Bluesky — Discover feed

Media & SocialSee it livebsky.app

A three-column feed that strips engagement down to four muted icons and swaps the noisy trending list for a plain numbered ranking with zero counts attached.

Bluesky — Discover feed — captured interface — Page excerpt · scroll inside to explore

Source capture · 2026-08-01Open full image ↗

Content & media

Why this pattern works

The trending widget: a bordered card holding a bare numbered list (1-5) of topic strings with no volume, no post count, no sparkline — restraint as the feature. Also the flat single-row post action bar (comment, repost, like, bookmark, share) where every icon is the same grey weight and none dominates, which generalizes to any comment/reaction feed.

Design notes

Surface: Discover feed, logged out, root of bsky.app
Navigation: Three columns, no tiers within them. Left column has no nav links at all, just identity and an auth prompt. Center column's entire navigation is a two-tab strip (Discover / Feeds) — one tab is the algorithmic feed, the other opens custom feeds. Right column is a self-contained search-plus-trending widget with no connection to the center.
Layout: Three fixed-width columns on a white canvas, each scrolling independently. No sidebar collapse, no responsive stacking visible at this width.
Density: Comfortable. Avatars ~40px, post text ~15px with real line-height, generous vertical space between posts, full-bleed images inside posts. Built for reading, not scanning volume.
Color: White canvas, black text, one blue reserved for links, the verified checkmark, the active tab underline and the primary 'Create account' button. Every icon in the post action row stays flat grey.
Type: One sans. Display name is bold ~15px; handle and timestamp sit regular grey ~14px on the same line. Post body matches the display name's size but at regular weight. The trending list numbers carry the same weight as the topic text — rank is implied by list order alone, never styled as a badge.
Pattern: The trending card: a bordered white rounded panel with an icon-plus-heading row, then a plain numbered list of bare topic strings — no volume, no post count, no colour coding. A ranking with all the noise removed.
States: Logged out: the left column is entirely replaced by a 'Join the conversation' pitch (headline, Create account, Sign in) — there's no compose box above the feed. The feed itself still renders in full; Bluesky sells the account, it doesn't gate the content.
Don't: Don't add follower counts or engagement numbers to the trending list — the moment you do, it becomes a leaderboard instead of a feed of what's happening, which is the entire point of leaving it bare.

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Prompt text

# My project
[Describe the product, audience, and screen you want to improve]

Stack: Use the existing project stack
Task: Implement the interface and verify the result in the existing project.

## Tool guidance (Any AI tool)
Use available project tools to inspect, implement, and test. State any unavailable capabilities.

# Design reference: Bluesky — Discover feed
Source: https://bsky.app/
Swipefile reference: https://swipefile.design/ref/bluesky-feed/
Captured: 2026-08-01. This is a dated reference, not a claim about the current live product.
Capture scope: a page excerpt. Do not infer unseen sections or interactions.

## Objective
Adapt the interaction and layout patterns below to my project. Use my own content and identity. Do not reproduce logos, proprietary copy, or brand assets.

## Reference notes
- surface: Discover feed, logged out, root of bsky.app
- nav: Three columns, no tiers within them. Left column has no nav links at all, just identity and an auth prompt. Center column's entire navigation is a two-tab strip (Discover / Feeds) — one tab is the algorithmic feed, the other opens custom feeds. Right column is a self-contained search-plus-trending widget with no connection to the center.
- layout: Three fixed-width columns on a white canvas, each scrolling independently. No sidebar collapse, no responsive stacking visible at this width.
- density: Comfortable. Avatars ~40px, post text ~15px with real line-height, generous vertical space between posts, full-bleed images inside posts. Built for reading, not scanning volume.
- color: White canvas, black text, one blue reserved for links, the verified checkmark, the active tab underline and the primary 'Create account' button. Every icon in the post action row stays flat grey.
- typography: One sans. Display name is bold ~15px; handle and timestamp sit regular grey ~14px on the same line. Post body matches the display name's size but at regular weight. The trending list numbers carry the same weight as the topic text — rank is implied by list order alone, never styled as a badge.
- pattern: The trending card: a bordered white rounded panel with an icon-plus-heading row, then a plain numbered list of bare topic strings — no volume, no post count, no colour coding. A ranking with all the noise removed.
- states: Logged out: the left column is entirely replaced by a 'Join the conversation' pitch (headline, Create account, Sign in) — there's no compose box above the feed. The feed itself still renders in full; Bluesky sells the account, it doesn't gate the content.
- dont: Don't add follower counts or engagement numbers to the trending list — the moment you do, it becomes a leaderboard instead of a feed of what's happening, which is the entire point of leaving it bare.

Useful for: The trending widget: a bordered card holding a bare numbered list (1-5) of topic strings with no volume, no post count, no sparkline — restraint as the feature. Also the flat single-row post action bar (comment, repost, like, bookmark, share) where every icon is the same grey weight and none dominates, which generalizes to any comment/reaction feed.

## Acceptance criteria
- Existing project conventions, design tokens, working functionality, and unrelated changes are preserved.
- Two or three reference principles clearly support the user's task; conflicts are resolved in favor of usability and the existing product.
- Reusable components and semantic HTML express the interface. Available licensed assets are used; important UI text is never rendered as a bitmap.
- Every visible control has a defined behavior. Loading, empty, error, success, disabled, and long-content states are specified where relevant. Demo data is clearly labeled.
- Navigation and content adapt at 375px, 768px, and 1440px without horizontal page overflow. Keyboard use, visible focus, labeled inputs, at least 44px touch targets, readable contrast, and reduced motion are supported.
- Verification distinguishes rendered behavior from proposals and identifies anything still requiring a backend or external service.

## Quality bar
Clear hierarchy, consistent spacing, restrained surfaces, and purposeful motion. Avoid decorative gradients, excessive cards, placeholder buttons, and invented metrics unless the project calls for them. Do not claim a feature is connected or tested without evidence.

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## Objective
Adapt the interaction and layout patterns below to my project. Use my own content and identity. Do not reproduce logos, proprietary copy, or brand assets.

Bluesky — Discover feed

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