1.1.0
2021-04-02
In this version, users are able to belong to multiple "clades" such that they can send out posts to different groups of people based on what type of information they are sharing. As such, users are able to join an existing group by entering in the "Clade Name"—a unique string with a maximum length of 15 characters—or create their own clade. In addition, users are now able to invite friends to join a clade—they can search the contacts in their device and upon creating a clade or generating invites to an existing clade, a pre-filled text message including the unique "Clade Name" string will be populated.
In addition, we have added complexity to the posts that users create. Now, a user can create one of three post types: a request, an offer, or an announcement. A request is our base use case: a user will select the clade to which they would like to send their post, write a message asking for some help, select a coin amount to attach to the request (more on this later) and set an expiration time after which the post will no longer appear in the post feed on the main page or in the active cues list of their profile page. Other members of the clade can then claim the reward of the request and the initial poster can confirm which members have completed their request, thus transacting the coin amount. For an offer, a user may be going somewhere or doing something that puts them in a position to help other members in their clade. So, as seen in the screenshots, a user going to grab food might post an offer stating that they would be willing to grab a burrito for someone for an amount of 3 coins, perhaps. Other members can then respond to this offer by commenting on the post and making a request for a burrito, perhaps, for a few coins. Then, the initial poster, having received the counter-offer, can choose to fulfill this side offer for the stated coin total, thus earning coins and committing to helping others. Lastly, announcements are "coin-less" posts just intended to provide useful information to the group. For instance, a user could let others know that they're driving to the supermarket.
The past iteration did not involve coins. This iteration includes coins to encourage users to help others out so that they can then request help when they are in a bind. As of now, the coins have no inherent value—each user will just start out with 15 coins and spend them on receiving favors or earn them by performing favors. And, as a disclaimer, we do not expect coins to connect to any dollar value for now: if User A buys a burrito for User B, we expect that user A may receive a few coins along with a payment for the burrito outside the app, likely via Venmo or cash. The coins are merely intended to capture the inherent value of the action that it takes to help someone out.
In addition, this iteration also includes a point system: for now, a user will just earn 2 points for posting an announcement, 10 points for completing a request, and 2 points upon marking a request complete. The points have little functionality for now—a user can just see how many points they have and view their point ranking among all app users.
Next, we added a page that will display all of the notifications a user has received in the past 24 hours (e.g. likes, comments, counter-offers, coin transfers). Along with this page, we of course updated the variety and filtering of push notifications used in our app. Currently, users will be notified if a member of one of their "clades" has posted, if someone has liked their post, if someone has commented on their post (or a post on which they have commented), and if someone has made them a counter-offer or taken any other step in the transaction process of a post with which they are actively engaged (all of which are now displayed under "Active Cues" on the profile page).
(see "Notes" section to read about the "Rewards" interface).