Inkē
Summary
Instant messaging. Replying 24/7. Read. My friend, Yuri, recently made an online friend and gradually felt tired of chatting with them. What started as long conversations turned into emoji reactions motivated me to create an app that could’ve improved their friendship.
Chapter 1
Research
The Problem
With social media these days, it’s possible to reach someone quickly. Because it’s so easy, people expect faster reactions and get frustrated when they don’t get a reply instantly, especially since most people always have their phone on them.
In Yuri’s case, it can get overwhelming when they’ve just met. She told me that she tried replying only on Fridays. That didn’t work. She still felt tired and pressured to answer. Now let me tell you another story. Yuri actually made another online friend. Instead, they exchanged emails, the old-fashioned way. Their friendship developed into something even more meaningful.
This led me to think that occasionally sending thoughtful messages to a new friend to check up on them works better than filling their notification center with short texts.
How do online friendships stay meaningful?
Competitive Analysis
My idea landed on pen pals, writing and sending letters. But I wanted to make it easier and accessible. So, I focused on apps that offers this experience.
Slowly
Bottled
Strengths
They offer an exciting experience of meeting new people with their strong concepts.
- Slowly: Letters get delivered like in real time, depending on the distance
- Bottled: Random bottled messages flow into the user’s sea
Weaknesses
They have some social media features that reinforce the fast-paced environment
- Slowly: Read receipts, last online, reply time availability
- Bottled: Instant messaging
Opportunities
Filtering people based on interests and customizing letters would create more personal interactions while giving users the flexibility to explore outside their circle.
Insights
Why Didn’t They Reply
Some people could still get frustrated with the social media features, expecting a reply within the given time.
Privacy Matters
Meeting a stranger online can be daunting. With how social media is today, people care more about their privacy.
More Meaningful Letters
While the content of the letter is important, adding your signature sticker or making everything pink makes it more personal and unique.
Chapter 2
Define
Target Audience
Following up on my research and Yuri’s story, I realized that people want to slow down sometimes. Good things come to those who wait. It takes time for friendship to bloom, especially online.
With the help of Lucas and Leila, I had a clearer vision on how I wanted my app to turn into. This leads me to ask myself:
How might we...
show real-time delivery for users so that they understand why a reply takes time?
provide customization for users so that every digital letter reflects their unique personality and carry a “human touch”?
encourage consistent letter writing for users so that the app becomes a rewarding habit they look forward to visiting?
Chapter 3
Ideate & Sketch
What are the different path users can take to write and send a letter? Will users finish writing and sending a letter in one sitting? What information does users need while writing a letter?
Sitemap showing the different screens of the app
User flow for writing and sending letters
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Here comes the fun part, putting my ideas into visuals. I focused on these core features:
Tracking Letters
To make the real-time delivery experience more fun, users can see their sent and received letters’ journey.
Customization
Users will have a lot of freedom to customize, as well as templates to help them.
Coin System
Users can earn coins by writing letters and use them to send letters.
Stationery Shop
Users can use coins to buy stationery, unlocking more options to decorate their letters.
Chapter 4
Branding
The other fun part for me, as a graphic designer too. (I think you can see how much I enjoyed designing the assets.)
The Brand
I needed a name first to create a new brand. Because I wanted to have some elements related to letters, I went with Inkē (ink + ē), giving a more poetic sounding.
Colours
To further enhance the letter elements, I used poppy red and blue from the slanted stripes on airmails, paired with charcoal to represent the ink and beige, for a softer feeling.
Typography
I used Nerko One to make the app feel warmer and more intimate while balancing it with Montserrat, making sure it’s clean and legible.
Logo Design
Starting with a cursive font as base, I designed the logo to give a handwritten feel. I modified the letter “n” to incorporate the shape of a mail flag and added a scribble on top of the “e”.
(I challenged myself again to create a typographic logo since it wasn’t my forte.)
Graphics
I drew the graphics on Illustrator, making sure the outlines had a rough brush edge for that “human touch”. I also put together a lot of envelope designs. (I had the most fun here of course.)
Mascot
Meet Mochi, a quirky yet hardworking duck. Why a duck? It can walk, swim and fly, perfect for the letter delivery scenario. It also represents well the slow-paced and cozy feel I’m trying to project on the app.
Chapter 5
Usability Testing
Now it’s time to put the app to test. My goal was to see how intuitive it is to use and if participants understand the different features. Of course, my friend, Yuri, was part of this.
User Feedback
Overall, participants had positive reactions, especially on Mochi. But when asked to describe the app, they had trouble explaining its core functions.
“I love the design, it’s really relaxing.”
“I like seeing Mochi everywhere. Especially the stationery store.”
“What does this Plus button do beside the Buy button?”
“Can I delete the items in my basket?”
Iterations & Refinement
Creating an Onboarding Flow
To increase the value of the app and make users understand what it does, I added an onboarding flow when signing up. And since I told Mochi that he was a big hit, he volunteered to be part of the onboarding.
Simplifying Stationery Shopping
To improve the shopping process, the “Add to Basket” function is only available while browsing, and the “Buy” function is accessible only within the basket.
Enabling Basket Editing
Seeing as users can accidentally add an item to their basket, they can now edit their basket and delete items from it.
Takeaways
My favourite project. Clear as day, right? I really have to thank my friend, Yuri’s story. (Of course, not the part where she drifted apart from her online friend.) I realized creating a whole new app from scratch takes a lot of effort since I sometimes miss minor details.
What was challenging was finding solutions that benefit the business while encouraging users to come back. The stationery store wasn’t part of my idea at first, but now it is.
Nice-to-Haves
Because I wanted to focus on making the app working as a start, these are features I would’ve expanded on if I had more time.
Holidays
Including seasonal holidays as part of the real-time delivery and the stationery shop for a more engaging experience. (Mochi needs a break too.) This creates opportunities for seasonal events or stationery, inviting users to check back in.
Translation
Adding a translation tool that appears when users highlight specific parts of the letter, making the language exchange experience more fluid.