Five History URLs, One Persistent Navigation Frame
Addressable collections kept their navigation frame while saved answers opened in a distinct view, with honest loading counts and original-thread follow-up
Reviewed by Dmytro Nasyrov on October 22, 2026.
We replaced temporary History switching with five addressable routes while keeping a persistent navigation frame. Those routes had to distinguish a collection entry from a saved-answer reading view and the original conversation where a follow-up belongs.
Give each collection an address
A route-group layout retained the context bar and navigation as the reader moved between History collections. Each tab had its own URL. The saved-answer read view sat outside that shared collection frame, so opening an answer was a deliberate change of surface rather than another hidden local-tab state. That arrangement made links and browser navigation meaningful. A collection could be revisited directly, and the selected tab did not depend on which component happened to remain mounted from the previous visit. The frame's lifetime was an implementation choice with visible navigation consequences.
Open at the answer the reader selected
A saved-answer entry led to the answer, including its anchor in the relevant thread. Temporarily suppressing automatic stick-to-bottom behavior mattered: otherwise a successful navigation could immediately scroll away from the selected item.
Follow-up continued the original conversation. Saving an answer did not create a new independent thread with its own historical context. We exposed that relationship instead of treating the saved collection as a separate copy of the conversation.
At that implementation stage, locating an anchored message was bounded by the loaded window of 100 messages. A deep historical link could therefore exceed what the current client had fetched. We retain that limit rather than describe every saved item as universally reachable through an unlimited thread view.
Unknown counts were not empty collections
| Read state | What the reader should see |
|---|---|
| Collection has not loaded | No invented numeric count |
| Successful empty result | An actual empty state |
| Failed read | An error with Retry |
| Saved target no longer exists | An explicit unavailable-target state |
These states can occupy a similar amount of space while communicating very different things. Displaying zero during loading would turn uncertainty into a factual count. Treating a network error as an empty collection would imply that the reader had lost their saved work.
The route map was small enough to assert directly
One exported collection kept the tab identifiers and addresses in order. The frame test compared its rendered links with those addresses rather than only searching for translated tab names. The mapping made the navigation contract inspectable:
all /history
saved /history/saved
bookmarks /history/bookmarks
flagged /history/flagged
conversations /history/conversationsOur path helper removed the locale before finding the current tab. For a non-All tab, it accepted either that exact address or a descendant beginning with the address followed by a slash. The separator matters. A prefix comparison without it could classify a similarly named but unrelated path as Saved. All remained the fallback, while the actual saved-answer page could still use a separate reading layout.
On the active link, the component test inspected aria-current="page" and verified that the tab navigation lived inside the context bar. For the conversation route, it also checked that the previous All link lost its active state. A label and an underline alone would not prove that the address, accessible selection and persistent frame agreed.
Each count had its own read boundary
The fixture supplied saved items, reports and a conversation connection through distinct query responses. That setup is useful because a History header can otherwise appear to have one authoritative total while combining collections with different loading and completeness rules. A successful response for saved items does not establish that reports have finished loading.
A route-level empty state should therefore be tested with a successful empty response for that route's own collection. To test an error, fail that response rather than replacing it with an empty list. Those two fixtures can render similarly sparse pages but make opposite claims about the reader's data. The distinction remains important after the data moves from prototype storage to a real service.
For a saved-answer journey, the expected destination includes the answer identity, not merely the collection name. The follow-up operation then uses the original conversation. Keeping these assertions separate makes a misleading navigation implementation easier to detect: one can reach a page with the correct heading while having opened the wrong object.
The phone navigation scrolled locally
On a phone, the tab row could scroll without moving the whole page sideways. It kept the active tab visible and used edge hints to expose off-screen content, with reduced-motion behavior considered separately. This was navigation geometry, not a reason to discard a collection from the phone interface.
The original merge also recorded a loading-card shift in the All view. We do not erase that open case by reporting that the page avoided horizontal overflow. Different directions of movement require different checks.
The storage era matters
The History design began while parts of reader data still used the prototype store. Later stages moved profile, bookmarks and reports to service-owned queries. This article describes the addressable frontend navigation introduced at that point, not the final storage architecture. Its merge reports desktop and phone visual checking in both themes and its automated suites. Those historical checks do not prove that every old answer remains available after later source or conversation changes.
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How long have you been in business?
Pharos Production has been in business since 2013, with over 13 years of experience in custom software development. During this time, we have delivered over 110 applications for 200+ clients across 28 industries, including FinTech, healthcare, crypto and e-commerce. We are rated 5/5 on Clutch based on 107 verified reviews (2026).
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What services do you provide?
Pharos Production provides six core service categories: AI Development (LLM applications, AI agents, machine learning and computer vision), Blockchain and Web3 (smart contracts, DeFi, tokenization on Ethereum, Solana, TON and other chains), FinTech Development (payment platforms, digital banking, KYC and AML integration), Software Development (mobile apps, web platforms, database design, UI/UX), Security and QA (code audits, penetration testing, smart contract audits, manual and automated testing) and Consulting (architecture design, MVP validation, startup consulting).
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Where is Pharos Production located?
Pharos Production is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (5348 Vegas Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89108), with an engineering office in Kyiv, Ukraine (44-B Eugene Konovalets Str. Suite 201, Kyiv 01133). We work with clients worldwide and provide remote collaboration across all time zones. Visit our contact page for directions and scheduling options.
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How big is your team?
Pharos Production has a team of 90+ engineers, including software developers, blockchain specialists, QA engineers, DevOps experts, UI/UX designers, project managers and solution architects. Our founder, Dr. Dmytro Nasyrov, holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and leads the technical direction of all projects.
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What types of customers do you serve?
We serve a wide range of clients, from startups and product companies to mid-sized enterprises and large institutions. Our clients include crypto exchanges, FinTech providers (like Pleenk), healthcare organizations, sportsbook operators (like Pro Gambling), e-commerce platforms and SaaS companies. Pharos Production has worked with 200+ clients across 28 industries since 2013, adapting engagement models to match each client's stage, whether it is MVP validation for a startup or enterprise-scale development for an established business.
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How is a custom software development company different from an agency?
A custom software development company like Pharos Production assigns one dedicated engineering team that owns your product across multiple release cycles, instead of handing it off once a contract ends. Agencies more often rotate staff between clients and optimize for fast delivery over long-term product ownership.
Pharos Production keeps the same team on your codebase through 2-week sprints, so there is no re-onboarding cost each time you request a new feature.
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How much does custom software development cost?
Custom software development costs vary based on project scope and complexity. At Pharos Production, typical project ranges are: MVP development ($10,000-$25,000), suitable for startups validating a product idea; full-fledged production ($25,000-$50,000), for established businesses scaling a proven concept; and full-cycle development ($50,000-$80,000+), for complex enterprise-grade systems. These ranges include architecture design, development, QA testing and deployment. Hourly rates range from $50 to $99 depending on role and seniority. Final pricing depends on technology stack, number of integrations and engagement model (staff augmentation, dedicated team or project outsourcing).
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How long does it take to develop a custom software application?
Development timelines depend on scope and complexity. At Pharos Production, a typical MVP takes 2-4 months, a production-ready application takes 4-8 months and a complex enterprise system can take 8-12+ months. We use an agile methodology with 2-week sprints, delivering working increments after each sprint. Every sprint includes a retrospective, progress report and planning session for the next iteration. This approach ensures transparency and allows businesses to launch faster by prioritizing high-impact features first. Get a timeline estimate for your project.
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What industries does Pharos Production serve?
Pharos Production serves 28 industries: FinTech, MiCA Compliance, Banking, Insurance, Crypto, Healthcare, Fitness, E-Commerce, Food & Restaurant, On-Demand, Manufacturing, Automotive, Energy, Oil & Gas, Supply Chain, Construction, Real Estate, Gaming, Streaming, Media, Telecom, Education, Aviation, Travel, Logistics, Marketing, Agriculture and Recommender Systems. Our deepest expertise is in FinTech, blockchain and healthcare, where we have delivered compliance-ready platforms (HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR) and high-load systems handling thousands of concurrent users. For the latest industry insights, read our guides on FinTech trends in 2026 and the Web3 technology stack.
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Why hire a software development company instead of building in-house?
Hiring a software development company offers faster time-to-market, lower upfront costs and access to specialized expertise without long-term employment commitments. According to Deloitte's 2024 Global Outsourcing Survey, 57% of companies outsource software development to access skills they cannot hire internally.
Factor In-house team Software development company Time to assemble 3-6 months (recruiting + onboarding) 1-2 weeks Upfront cost High (salaries, benefits, equipment) Lower (project-based pricing) Specialized expertise Limited to who you can hire locally Access to 90+ engineers across blockchain, AI, FinTech Scalability Slow (each new hire takes months) Fast (scale up or down per sprint) Long-term commitment Full-time employment contracts Flexible engagement models Risk High if key engineers leave Company ensures continuity and knowledge transfer For businesses that need blockchain, AI or high-load architecture expertise, outsourcing to a specialized firm like Pharos Production reduces risk and accelerates delivery.
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What projects does Pharos Production not take on?
Pharos Production focuses on mid-to-large custom software projects with budgets starting at $10,000. We do not take on template-based websites, WordPress theme customization or short-term contracts under one month. We also do not provide non-technical staffing (marketing, sales or design-only roles). Our strongest fit is blockchain, FinTech and healthcare projects where security, compliance and high-load architecture are critical. For smaller projects or MVPs under $10,000, we recommend exploring freelance platforms or no-code tools as a more cost-effective starting point.
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Why does Pharos Production use agile methodology?
We use agile with 2-week sprints because it reduces the risk of building features that miss the mark. Each sprint ends with a working demo, a retrospective and a plan for the next iteration.
This means clients see progress every 14 days and can adjust priorities based on real results, not assumptions. We chose this approach after years of experience showing that rigid, fixed-scope contracts lead to scope creep, missed deadlines and products that do not match market needs by launch day.
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When should you NOT hire a custom software development company?
Custom development is not the right choice in every situation. You should not hire a custom software company if: your problem is fully solved by an existing SaaS product (e.g. Shopify for e-commerce, Salesforce for CRM); your budget is under $10,000 and timeline is under 4 weeks; you need a simple landing page or marketing website (WordPress or Webflow is faster and cheaper); or you are still validating the idea and have not spoken to potential users yet.
In these cases, off-the-shelf tools or no-code platforms offer better ROI. Custom development makes sense when you need unique workflows, regulatory compliance, high-load architecture or competitive differentiation that packaged software cannot provide.
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What kind of projects has Pharos Production delivered?
Here are three anonymized examples from our recent delivery history:
FinTech startup - payment platform (MVP)
Scope: mobile app + backend API with bank-grade encryption. Team: 4 engineers, 1 QA. Timeline: 10 weeks. Budget: $38,000. Result: launched on schedule, processed $2M+ in transactions within the first quarter.Healthcare provider - patient portal (Full product)
Scope: HIPAA-aligned web platform with EHR integration, appointment scheduling and telemedicine. Team: 6 engineers, 1 DevOps, 2 QA. Timeline: 6 months. Budget: $120,000. Result: 15,000+ active patients, zero compliance violations in two annual audits.Crypto exchange - trading engine (Complex)
Scope: high-load matching engine handling 50,000+ orders per second, multi-chain wallet infrastructure on Ethereum and Solana. Team: 8 engineers, 2 QA, 1 security auditor. Timeline: 11 months. Budget: $340,000. Result: 99.97% uptime, passed three independent security audits.See more projects: NoMoreBets, Pulse, Sagas, Gambit Stream and Pleenk. For the full portfolio, visit our case studies. Learn more about the technology behind these projects in our guide to stablecoins and crypto infrastructure.
Stas Rysin is the Lead Frontend Developer at Pharos Production. His work covers the design system, reader interfaces and administration workflows of a professional learning platform for aesthetic medicine.
