Product Case Study / Own The Tool, Own The Workflow
MyBoard starts with a simple thesis: task management should not require surrendering your data, your pricing power, or your roadmap to a third-party platform. So instead of extending someone else's SaaS, I built the product from scratch.
The result is a modular Kanban application with a React 18 + Vite frontend, an Express API, JSON persistence, drag and drop powered by `@dnd-kit`, runtime-editable categories, real-time filters, and a roadmap that already anticipates enterprise deployment and AI-assisted operations without rewriting the core model.
The card uses a designed placeholder instead of a fake screenshot. When you drop the real board capture later, it should replace this exact slot without changing the storytelling structure.
Product Thesis
Mainstream task platforms solve organization while creating a second dependency problem: your workflow ends up tied to someone else's pricing, hosting, feature priorities, and terms. That trade-off is tolerated by default, but it is not inevitable.
MyBoard inverts the equation. The code is owned, the data is readable, and the persistence layer starts in plain JSON. That means the product is useful now, while staying easy to migrate later to stronger infrastructure without rebuilding the user experience.
Technical Construction
Fast iteration in development, clear component boundaries, and no unnecessary SSR complexity for a SPA product.
A clean server boundary keeps business logic explicit and turns the same API into the future bridge for enterprise and AI layers.
`tasks.json` is not a shortcut; it is a strategic phase-one persistence choice that keeps backups, inspection, and migration transparent.
`@dnd-kit` is used to persist real positional changes, not just visual movement. Reordering logic updates the affected set, not only the dragged card.
Feature Surface
Runway
The current product is already functional and in real use, not speculative wireframe work.
The persistence layer can graduate from JSON to a database while preserving the same application shape and UX model.
The roadmap already anticipates Claude-driven task creation, backlog hygiene, and board chat through the same API contract, not a disconnected "magic" layer.
Placeholder Proof Assets
Hero screenshot of the real board showing multiple columns, cards, priority badges, and the visual hierarchy of the app.
Short interaction clip proving that moving cards feels clean, stable, and intentional rather than merely animated.
UI proof that categories are editable in runtime, with color palette and no redeploy required.
One technical capture tying together the board UI, API layer, and `tasks.json` persistence to support the zero lock-in argument.
Break the Ice
