Pic-A-Boo
2023We designed Pic-A-Boo, a mobile-first app for choosing photos with help from friends. Users create a poll, share the link, and friends vote in under a minute, with no account and no friction.
The challenge
When someone wants to choose a photo, they do it through WhatsApp, Instagram, or group chats: they send multiple images, get scattered replies, and have to manually compare opinions. The problem isn't a lack of channels. It's that none of them were designed to make a decision.
Our approach
Five decisions defined the product: mobile-first because photo selection happens from the phone; no account required for voters because friction kills participation; 72-hour expiration because photo decisions are urgent, not permanent; a limit of 10 polls per month to validate casual use before monetizing; and a question attached to each poll for context: "which looks more professional?" tells you more than just knowing which photo won.
What we built
Mobile photo upload flow. Poll creation with a custom question. Shareable link. No-account voting experience: voters only enter their name. Per-photo comment concept. Automatic 72-hour expiration. MVP structure with a limit of 10 polls per month.
Voting without an account
The invited friend opens the link, sees who invited them, and starts voting. No sign-up, no download. Every second of friction before the first vote is lost participation, so the flow removes it entirely.
Results with context
A votation does not end in a ranking. Each photo shows who picked it and what they said, and the creator sees the winner with the reasoning behind it. Knowing why a photo won is worth more than knowing which one did.
A defined MVP with focused scope: a temporary, social decision tool, not a photo platform. The 72-hour constraint and poll limit allow validation of real behavior before scaling.