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I& #39;m trying to learn to become a better designer, I figured one way to do that is by analyzing products with great design – so here& #39;s my first teardown!
Starting out with @zenlyapp, what makes using this so enjoyable?
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Starting out with @zenlyapp, what makes using this so enjoyable?
A thread
" title="I& #39;m trying to learn to become a better designer, I figured one way to do that is by analyzing products with great design – so here& #39;s my first teardown!Starting out with @zenlyapp, what makes using this so enjoyable?A thread https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇🏾" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten (durchschnittlich dunkler Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten (durchschnittlich dunkler Hautton)">" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
So first, what is Zenly? Essentially, it& #39;s a better way to keep track of your friends & family. You can view location, send messages, and a ton of other cool things.
The team @zenly went above & beyond with their added features so lets take a look.
The team @zenly went above & beyond with their added features so lets take a look.
The first experience with Zenly is the onboarding flow.
Now, I am a HUGE believer that onboarding is one of the most important features of an app. Zenly& #39;s was so simple and enjoyable I honestly didn& #39;t want it to end. The playful copy, big font, and dynamic cursor set the tone.
Now, I am a HUGE believer that onboarding is one of the most important features of an app. Zenly& #39;s was so simple and enjoyable I honestly didn& #39;t want it to end. The playful copy, big font, and dynamic cursor set the tone.
During this process, you also get a taste of the amazing 3D illustrations that are common place within this app.
Simple, clear copy that has a personality matched with eye-catching illustrations makes for the perfect onboarding experience.
Simple, clear copy that has a personality matched with eye-catching illustrations makes for the perfect onboarding experience.
Once you& #39;re in any new app, empty states are everywhere. This is one of the most overlooked areas of an app that has a huge impact on the experience.
The Zenly team nails their empty states. I almost didn& #39;t want to even add friends or messages so I could see these screens.
The Zenly team nails their empty states. I almost didn& #39;t want to even add friends or messages so I could see these screens.
Once you do start adding friends, you get greeted with a clean bubbly interface with rounded buttons and the standard thick font.
Where this experience become great is the success screens.
Where this experience become great is the success screens.
When you add a friend, you unlock new emojis that fall onto your screen.
Zenly knows the success of their app is dependent on you adding your friends, and to do that, they make that process desirable.
This was so fun and cool to watch, I wanted to invite all my friends.
Zenly knows the success of their app is dependent on you adding your friends, and to do that, they make that process desirable.
This was so fun and cool to watch, I wanted to invite all my friends.
Continuing with sharing, this is the best use of sharing screens I& #39;ve seen in any app.
Again, Zenly knows how important it is for you, and their product, that you share the app, and they do an amazing job making that experience enjoyable.
Again, Zenly knows how important it is for you, and their product, that you share the app, and they do an amazing job making that experience enjoyable.
These are three of their share screens. Filled with Zenly brand illustrations, motion, colors, and feel.
These are so cool and well done that it makes posting them on your IG story feel artsy, very well done.
These are so cool and well done that it makes posting them on your IG story feel artsy, very well done.
At the core, Zenly is an interactive map. To try and reinvent this, they went above and beyond in some of their novelty features within the map.
For ex, flights, COVID tracking, temperature, and other cool lenses make just using the map fun too.
For ex, flights, COVID tracking, temperature, and other cool lenses make just using the map fun too.
One of the more interesting Zenly features is the Footprints section. This is a way to keep track of where you& #39;ve been, a pretty cool feature if I& #39;m honest.
But throughout the entire app, this is the only screen that feels off-brand... why the neon-foresty green???
But throughout the entire app, this is the only screen that feels off-brand... why the neon-foresty green???
The last thing I& #39;m touching on in the app is the profile & COVID tracking features.
The profile is as clean and simple as it gets, bubbly elements, no clutter it works great for the brand.
The profile is as clean and simple as it gets, bubbly elements, no clutter it works great for the brand.
The app& #39;s main use case is when people are out and about, but yet they are gamifying staying home to stop the spread of COVID.
And like every other screen in the app, it is enjoyable to be on. @zenlyapp you guys nailed this.
And like every other screen in the app, it is enjoyable to be on. @zenlyapp you guys nailed this.
Now, I wanted to focus only on the mobile experience, but the Zenly website is too good to ignore.
This is the most enjoyable website I have ever been on. Every single page, illustration, use of motion, and simplicity literally makes you want to go through it multiple times.
This is the most enjoyable website I have ever been on. Every single page, illustration, use of motion, and simplicity literally makes you want to go through it multiple times.
I& #39;m not sure of the makeup of Zenly& #39;s design team, but aside from the obviously amazing 3D Designers & illustrators, they must have an amazing cast of brand designers.
The fact that Zenly& #39;s entire experience on mobile and web can be so synonymous, yet intricate is remarkable.
The fact that Zenly& #39;s entire experience on mobile and web can be so synonymous, yet intricate is remarkable.
Zenly knows that using their app should be fun because keeping up with friends should be fun.
Using that logic, their brand identity must portray that as well, and they nail it. The use of fun copy, 3D illustrations, fonts, and rounded elements do a great job portraying this.
Using that logic, their brand identity must portray that as well, and they nail it. The use of fun copy, 3D illustrations, fonts, and rounded elements do a great job portraying this.
I personally downloaded Zenly in order to analyze their product design, but it made me think, what problem are they solving?
I& #39;m thinking that Zenly is iterating on Christensen& #39;s idea of sustained innovation because Zenly is just a much better version of Find My Friends.
I& #39;m thinking that Zenly is iterating on Christensen& #39;s idea of sustained innovation because Zenly is just a much better version of Find My Friends.
Zenly& #39;s designs, feel, and overall identity is one of the direct factors behind their growth.
And from seeing what they& #39;ve already done, I have no doubt the Zenly team has a few more tricks up their sleeve. @dtrinh & team, this was awesome.
And from seeing what they& #39;ve already done, I have no doubt the Zenly team has a few more tricks up their sleeve. @dtrinh & team, this was awesome.
Overall, my takeaways from this app are as follows:
- The Zenly experience is so well-done because how much they focus on delight
- Don& #39;t overlook the small details, empty states and onboarding can make or break you
- The Zenly experience is so well-done because how much they focus on delight
- Don& #39;t overlook the small details, empty states and onboarding can make or break you
- Go above the status quo, don& #39;t settle with a standard UI elements like Apple share modals, or a profile UI... make it yours, and make it enjoyable.
- Use haptic touch!!! Idk if this is just me or not, but I love touching elements with haptic touch, it makes the experience real
- Use haptic touch!!! Idk if this is just me or not, but I love touching elements with haptic touch, it makes the experience real
And lastly:
- Don& #39;t over-design your product. The Zenly team could& #39;ve easily made this too overwhelming with all the illustrations. Find the balance between simple and thoughtful.
- Don& #39;t over-design your product. The Zenly team could& #39;ve easily made this too overwhelming with all the illustrations. Find the balance between simple and thoughtful.
Let me know if you liked this and want to see more, and if you want to read this on medium, here you go: https://medium.com/@jshn/the-zenly-experience-a-product-case-study-55e148b0d0e4">https://medium.com/@jshn/the...
