App for fun with friends
FCDC is a mobile application that allows you to see where your friends are planning to go and where they are right now.
Team
Andrew Zolotov
Polina Kukushkina
Andrey Dyatkov
koti.co
7glyphs
Role
Product owner, UX/UI Researcher and Designer
I formulated the project’s goal and identified the target audience, conducted customer development and SWOT analysis, compiled a list of features and prioritized it, determined the product success metrics, built an economic model and defined the breakeven criteria. I designed high-level and detailed prototypes, and developed a design system for the product.
Tools
Figma
Miro
Asana
Notion
Slack
Project Background
Problem
People often get bored
Planning your leisure time and wanting it to be interesting, varied, and useful can be time-consuming when it comes to choosing an event or activity. If you’re looking to do something spontaneously, selecting a suitable activity becomes even more challenging.
Solution
Meet up with friends more often
A mobile application that provides a list of events in the fields of entertainment, education, and culture. It allows you to see where your friends are planning to go and their current location.
Research
Competitors Overview
Based on competitor analysis, it is evident that there is currently no solution in the entertainment sector that fulfills all the needs of users.
Economic Model
The economic model indicates that, based on the current budget for customer acquisition, the project is projected to reach the break-even point in 13 months and achieve full pay off in 27 months. However, it is important to note that these are calculated estimates, and it is crucial to monitor all key metrics and reassess the economic model after the launch.
SWOT analysis
The SWOT analysis revealed that addressing threats and weaknesses can be achieved through funding. Additionally, patenting the event check-in mechanism will give us a distinct advantage, offering users fundamentally new opportunities.
Customer Development
Customer Development helped us gain insights into the underlying needs of event attendees. We learned about their event selection process, the factors they consider important when choosing an event, the companies they typically attend events with, the significance of attending with friends, and who usually takes the initiative. By obtaining answers to these questions, we were able to compile a Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) for the application and, using it as a foundation, develop a list of features for the initial version of the application.
Ideation
The application is like a Swiss Army knife, allowing you to do everything at once
Design and testing
User flow
Development of Visual Style
Logo
The application’s logo, pattern, and icon were designed by Polina Kukushkina
Colors
Pure Black
#000000
Pure White
#FFFFFF
Major Mint
#74FAC9
Dark Grey
#303030
Casual Grey
#646465
Light Grey
#B8B7B7
Typography
Designing individual screens
Event List
The event list is the main screen where users can fulfill their key need of choosing where and how to spend their time. That’s why the list includes a variety of settings and groupings, allowing it to be configured to suit the individual needs of each user.
Grouping: Where everyone is / Where friends are / Where I am
The main concept of the app is that spending time with friends is more enjoyable. Therefore, by default, the event list opens in the “Where friends are” format. In this list, the focus is on friends, displaying the avatars of all friends who are currently at events or planning to attend. Since not all users may have many friends, especially in the beginning, there is also a “Where everyone is” list that shows the popularity of city events. Additionally, there is a “Where I am” list, allowing users to see events that have piqued their interest.
Sorting events by date / by popularity
Customer development has shown that there are two scenarios for choosing an event: short-term planning — when a user wants to see what to attend on the upcoming weekend, and long-term planning — when a user wants to see what interesting events are happening in the city in the coming month. For the first scenario, sorting by date is suitable; for the second scenario, sorting by popularity is more appropriate.
Event Type Selection
Research has shown that users have varying interests in different types of events. Some prefer parties, others enjoy educational programs, and some are fans of cultural events. To accommodate these preferences, we have added a toggle for selecting the event type. This toggle allows users to display all events at once or filter them based on their preferred event type.
Map of Events
Research has shown that attending an event can sometimes be a spontaneous decision. Users may want to go somewhere immediately and it is important for them to see what interesting events are happening nearby. This is where the map becomes useful. Similar to the list, events on the map are grouped based on the location of everyone, their friends, and themselves.
Check-In
The check-in mechanism is crucial to the app. After checking in, all of the user’s friends can see that they have arrived at the event and have the option to join them.
Check-In from the Event Screen
The app detects when the user has arrived at the event and provides the option to check in on the screen displaying the event information.
Check-In from the Map
If the user is in a location where multiple events are happening simultaneously, they can manually scan their surroundings and select the events they want to check into.
Notifications
The notification system aims to encourage users to attend events by providing them with relevant information. It notifies the user if their friends have arrived at the same event or are planning to attend. Additionally, it alerts the user when a lineup or venue has been announced for an event that may be of interest to them.
Result and Success
At its current stage of development, the FCDC app has already achieved notable milestones. We have created a unique check-in system that distinguishes us from other entertainment apps. This system provides users with information about the events their friends are attending, enhancing the social aspect of event participation and encouraging engagement.
The enthusiasm of potential users confirms that our product has a promising future. Feedback from initial users who interacted with the application prototype has been positive, validating our chosen direction. A low-cost promotional campaign has demonstrated high conversion rates, indicating significant interest in the upcoming launch and minimal customer acquisition expenses.
The application’s design is created to reflect the dynamic and joyful nature of social events and meetings. Its aim is to motivate users to actively participate in events by providing timely updates and information about the presence of friends at the same events. The check-in system implementation is designed to provide additional value for users, allowing them to stay connected with friends and stay updated on events in their social circle.
We are continuously refining every detail of the application, paying attention to both the overall user journey map and individual elements of interactivity and design. While the final metrics and economic outcomes will only be known after the launch, we are filled with optimism based on the data obtained at this stage. We eagerly look forward to offering our product to a wide audience and seeing its impact on social activity and entertainment life.