The First Grand Gravity Report :
Gravity, cutting across DIMENSION
tripleS is one but also many. tripleS’ DIMENSION is generated, grown, and mixed to create independent groups. Gravity is the force that arises out of fans’ participation.
tripleS is a K-Pop girl group with 24 members. Each S, or member of the group, will be performing as a solo, as various subunits, or as a team. At Modhaus we’ve termed each unit as DIMENSION. Each DIMENSION’s composition is determined through Gravity, or votes by our fans.
Last autumn, the highly anticipated first Grand Gravity was held. Our team worked day and night to prepare for the first vote that was held on COSMO, tripleS’ mobile application.
This article is about the first Gravity and hopes to provide a closer look at the behind-the-scenes.
*Gravity is not limited to the creation of Dimension but includes other votes such as Event Gravity.
The Governance System of Modhaus
Modhaus created a fan-participatory governance system using blockchain technology. Fans of the tripleS community get to decide the direction of tripleS by collecting Objekts (photocard NFT) and acquiring at least 1 COMO(governance token). Blockchain technology allows anyone to transparently see the results of the Gravity, the amount of Objekts and COMO that have been minted, as well as the number of holders in real-time.
So far, 260,919 tripleS Objekts have been acquired by 30,172 holders.
Statistics regarding both the total number of Objekts and their holders are being updated on daily basis. Check this Dune Analytics page if you’re further interested.
The Birth of Gravity
The very first Grand Gravity was held last September from the 21st to the 25th. This Gravity determined tripleS’ first DIMENSION: Acid Angel from Asia, +(KR)ystal Eyes.
Over the 4-day period, fans selected members for each subunit based on the different charms each S holds. Anyone with COMO could participate in the voting process and one fan used 573 COMO during the Gravity period!
A grand total of 10,774 COMO was used and 4,428 transactions were made. From the hands of our fans, Acid Angel from Asia and +(KR)ystal Eyes were born.
Fans interacted with each other during the voting process about who was the right fit for each unit. After the debut of AAA and the unveiling of “Generation”, fans expressed their pride in seeing the members well reflecting the concept.
In K-Pop the voting system isn’t a brand new concept, but creating a group on the blockchain is unprecedented. Just how did Modhaus come about devising this intricate Gravity system? Let’s take a deeper look at the members of the Product team: Chelsea (PO), Mean(Designer), Jude(Developer), HyoJun(Developer).
1. COSMO is an app where K-Pop meets blockchain! What did you consider most when designing the app?
Chelsea : As a developer, the most meaningful moment is when I see certain technology dissolved into people’s lives without them needing to fully understand its technological principle. I knew that blockchain would be a barrier for the average user because it is a field. This was because at first, I thought blockchain was something that seemed unfamiliar, difficult, or something closely related to finance.
So when I first started working on COSMO, my main concern was, “How to unravel and dissolve the barriers people feel when first encountering blockchain technology. ” I prioritized a seamless user experience and tried to reflect the unique worldview of tripleS. I thought that anyone could enjoy the app naturally if I could do that.
I would like to continue to build COSMO that more users can easily enjoy with these ideas as the cornerstone.
Mean : We wanted to change the perception that blockchain is difficult or just a means for investment. The so-called tokens and investment concepts are only a small part of the blockchain, so we tried to incorporate blockchain technology into our app without using so-called blockchain terms.
We still have a lot to work on in terms of usability and functionality, but we’ll get there.
2. The process of planning, designing, and developing an app from scratch must have been challenging. Were there any particular challenges or pain points you faced?
Chelsea : Working at Modhaus, I always have to remind myself that COSMO isn’t the only product. It’s an app that is only meaningful when intertwined with our artists and content, so we have to ensure that we’re delivering the right features at the right time through the right update. It’s a race against time, but it’s also a race against quality, so we are always in an emergency.
So, to say that I am in charge of the A-Z of the product, I think there has always been a sense of regret since the launch. I know that we need to make a lot of things faster while satisfying the needs of the fans, so I am always sorry and grateful to our fans. I’m always listening to the feedback and am so grateful to all the users who are patient even if something doesn’t work in the app.
Mean : Inevitably, we have a tight schedule because we have to meet the needs of the artist’s narrative and the fans. The fast-moving nature of entertainment requires an immediate response, and at times like this, as a designer, sometimes I have to move on even if it isn’t perfect.
It’s always unfortunate that we have to release features with regret, but we always try to do our best within the given time frame.
Jude : It was my first experience developing for an entertainment company, and there were a lot of edge cases when combining web2 and web 3. So, it wasn’t easy to smooth them out. Also, our initial development focused on making the service as appealing as possible to K-Pop fans.
HyoJun : Our service was unprecedented, as most K-Pop entertainment applications focus on communication, while we focused on collection and participation. So, there were a lot of worries about how to design the service structure and user experience.
When we released the app, despite the small number of users in the early stage, the traffic was huge due to the enthusiastic fans, so there were a lot of minor bugs. It might be a happy scream, but the process of creating a system that could withstand that traffic was not easy.
3. Since the Grand Gravity, you’ve already had another Gravity, Event Gravities, and will continue to have various gravities in the future. What would you like to improve more?
Chelsea : We haven’t held a new Gravity yet after the first two, so the experience of Gravity might be new to some of the so-called ‘newbies’. We know that our existing fans are also waiting for another Gravity.
Gravity is the centerpiece of the fan engagement system we strive for at Modhaus. We believe that we need to increase the opportunities for fans to participate in a wider variety of topics, so our first priority is to modularize the gravity feature itself and create a structure that can accommodate a wider variety of content and be operationalized quickly. Once this feature is revamped, we expect to be able to open up a variety of gravities more frequently so that we can hear the voices of our fans and incorporate them into our artists’ activities.
Mean : We’d love to have more diverse gravities on a regular basis so that fans can take pride in producing our artists.
4. What new features are you planning for fans throughout 2023? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Chelsea : The closest thing we have to an update is push notifications. We’ve had a lot of users complain that they don’t have a way to know when they’ve received news or objects in COSMO, so we’re going to make it easier for them.
The next update is a major overhaul of the Gravity tab to open more different Gravities, as mentioned above. Also, we’re also considering updates based on our recent Discord AMA, FGI, and the various opinions and ideas that fans have given us.
Mean : As a continuation of the previous point, we’re going to be hosting some pretty crazy Gravities. We’ll also be rolling out some features like notifications and voting history.
5. Coming back to the fundamental question, why does Modhaus want to create a system where fans can participate directly?
Mean : I think K-Pop has evolved in different ways over the generations. In the very early stages, fans could only just watch their favorite artists but as we enter the modern era of social media, they are now self-promoting their favorite artists and reproducing secondary creations such as short-form content. At Modhaus, we want to take this to the next level, where fans are taking part in producing artists themselves.
We believe in the synergy they can bring as creators, not just reproducers. From this perspective, I think the keyword “decentralization” is very appropriate, and I think the popularization of Web3 will probably start with one of the strongest communities in the world, “K-Pop fandom”.
[Epilogue] The first DIMENSION : Acid Angel from Asia
The first DIMENSION created via the first Grand Gravity was ‘Acid Angel from Asia (tripleS AAA).’ tripleS AAA consists of 4 members HyeRin Jeong, YooYeon Kim, NaKyoung Kim, and YuBin Gong. The four S debuted on October 28th, 2022 with their album <ACCESS>.
<ACCESS> showcased 6 tracks and received avid reviews from the global audience with their unique taste. The following image shows the illustrious achievements of tripleS AAA!
The S who took part in the album <ACCESS> shared the following comments when asked about their debut experience.
HyeRin Jeong : The AAA debut created unforgettable memories with the other S. I learned a lot through this experience and am very thankful for this opportunity.
YooYeon Kim : Working on the <ACCESS> album and Generation was exciting as it is the first piece of work tripleS released. During the preparation process, it was especially refreshing that we’re doing a concept that was decided by our fans. As we wrap up the AAA performance, I’m looking forward to what new DIMENSIONs will be created in the future.
NaKyoung Kim : I definitely learned a lot from the AAA debut. If we get the chance in the future, I want to work with the S of AAA again for another album.
YuBin Gong : Through Gravity, a fan-participatory structure, our first DIMENSION AAA was created. Even though it was our first DIMENSION, we were blessed with so much love and attention from our fans. I feel very grateful.
Jaden Jeong, the CEO of Modhaus, made the following comment regarding <ACCESS>. “Generation was especially meaningful as it was the first DIMENSION of tripleS introduced to the public. With <ACCESS>, we wished to capture a generation that is more familiar with short-form content than long-form content.”
This upcoming February 13th! tripleS’ <ASSEMBLE> album will finally be unveiled. Please look forward to the 10 member DIMENSION and Pre-Con headed your way!
Written by YeonJoo & JeeWon
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About Modhaus
Modhaus is a Web3 project aiming to promote Korean Pop culture via blockchain technology. The company brings fans closer to creators by putting them at the center of the experience. Modhaus seeks to include fans across major stages of production using NFT-powered governance mechanisms.
About tripleS
tripleS is a 24 member K-Pop girl group that uses blockchain technology to enable fans to control various elements of the experience. The fan community has voted to create two subunits of tripleS as well as selecting the main song for the upcoming album <ASSEMBLE> to be released Feb 13th, via blockchain voting mechanism.
