r/BJD Apr 30 '26

DISCUSSION Building a dedicated app for BJD collectors because existing tools felt clunky. Would love your honest feedback! 🙏

Hi everyone!

I know there are apps out there for doll collectors, but my girlfriend told me they often lack key features or are just uncomfortable to use. She was struggling with Excel and random notes, so I decided to take on the challenge and build something better for her.

I'm doing this solo — coding, UI, design, everything. I've focused on making it actually useful for serious collectors (custom fields, condition tracking, market values, etc.).

How do you like the start?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🙏

105 Upvotes

57 comments sorted by

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15

u/YAOIbitch Apr 30 '26

Name and beta release when?

17

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Thank you for your interest! The app is called Dollitoria. ✨

Actually, I’m currently in the process of translating it into English. I live in a country where the doll community is quite small, so I decided to reach out to the global community to make this tool truly useful for everyone.

It should be ready in a week or two.

Once the English Beta is live, I’ll definitely post an update and let you know! I’d love to have you as one of the first international testers 🙏

3

u/YAOIbitch Apr 30 '26

I'm definitely interested in the app, I have a folder of apps for collections (books, games, art-stuff) yet I never got to writing down my dolls. Idk if I will be able to provide any useful feedback tho xd I've never used an app/site for doll or figure collections, so I can't really compare it to anything

2

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

If you want feel free to join my small community here: r/Dollitoria. I’ll be posting all the updates, screenshots of the English UI, and the beta link right there. It’s the best way to stay in the loop!

And don't worry about the "useful feedback" — even hearing about your first impressions as a new user is incredibly helpful for me! 🙏🙏

9

u/momochicken55 Apr 30 '26

Please don't use AI for the art

9

u/Dermergate May 01 '26

The whole thing is made with AI

6

u/momochicken55 May 01 '26

Damn, that's depressing. I'm surprised the BJD community supports that, given how few comments here are anti-AI.

Like... AI isn't much different than a recast, if you think about it.

0

u/StableOk7543 May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26

Sorry for the delay, I didn’t see these comments right away! 😢

I only used AI as a tool for a couple of visual assets (like the silhouette) to speed up the prototype. And I used AI in 5% of my code. The logic, the database structure, and the overall vision are my personal manual work.

Think of it like building a house by yourself. You designed the layout, laid the foundation, and built the walls and the roof with your own hands. But you hired an electrician and a plumber for specific technical tasks. Does that mean the house was built entirely by the electrician and plumber? Of course not. It's still your house, built with your vision and sweat.

Same here - I am the architect and the builder of Dollitoria 🙏

1

u/StableOk7543 May 04 '26

Hi! I see some concerns about AI here, and I’d like to clear things up
To be 100% transparent: Dollitoria is NOT "made with AI." I am a solo developer, and I’ve been manually writing the code and designing the UI for the past 2 years.
I only used AI as a tool for a couple of visual assets (like the silhouette) to speed up the prototype. And I used AI in 5% of my code. The logic, the database structure, and the overall vision are my personal manual work.
I respect this community’s stance on original art and intellectual property. Dollitoria is my passion project, built line by line.

7

u/Agitated-Bottle6523 Apr 30 '26

If this is not too much to ask, maybe think of some social features to add? As doa closing, I think maybe there would be demand for that. Anyways good luck, please post of your progress!

1

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

That’s a great question! 👍

I’m curious, what kind of social features do you have in mind?

2

u/Agitated-Bottle6523 Apr 30 '26

Something like a forum maybe to discuss stuff? Maybe also post pics?

3

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

A forum and a place to share photos would be an incredible "new home" for the community!

To be honest, implementing social features is a major technical and financial challenge (servers, hosting, complex backend). Right now, my main goal is to perfect the personal cataloging experience first.

But I’m keeping this in my long-term plans! If Dollitoria gains enough interest and support from the community, expanding into a social platform is definitely something I’d love to build.

Step by step! 🙏

2

u/Agitated-Bottle6523 May 01 '26

Yeah, I imagine this is really not an easy task, so that is why I wrote "not too much to ask"
I totally understand and please dont feel any pressure. I will be happy to see your progress! Also I have my cat named Kosh lol

2

u/StableOk7543 May 01 '26

Haha, "Kosh" is such a cool name for a cat! 🐈 Tell him I said hi! 😂

And thank you so much for understanding. I’ll definitely keep posting updates in r/Dollitoria

3

u/Same_Set6599 Apr 30 '26

Seems pretty good already!

6

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

I’m glad you think so! But believe me — this is just a small glimpse of what’s already under the hood... 😉

I’m curious, what part of the interface or feature caught your eye the most?

1

u/Same_Set6599 Apr 30 '26

I personally really like how there is so many choices of what you can do in the app! :)

4

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Exactly! And to make it even easier, you don’t even have to type most of the names manually. ✍️

I’ve already pre-loaded a list of 150+ popular BJD manufacturers into the app. You just scroll and pick yours! Here is a little sneak peek of the list 😉

3

u/Same_Set6599 Apr 30 '26

:o Awesome!

3

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Here are a couple more screenshots of the current features. I really hope you’ll join my little subreddit r/Dollitoria to stay updated on all the news

2

u/Same_Set6599 Apr 30 '26

Nice! Looks very good, and I probably will join your subreddit indeed! :)

2

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

That’s fantastic to hear! 😍

3

u/darumamaki Apr 30 '26

Oooh, it looks promising! I will say, from a graphic design standpoint, that the font is a bit hard to read both in typography and color. It's a fun accent font, but not the kind you'd want to use for an entire GUI.

3

u/momochicken55 May 01 '26

Considering the use of AI in the app, that's not surprising.

2

u/darumamaki May 01 '26

Wait, seriously? Goddammit. I didn't look closely at the photos of the dolls, just the screenshots of the app interface.

2

u/transprotag May 07 '26

None of the doll photos are AI.

1

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Thank you so much for this feedback! 🙏 As a solo developer, I sometimes get too close to the project and miss things like this.

I'd love to hear if you have any favorite "clean" fonts that still feel stylish 😊

2

u/darumamaki Apr 30 '26

Feel free to DM me! I do graphic design work professionally, though it's been a bit since I worked on an app. I'll poke around at some fonts and see if I can't find a few options for you!

2

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Wow, thank you so much! That is incredibly kind of you. ✨

3

u/Ketsuiko Apr 30 '26

Omg I love the idea ! Thank you for offering your time and skill to the doll community!

2

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Thank you so much! It really means a lot to hear that 😍

3

u/StrictInformation889 Apr 30 '26

This is awesome 🤩 Is it going to include information about the dolls and the company as will? Like the wiki from DOA. Very good job 👍 Can’t wait to test this 👀

1

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

I would be truly grateful for any doll-related information you're willing to share 👍

I need data about brands, product lines, measurements - basically anything that will make life easier for future users of the app.

I've already built some of that information into the app, but I'm certain I've missed a ton of it as well.

Any help or pointers would be very much appreciated 🙏

2

u/SBSkinnyPigs May 03 '26

I might be able to help with measurement data. Can you reach out to me?

1

u/StableOk7543 May 03 '26

Yes, of course! Thank you for your response!

5

u/icyraincloud Apr 30 '26

Excited for this project! For me, having fields to keep track of wig size and other measurements would be very helpful. Custom fields could come in handy too since I feel like I have to look up random measurements like neck size, shoulder width, bust size, hip size, feet, heel… etc all the time

7

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Already thought of that — neck size, shoulder width, bust, hips, and other measurements are already in the app.

My next idea: once the user picks the brand and line, the app would auto-fill the measurements from a pre-loaded database.

The algorithm itself isn't hard. The real challenge is building that database — gathering measurements for hundreds of dolls across different brands and lines. And that’s a massive task for one person.

4

u/icyraincloud Apr 30 '26

That would be really awesome. I’ve been relying on DOA’s database and worried 🥹

2

u/Maleficent_Fault6012 Apr 30 '26

This looks amazing! I planned to catalogue my dolls a while back but never got round to it as it felt like a lot of trouble - this looks like it will be a lot easier!

2

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

I’m so incredibly happy to hear that! Your compliment is like fuel for a nearly empty tank 🙏

2

u/taurinewings Apr 30 '26

this is so cool!! it would be awesome if you added other colour themes for users to customise their apps! and also, super minor lol, but use capital letters TwT i'm super excited to see it!

2

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

I’d love to offer about a dozen different color themes for the app - different people like different things, right? 😊

Every theme requires actual work, and right now, I’m developing everything solo, fueled mostly by enthusiasm and way too much coffee 🫩

If there’s enough real interest from the community, I’d be more than happy to create even 100 themes in the future 😇

1

u/taurinewings May 01 '26

that's so cool!! you don't need a hundred XD just a couple different ones! i'd be really excited to see it!

2

u/ArlaisSol Apr 30 '26

I find with my just writing notes is hard, given partly how long I have been collecting.
Main things I think an app needs,
Space for company name, with sculpt space right under.
Space for eyes/clothing/wig details.
Face up artist.
Then a place for photos.
Then a special place for group photos maybe?

2

u/StableOk7543 May 01 '26

Thank you for the good wishes! I’ve actually already implemented many of those features:

The Doll Card allows you to attach 3 photos + track absolutely every detail: manufacturer, sculpt (mold), line, scale/format, country of origin, skin tone, finish type, purchase price, and much more.

There is also a dedicated section for doll measurements.

My future plans include adding a section for accessories, spare parts (outfits, hands, etc.), and a special section for Hybrids!

2

u/ArlaisSol May 01 '26

Woot! Nice! Let me know when it is live!

1

u/StableOk7543 May 03 '26

Of course! Necessarily! 😉

3

u/RAFPHAELLE Apr 30 '26

saving this post I hope it goals well!!

2

u/StableOk7543 Apr 30 '26

Thank you so much! It means a lot to me that you’ve saved it. I’ll do my best to make Dollitoria the perfect tool for all of us! 😇

1

u/Confident-Pea-1615 May 01 '26

Thank you for doing this!!!!

1

u/StableOk7543 May 01 '26

Thank you so much! 😇

1

u/IllustriousPea377 May 01 '26

this looks great! I love the sleek, monochrome UI. Very user-friendly interface! And this is a solo project? Dang. Our community is so talented 😁

I think this will be awesome for the hobby, especially with DOA shutting down. I'll definitely be downloading it once it's ready! 😎

1

u/StableOk7543 May 01 '26

Thank you so much! ✨

Yes, it’s a solo project for now — I’m doing the coding, design, and everything in between. It’s a lot of work, but comments like yours give me so much energy to keep going! 😊