Kynoa
Project Overview
We designed and built Kynoa to set a new standard for what a modern movie tracking platform can be. The brief was clear: go beyond the tired watchlist-and-stars formula and deliver something genuinely useful — fast discovery, an expressive rating system, and a social layer that actually earns its place in the product.
Project Details
Type
In-House Product
Designed and developed by Topography Digital
Status
Beta Launch
Live and actively developed
Timeline
Ongoing
Iterative development
The Challenge
Letterboxd, Trakt, IMDb — the movie tracking space is well-established. Building something users would actually choose over their existing tools meant going further on every dimension: better discovery, a more expressive rating system, and a social layer that adds genuine value rather than existing for its own sake.
Social features are easy to ship and easy to ignore. A follow system only matters if the activity feed actually surfaces things you care about. Getting that right — relevant, timely, and fast — was the difference between a feature and a reason to come back.
Asking someone to create an account and start rating films is a commitment. The experience had to feel polished, reliable, and safe from the very first interaction — or they'd leave and not return.
The most valuable potential users already have a home. Giving them a credible reason to switch — and a frictionless way to bring their history with them — was essential to growing beyond a standing start.
Objectives
Deliver a Best-in-Class Discovery Experience
Give users powerful tools to find movies and TV — by popularity, genre, rating, release date, and trending windows — backed by a comprehensive media catalog.
Build an Expressive Rating System
Replace the reductive 5-star model with a 1–100% scale, giving users the granularity to genuinely express how they feel about a film.
Create a Social Layer That Adds Real Value
Let users follow friends, see a live activity feed of what they're watching, and share curated lists — making the platform more than just a personal tracker.
Make Migration Seamless
Support Letterboxd import so existing film lovers can carry their ratings and watchlists over without starting from scratch.
Ship Something That Feels Production-Ready
A polished, reliable experience from day one — fast, secure, and consistent across every device and browser.
The Solution
Key Features
Media Discovery
Browse popular, top-rated, trending, and new-release content. Advanced filtering by genre, rating, year, and media type across both movies and TV shows.
Ratings & Favourites
A 1–100% rating scale with personal history, average tracking, and a favourites system — finally giving films the nuance they deserve.
Custom Lists
Create, manage, and share curated lists of movies and TV shows — with public visibility and platform-wide browsability.
Social & Activity Feed
Follow friends and see a live feed of what they're rating and favouriting — a social layer that makes discovery genuinely personal.
User Profiles
Public profile pages with avatar, bio, and a full view of ratings and lists — a real identity within the platform.
Letterboxd Import
Bring your entire Letterboxd history over in minutes — ratings converted, watchlist preserved, nothing lost.
Highlights
What We Delivered
6 Feature Areas
Fully Shipped
Discovery, ratings, lists, social graph, profiles, and import — all live, all polished.
Better Than Stars
1–100% Rating Scale
More expressive than anything else in the space. Users can finally say exactly how they feel about a film.
Switch in Minutes
Letterboxd Import
Years of ratings and watchlists carry over accurately. No excuse not to make the move.
Built to Last
Production-Grade Quality
Secure, reliable, and consistent across every device — from the first login to the hundredth session.
Conclusion
Kynoa is what happens when you take a familiar idea seriously. Every feature — from the rating scale to the activity feed to the import tool — was built with a real opinion about what film lovers actually need, not what's easiest to ship.
The result is a platform that's genuinely enjoyable to use: fast, expressive, and social in a way that earns its place in your routine.
Let's create your success story
Ready to achieve similar results? Get in touch and let's discuss how we can help transform your business.