Discovering User Needs
"I've been wanting to watch The Whale for a while. I love Brendan Fraser and his work and I love Darren Aronofski movies. I found it today on Prime and was so excited to put it on, but I had to turn it off after about five minutes as I couldn't take the constant breathing noises."
"There is a spaghetti eating scene. A character is called out for loud eating, its not awful, like its not exaggerated eating noises and it's played for laughs its maybe 10-15 seconds. I wasn't triggered by it but just be aware. DMs are open if anyone needs a more detailed description."
"Omg watching this show and they brought up Misophonia. This is the first time a show or movie has done this that I have seen. I had to point this out to my wife as the trigger for the person was eating loudly"
I guess I'll have to watch it on subtitles. I hate having to work around everything so as not to miss out on something as basic as wanting to watch a simple movie. But I know you understand.
the challenge
The primary challenge was crafting an app that not only cataloged trigger warnings but also fostered a supportive community, ensuring individuals with misophonia could comfortably engage in shared experiences while watching movies.
Usability
Create an intuitive and empathetic user experience. Users should be able to effortlessly search for movies, access trigger information, contribute their own insights, and connect with others who shared similar sensitivities, fostering a sense of community and shared understanding.
success metrics
Downloads: Aim for a targeted number of downloads within a specified timeframe.
Trigger Entries: Encourage users to contribute trigger warnings, with a goal for a growing database.
Social Interaction: Track user engagement on social platforms, measuring discussions, shares, and community growth.
Brainstorming
During our brainstorming sessions, we threw all of our ideas on how to make our app become part of the community. We envisioned cool ways for users to add triggers on the fly while watching movies, aiming for one smooth experience tailored to everyone's personal needs. This part of the process always motivates and brings the whole team together with a shared vision.
MVP and proof of concept
In this niche market, we knew the possibilities were endless, but we opted for an MVP solution to ship a product quickly and gather valuable feedback. Our focus narrowed down to essential features: users can search for movies, view triggers by categories, check an overall safety score for each movie, and contribute by adding their own triggers. This streamlined approach ensures we can launch efficiently and refine the app based on the insights we receive.
wireframes with functionalities on each screen
Here's where the magic happens – crafting our brand to breathe life into our vision and establish a new identity. We aimed for a vibe that's friendly, soft, clean, and soothing, ensuring our users feel at ease throughout their PhiloPhonia experience.
the name
Our app name, "PhiloPhonia," is a thoughtful play on the condition we're addressing. Derived from the Greek "miso" (meaning hatred) and "phonia" (meaning sound), we flipped the script. "Philo," akin to "philosophy," stands in contrast to "miso." While we initially pondered alternatives, "PhiloPhonia" seamlessly captured our essence, embracing a philosophy of sound harmony.
The logo
the colours
PhiloPhonia, being the sole app dedicated to trigger tracking for movie-watching, needed to ensure users felt immediately at ease. The onboarding experience serves as a friendly guide, simplifying the app's singular yet crucial function, making it accessible and welcoming for every user with sound sensitivities.
Concept sketches & animated with lottie files and haiku animations
Spreading the word about PhiloPhonia goes beyond just launching an app; it's about building a supportive community. Our online presence is essential to engage directly with users, understand their needs, and encourage them to contribute new trigger entries. Through active participation on platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Instagram, we foster an inclusive environment where users not only use the app but actively contribute to its growth by sharing their experiences and expanding the database of triggers for the benefit of the entire community.
launching the app
promotion material and misophonia awareness
As we move forward with the PhiloPhonia app, our main goal is to connect with the misophonia community and spread the word about our app. We absolutely love hearing from our users and gathering their feedback, as it helps us fine-tune and make the app even better.
To ensure inclusivity, we have modified the trigger categories to encompass the most common triggers reported by the majority of users. Furthermore, we have optimized the app's responsiveness across different screens based on user feedback, particularly from those using specific device models.
Based on user input, we already added games and we're working on adding series to the app, addressing the community's request for a wider range of content.
Additionally, we are actively exploring creative methods to collect triggers beyond crowdsourcing.
Do you have any suggestions or questions? Talk to me or write us at philophonia.app@gmail.com
