“Showing off is literally the driving force behind everything. Physical and digital.”
The Importance Of Showing Off
A few months ago we started a conversation with some of our first and best customers. We asked questions like: why do you use Quidd? Why do you collect rare stuff? Do you do this in the real world, too? Well, we learned a lot. Too much to share in a single blog post.
One quote however, the quote above, stands out.
It came from a veteran digital collector, someone that we turn to from time-to-time for inspiration and guidance on the Quidd experience. The comment was in response to a particular question: “what do you want to do with your stuff?”
The response was so insightful — so direct — that we want to unpack it here, particularly in the context of a new feature we’re about to share with the world.
“literally the driving force behind everything…”
Showing off — curating your collection; displaying your items; decorating to express your relationship to the items; using the display as a magnet to meet new people, create conversations, and garner reactions; and ultimately, enabling your display to function as an extension and expression of your identity — is not trivial or insignificant. As the comment makes clear, it is “literally the driving force behind everything.”
The. Driving. Force. Behind. Everything.
It’s strong language, but it’s not hyperbole.
We at Quidd so love this language. It is perhaps why you would choose to chase, collect, and own these rare digital goods to begin with.
But, the engine that powers you to want to own and interact with these items cannot be built as a bolted-on feature. In short, it’s important.
“Physical and digital.”
Showing off isn’t something that only lives online, in our digital lives.
The act of displaying stuff you love happens all the time, all around us. You can find it everywhere. It’s on the shelves and walls of your bedrooms. In your locker at school, or on your backpack as you walk through the halls. At your desk at your first job. And this is just a shortlist of the physical spaces and places that house our displays. There are plenty more.
At Quidd, we find inspiration from the physical world, particularly the constraints and rights and privileges that exist when you own something rare IRL.
To that end, it not only felt natural to build a significant new feature that would recreate real-world behavior, it also felt like the start of a mission.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be introducing you to Shelfies on iOS.
Shelfies are the first bold step we are taking towards enabling people to construct and project their one-of-a-kind identities through the collection and display of expressive, limited-edition digital items. That’s a bit of a mouthful so, TLDR, have fun expressing your unique self.
Introducing Shelfies
First, let’s start with the name. Shelfies combine the digital expressive elements of a selfie with the real-world behavior of displaying and decorating your favorite physical objects on a shelf.
The new feature draws its influence from physical collecting. In particular, the Shelfies concept was derived from observing and deconstructing the way that young fans like to curate, display, and show-off their most prized possessions from their real-world collections. Whether on a shelf in your bedroom, in your locker at school, or in the cubicle at your first job, the act of displaying and showing off is a significant and natural part of collecting. In fact, it is deeper than that: it is about constructing and projecting your identity to connect with like-minded fans.
What Changes To Expect With Shelfies
When Shelfies launches in a few weeks, first on iOS then on Android, you’ll notice some broader changes to the app. In particular:
- Shelfies replaces Showcase: the Showcase feature, used to create memes, collages, and more to share with your friends on Quidd, will be rolled into Shelfies. If you created a Showcase in the past, they will remain associated with your Profile, but with the release of Shelfies, you will no longer be able to create Showcases.
- Feed goes public: with the launch of Shelfies, the Feed — the leftmost button on the app tab bar — will open up to the public. Friends on Quidd will be able to view the Shelfies you make on your Profile, but each Shelfie will be opened up and shared with the broader Quidd community. The Feed will be like an open public gallery with millions of limited-edition items on display.
- Trading moved to Feed: exchanging items between customers on Quidd is an essential part of the service and the experience. But to make room for Shelfies, the main Trading feed is moving to, well, the Feed, and accessible via a button on the top-right. We encourage our customers not to read into the repositioning of Trading as the start of the deprecation of the feature. Quite the opposite. The team has a long list of improvements, small and big, to make your Trading experience far better in the future. Stay tuned.
What You Can Do Today
In short: help us make this feature amazing!
If you’re on iOS, we encourage you to submit your username and email address to become part of our Shelfies Public Beta. Besides being on iOS, the only other requirement is that you make and provide feedback on lots and lots of Shelfies.
You can become a candidate by emailing shelfies@myquidd.com and be sure to include your email and username.
Not everyone that applies will be selected in part because we’re looking for a diverse audience of customers. Like the items in a Quidd collection, each person on Quidd is unique and one-of-a-kind, and it’s important that we tap into you, the customer, to make this great.
As always, thanks for being a part of Quidd!
