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Magnet — Foursquare meets Tinder: real-time attraction!
Magnet is the first check-in dating app, merging the best aspects of online dating and real life approaching.
With the check-in feature, Magnet allows you to quickly browse and filter singles around you, in real-time. If there is mutual interest, you get connected with a 5-minute chat.
Break the ice and meet up on the spot!
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Replies
@itsthisjustin This is the very first negative comment I hear about the UI/UX, I usually get the exact opposite! :D
@alessandro_schiassi I guess I just don't understand the design decisions behind the slanted lines and such. What was the experience you were trying to promote with this style? Words are harder to read that way and you can fit less on the screen at a time. I'd love to hear some insights into the design. Please ignore my rather negative comment.
@itsthisjustin Many reasons:
- it's unique
- it's ergonomic (your thumb arrives with an angle on the phone, even if you are lefty)
- you can actually put more text since it's diagonal
- you can fit exactly the same since the total area is the same. What you miss at the top you get back at the bottom
- I first created the logo with 15°... so why not doing the whole app like that?
- according to most people, it's gorgeous. But that's subjective ;)
- texts are very limited in Magnet, mostly on one line. Even the chat lasts maximum 5 minutes, so even if it's slightly harder, it's not a big issue.
@itsthisjustin I'm a little conflicted here. I've done a similar interface in an iOS app before and found the slanted angle to be novel but it also made almost every other bit of the UX needlessly more difficult and complex to create. While I don't like the interface at all in this, the level of commitment and creativity is appreciated and noteworthy.
Looping in the context of the app's purpose though, it's a bizarre amount of effort to put into a design that is SUPER industrial and harsh when a major hurdle for dating properties is attracting women.
@connorbowlan @itsthisjustin
We didn't have much problem to create the design after we decided a few rules. And it was pretty much our first experience with GUI.
Most women loved this design, but we received a few minor critiques about it.
It's 2016, women aren't the sugar fairies as society often portrait them ;)
@yonnuta I only know a couple of other apps that work like this one, and they were both released within a year. Which ones are you referring to?
alessandro_schiassi I like the idea of being able to find like-minded single. In general, I'm a fan of most products who aim to get people together in the real physical world -- and have worked on a couple of them myself.
Checking into a local establishment/restaurant/bar/etc and hoping to find another single person on the app in the same place requires too large of a network (that's too hyper local) imho. I'd probably try it once or twice, and if I didn't get any value from it (aka meet someone), delete it. As another comment mentioned -- cruises, hostels, etc where people stay longer are indeed an angle that I can see working. It seems matching with people interested in attending the same concert/event ahead of time for a date would be a solid use case that could work.
But what if Tinder just added a feature like this? They already have massive scale/distribution.
A shared a few of my learnings building our location sharing app @ohheyworld in 2012-2013 here: https://medium.com/@drewmeyers/t...
@drewmeyers @ohheyworld
Since we don't activate check-ins everywhere, our users either go to a venue because they know there are other users (you can see that from the map, in real-time) or because it's going to be an official Magnet events.
We simply shrink the places where you can use it to increase the number of total users at once, which is exactly what they need.
I'm not concerned about Tinder adding the check-in options for various reasons.
First of all, Tinder brand is very weak, people use it but at the same time despise it. It's mostly a game and their users rather keep swiping than actually meet in real life.
Basically, they would have to add a map, a more extensive profile, a 5-minute timer chat, etc... so that would be an entirely brand new app at that point.
Tinder is the MySpace of dating apps... and we all know what happened to MySpace when more serious social networks came up.
Thanks for the link to your post! And, yes, my app definitely solve a (huge) problem ;)
@alessandro_schiassi "Since we don't activate check-ins everywhere, our users either go to a venue because they know there are other users (you can see that from the map, in real-time) or because it's going to be an official Magnet events.
We simply shrink the places where you can use it to increase the number of total users at once, which is exactly what they need."
The downside of that is I can only use occasionally rather than every place I visit (Foursquare/Swarm). You really think you're going to get people going to a venue specifically to meet other people on the app? What's the basis for the mutual connection/interest? ie the only thing in common is both people have downloaded the same app. To me, that's far from enough to make me interested in meeting someone IRL.
I think you underestimate the power of a brand that millions of people know, even if all those connotations are not positive.
@drewmeyers
Picking one venue or another, going to an event rather than another tells so much about yourself. We are connecting like-minded people in a very effective way.
If Pokémon Go successfully had nerds walking around and socialize for hours, I'm pretty sure singles wouldn't mind to go to a place just to use our app (and enjoy whatever else the venue has to offer).
We are not changing people's behavior, we are already social, we simply add a layer of technology on top.
Where you see "used occasionally" I see "used exclusively".
We'll see about that. Tinder check-in option is the least of my concern since we have much more to offer and, at the end of the day, it's all about execution.
Popularity is not a strength since can fade away really fast (again, see MySpace case... ).
@alessandro_schiassi You are attempting to change behavior since right now people don't go to concerts/events with explicit expectation of meeting singles to potentially date.
Don't get me wrong, I do wish you the best of luck.
@drewmeyers
"You are attempting to change behavior since right now people don't go to concerts/events with explicit expectation of meeting singles to potentially date."
I'm pretty sure that's the very first reason why people go to events... ever been to Coachella? Or any concert or event in the past decade?
Do you really think people go out drinking because they enjoy loud music and alcohol?
@jasonhitchcock Hey Jason, that's the same question pretty much everyone asked me so far here on PH :P
You can find detailed answers below, but, in short, we keep it exclusive for specific venues and private events both to build the brand name and to ensure a concentration of users in a specific place and time.
On-site marketing (with branded condoms!) is another element of the strategy. You can find more details in our Press Kit:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cgo7fy...
You have a massive, multi-faceted network effects hurdle to overcome with this, so I'm interested to hear your strategy to get users.
@rueter I copy/paste the answer since I noticed your question was getting more upvotes:
That was definitely a concern, but we have a strategy to (hopefully) make it work: essentially we are going to limit the venues where someone can check-in, so people would have to go there to use the app.
We are going to scale accordingly based on the active users.
This is also our B2B plan to generate revenues without charging our users, charging promoters/venues instead.
We are also aiming for an on-site marketing strategy where we are going to promote the app to specific events so people can try it on the spot. Exclusivity is going to be a big factor at early stages.
One of the promotion tools are personalized condoms with Magnet brand on it. We already gave them away at TechDay in DTLA, and they were a huge success!
You can find more on our Press Kit on the website: https://www.dropbox.com/s/cgo7fy...
Last but not least, you can see on the map how many users are checked in at each specific venue, so you can simply decide to go there, improving the chance to meet someone and making the site even more attractive!
@alessandro_schiassi @rueter @gopietz Alessandro, I agree with everyone else. This is WAY too hyper local. Maybe you can do it in the future if you get big, but I certainly think you cannot be this restrictive to start.
Idk if you have seen http://weepo.com/ but they are one of your competitors. They do things a little differently like letting you match at venues you plan on going to. I like the problem that they solve which is finding people to go to venues with and possibly finding a date for those venues.
I really like your logo, it looks almost like a map pin, not sure if that was what you were going for.
You plan on charging businesses? I think that will be a really tough sell. What value prop do you provide to them?
@james_osullivan @rueter @gopietz
I rather build the brand around specific venues and exclusive events, even if that could mean a slow start. The brand image is crucial, while the strategy can always be changed.
I'm aware of Weepo and its feature to see where you are going (we call it "pre-check-in") is in our plans.
I think people either already decided to go to a specific venue with friends or they need to make that decision based on the mood or hype.
For the second option, you can simply take a look at the app to check a real-time "heat map" of the most popular venues. That would solve the "hyper local" problem ;)
In both cases, Magnet can be used to find potential matches.
The logo is definitely a map pin that doubles as a heart/yin-yang. That was the easiest part of the whole graphic since the idea came to me in a few seconds!
To businesses we bring exclusivity and costumers (and their friends who perhaps don't even use Magnet): they'd pay per user check-in, so they got nothing to lose if nobody shows up. We are going directly for promoters since Magnet is essentially a tool for their job.
We have other strategies in mind but I rather not discuss in the open at this point ;)
@james_osullivan @alessandro_schiassi @rueter i just watched Weepo's promo video. seems like they're aiming for a younger, cheaper and dumber audience than Magnet. It's one of those videos where I question the future of humankind. It's almost offensive to me.
@gopietz @james_osullivan @rueter There is a reason why I rather focus on the branding of Magnet instead making it appealing to the masses ;)
Where people see "hyper-local" I see exclusivity and potential partnerships with venues and unique events for differentiating Magnet from the competition.
It's challenging but doable.
Think how Uber had to both find users and drivers in each city! I just need to use pre-existing social organizations and infrastructure by just adding a pin on a map!
Probably I am naive and inexperienced, but so far those two traits brought me where I am in life today, so I see the positive side :)
good looking app and video! nice job.
but i think you'll have a very hard time. your app is essentially useless until a huge amount of people are using it. you need millions of users for even a tiny chance of sitting at the same restaurant as another user. you're even more hyper local than happn! its going to be hard.
@gopietz and @rueter
That was definitely a concern, but we have a strategy to (hopefully) make it work: essentially we are going to limit the venues where someone can check-in, so people would have to go there to use the app.
We are going to scale accordingly based on the active users.
This is also our B2B plan to generate revenues without charging our users.
We are also aiming for an on-site marketing strategy where we are going to promote the app to specific events so people can try it on the spot.
One of the promotion tools are personalized condoms with Magnet brand on it. We already gave them away at TechDay in DTLA, and they were a huge success!
Last but not least, you can see on the map how many users are checked in at each specific venue, so you can simply decide to go there, improving the chance to meet someone and making the site even more attractive!
@alessandro_schiassi @gopietz @rueter I liked the monetisation strategy. Interesting design choice though... Risky at the same time I think. Why did you go with that? Also photos are only in B&W? And by the way it's not available in UK yet, when do you plan to release here?
@erdogany
I figured if I have to design something why not make it beautiful and unique?
Our focus target is 25-45 classy professionals, therefore cute animals and flashy colors wouldn't have cut, in my opinion.
Also, the 15° angle is more ergonomic since your thumb arrives with an angle on the screen.
B&W pictures are both classier and faster to load: win-win!
At the moment we are focusing on the US market, particularly on LA. Once we prove the concept, we can scale up in other cities/countries according to the demand.
We are still raising seed funds, so we need to think local ;)
@alessandro_schiassi Cool! Thanks for the information! You can count me into promoting your app in London when arrives. :) I am not sure if I would use it much but I will be mentioning it to friends. In fact I used to mention this exact idea to friends, and now you have done it. Good job. Wishing you success!
@alessandro_schiassi you've probably thought of this already but concerts and festivals would be good places to target. Also cruise ships, resorts and youth hostels... anywhere with a captive audience that's in one place for more than an hour or two.
@alessandro_schiassi Tinder and the Tinder-culture has no place in 2016, time for it to go away
@marktmcewan Thanks and I agree! Dating is such a huge part of everyone's life, yet is often treated as something shameful. Online dating had its time, I really think now it's time for "on-site attraction" ;)
Hi everyone,
this is Alessandro Schiassi, founder and CEO of Magnet!
Magnet is the first on-site attraction app, merging the best aspects of online dating and real life approaching.
With the check-in feature, Magnet allows you to quickly browse and filter singles around you, in real-time. If there is mutual interest, you get connected with a 5-minute chat.
Break the ice and meet up on the spot!
What's different from other apps like Tinder, Bumble, Happn, Hinge, etc?
• It's on-site:
We already filter people by going to specific places and events, so why not connecting with them while there?
• It’s in real-time:
On average, it takes 2 weeks before the first date. With Magnet, you don’t need to organize any date, just meet up on the spot!
• It encourages face-to-face interactions:
You only have 5 minutes to break the ice via chat, then just meet up and check if there is any chemistry!
• It’s safer and stress-free:
Are you not enjoying your encounter? Just excuse yourself and go back to your friends! No more being stuck for two hours on a lame first date!
Gone are the days where you have to endlessly swipe through a never-ending stream of strangers while bored at home.
And forget about getting unsolicited pictures that make you questions why you’re on a dating app in the first place!
We just released today the beta, and I'd love to hear feedback from PH kittens... er... people!
I've been a fan of this platform for about two years, and I've been waiting to have my product ready to be shown here! :D
With this version, there is no proximity restriction, but eventually, we are moving it to 200ft. Think a check-in in Magnet like a PokéGym in Pokémon Go, where you need to be close enough to access it.
We hope to make dating safer, more efficient, and overall a more fun experience. Let me know what you think!
Alessandro
I'd love to hear what @rrhoover has to say! I know he tried several dating apps in the past...
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