Strollevu – My Social Networking App for Parents

Strollevu is a mobile app designed to help parents build connections and organize spontaneous local events, such as playground meetups, in their area. Tailored for parents with children from infancy to preschool age, the app’s strong focus on local networking makes it especially valuable for expats.

Project Scope & Background

I have developed a startup idea alongside Mia Palme (Marketing & Product Manager), handling all aspects of product design, branding, project management and business planning.

The app idea was born out of my personal need to connect with other parents while adjusting to life as a new mom in a foreign city.

Challenges

Prioritizing tasks for a vast, multi-faceted project and balancing personal involvement with strategic decision-making.

Design Process

User Research:
Conducted interviews with new moms to understand how their social lives had changed post-birth and identified unmet needs.

“It might sound counterintuitive, but I feel like I know more people now. Having a child opens certain doors with people that weren’t there before.”

”The only thing I am missing is doing things without planning, doing things one feels like to.”

Key findings:

- Moms form deep connections with other parents, and most of their social network is centered around fellow moms.
- They carefully plan meetups, as organizing and attending gatherings requires significant effort, and cancellations are common.
- What they miss most are spontaneous leisure activities and the carefree nature of pre-parenthood socializing.
- Moms spend time outdoors with their kids every day, regardless of the weather.

Ideation:
Used various ideation methods to design a product aimed at improving social support for parents.

Pitch & Feedback:
Pitched the idea to personal contacts, receiving feedback that led to refinements and securing Mia as a project partner.

Competitor Analysis:
Conducted a market analysis with Mia to identify competitors and potential opportunities.

Feature Documentation:
Outlined the app’s core features and technical details, exploring potential tools for implementation.

Funding Ideas:
Brainstormed and explored funding sources such as community funding, competitions, and venture capital.

Branding Workshop:
Worked with Mia to develop the brand positioning, including core messaging and app identity.

Brand Style Guide:
Designed the logo and developed a cohesive brand identity with defined colors and fonts.

Wireframing & Prototyping:
Created low-fidelity wireframes to visualize app functionality, refining the designs through weekly team calls.

UI Design:
Transformed wireframes and branding into a unique and intuitive user interface

Market Research Workshop:
Created a research plan with Mia including a market survey to gather insights on potential users and testing prototypes at family centers in Munich to gather feedback from parents on the spot.

Takeaways

Design Is Just the Start. A well-crafted app is only part of the equation; securing funding and market success requires deep understanding of user needs and market trends. Engaging with users through interviews and workshops provided invaluable insights that shaped our product’s features.

Co-founded and designed a networking mobile app for parents, from idea conception to MVP

Excited to work together?gabi.karacsonyi@gmail.com