WHAT IT DOES
StoryGrove is a concept Facebook application that allows users to connect with close friends and family around the stories that they share in common. The application has a unique interface in which groups and stories are visually represented by a magical natural environment. As more groups are created and more stories are shared, the environment grows richer and larger.
BASED ON INSIGHTS
StoryGrove was a response to two trends that were happening on Facebook at the time of its creation (Spring of 2010):
First, users were starting to get "Facebook fatigue." They were beginning to question how valuable it was to be connected to hundreds of other people, many of whom they were not "real" friends with in real life. We wanted to offer an alternative: a way to instead tap into the strong connections that people have with their close friends and families. Our research indicated that focusing on shared stories was a good way to do that.
Second, users were flocking to new, heavily visual social games on Facebook, especially Farmville. These visual interfaces were a playful change from the then text-heavy interfaces of most social networks.
Our concept was to create an application that responded to both of these trends to create a new and better Facebook experience.
MY ROLE
I was part of a small team that developed the concept of StoryGrove and then fleshed out that concept to the point where it could be pitched to potential investors. I was deeply involved in all phases of the project, including research, ideation, user experience design, visual design, and development of the pitch script and deck.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
StoryGrove was developed in in the Spring of 2010. Since then, several popular products have emerged that capitalize on similar ideas of creating smaller, more intimate social networks, including Path, Google+, and Diaspora. Facebook itself has begun to move toward recognizing smaller groups within a user's list of friends. Zynga, the company that develops graphics-heavy Facebook applications like Farmville, has become one of the most successful companies on the web.
StoryGrove is a concept Facebook application that allows users to connect with close friends and family around the stories that they share in common. The application has a unique interface in which groups and stories are visually represented by a magical natural environment. As more groups are created and more stories are shared, the environment grows richer and larger.
BASED ON INSIGHTS
StoryGrove was a response to two trends that were happening on Facebook at the time of its creation (Spring of 2010):
First, users were starting to get "Facebook fatigue." They were beginning to question how valuable it was to be connected to hundreds of other people, many of whom they were not "real" friends with in real life. We wanted to offer an alternative: a way to instead tap into the strong connections that people have with their close friends and families. Our research indicated that focusing on shared stories was a good way to do that.
Second, users were flocking to new, heavily visual social games on Facebook, especially Farmville. These visual interfaces were a playful change from the then text-heavy interfaces of most social networks.
Our concept was to create an application that responded to both of these trends to create a new and better Facebook experience.
MY ROLE
I was part of a small team that developed the concept of StoryGrove and then fleshed out that concept to the point where it could be pitched to potential investors. I was deeply involved in all phases of the project, including research, ideation, user experience design, visual design, and development of the pitch script and deck.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
StoryGrove was developed in in the Spring of 2010. Since then, several popular products have emerged that capitalize on similar ideas of creating smaller, more intimate social networks, including Path, Google+, and Diaspora. Facebook itself has begun to move toward recognizing smaller groups within a user's list of friends. Zynga, the company that develops graphics-heavy Facebook applications like Farmville, has become one of the most successful companies on the web.
