOCspace.

When I started BLOCspace, I wasn't trying to build another events app or another social platform.

I was trying to solve a problem I'd experienced repeatedly.

Across Africa, incredible communities exist; tech communities, design groups, startup hubs, creative collectives, women-in-tech initiatives, but discovering them often depends on luck.

Someone shares an invitation. A friend sends a WhatsApp link. You stumble across an event on X. Someone mentions a Slack group in passing.

Community discovery isn't a system. It's mostly chance.

That became the starting point for BLOCspace.

When I started BLOCspace, I wasn't trying to build another events app or another social platform.

I was trying to solve a problem I'd experienced repeatedly.

Across Africa, incredible communities exist; tech communities, design groups, startup hubs, creative collectives, women-in-tech initiatives, but discovering them often depends on luck.

Someone shares an invitation. A friend sends a WhatsApp link. You stumble across an event on X. Someone mentions a Slack group in passing.

Community discovery isn't a system. It's mostly chance.

That became the starting point for BLOCspace.

Defining the real problem

Initially, I thought the challenge was simple:

"People need a place to find communities."

After interviewing potential users and observing how people actually joined communities, I realised the problem was much broader.

People weren't looking for communities. They were looking for opportunities.

They wanted mentorship. Jobs. Networking. Events. Collaborations. Learning.

Communities were simply the gateway.

That insight changed the product direction entirely.

Instead of designing a directory, I began designing an ecosystem.

Initially, I thought the challenge was simple:

"People need a place to find communities."

After interviewing potential users and observing how people actually joined communities, I realised the problem was much broader.

People weren't looking for communities. They were looking for opportunities.

They wanted mentorship. Jobs. Networking. Events. Collaborations. Learning.

Communities were simply the gateway.

That insight changed the product direction entirely.

Instead of designing a directory, I began designing an ecosystem.

Initially, I thought the challenge was simple:

"People need a place to find communities."

After interviewing potential users and observing how people actually joined communities, I realised the problem was much broader.

People weren't looking for communities. They were looking for opportunities.

They wanted mentorship. Jobs. Networking. Events. Collaborations. Learning.

Communities were simply the gateway.

That insight changed the product direction entirely.

Instead of designing a directory, I began designing an ecosystem.

The first design challenge

One of the biggest UX questions became:

How do you display hundreds of communities without overwhelming users?

Many directories fail because every listing looks identical.

Instead, I prioritized scannability.

Each community card answers three questions immediately:

What is this?
Is it relevant to me?
Why should I join?

Small UX decisions like badges, category labels, location, member count, and primary actions dramatically reduced cognitive load.

One of the biggest UX questions became:

How do you display hundreds of communities without overwhelming users?

Many directories fail because every listing looks identical.

Instead, I prioritized scannability.

Each community card answers three questions immediately:

What is this?
Is it relevant to me?
Why should I join?

Small UX decisions like badges, category labels, location, member count, and primary actions dramatically reduced cognitive load.

One of the biggest UX questions became:

How do you display hundreds of communities without overwhelming users?

Many directories fail because every listing looks identical.

Instead, I prioritized scannability.

Each community card answers three questions immediately:

What is this?
Is it relevant to me?
Why should I join?

Small UX decisions like badges, category labels, location, member count, and primary actions dramatically reduced cognitive load.

Designing for trust

Trust matters even more in emerging markets.

Users are naturally cautious about joining unfamiliar communities.

That meant trust couldn't be an afterthought.

Every listing needed social proof:

verified communities
real organisers
active links
event history
recognizable partners

The goal wasn't simply to help users discover communities.

It was to help them feel confident enough to join.

Trust matters even more in emerging markets.

Users are naturally cautious about joining unfamiliar communities.

That meant trust couldn't be an afterthought.

Every listing needed social proof:

verified communities
real organisers
active links
event history
recognizable partners

The goal wasn't simply to help users discover communities.

It was to help them feel confident enough to join.

Trust matters even more in emerging markets.

Users are naturally cautious about joining unfamiliar communities.

That meant trust couldn't be an afterthought.

Every listing needed social proof:

verified communities
real organisers
active links
event history
recognizable partners

The goal wasn't simply to help users discover communities.

It was to help them feel confident enough to join.

Shipping the MVP

As a first-time founder, I quickly learned that perfection delays learning.

Many ideas never made the MVP.

Discussion boards. Advanced networking. Community messaging. Recommendations. AI discovery.

Instead, I focused on solving one problem well:

Helping people discover communities faster.

Everything else could come later.

As a first-time founder, I quickly learned that perfection delays learning.

Many ideas never made the MVP.

Discussion boards. Advanced networking. Community messaging. Recommendations. AI discovery.

Instead, I focused on solving one problem well:

Helping people discover communities faster.

Everything else could come later.

As a first-time founder, I quickly learned that perfection delays learning.

Many ideas never made the MVP.

Discussion boards. Advanced networking. Community messaging. Recommendations. AI discovery.

Instead, I focused on solving one problem well:

Helping people discover communities faster.

Everything else could come later.

What building BLOCspace taught me

Designing your own product changes how you think.

Every button has a business implication.

Every feature has a maintenance cost.

Every design decision affects engineering time.

As both founder and product designer, I learned to ask a different question:

Is this the best experience?

became

Is this the most valuable thing to build right now?

That shift changed how I approach every product today.

Designing your own product changes how you think.

Every button has a business implication.

Every feature has a maintenance cost.

Every design decision affects engineering time.

As both founder and product designer, I learned to ask a different question:

Is this the best experience?

became

Is this the most valuable thing to build right now?

That shift changed how I approach every product today.

Designing your own product changes how you think.

Every button has a business implication.

Every feature has a maintenance cost.

Every design decision affects engineering time.

As both founder and product designer, I learned to ask a different question:

Is this the best experience?

became

Is this the most valuable thing to build right now?

That shift changed how I approach every product today.

Final thoughts

BLOCspace is still evolving.

But the biggest lesson wasn't about UI.

It was learning that great products don't begin with features.

They begin with understanding people.

BLOCspace is still evolving.

But the biggest lesson wasn't about UI.

It was learning that great products don't begin with features.

They begin with understanding people.

BLOCspace is still evolving.

But the biggest lesson wasn't about UI.

It was learning that great products don't begin with features.

They begin with understanding people.

Enjoyed this article? If you're building a product and need a designer who combines user-centered design with product thinking, I'd love to hear about your project.

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