Apptisan #011 — Over
Over helps you start by capturing curiosity. You can use the built-in camera to capture curiosity during travel, or screenshot and drag to import.
Name: Over
Developer / Team: Mingn Studio
Platform: iOS
Read this newsletter issue in Chinese (中文) .
Please describe your product.
Over is a product designed to assist in capitalizing on your curiosities. You can use the built-in camera to capture intriguing items during your journey, or drag and drop to import after screenshotting. Afterward, using emoji, you can conveniently categorize and find materials, previously scattered across different timelines in your gallery, and archive them with a simple long-press. In summary, Over presents itself as a space exclusively meant for exploring one’s curiosity.
Was there a pivotal moment that inspired your product’s creation?
I believe that every application within a system deserves reconsideration for improvement, including camera, photos, calendar, task list apps - there are myriads of uncharted territories within them. Personally, I felt several challenges when using galleries: throughout travels, I like to document inspiring elements, be it a poster or a receipt. However, I found it difficult to organize and synthesize this data into a desktop-bound inspiration library due to the myriad types of pictures in my gallery. I also frequently use screenshots to note down tasks online, like indicating a book that I wish to read or a procured product design, but these tasks end up getting lost within the normal gallery.
Considering these challenges led me to believe in the need for a separate space dedicated to cataloging curiosities stemming from both the digital and the physical world, separate from the regular gallery. This dedicated space would act as a canvas for users’ curiosities, where they can conveniently register both their digital and physical worlds’ curiosities for exploration.
What makes your product unique compared to others in the market?
The unique characteristics, distinguishing our app from other applications geared towards exploring curiosity, can be encapsulated in these points:
Ease of import and exploration: Users can directly utilize the built-in camera or gallery to document their daily curiosities, with the option of seamlessly importing screenshots from other applications using the drag and drop feature.
Entirely offline: Users can sort images without the need for an internet connection, facilitating an unhindered exploration and retrieval process.
Refined, simple design: We have created an app with an extremely user-friendly design, complemented by gesture guides to assist in understanding its fundamental usage.
One-time purchase: While most applications lean towards a subscription model, we provide users the option of a lifetime access with a single purchase.
How have you marketed your product, and what key lessons have you learned?
Mingn Studio is dedicated to reaching a global audience, and to that end, we have initiated our first promotional wave through platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and the popular Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu. In this process, we have set in motion several promotional topics.
What has been some memorable feedback since your product’s release?
Actually, we did not receive much user feedback during the development stage, since we were primarily focused on moving in the direction we thought was good. However, post-launch, we have received considerable feedback, with many users expressing uncertainty about how to use the product upon their initial use. This has highlighted a critical area for improvement. In future iterations, we need to introduce and demonstrate potential usage scenarios to the users during the onboarding process.
Are there any products out there that you feel deserve more recognition?
I’d like to mention a few notable ones that reside on my home screen:
Xiaoyuzhou: Gain knowledge across various domains during spare time.
WeChat Reading: The process of reading often bestows unexpected insights.
flomo: I appreciate its ethos which lies in its simplicity yet functionality.
Arc Search: It stands out as one of the few contemporary applications that offers an impressively seamless user experience.
In your everyday life, are there any products that significantly contribute to your happiness?
Well, one would definitely be my computer monitor. At home, I have a 34-inch ultra-wide curved screen for remote work, and in the office, two 27-inch screens - one in landscape and the other in portrait mode - which I can select from depending on my needs, whether it’s for browsing websites or working on design tasks.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you envision for the future.
I am presently employed as a product designer at Nothing.Tech, with my prior experience at WeChat. Over is my first project outside of the company. In the future, I, along with my teamwork-driven colleagues, plan to steadfastly operate Mingn Studio, aspiring to innovate more captivating products.
My family member, Danny, served as the primary designer on this project, and we invested many late night hours to ensure that the design met our high standard of quality. Cheney, our proficient full-stack developer, managed to complete the project with us, despite juggling his regular work assignments, which was indeed a challenging feat. Tan, the creative mind behind our captivating splash screen video, played a crucial role in crafting the enthralling, wow-factor effect for users upon their initial app engagement. His contribution is greatly appreciated.
About Apptisan
Apptisan is a portmanteau of “application” and “artisan”, signifying “a weekly exploration into the world of apps and the passionate artisans who create them.” Each issue is a conversation with global creators, aiming to uncover and present intriguing products to a wider audience.
For those who prefer Chinese, you can subscribe via Quail. Creators interested in featuring their products are encouraged to submit them through our form, and we’ll be in touch promptly.
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