October 2022 Friend App Update

In our first month, Friend App had 150+ registrations. I've been reaching out to initial users and getting feedback on how to make the product more intuitive and useful to add value to their lives. At this moment, we are not seeking more downloads, but focused on iterating for product-market fit.

I am also prototyping my public plans profile page at friendapp.com/chuck. In a future version of Friend App, users will be able to add the upcoming things they are doing, or want to do, and create a public facing URL to share with friends. This is a core feature we are raising funds to develop. From early userr discussions, and the popularity of linktr.ee, we see value for a simple page like this for connectors, promoters, venues, and performers. 

Key insights from user interviews💡

The initial screen after contacts loaded was not intuitive. People liked the idea of grouping people into a spotlight category, but it needs to be simplified

  • Users want simple tools to create friend lists
  • People expect less manual work for setting contact locations
  • Showing all contacts on the home screen is overwhelming (and can introduce performance issues)
  • People like seeing contacts that have been recently added to their phone

If you were an early user and would like to provide feedback, please let me know. I'm happy to set up time to hear your thoughts, or you can send me feedback via email.

The new spotlight empty state will simply include a search box and allow you to begin adding people. Below we may show a selection of people we believe that you may be interested in accessing, but not the full list of people.

Key advances since launch in August ⭐

  • New functionality: added in communication options on contact profiles, sync for new contacts, and location synonym capabilities
  • Had our first user attempt to import 25K contacts. We will have to re-architect a bit to properly support this.
  • Additional analytics. We have greater visibility into returning users and contact import success.
  • Thwarted our first hacker attempting to script login queries
  • Onboarded full-time developer Carlos Lopez, based in Honduras
  • 10+ potential investor meetings in September

 October focus 🗓️

  • Continue reaching out to potential investors
  • Ongoing conversations with potential advisory board members
  • Iterate on the UX based on early learning

Investors 📈

I've been meeting with potential early investors and hope to continue showcasing the progress we are making.

If interested in learning more, please schedule some time with me on Calendly or send me a DM on Twitter @ChuckWalterFL

I'm also using Paperstreet for investor updates. Please sign up here if you would like to receive them

Thank you! 🙏

I have to thank my team for all the advances. Eduardo, Carlos, and Alejandra. We continue to iterate so that we can help change the way you socialize with your friends.

See you around

I hope to see many of you at local events: Brickell Tech Tuesday on October 25 (in my own neighborhood). Happy to share a quick demo. I'll also be hosting my first Musicasa in-home music performance on October 16.

Please say hello :)

Chuck Walter

Founder, Friend App

Last thing...

If you happen to have gotten this far... I've started reading two new books, Platonic by Marisa Franco and The Rise of the Rest by Steve Case. Let me know if you're interested in reading either and discussing.