The main idea is inspired by the dating app Tinder, but for promotions. Now we need to add another layer of complexity.
The community must be able to add their promotions and Gamification elements must be present
Everything must integrate flawlessly with the Facebook network because their community originated there and continues to grow.
Promo hunters is a closed Facebook group with over 300,000 members. In this group, members collect the best promotions, coupons and discount codes.
The Approach
I started looking for a suitable theme for the app. This would then serve as the basis for the website. The name ‘Promo Hunters’ reminded me of the shooting gallery at a fairground; Western, but with bright colours.
Lust
#e52625
Sunglow
#ffd52e
Ultramarine
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This briefing made it clear that the app had to be fun and the style also had to be supported by game elements. This selection of presentation templates is a good example of the creativity and attention to detail we put into designing it.
There, our love for stop-motion animation emerged, and the (then) fledgling love for 3D printing and design rather than still images. There are little animations here and there, like this wanted poster that is shown as the user waits and how the logo rolls by like an amulet in the desert.
This is more in the category of a playful, non-educational animation, but that’s OK. There are also animations that are more general and educational, like the one on the introduction screen. This looks like a simple animation, but is very effective because before using the app, the user already has a tutorial on the basic mechanism and principle of the app.
Illusion
We worked very hard on the speed of the app. We used an appropriate magic trick to always get ahead of the user.
How many cards do you see here? We would say the same, but actually there are at least four and sometimes more. The fourth one (and all those that come after it) are just hidden behind number three and on swiping away it pops up. Thus, it creates the illusion of infinite number of cards.
Making Registration Fun
This is not easy, but it is the first thing you need to do when downloading the app. That is why we have taken a playful approach to the registration process. This reduces the number of fields the user has to read to a minimum.
Practical Aspect
Besides fun, the app and its interface is also very practical. Can we offer the user the option of uploading an action from the shop. Again, as with the registration, we thought about how to make this form as accessible as possible while still collecting as much data as possible about the action.
Gamification
Swiping, adding promotions and general use of the app earns the user points. This puts the user on the leaderboard and the number one wins a nice prize.
Same experience on many different devices
We have worked very hard to give the user a good app experience regardless of the device. For example, there is now also the ability to swipe the mouse across a touchscreen.
Disclaimer
Our brief was to design this app. However, if you are familiar with Promo Hunters, you will know that this is currently not their app is yet branding. After sitting an app designed by us, it gets stuck in development hell.
While the same time the popularity of facebook group exploded. At start of project, membership was on notice around 10,000, but nothing compared to +300,000 members now. This partly due to columns in e.g. breaking news.
Development of this version of the app was eventually stopped and it was decided to focus more on developing to develop a website. The existing branding element, although very basic, had become too recognisable to rebrand.
The client made it clear to us that they were very satisfied with our work and quality of it. That non-use was purely a coincidence.