Language Exchange Platform
A neighborhood-based platform for language learners who wanted real in-person exchange without the dating-app chaos of existing options.
What changed
Turned the idea into a working product with onboarding, group chat, neighborhood discovery, and cross-platform coordination.
- Proof type
- Selected experiment
- Client
- Personal Project
- Service
- Web + Mobile MVP Build
- Best fit
- Founders exploring local-community products, small-group marketplaces, or coordination-heavy MVPs.
- Track
- MVP Build
- Role
- Solo Product Builder & Designer
- Timeline
- Solo build in 2025 across web and mobile
- Team
- Solo build
Why it mattered
Language exchange platforms either feel like dating apps with endless profile swiping, or massive party events where meaningful conversation is impossible.
Constraints
- The product had to feel local and trustworthy, not like another swipe-based social app.
- The experience needed to work across web and mobile without splitting into two different products.
Built with
// What Was Happening
Language exchange platforms either feel like dating apps with endless profile swiping, or massive party events where meaningful conversation is impossible.
Learners want focused practice with real people, but existing solutions prioritize profiles over practice and quantity over quality.
// What I Built
Built HablaBA as a local-first product centered on small group exchanges, neighborhood discovery, and real-time coordination instead of endless profile browsing.
Developed both the web and mobile apps on top of the same backend so the product could support real usage patterns without drifting into two separate experiences.
// What Changed
Turned the idea into a working product with onboarding, group chat, neighborhood discovery, and cross-platform coordination.
The build is a useful proof point for how I approach trust-heavy MVPs where user behavior and product shape matter as much as the code.
Need a first version like this?
If you need a real v1 in front of users without dragging the build out for months, start by scoping the smallest useful version.