Yik Yak for iPhone first time user experience
The good bits:
- Yik Yak is one of the few social networking experiences that does not require a new user to create an account to view or share content–it provides immediate exposure as a free sample. As a result, the new user is immediately able to jump into the product, instead of spending his first few moments reading an intro tour or signing up for yet another account with his personal information.
- The app clearly indicates why it needs a new user’s location data, and shows this reasoning before prompting with the standard iOS location services prompt.
To be improved:
- This app is an example of why, at times, guided interaction is the best way to handle first time user experiences. While the app does well in letting users jump right into things, it doesn’t provide enough initial help to get the new user started on a successful path. If there are no “Yaks” in the new user’s area (which you can see by the second screen, which appears empty), the user is faced with a completely blank slate. This is a missed opportunity to educate the user on what Yaks are, or how to be the first to create one in his area.