Obscuro
Obscuro
As part of a social matching project in the bachelor’s program Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA), a social connection app was designed for individuals with similar interests. The app, called Obscuro, was created for those who enjoy sharing bizarre, fringe and peculiar stories. Inspired by the passion of a fellow student who represented the target demographic, the app was developed to connect people with a shared interest in the weird and unusual.
Obscuro encourages users to share their stories and experiences, incorporating gamification features that reward achievements. It offers a platform where those with a love for the obscure can connect and engage with others who share similar interests.
Share and connect
A key feature of Obscuro was its location-based feed, which displayed stories saved by users in the same geographical area. This feature enabled users to explore weird and unusual stories within their local community and connect with others who shared similar interests.
Points and achievements were awarded when users encountered someone who had saved a particular story while socializing, a common trait within the target demographic. This feature encouraged engagement with the app and interaction within the community. The gamified element added an interactive and enjoyable layer to the user experience.
The local story feed was integral to the app, as it allowed users to discover unique, intriguing stories in their area while fostering a sense of community through its rewarding gamification features.
Screens/DEmo
In addition to its location-based socializing feature, the app offered a platform where users could share and organize links to bizarre stories found across the internet. These stories were curated into a unique, dynamic news feed, allowing users to discover new content based on their interests. The app was designed to foster a community of fringe story enthusiasts by enabling them to categorize and share stories from various sources such as blogs, social media sites, and online forums. By offering a space where users could engage with odd and unusual content, the app encouraged a sense of belonging among users with similar passions. This platform allowed them to contribute to an ever-growing collection of peculiar stories while enjoying the added element of gamification, which further enhanced the community-building experience and made the process of sharing and exploring these stories more interactive and fun.
