Apptisan #005 — Happus
Happus is an app for building happy and healthy relationship. It offers a science-based approach for improving couples relationships.
Name: Happus
Developer / Team: Regina Dan
Platforms: iOS, visionOS
Read this newsletter issue in Chinese (中文) .
Please describe your product.
Happus is your guide for building happy and healthy relationships and even improving your marriage. Relationship tracker, couple quizzes, conversation starters, facts, tips, games, and even date ideas — everything to make you a happier couple. The game-changing part is that it’s all based on science and research and it offers a unique framework for becoming a happier couple and understanding couple happiness.
Was there a pivotal moment that inspired your product’s creation?
Back then, when I had an office job, my partner and I were usually too worn out after work to do anything fun, except for watching TV or playing video games. To make things more enjoyable, we started planning cool activities ahead of time. We basically started to plan our work around our lives, not the life around the work. When I was thinking of ideas for my first app, it hit me that turning this into an app could be awesome. After some research, I saw a gap in the market for it. And that’s how I thought of Happus – a guide to keeping a happy relationship!
What makes your product unique compared to others in the market?
The main thing is the scientific yet fun framework behind all the content. It’s not just conversation starters, quizzes, and date ideas. They are all designed to stimulate one of four happiness hormones: dopamine, endorphin, serotonin, and oxytocin. It means everything you do on the app is tailored to make you a happier couple, not just because the content is cute (it’s also cute though), but because it’s really helpful and it teaches you about happiness and relationships, but not in a boring or judgmental way.
Another thing is the quality and the amount of attention paid to the content. After tons of research, I haven’t found any relationship app with such fun and creative date ideas that were so well thought through and so well described as they are in Happus. I believe that’s because the content in Happus has a personal touch, as I created the solution for the problem I experienced myself.
How have you marketed your product, and what key lessons have you learned?
I mainly rely on organic growth and ASO (App Store Optimization). It’s really difficult to contact the press, specialists (couple therapists in my case), or communities to help with promotion when the app is small. Plus I genuinely do not believe that paying an influencer for them to say you need to treat your partner better and spend quality time with them is just not right. I am sure that I need to focus on the quality of the product and show it in places motivated people are looking for it. Some time will pass, people will love the app and then the word of mouth will help me. And prom that point it will be easier to contact different people and organizations and ask them to help with the promotion.
What has been some memorable feedback since your product’s release?
After doing a couple of usability testing sessions, it was obvious that there’s too much content in the app and that users need some kind of guidance to understand what they need to try out first to get the best experience. So the idea of daily and weekly missions came up, and after they were implemented, user retention actually improved.
Are there any products out there that you feel deserve more recognition?
It took me some time to come up with the answer. I’ll go with Grammarly. I love how they solve the problem everyone faces multiple times a day and how they offer different products and solutions, and they met ChatGPT and AI boom gracefully.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you envision for the future.
I’m Gina, I have a lot of experience in product management, and I quit my job to start my own business. You can follow my personal journey on X (formerly Twitter) as @leftphilangie. Currently I have 3 published apps, all of them are designed to make the life easier or happier in some way. For example, Timus helps you manage your time better and Visus helps you create goals and achieve them. You can learn more about the apps on the website happus.co In the future, my goal is to create more useful apps and help more people and organizations (while living a happy and healthy life, of course!)
If someone, inspired by your path, is contemplating leaving their current employment to pursue a career as an indie creator, what guidance would you offer?
Have savings to cover living expenses for at least a year (aim for 2-3 years for extra security) without earning any money but with added expenses
Create a comfortable workspace and live a healthy lifestyle, including work-life balance
Validate your ideas before building a product
Keep searching for new ideas to make your product and business better
Adapt and Iterate as fast and as often as you can
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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