Mobile Design Concept w/ Weave
Weave is like Tinder for networking.
After playing with the app for a few days I thought about how it could be improved. Working on a startup myself, I understand what it’s like having limited resources. I wanted to focus on the core experiences that could improve the chances of the product’s success rather than just aesthetic/ui improvements.
The current app is functional and satisfies “jobs to be done.” I did a refresh below to focus on the content and increase the rate at which users get through the people cards.
The darker UI de-emphasizes pieces of data like nearby/last by moving it out of the main card. This allows the main information card, where the users eye is drawn, to answer the question of “Is this someone I would like to meet?” With that key question in mind, I rearranged the hieracrchy of the profile. Most people read left to right so I moved the avatar to the far right, since looks don’t play a huge role when answering that question in this context. Their current job/function were also emphasized. Given the startup world we live in, I felt education was the least important, but could serve for a good ice breaker or way to connect with a fellow alum. I also went with clear action buttons that really stood out to the user on the dark background. Overall the app is simple to grasp, but the main value of it is connecting you with like minded people, or a person of interest.
Onboarding & Retention
How could we improve the apps ability to get you to that “AHA moment” of why it needs to be in your life? I don’t think it needs to be used every day, but when the user does engage with it, they should get through a lot of people fairly quickly with the inherent simple gestures. This improves the chances of other users doing the same and getting a match. This is where I think there is more opportunity during the onboarding of the app.
If there was a screen that understood what type of person the user was looking for, you’d have a good external trigger to bring users back into the app beyond relying on their memory. You can do this two ways. As users input their interests you will know where they overlap.
This will also give you the ability to reactivate users with push notifications like “20 social media managers started using Weave near you”.
If that was a person of interest, you are highly likely to reopen the app and try to engage. Even older users could be reactivated this way, once the network has built more of a critical mass.
There could also be some benefit to only having users add their skill sets, then building up an interest profile as users swipe left and right on different people they want to meet. This seems like a more technical option which should be deferred to later in the product’s life.
Proximity and range are dependent on how strong the interest is. The more interested you are in meeting a specific person the less being nearby matters, particularly in cities. So at this stage I would de-emphasize proximity (expand it a few miles) due to the low network size.
Understanding the userbase’s interests will also be a good proxy for what types of events and professionals to try to get onboard so marketing efforts are focused as a small team. You will know the most in demand industries and find creative ways to get more of those people onboard.
I think the key thing with retention is helping people meet someone of interest a couple times a month. So focusing on the onboarding phase and getting the right users to overlap could be a great strategy to start.
If you’d like to give Weave a shot here’s their website.