WhrzAt


social app for iOS

A social networking interest-oriented chat application for startup which allows people to spend time communicating with likely minded individuals.


WhrzAt is exactly what people need to meet new friends, find the best places to hang out at and share their activities with others. The app is a messenger and a social network app in one with additional functionality of creating and discovering interest hotspots and gatherings. Thus, a user can see an app with color-labeled spots starting with a faded color to the named Hotspot, depending on the amount of check-ins. Location markers contain detailed description of the site, chats, users’ comments, ratings, and the ability to add people as friends. Find hotspots according to your interests, make new friends and have fun!

Challenge


At the beginning, the customer wanted to have a chat application. They saw one of our existing chat apps and found it spectacular. Upon negotiations, having seen other examples from our portfolio and our extensive experience in creating chat apps, they were impressed enough to stop looking further and sign the agreement with us.

Solution


In the process of the application discussion both the customer and our team members got excited and came up with a great number of wonderful productive ideas, some of which are implemented in this app. Starting with a notion of a chat app, we created a brilliant concept of the social network driven by the people’s interests and sightseeing locations.

  • Explore hotspots for exciting live activity and places to go
  • Create your own unique hotspot and share your live event with friends
  • Find and chat with new friends having common interests

Hot Spots


Map View Spots

The more people hang out at a place, the brighter the spot gets A Place crowder - The Spot Brighter

List View Spots

The more popular a place becomes, the more Spots get filled A Place crowder - The Spot Brighter

Business Benefits


The currently discussed monetization method is the implementation of paid hotspots. After being paid, the hotspot would become constant while free spots like, say, a café where the user checked in, will stay for a single day. Other possible methods include selling virtual goods and decorations, displaying media and context adverts, partnership programs and product placements.

Key Features


  • Geolocation (quick and relevant neighborhood hotspots search)
  • Hotspot map
  • Map search by interest
  • Hotspot list
  • Hotspot details page. Contains the detailed location description, check-in list, comments and rating
  • Hotspot creation page
  • User profile with personal details, interests and a profile picture
  • Pictures could be uploaded from the device’s storage or taken with the camera
  • Friends list and a list of incoming friend requests
  • Chat list
  • Main server back-end for the synchronization and coordination purposes, created with the use of PHP
  • Payment module for the future monetization purposes. Integration with Facebook and Twitter

Our main goal was to make a unique application, different from competitors and alternative apps on the market. We aimed to show not crowded places but how «hot» they are and worth visiting for users to make them even hotter. The interface design was implemented in turquoise and bright-red colors to accentuate how «hot» the places are. In the end we got well-balanced design that hits the mark.

Technologies



  • UIKIT

  • Afnetworking (server interaction)

  • MapKit/CoreLocation

  • Facebook SDK/API

  • fabric

  • Twitter SDK/API

Resources


  • iOS Development - 452 hrs
  • Design - 110 hrs
  • Back-end - 336 hrs
  • QA - 76 hrs
  • PM - 228 hrs