TimelyAI (startup) was developing a mobile app MVP (Chrone) to help US gig workers in time-based businesses grow their customer base with better scheduling, social media, and acquisition tools.
After pivoting from the initial product strategy to completely redefining it based on extensive user research, we launched a beta version with about 250 US users to gather real-world data and find product-market fit.
Chrone App: Helping Gig Beauticians Grow their Business with Improved Engagement
Overview
TimelyAI was a startup tackling a significant challenge for the rapidly growing gig economy: how can independent professionals efficiently manage and grow their businesses? Our focus was on developing a mobile app MVP specifically designed for gig workers in the beauty, fitness, and pet care industries across the United States. These professionals, often juggling multiple clients and schedules, struggle with streamlined calendar management, effective social media engagement, and consistent customer acquisition. TimelyAI aimed to address these pain points by offering a comprehensive platform that integrated smart calendar sharing across relevant channels, simplified social media management, and provided tools to attract and retain customers.
Pivoting to Success: How User Research Rescued TimelyAI
Before I joined the team, TimelyAI's strategy focused on a unified communication platform, aiming to centralise client interactions from various social media channels like Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Google Business, and WhatsApp Business. The initial messaging emphasised time-saving and efficiency:
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"From your Facebook to iMessage till Instagram and Google, build a central inbox for your business that allows you to accelerate your rate of closure and 2x your free time."
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"Based on our intelligence, save 100hrs of your business efforts"
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"Here’s how you can do it: Link your messaging apps now to start chatting from one place, hassle-free.Schedule appointments on the go while chatting with your clients."
The team had built a prototype and I began the project by testing it with potential users. As the user interviews progressed, we discovered a disconnect between the proposed PoC and their actual needs. While a unified inbox offered some appeal, users were grappling with more fundamental challenges that weren't being addressed by existing products in the US like Squarespace, Vagaro, Mangomint, etc. This realization prompted a crucial pivot.
We embarked on an even more comprehensive user research journey, utilising design sprints, in-depth interviews, community building, and A/B testing to truly understand our target audience. This process unearthed critical insights and revealed unmet needs that ultimately reshaped our product strategy. We shifted our focus from communication consolidation to a more holistic approach, addressing core pain points around scheduling, social media management, and customer acquisition.
This user-centric approach led to the development of a beta version of the TimelyAI app, designed to provide real value to gig professionals in the beauty, fitness, and pet care industries. By prioritizing user needs and validating our assumptions through rigorous research, we were confident that TimelyAI was poised to deliver a truly impactful solution and achieve product-market fit.