Origin Story

Our initial assumption when launching the product was that people would want to talk on the phone all day, every day. However, we quickly realized this was not the case. Hopping on a phone call is a fun endeavor, but it's fairly exhausting if attempted multiple times a week. We were primarily relying on the dopamine derived from a live conversation as the main reward system, but what happens when users no longer want to chat on the phone? People started resorting to asynchronous communication, which, for the most part, was texting. And for those users who aren't fans of texting, the motivation to use the product quickly waned if they received no reward from posting an activity item.

We also noticed that people began using the product less as a utility and more as a tool for self-expression. They were using the custom activity options as a way to express their feelings in the moment. The content they posted revolved around their personality, whether silly, serious, adventurous, etc. We quickly realized that we needed to address both of these issues. How can we provide users with a low-effort way of acknowledging their friends' activity items while still allowing them to express their personality?

Feature

This is how reactions and images were born. You can now add custom images to your activity items to paint a more detailed story of what you're doing in the moment. Walking your dog on a beautiful Sunday? Don't just tell people, show them, too. Reactions were another heavily requested feature that we finally decided to introduce. Now, if you see that your friend is free to chat and you don't really have time for a call, you can react to their activity and let them know you're thinking about them. The "Miss You" button serves a similar purpose but with deeper intent. Haven't talked to someone in a while but now is not the best time? Send them a "Miss You" to let them know you want to catch up soon.