Fika / Messaging
Messaging
Introducing a new paradigm to connect in person
Messaging
Introducing a new paradigm to connect in person
Meet Alan at Dimes for a flat white.
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introduce yourself,
Max 140 chars
E.g. writing dialogue (for a short story I'm working on) and would love to get your opinion on it.
Send Invite
Jamie will have 24 hours to respond.
Overview
After launching a v1 of Fika, many members were skeptical of sending a coffee since it was a large lift for creatives to immediately send a coffee invite to another creative. We hypothesized ways to facilitate communication to guide our north star of meeting another creative in person for coffee. After implementing this table stakes feature in a community platform, messaging increased the number of coffees sent and attended.
Role
Product Strategy Usability Testing
Team
Frontend Engineering Backend Engineering Lead Co-Design
Timeline
1 month
Impact
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Overview
After launching a v1 of Fika, many members were skeptical of sending a coffee since it was a large lift for creatives to immediately send a coffee invite to another creative. We hypothesized ways to facilitate communication to guide our north star of meeting another creative in person for coffee. After implementing this table stakes feature in a community platform, messaging increased the number of coffees sent and attended.
Role
Product Strategy Usability Testing
Team
Frontend Engineering Backend Engineering Lead Co-Design
Timeline
1 month
Impact
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Overview
After launching a v1 of Fika, many members were skeptical of sending a coffee since it was a large lift for creatives to immediately send a coffee invite to another creative. We hypothesized ways to facilitate communication to guide our north star of meeting another creative in person for coffee. After implementing this table stakes feature in a community platform, messaging increased the number of coffees sent and attended.
Role
Product Strategy Usability Testing
Team
Frontend Engineering Backend Engineering Lead Co-Design
Timeline
1 month
Impact
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Overview
After launching a v1 of Fika, many members were skeptical of sending a coffee since it was a large lift for creatives to immediately send a coffee invite to another creative. We hypothesized ways to facilitate communication to guide our north star of meeting another creative in person for coffee. After implementing this table stakes feature in a community platform, messaging increased the number of coffees sent and attended.
Role
Product Strategy Usability Testing
Team
Frontend Engineering Backend Engineering Lead Co-Design
Timeline
1 month
Impact
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Creative Process
Understand user needs
Through member feedback, we learned creatives wanted a lighter way to break the ice—whether prepping for an in-person meeting or simply signaling interest without heavy commitment.
Understand user needs
Through member feedback, we learned creatives wanted a lighter way to break the ice—whether prepping for an in-person meeting or simply signaling interest without heavy commitment.
Understand user needs
Through member feedback, we learned creatives wanted a lighter way to break the ice—whether prepping for an in-person meeting or simply signaling interest without heavy commitment.
Testing within focus group
Hypothesizing that creatives wanted to connect to another creative based on a specific element on a profile, we sent our focus group a video of our working prototype. This would make the in-person meeting more intentional and rooted in a specific project or collaboration. Using findings and behavioral understanding of Fika members, we refined the experience to reflect declining a message.
Testing within focus group
Hypothesizing that creatives wanted to connect to another creative based on a specific element on a profile, we sent our focus group a video of our working prototype. This would make the in-person meeting more intentional and rooted in a specific project or collaboration. Using findings and behavioral understanding of Fika members, we refined the experience to reflect declining a message.
Testing within focus group
Hypothesizing that creatives wanted to connect to another creative based on a specific element on a profile, we sent our focus group a video of our working prototype. This would make the in-person meeting more intentional and rooted in a specific project or collaboration. Using findings and behavioral understanding of Fika members, we refined the experience to reflect declining a message.
Deliver Messaging
We launched messaging that allowed members to send a "bean" to start a chat. After 12 message exchanges, users were prompted to set up an in-person coffee meeting. Of the members who initiated a message, 84% met up in person.
Deliver Messaging
We launched messaging that allowed members to send a "bean" to start a chat. After 12 message exchanges, users were prompted to set up an in-person coffee meeting. Of the members who initiated a message, 84% met up in person.
Deliver Messaging
We launched messaging that allowed members to send a "bean" to start a chat. After 12 message exchanges, users were prompted to set up an in-person coffee meeting. Of the members who initiated a message, 84% met up in person.
Marketing Messaging
Jamie created an intro video explaining how messaging worked, which we shared via our weekly newsletter, driving adoption and making sending invites feel effortless.
Marketing Messaging
Jamie created an intro video explaining how messaging worked, which we shared via our weekly newsletter, driving adoption and making sending invites feel effortless.
Marketing Messaging
Jamie created an intro video explaining how messaging worked, which we shared via our weekly newsletter, driving adoption and making sending invites feel effortless.
Problem
Creative professionals work in isolation, yet ideas thrive on collaboration and inspiration.
Creatives searched for community through apps like Soho House, Bumble Bizz, Parlor Social, or working from cafes, although behaviorally users didn't take initiative to meet in person. We conducted 50 interviews with creatives, ranging from freelancers to in-house designers, to understand their needs. Our research revealed a strong desire for in-person creative communities, with individuals echoing sentiments like:
Problem
Creative professionals work in isolation, yet ideas thrive on collaboration and inspiration.
Creatives searched for community through apps like Soho House, Bumble Bizz, Parlor Social, or working from cafes, although behaviorally users didn't take initiative to meet in person. We conducted 50 interviews with creatives, ranging from freelancers to in-house designers, to understand their needs. Our research revealed a strong desire for in-person creative communities, with individuals echoing sentiments like:
Problem
Creative professionals work in isolation, yet ideas thrive on collaboration and inspiration.
Creatives searched for community through apps like Soho House, Bumble Bizz, Parlor Social, or working from cafes, although behaviorally users didn't take initiative to meet in person. We conducted 50 interviews with creatives, ranging from freelancers to in-house designers, to understand their needs. Our research revealed a strong desire for in-person creative communities, with individuals echoing sentiments like:
Problem
Creative professionals work in isolation, yet ideas thrive on collaboration and inspiration.
Creatives searched for community through apps like Soho House, Bumble Bizz, Parlor Social, or working from cafes, although behaviorally users didn't take initiative to meet in person. We conducted 50 interviews with creatives, ranging from freelancers to in-house designers, to understand their needs. Our research revealed a strong desire for in-person creative communities, with individuals echoing sentiments like:
EXPLORE
Find creatives on Fika’s Explore Feed
IDENTIFY
Identify an interesting creative by work, proximity
PROFILE
Select an aspect of a creatives’ work that sparks interest in wanting to coffee
MESSAGE
12 message exchanges, meet up for coffee
FIKA INVITE
Fika invite Confirmation
The Workflow
Functionality
Messaging leads to in-person collaboration
Traditionally, messaging platforms lead to either a read receipt or an unanswered message. In designing Fika, we wanted to introduce a new paradigm that behaviorally influences individuals to meet up. What if messaging back and forth prompts users to meet in person, with the system reminding creatives about the intent to meet in person, as opposed to leaving it to message exchanges within an inbox? We tested our hypothesis with working prototypes with our focus groups, iterating on feedback.
Functionality
Messaging leads to in-person collaboration
Traditionally, messaging platforms lead to either a read receipt or an unanswered message. In designing Fika, we wanted to introduce a new paradigm that behaviorally influences individuals to meet up. What if messaging back and forth prompts users to meet in person, with the system reminding creatives about the intent to meet in person, as opposed to leaving it to message exchanges within an inbox? We tested our hypothesis with working prototypes with our focus groups, iterating on feedback.
Functionality
Messaging leads to in-person collaboration
Traditionally, messaging platforms lead to either a read receipt or an unanswered message. In designing Fika, we wanted to introduce a new paradigm that behaviorally influences individuals to meet up. What if messaging back and forth prompts users to meet in person, with the system reminding creatives about the intent to meet in person, as opposed to leaving it to message exchanges within an inbox? We tested our hypothesis with working prototypes with our focus groups, iterating on feedback.
Functionality
Messaging leads to in-person collaboration
Traditionally, messaging platforms lead to either a read receipt or an unanswered message. In designing Fika, we wanted to introduce a new paradigm that behaviorally influences individuals to meet up. What if messaging back and forth prompts users to meet in person, with the system reminding creatives about the intent to meet in person, as opposed to leaving it to message exchanges within an inbox? We tested our hypothesis with working prototypes with our focus groups, iterating on feedback.
Send a bean to another creative
In order to provide more meaningful in-person collaboration, creatives can respond to a specific element in another creatives profile, whether that’s a project, personality trait, or previous work experience in the past. Providing more intentional outreach via "coffee beans" eased the communication before creatives collaborated in person.
Send a bean to another creative
In order to provide more meaningful in-person collaboration, creatives can respond to a specific element in another creatives profile, whether that’s a project, personality trait, or previous work experience in the past. Providing more intentional outreach via "coffee beans" eased the communication before creatives collaborated in person.
Send a bean to another creative
In order to provide more meaningful in-person collaboration, creatives can respond to a specific element in another creatives profile, whether that’s a project, personality trait, or previous work experience in the past. Providing more intentional outreach via "coffee beans" eased the communication before creatives collaborated in person.
Receiving messages in platform
We were intentional about designing he UX pattern of accepting or declining a message. Responding to a fellow creative implicitly meant a user accepts the message, vs explicitly having to click accept/decline CTAs, similar to instagram, especially given this was a members-only platform.
Receiving messages in platform
We were intentional about designing he UX pattern of accepting or declining a message. Responding to a fellow creative implicitly meant a user accepts the message, vs explicitly having to click accept/decline CTAs, similar to instagram, especially given this was a members-only platform.
Receiving messages in platform
We were intentional about designing he UX pattern of accepting or declining a message. Responding to a fellow creative implicitly meant a user accepts the message, vs explicitly having to click accept/decline CTAs, similar to instagram, especially given this was a members-only platform.
Decline a bean
Giving members a clear way to decline creates a sense of control when receiving messages on Fika, especially if a user didn't want to meet in person.
Decline a bean
Giving members a clear way to decline creates a sense of control when receiving messages on Fika, especially if a user didn't want to meet in person.
Decline a bean
Giving members a clear way to decline creates a sense of control when receiving messages on Fika, especially if a user didn't want to meet in person.
Outcomes
We monitored the impact of messaging on coffees sent and attended by members.
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Outcomes
We monitored the impact of messaging on coffees sent and attended by members.
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Outcomes
We monitored the impact of messaging on coffees sent and attended by members.
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Outcomes
We monitored the impact of messaging on coffees sent and attended by members.
+48% increase in coffees sent +23% user retention week over week
Takeaways
Accounting for Edge Cases
Being intentional about how a recipient receives, accepts/declines a message, was crucial to build trust for creatives.
Testing with our Fika focus group
Quickly testing prototypes through our WhatsApp community helped validate our behavioral insights before committing engineering resources.
Rethinking traditional UX patterns
By challenging conventional messaging flows, we unlocked a new, lightweight way to foster in-person creative collaboration.