dripdrop

A mental fitness app for families

dripdrop was a mental fitness app for families that used a barter system to encourage mental fitness in tweens. Tweens levelled up their resiliency by completing real world activities or in-app video lessons in exchange for things they wanted, like quality time with dad or an hour of gaming time.  

The Challenge: Early usage showed strong intent: kids were initiating trades frequently. But these proposed trades went unanswered by parents, so kids' motivation dropped off and trades stagnated.

The Teaser: By using this one weird UX trick, we were able to introduce a solution that re-engaged families and doubled the number of trades.

Doubling engagement through an SMS intervention

I had the pleasure of being the Principal Product Designer at dripdrop for over two years, working on a scrappy team of eight. I collaborated most closely with the PM, 2 engineers, and the Senior UI Designer who reported to me.

This case study focuses on a key challenge that significantly impacted the app’s viability.

Snapshot:

  1. Problem: Kids were proposing trades, but parents weren't responding.
  2. Insight: User interviews revealed that parents often didn’t know a trade had been initiated. They were busy, on-the-go, and didn't check the app frequently.
  3. Tech Constraint: Push notifications had been ruled out, as it would require families to download and install the web app on their home screen.
  4. Decision: I secured buy-in to introduce an SMS-based communication system, then mapped the end-to-end communication flows and explored UI solutions with my Senior Designer.
  5. Testing: In addition to standard usability testing, we stress-tested SMS interactions during onboarding with subsequent test families.
  6. Shipped: In response to strong test results, we reshaped the roadmap to fast-track an expanded messaging system. This gave parents a seamless way to accept trades, review proof and release rewards outside the app.‍
  7. Outcome: Doubled user engagement, including trading activity.
My Role
Principal Product Designer
Position
Full-Time Employee
Seed Startup
B2C, 2-sided (kids and parents)

AWARDS & PRESS

Initially, tweens sent proposed trades to their parents using the in-app messaging system

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Adding SMS-enabled trades doubled the trading activity

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SMS communication was also added to our guided onboarding process

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It worked! I had tried unsuccessfully for 3 weeks to get my daughter riding her bike. I knew she would feel better if she got outside and moving. I approved her trade on my phone while I was mowing the lawn. She chose riding her bike for quality time with dad. Within minutes, she skipped out of the house smiling saying "I'm going to go ride my bike!" I am so grateful.

— Jim Mondry, girl dad
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