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brand Product Hunt
tagline The best new products in tech
category Social & Communication
website https://producthunt.com

Information Architecture — Product Hunt

Overview

Product Hunt is a daily curation platform for discovering and launching new tech products, apps, tools, and services. The IA revolves around a daily leaderboard — products launched each day compete for upvotes, with a community of makers, investors, and early adopters providing feedback. The platform also hosts Collections, Discussions, and launch tools for founders to build pre-launch audiences.

Site Map

Product Hunt
├── Home (Today's Launches)
│   ├── Daily Leaderboard
│   ├── Top Products (ranked by upvotes)
│   ├── Time-based filters (Today, Yesterday, This Week, This Month)
│   └── Featured / Staff Picks
├── Product Page
│   ├── Gallery (screenshots, video)
│   ├── Description & tagline
│   ├── Maker info
│   ├── Upvote button & count
│   ├── Comments / Discussion
│   ├── Related Products
│   ├── Alternatives
│   └── Reviews
├── Topics
│   ├── AI
│   ├── Developer Tools
│   ├── Design
│   ├── Productivity
│   ├── Marketing
│   └── [50+ topics]
├── Collections
│   ├── Staff Collections
│   ├── Community Collections
│   └── [Collection] → Products list
├── Launches
│   ├── Ship (pre-launch pages)
│   ├── Coming Soon
│   └── Launch Checklist
├── Discussions
│   ├── Ask PH
│   ├── Introductions
│   └── General
├── Leaderboard
│   ├── Daily / Weekly / Monthly
│   ├── Golden Kitty Awards (annual)
│   └── Hall of Fame
├── Profile
│   ├── Products Made
│   ├── Products Hunted
│   ├── Upvotes
│   ├── Collections
│   ├── Activity
│   └── Streak (daily visit)
├── Newsletter
├── Changelog (Product Hunt's own updates)
└── Advertise

Navigation Model

  • Type: Top nav bar (desktop), bottom tab bar (mobile)
  • Desktop Top Bar: Logo (home), Products, Launches, Discussions, Collections, Advertise | Search, Notifications, Profile
  • Mobile Bottom Tabs: Home, Topics, Launch, Notifications, Profile
  • Daily Navigation: Date picker or "Yesterday" / "This Week" / "This Month" tabs on home
  • Product Detail: Modal overlay on desktop; full-screen on mobile
  • Topic Chips: Horizontal scrollable topic filters on home and search

Content Model

Entity Key Attributes Relationships
Product name, tagline, description, URL, gallery (images/video), upvote count, comment count, maker(s), topic tags, launch date, featured badge → Maker(s), → Topic(s), → Comments, → Collections
Comment text, author, timestamp, upvotes, replies, maker badge → Product, → User
Collection name, description, curator, products list, follower count → Products, → Curator
Discussion title, body, author, category (Ask PH, etc.), comments, upvotes → Comments
Topic name, slug, product count, description → Products
Ship Page (Coming Soon) name, description, email signup count, maker, launch date → Product (when launched)
User Profile name, headline, avatar, Twitter/website, maker history, upvote history, streak → Products, → Collections
Review rating, text, author, helpful votes → Product

User Flows

Discovering Products

Visit home → See today's product launches ranked by upvotes → Browse by topic chips (AI, Developer Tools, etc.) or time period → Click product → View gallery, description, maker comments → Upvote with one click → Leave a comment or question for the maker → Click "Get it" → Redirect to product website

Launching a Product

Creator sets up Ship page (pre-launch) → Collects email signups → On launch day: Submit product with tagline, description, screenshots, video → Product appears on daily leaderboard at midnight PT → Maker responds to comments throughout the day → Engages community → End of day → Final ranking determined; top products get featured badge

Curating Collections

Click "Collections" → "New Collection" → Add title and description → Search and add products → Publish → Collection appears on profile and in Collections directory → Community can follow the collection for updates

URL / Route Structure

producthunt.com/                            # Today's launches
producthunt.com/products/{slug}             # Product page
producthunt.com/posts/{slug}                # Launch post (legacy)
producthunt.com/topics/{topic}              # Topic page
producthunt.com/collections/{slug}          # Collection page
producthunt.com/@{username}                 # User profile
producthunt.com/discussions                 # Discussion forum
producthunt.com/discussions/{id}            # Discussion thread
producthunt.com/leaderboard/daily/{date}    # Daily leaderboard
producthunt.com/leaderboard/monthly/{year}/{month}  # Monthly leaderboard
producthunt.com/ship                        # Pre-launch / Ship pages
producthunt.com/newsletter                  # Newsletter signup
producthunt.com/golden-kitty-awards         # Annual awards
producthunt.com/advertise                   # Advertising info
api.producthunt.com/v2/                     # GraphQL API
producthunt.com/posts/{slug}                   # Product page
producthunt.com/topics/{topic}                 # Topic page
producthunt.com/categories/{category}          # Category page
producthunt.com/collections/{slug}             # Collection
producthunt.com/@{username}                    # User profile
producthunt.com/@{username}/made               # Products maker made
producthunt.com/ship                           # Ship (pre-launch pages)
producthunt.com/discussions                    # Discussions forum
producthunt.com/stories                        # Stories / articles
producthunt.com/newsletters                    # Newsletter signup
producthunt.com/teams                          # Teams feature
producthunt.com/advertise                      # Advertising options
producthunt.com/api                            # API documentation

Search & Filter

  • Global Search: Products, collections, makers, discussions, topics
  • Topic Filters: Filter home feed by product category
  • Time Filters: Today, Yesterday, This Week, This Month, Custom Date
  • Leaderboard: Daily #1-5 products, weekly top, monthly top, yearly Golden Kitty
  • Sort Options: Popular (upvotes), Newest, Most Discussed
  • Alternative Products: "Alternatives to {product}" sections on product pages
  • Newsletter Curation: Daily/weekly email digest of top-ranked products

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoint Behavior
Mobile (< 768px) Single-column product list; bottom tab bar; product detail full-screen; simplified gallery
Tablet (768–1024px) Wider product cards; two-column collections; product detail as sheet
Desktop (> 1024px) Product list with preview on hover; product detail as modal overlay; right sidebar for trending/ads
Email (Newsletter) Responsive email template; top 5 products with thumbnails and upvote counts

Access Control

Role Capabilities
Anonymous Visitor Browse products, view comments, search; prompted to sign up for upvoting
Registered User Upvote, comment, create collections, follow topics/makers, submit products, daily streak
Maker (verified) Launch products, respond with "Maker" badge on comments, access launch analytics, create Ship pages
Hunter Submit/hunt other people's products to the leaderboard (with attribution)
Moderator / Staff Feature products, manage content, curate staff collections, moderate discussions
Advertiser Promote products as sponsored listings on the leaderboard
API User Query products, posts, collections via GraphQL API with OAuth token

Launch Mechanics

Phase Timing Actions
Pre-launch Weeks before Build Ship page, collect followers, prepare assets
Launch day 12:01 AM PT Product goes live; 24-hour voting window begins
Voting period 24 hours Community upvotes, comments, and asks questions
Ranking End of day Products ranked by upvotes; top products earn badges
Post-launch Days after Continued visibility in archives, topic pages

Badge System

Badge Criteria
#1 Product of the Day Most upvotes on launch day
Top 5 Product of the Day Top 5 on launch day
#1 Product of the Week Highest-ranked daily winner in a week
#1 Product of the Month Highest-ranked weekly winner in a month
Golden Kitty Award Annual award voted by community

Content Types

Type Description
Product Main entity; includes tagline, description, gallery, links, makers
Discussion Forum-style thread; Q&A, feedback, announcements
Story Long-form article from makers or community members
Collection Curated list of products around a theme
Ship page Pre-launch teaser with email signup
Newsletter Daily/weekly digest of top products

Maker Tools

  • Launch scheduler: Pick a date for your launch
  • Media kit: Upload screenshots, video, logo, and description
  • Maker's comment: First comment from the maker explaining the product
  • Metrics: Track upvotes, comments, traffic from Product Hunt
  • AMA (Ask Me Anything): Interactive Q&A format in comments
  • Ship landing page: Free pre-launch page to collect interested users

API & Integrations

  • GraphQL API: Full access to products, collections, topics, users
  • Webhooks: Notifications for new launches, votes, comments
  • Embeds: Embed Product Hunt cards on external websites
  • OAuth 2.0: User authentication for third-party apps
  • Post to PH: Submit products programmatically (with approval)
  • Rate limits: 450 requests per 15 minutes

Growth & Engagement

  • Daily email: Morning digest of top launches
  • Weekly newsletter: Curated weekly roundup
  • Mobile app: Browse, upvote, and discuss on the go
  • Browser extension: See Product Hunt data on any website
  • Community discussions: Ask the community for feedback and recommendations