Goldmines Picture App

A desktop entertainment interface cannot simply be shrunk to phone size. The Goldmines app takes the same catalogue and rebuilds the experience around how people actually browse on a phone: one hand, short sessions, variable network.

The problem

Mobile users need faster navigation, larger touch targets, and a much tighter content hierarchy than a desktop grid provides. Images have to load efficiently on mobile data, and the path from "browsing" to "movie details" has to be short. At the same time, the app had to stay consistent with the website's catalogue rather than drifting into a separate product.

What I built

A native-feeling information architecture rather than a wrapped website.

Navigation designed for thumbs

Bottom navigation, compact content rails, mobile search, and genre browsing put the whole catalogue within reach of one hand, with detail screens focused on a single decision at a time.

The same catalogue, everywhere

Shared REST APIs keep web and mobile content identical, so a title published once appears in both places without a second workflow.

Built for real network conditions

Client-side caching, progressive loading states, and optimised image presentation make repeat browsing feel immediate instead of re-fetching everything on each screen.

Technical decisions

React Native, Expo, and TypeScript, with reusable screen components and REST API integration.

Server-state caching cuts unnecessary requests, while image sizing, list rendering, and screen-level loading feedback keep scrolling smooth on mid-range devices.

Presentation kept separate from catalogue data, so features can evolve without tightly coupling the app to one backend response shape. If the API changes, the screens do not have to be rewritten.

One dark cinema theme across platforms, with gold accents held at accessible contrast on small screens.

The outcome

A coherent mobile companion to the website: one product system serving web and mobile audiences while preserving brand identity, content consistency, and platform-appropriate interaction patterns.

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