Overview
Hoopler all started with one question: “Where is everyone going tonight?” Group messages proved ineffective as plans shifted throughout the night, leading us to venues that were either deserted or overcrowded. Determined to find a solution, my business partner and I embarked on a mission to create an app that would revolutionize the social scene.
Through meticulous planning and investment, we launched Hoopler, and not too long after shifted our focus to Hoopler 2.0 to improve the user experience. As the co-founder of Hoopler, my role naturally evolved to encompass multiple responsibilities, in particular, leading the UX/UI overhaul for Hoopler 2.0. Over the course of the revamp I conducted research to find new features for users, implemented a new tracking system, updated the UI, and worked closely with a third party development team.
Problem
Our initial MVP was a great proof of concept, but we knew that our true vision was not yet realized. Insufficient location check-ins proved to be a critical obstacle. Relying on manual logins to gauge venue attendance led to unreliable data, significantly undermining the app's functionality. Moreover, our app lacked the “social” elements necessary to foster sustained user engagement.
With minimal features and few incentives, user retention was below expectations. I recognized the need for a comprehensive overhaul, both to enhance user experience and provide value to our partner venues. Hoopler was ripe for revitalization.
Objectives
Update UI with new branding
Overhaul user onboarding, friends list, and user feed
Introduce a “groups” feature
Update and implement a new bluetooth tracking system
Improve security and privacy features
Empathize Through Research
While we had initial research done for the MVP of Hoopler, more was needed to be conducted to encompass the following new features:
Research opportunity #1 - “Online Reviews”
Review platforms allow most users to make an initial evaluation on the desirability of a social location. However, these platforms often present a myriad of challenges, including outdated or irrelevant information, paid reviews, presence of bots, and a failure to reflect current activity accurately.
Research solution: Competitive Analysis
While review sites offer a partial perspective of a location, social media platforms provide real-time insights into where people are congregating, sometimes instantly. By integrating real-time data from both app users and non-users, we can create a more comprehensive and accurate status of a venue.
Research opportunity #2 - “User Retention”
The first iteration of Hoopler was used primarily as a proof of concept and many of the users found it to be more of a novelty rather than an exciting new tool. In its MVP form, all features relied heavily on user-initiated actions, limiting its appeal. The lack of user connectivity rendered it nearly obsolete for those without an extensive friend network. This high barrier to entry resulted in a significant drop-off of new users, undermining the app's potential for growth and sustainability.
Research solution: Surveys and interviews
Most people take recommendations from friends over traditional advertising/review sites. Highlighting where users’ friends are going provides a greater incentive to visit those venues. Every user has different preferences, so real-time data will better inform them if they are going to a low-key venue or the HotSpot of the area. Expanding on our friend and group system within the app enhances community engagement and transforms Hoopler into a social hub users return to regularly.
Research opportunity #3 - “Live Information”
Manual 'check-ins' posed a significant challenge for most users, with many simply forgetting to perform the action on the app. Even with widespread usage, relying solely on check-ins does not accurately represent the entire patron population. Additionally, incomplete traffic data fails to incentivize venues to use our services.
Research solution: Hardware integration
A new hardware addition, called the “Hoot”, would tally up the total number of bluetooth signals and display the results on the app for both the users and the venue owners. This addressed the need for statistics about the venue’s patronage, including both users and non-users. Users also no longer need to manually sign in to a venue and can still see where their friends and groups are in real time.
Takeaways
Key takeaways from our research led us to the following actionable steps:
Execute a comprehensive branding and UI overhaul
Updating and aligning our visual identity with established social media standards would increase both our credibility and user base
Enhance the 'social' aspect by implementing a more dynamic Friend and Group system
This would be accompanied by new security features for the users
Introduce automation to streamline the check-in process leveraging physical hardware for accurate patron foot traffic data
This key feature would start making our business profitable by adding substantial value for venue owners
By addressing these crucial points, we would elevate Hoopler's user experience, bolster engagement, and position the app as a leading player in the social scene.
Design System Updates
Between our 1.0 and 2.0 versions of our app, we underwent a business name change from “HotSpot” to “Hoopler”. With this new identity, I began the process of updating our UI material to better reflect our new vision.
The redesigned logo serves as a cornerstone in our design system, achieving 3 pivotal objectives:
Instantly communicate the app's core functionality of providing visibility into users' whereabouts by using the owl imagery
Foster inclusivity through a vibrant rainbow color scheme, departing from the singular red hue of our previous version.
Establish coherence across our branding materials, ensuring consistency, and reinforcing our brand identity.
After refining our logo and color palette, we seamlessly integrated the new style into our app screens. Departing from the dark and mysterious ambience of our original app, we embraced a fresh vision aimed at competing effectively with established social media platforms. Transitioning to a softer color palette and adopting a more playful font not only enhanced the app's approachability but also strengthened its visual identity. These updates were instrumental to making Hoopler more inviting and instantly recognizable, setting us apart in a crowded digital landscape.
Hardware Integration
In addition to enhancing the UI, I undertook the challenge of refining the UX for our app. Our research identified the need for an automatic check-in process, prompting the integration of a hardware component. Every phone emits a unique Bluetooth signal. It’s possible to recognize each signal without the need for an established connection and collect very rudimentary data. Our development team leveraged this process and created a device to collect this data. Drawing inspiration from our Hoopler owl motif, I coined the name 'Hoopler Hoot' for this innovative device.
Our app underwent significant updates to seamlessly integrate this new automatic check-in product. With the implementation of the Hoopler Hoot, Bluetooth signals from all devices were now being aggregated from every phone, not just Hoopler users, providing users with an accurate representation of a location's current population.
But the integration didn't stop there. User Bluetooth signals were now linked to their Hoopler profile, enabling automatic check-ins at venues with the Hoot. This enhancement also allowed users to effortlessly view their Hoopler friends' locations. Eliminating the need for manual check-ins transformed the app into a more robust platform for social connectivity. This groundbreaking advancement propelled our app to new heights in user experience, setting a new standard for social networking platforms.
New Features
The implementation of the new UI and automatic check-in system unlocked the potential to introduce more sophisticated friend, feed, and group features. While the main goal of the map screen was initially to view venue stats and check in manually, the introduction of the automatic check-in system shifted user priorities towards seeing their friends' locations. Our research findings underscored the significance of connecting with friends over simply viewing venue populations. This fundamental shift in user behavior redefined the purpose of the app. It evolved from a tool for planning your night out to a platform for fostering connections and building meaningful relationships.
To foster meaningful connections, we introduced a robust groups feature to enhance social engagement. These curated groups allowed friends to stay connected through notifications of new check-ins and a shared feed of past experiences. The feature prioritizes user privacy by enabling selective location sharing with specific groups or toggling sharing off completely. This flexibility and customization give users greater control over their interactions, creating a more personalized and enjoyable experience.
Features / Highlights
Usability Testing
I led preliminary user testing for Hoopler 2.0, conducting usability tests with 3 participants and interviews with 3 venue owners. The tests evaluated the new friend and group system's effectiveness, while discussions with venue owners addressed the viability of the Hoot device and privacy concerns. These insights informed further iterations, ensuring Hoopler 2.0 met both user needs and venue requirements.
This is what I asked the users to test for:
Can you find the most popular venue in your area?
Can you find your friends and see what location they are at?
Can you set up a group and manage the members for a night out this weekend?
Successes:
The redesigned map layout provided a clearer view of area density, reducing clutter and enhancing user experience.
Finding the HotSpot became effortless, while participants relied on friends' locations for decision-making, emphasizing social connectivity.
New privacy features were well-received, reinforcing trust.
Navigation was intuitive and seamless, and the new UI design received overwhelmingly positive feedback for its modern aesthetic and enhanced visual appeal.
Common Issues:
Users requested additional features for the groups feature, including event organization.
The messaging system needed enhancements for improved robustness.
Concerns were raised about the automatic check-in process, with users wanting the option to disable it.
There were also requests for the ability to save favorite places and create venue 'routes' for activities like bar crawls, with enhanced customization and planning options.
Outcomes
The launch of the 2.0 app marked a significant milestone, driving impressive results in both user engagement and venue adoption. The comprehensive update, including a refreshed UI, enhanced social features, and automated check-ins, elevated our app from a niche tool to a dynamic social platform.
Our user testing yielded valuable insights and identified key areas for further enhancement in our upcoming 3.0 update:
Enhance the messaging feature to offer a compelling alternative to traditional messaging options, thereby keeping users engaged within the app ecosystem
Expand the groups feature to incorporate event planning and favorite spot organization, fostering deeper community engagement
Provide users with more control and flexibility over their check-in options and personal data access, ensuring a personalized and secure experience
Integrate a dedicated section under venue information for specials, flash sales, and events
Continuously optimize server-side infrastructure to enhance app performance
Reflections
Being hands-on for the complete process was incredibly rewarding. From a simple idea to a captivating product, witnessing the evolution into its final form was personally fulfilling, compounded by the significant uptick in user retention and installations.
Unfortunately, drastic changes in Apple's Bluetooth security updates dealt a blow to our Hoot product, rendering our automatic check-in process nearly impossible to implement. This setback to our primary revenue stream forced us to make difficult decisions, ultimately leading to the removal of the app from the store.
Despite this unexpected turn of events, I remain deeply proud of the app's transformative impact and its testament to usability and cutting-edge design.
