That Thing I Told

You About (TYA)

CHALLENGE

A WLCM Joy Labs project, TYA serves as a hub for all those things your friends say you’ve just gotta try/watch/read/listen to. It lives or dies by the network effect. Only by offering value will it become habitual to use and attract a community.

SOLUTION

Through a simple and easy UX, we intend to create an experience that is so fun, functional and trustworthy that its audience grows itself, and so that we don’t need to sell ads, data, or subscriptions to monetize it.

RESULTS

It’s too soon to tell. The TYA app is still in beta, so watch this space! In the meantime, we’d love your input. Click to request an invite below.

That Thing I Told You About (TYA) is a WLCM Joy Labs project — meaning we’re creating it for ourselves, for the challenge, and simply because we think it’s a great idea.

TYA gives users a place to make and share lists of favorite things and to receive and discover recommendations from friends and people like you. The app was inspired by the lists our friends shared with each other when we were expecting children (what you need, what you don’t, what’s worth the money), the conversations we’re always having on group text when we’re in the market (for a gift, mascara, denim), and all the recs we want to save (travel lists, best podcasts, the necessities we’re always refilling). With matchmaking, we’re supercharging the process by introducing users to friends they haven’t met yet; we want to make great discoveries happen. 

With TYA, we’re creating a place to do the things we’re already doing more easily and better – this is, we believe, the best recipe for success in the app world.

ANDROID
DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER
IOS
Web Application
React Native
Social Media
Commerce
JOY LABS

Our vision is that TYA becomes the place to go when you’re sharing recommendations with your friends or shopping for something you’ve never bought before — that we can become the new group text.

Could you aim any higher? We think not. As with any Joy Labs project, we’re building this app as something we’d want to use ourselves. However, this effort will challenge us with a few unique hurdles.

For the app to win at its most basic task, it must be effective at identifying other users who exhibit similar traits, tastes, and habits. The other side of that coin is its ability to filter out bad-fit connections and recommendations. By returning items and reviews that are insanely relevant, it will earn the user’s trust and become their go-to.

While other projects steadily gather a user base over months or years of iteration, TYA is a one-strike game. Users will either love it enough to share it, or they’ll try it once and probably never use it again.

It must be delightful enough to break the static friction of their current habits and  delightful enough for them to share it with their network.

TYA needs to be “that app I told you about.”

There are a few things left to solve. Like how do we monetize TYA without selling ads, data, or subscriptions? Not to mention, we’re sure other startups are taking their own shot at this idea, or an overlapping one, so in a sense we’ve also got a competition for best UX going here. Count us in.

In the app economy, winner takes all. We believe that superior UX, seasoned dev instincts, and an extreme focus on the user will take TYA to the top — and into your pocket.

The coolest thing about this project is that you can help! TYA is still in beta. Sign up for an invite to give it a spin. We’d love your feedback. If you like it, drop the link below into your own group text.

App Design | Brand Design | User Testing | Agile Development | Direct-to-Consumer | Social Media Apps | iOS App Development | Android App Development | React Native App Development

What we delivered

DESIGN

  • User interviews, beta tests and market research to validate user experience and functional decisions

  • Simple, blue-themed brand design to let user content shine

  • Website with app preview and ability to sign up for waitlist

  • Backend admin panel to track KPIs and get gather user insight and business intelligence

  • UX/UI design for mobile apps on iOS and Android

  • Continuous iteration and design of new features

DEVELOPMENT

  • Iterative, agile development process with focus on fast responses to user feedback

  • Team of two developers focusing on mobile front- and backend

  • Dedicated project manager and two quality assurance (QA) specialists

  • Two dedicated UX/UI designers

  • Continuous iteration and development of new features

BACKEND TECH STACK

  • MongoDB with Mongoose // Database with ORM

  • Firebase // for short links

  • Nest.js // Framework for Node.js

  • Redis // for caching

  • AWS S3 // for storage

  • AWS SES // for mailing

  • Twilio // for SMS

  • Docker // for containerization

  • Swagger // for API docs

FRONTEND TECH STACK

  • React Native // Crossplatform-mobile framework

  • Redux-Saga, React-Query // store, state-managment

  • React-navigation // navigations

  • Firebase, notifee // push-notifications

  • Lodash // utility library

  • Dayjs  // date processing & manipulation

  • react-native-image-crop-picker JS // picture processing

  • React-Native-Reanimated // animations

  • libphonenumber-js, Formik, Yup // input masking, validations

CORE FEATURES

  • Website with mobile app preview and ability to request an invite to the app, get your invite code, and connect with your friends even before getting the app

  • Admin Web-based app with ability to invite users and their connections ad hoc from the waitlist, watch and measure KPIs, and gather business intelligence

  • “Starter kits” that users can create and share to express themselves and their preferences

  • Matchmaking by profiles and preferences for product discovery and new connections

  • Search, share and comment on products, lists, and profiles

  • Ask your connections for recommendations

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