MovieQuest - The Birth of an Idea

The Problem We All Know

Picture this: Friday evening, you and your friends want to watch a movie together. Someone suggests browsing Netflix. Twenty minutes later, you're still scrolling through endless titles, everyone has different opinions, and the excitement is fading.

Sound familiar?

That's the problem we set out to solve. Not with yet another recommendation algorithm, but with something simpler and more fun: group swiping.

The Idea: Tinder for Movies

What if choosing a movie felt like Tinder?

• Everyone swipes independently on the same pool of films
• Swipe right if you'd watch it, left if you'd skip it
• When everyone agrees → instant match!
• No endless discussions, just swipe and discover

The concept was simple. The execution? We'd find out.

Building MovieQuest V2

Today we launched MovieQuest (originally called Movie Matcher). Not a prototype or MVP - a fully-featured web app with everything we wanted:

Core Features

Smart Filtering Before you even start swiping, you set up the session:

• Streaming providers: Only show movies from Netflix, Disney+, services you actually have
• Genres: Action, comedy, drama - pick what the group is in the mood for
• Age rating: Family-friendly only, or anything goes?

Flexible Matching Not every group is the same size. Maybe it's just you and a friend (need 2 votes). Maybe it's a family of 5 (need 5 votes). MovieQuest lets you set the match threshold - how many likes a movie needs before it's a match.

Undo & Second Chances Swiped left on accident? Hit undo. We've all been there.

Partial Matches See movies that almost matched. "This one has 3 out of 4 votes - maybe give it another look?"

Real-time Member Tracking A live widget shows who's in the session and how many movies everyone has swiped. No more wondering if your friend is even participating.

The Tech Stack

We chose simplicity and speed:

Frontend:

• Plain HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript (no heavy frameworks)
• Alpine.js for reactivity (lightweight, easy to learn)
• Tailwind CSS for styling (utility-first, fast prototyping)
• Hammer.js for swipe gestures (mobile-friendly touch controls)

Backend:

• Supabase for database (PostgreSQL + real-time updates)
• TMDB API for movie data (the same database Netflix uses)

Deployment:

• Vercel (one-click deploy, automatic HTTPS, fast CDN)

Why Web-First?

We wanted to launch fast. Building for web meant:

• ✅ Works on any device (phones, tablets, laptops)
• ✅ No app store approvals
• ✅ Share via link (no downloads needed)
• ✅ One codebase to maintain

Perfect for validating the idea.

How It Works (User Flow)

1. Host Creates a Session

• Pick streaming providers (Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, etc.)
• Select genres (Action, Comedy, Horror, etc.)
• Set age rating limit (family mode or everything)
• Choose match threshold (how many votes needed)
• Click "Create Session"

2. Invite Your Group

• Share the session link
• Everyone joins (optional: add your name)
• No accounts needed - just open the link and go

3. Swipe Together

• Everyone sees the same movies (based on filters)
• Swipe right = "I'd watch this"
• Swipe left = "Not interested"
• Use undo if you change your mind
• See live progress in the members widget

4. Discover Matches

• When enough people like the same movie → match!
• See full details: poster, description, rating, trailer
• Check partial matches for movies that almost made it

5. Pick & Watch

• Browse all your matches
• Pick one together
• Finally watch something everyone actually wants to see

What Makes It Special

No More Decision Fatigue Instead of debating endlessly, you just swipe. Fast, fun, decisive.

Everyone Gets a Voice No single person dominates the choice. Democracy through swiping.

Smart Filtering Only see movies you can actually watch (based on your streaming services and preferences).

Real-time Sync Everyone sees matches instantly. No refreshing, no waiting.

Mobile-Friendly Built for phones first. Swipe with your thumb while sitting on the couch.

Launch Stats

From idea to deployed web app in one evening:

• Initial commit: 18:56 (6:56 PM)
• First deployment to Vercel: 19:32 (7:32 PM)
• Fully functional with all features

Built with Claude Code (AI pair programming) - which is why we could move so fast.

What's Next

The app is live and working, but we already know what needs improvement:

• Mobile layout could be better
• Swipe gestures need tuning
• Responsive design for all screen sizes
• Real-world testing with actual users

Tomorrow we'll see how it holds up. For now, MovieQuest is born.

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MovieQuest - Swipe. Match. Watch Together.

Try it now at movie-quests.vercel.app - no signup required.