A decade ago, mobile apps were the big thing. Android was version 2.3 and absolutely everyone had an app idea.
Remember the mobile app called "Yo"? You could send push notifications saying 'Yo' to people, and they could simply send you back a notification saying 'Yo'.
It was incredibly simple and put some light on creating new fun ways to communicate. This app gained some momentum, the guy even got seed funding... It was reported that the creator immediately considered putting ads from companies like Dominos pizza so that these companies could eventually send you a Yo...
The interface was dead simple - Snapchat like... It was just about saying Yo. I'm not sure what happened to it.
A decade later, I built the same mobile app, but with a very different belief in mind.
I had left my home country and migrated to Vancouver in Canada by myself. The first few years were all about calling, chatting and sending pictures to my childhood friends and family. I was aware I had to actively stay in touch with them and try to be present in their lives.
Using apps like Instagram and WhatsApp was fine, but didn't really make me feel closer to them.
This realization led me to build HeyyThere, my take on the idea of sending people notifications. But I observed how my personality shaped the product very differently.
The whole UI was built around feeling close, and gathering people in circles around you, keeping them a touch away, and instead of sending a 'Yo', the notification said "I'm thinking of you right now".
I also decided to limit to 13 the number of contacts you can add, to really focus on the special people in your life.
I realize all these are very personal choices, and highlight how similar ideas may have different executions.
In comparison, and if it launched today, I think the Yo app could feel very Tech Bro-ish, and surely find it's niche of such users, at the risk of HeyyThere seeming too emotional or gooey.
Do you think an angle is better than another? Should sending notifications be opinionated?
I'll leave it up to you to make your own opinion of HeyyThere.
1 comment
[ 0.20 ms ] story [ 14.4 ms ] threadRemember the mobile app called "Yo"? You could send push notifications saying 'Yo' to people, and they could simply send you back a notification saying 'Yo'. It was incredibly simple and put some light on creating new fun ways to communicate. This app gained some momentum, the guy even got seed funding... It was reported that the creator immediately considered putting ads from companies like Dominos pizza so that these companies could eventually send you a Yo... The interface was dead simple - Snapchat like... It was just about saying Yo. I'm not sure what happened to it.
A decade later, I built the same mobile app, but with a very different belief in mind. I had left my home country and migrated to Vancouver in Canada by myself. The first few years were all about calling, chatting and sending pictures to my childhood friends and family. I was aware I had to actively stay in touch with them and try to be present in their lives. Using apps like Instagram and WhatsApp was fine, but didn't really make me feel closer to them.
This realization led me to build HeyyThere, my take on the idea of sending people notifications. But I observed how my personality shaped the product very differently. The whole UI was built around feeling close, and gathering people in circles around you, keeping them a touch away, and instead of sending a 'Yo', the notification said "I'm thinking of you right now".
I also decided to limit to 13 the number of contacts you can add, to really focus on the special people in your life.
I realize all these are very personal choices, and highlight how similar ideas may have different executions. In comparison, and if it launched today, I think the Yo app could feel very Tech Bro-ish, and surely find it's niche of such users, at the risk of HeyyThere seeming too emotional or gooey.
Do you think an angle is better than another? Should sending notifications be opinionated? I'll leave it up to you to make your own opinion of HeyyThere.