Planbead

Folded Leaf Earring - Planbead
Shipaton in Beads - Designed & Handmade with Planbead
Beaded Earrings

Project Story

About PlanBead

PlanBead is a mobile app that reimagines the ancient craft of beading for the digital age. Beading has been practiced for thousands of years across cultures — from Navajo and Hopi beadwork in North America, to Maasai bead jewelry in Kenya, to folk patterns in Eastern Europe and India’s ceremonial designs. Each carries deep cultural meaning, identity, and artistry.

We wanted to create a tool that not only simplifies the process for modern makers, but also helps preserve and celebrate these traditions.

What inspired us

The idea came from the pain of making beaded jewelry today. Makers have to bounce between Pinterest for inspiration, Etsy for patterns, Amazon for beads, and YouTube for tutorials — four different platforms, lots of cost, and a lot of friction. We thought: what if all of that could live in one app, built for beaders, by beaders?

How we built it

Soft-launched in August with a product-first approach, focusing on stability and user feedback.
Released 7 updates in 2 months, expanding support for all jewelry types, adding Gems (our virtual currency), growing the pattern library, and refining features based on user feedback.
Integrated RevenueCat to manage subscriptions and consumables across iOS and Android, with web coming soon.
Developed a unique 3D bead visualization system, simulating the finishes of 1,200+ Japanese glass beads (metallic, matte, translucent, etc.) on mobile devices — something previously only possible with expensive desktop software.

Challenges we faced

Visual accuracy: Representing beads isn’t just about color — finishes like matte or metallic are essential for design choices. Getting this to render in real-time 3D on mobile without requiring a high-end PC was a major challenge.
Onboarding & trust: Beaders can be hesitant about adopting new tech. To make it feel familiar, we used real bead images in the onboarding animation so the app feels like “home” from the first screen.
Growth without marketing: We chose an organic launch to prioritize stability, which meant iterating quickly while still keeping users engaged and happy.

What we learned

Rapid iteration matters: shipping fast (7 updates in 2 months) allowed us to listen closely to our users and build what they really need.
Hybrid monetization works: subscriptions + Gems give flexibility for both power users and casual hobbyists.
Design = trust: thoughtful animations and real-bead visuals help bridge the gap between traditional craft and technology.

Why it matters

PlanBead isn’t just an app — it’s a way to connect modern technology with ancient, cross-cultural traditions, and to support artisans and communities who keep this craft alive.

By blending heritage, design, and technology, we hope to make beading more accessible, more creative, and more sustainable for generations to come.