Yo’s all around the world
Thoughts on an app that sparked a frenzy with the send of a 70-year old word.
When I first downloaded Yo, I was honestly confused. And not because the app wasn’t simple enough. It was, in fact, too simple. I didn’t know what to make of it, but before I could formulate an opinion without the injection of others, I stupidly opened twitter and there it was — the stampede. My feed was flooded with both hilarity and hate, and once I saw that, I knew the app was on to something.
I analyzed the tweets and conversations surrounding the app a bit, and continued using the app some more. Majority of the what I saw from people, including myself, was talks of how stupid the app was. And honestly, I was one of them.
At one point, I tweeted:
Even those who found it to be incredibly stupid, were continuing to use it though. It was sticky. And as I tweeted that, it hit me. I realized the few reasons for this app’s “success”:
It’s simple and sticky.
If you think about it, the app has a nostalgic feel to it and several parallels with the game “Tag” you used to play when you were younger. With a tap and the scream of the word, you would race back and forth repeatedly with friends in an endless game that inevitably resulted in laughter every time. Unless you were a soreloser…
Nonetheless, the similarities are clear. They’re both simple, fast paced and fun enough to make it the default game played between friends.
It’s easy to understand.
From a design standpoint, it’s a very basic “MLP” (Minimum Lovable Product — Because viable is a very mechanical word in a space that needs more empathy— but that’s for another post). Does it solve a world-changing problem? No. Is it meaningful? Depends on how you define “meaningful”.
But, is it simple and incredibly easy to understand and use? Absolutely.
It does what it intended.
From not only a product, but a communication standpoint in general, that’s huge. Apps like TapTalk, Slingshot, and more, have been praised lately for their ease of use and fun experience(s) in the communication space and now “Yo” is adding itself to the list.
Sending a “Yo” is literally all it does (for now). With it’s straightforward signup, onboarding, and communication, the app ensures you’re never lost. Now things like recovering a username/password after deleting and redownloading the app are a little wonky still. Nonetheless though, it’s simplicity leaves room for so much potential.
As the exchange of missiles between Israeli and Hamas intensifies, Israeli programmers have created an update for the Yo mobile app that alerts users when a rocket strike is imminent. — James Vincent, The Independent
Maybe this will go nowhere or, alternatively, maybe it’s very basic and easy-to-understand communication will open up doors for integration, and end up being a world-changing communication tool.
Nobody knows what the future holds for the product — especially in this industry. But if nothing else, it’s fun. And to be completely honest, that is something that seems to be lost these days — the understanding that “meaningful product” means something different to everyone. And maybe to some, fun is meaningful. At the end of the day, there is a “games” category for a reason, and if we find nothing else but entertainment from the app, as an excuse to take a few seconds away from the day-to-day chaos, then Yo...
What do you think about the app? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter @imcatnoone!
Photo Credit: Fast Company
AppFigures listed some funny reviews from the App Store for Yo: Check it out
