hello@luther.studio
The global opinion network
Appinio's consumer app takes a gamified, community-first approach to survey answering. A highly engaged global panel of more than 30k daily-active users powers real-time market insights for leading brands across the globe.
As the product designer in charge, I revamped the entire app interface and experience, infused the app with motion design and established a proper design system. Based on user feedback and our tracking layer, I shaped the apps vision and roadmap, designed hundreds of new features and A/B tests.
Appinio's community brings people together worldwide to share honest opinions on trending topics. Users create and engage with polls, connect through comments and reactions, and enjoy a playful, social experience. By combining gamification, social status, and monetary rewards, the Community became a powerful engine for long-term retention – setting Appinio apart from typical survey apps that often struggle with high user churn.
Profile personalization evolves with each user – from their first poll to becoming a recognized community influencer. As users gain followers through great content, climb the ranks, and level up, they build visibility and social status. Data from dozens of A/B tests shows that the more effort users invest in their profile, the stronger their long-term retention.
Alongside the habit-forming Daily Bonus, users earn Appinio coins by completing surveys. Their quality score adjusts based on responses – rewarding top performance with perks like early payouts or applying penalties like timeouts and bans. This carrot-and-stick system ensures industry-leading data quality, while fun, rewarding motion design drives above-average survey conversion rates. Dozens of survey question types – simple to complex, quantitative to qualitative – are designed for optimal UX across mobile, desktop, and web platforms.
Through strategically timed nudges and value-focused communication, the Appinio app achieved notification opt-in rates far above industry benchmarks. These timely, value-driven notifications keep users engaged and help them avoid missing earning opportunities. Combined with always-visible home screen widgets, they create daily touch points that boost retention and drive organic reactivation.
The old referral system caused bugs, failed invites, and support issues – offering only a one-time reward with no retention value. I redesigned it to use reliable ref-codes, which cut technical issues and support volume. Sharing is easier, and new users get their welcome bonus via an exciting lucky wheel mechanic. For every survey a referred user completes, the inviter earns 10% – a lasting incentive that adds up over time. The redesign boosted organic growth, improved retention for both inviter and invited user, and lowered acquisition costs to a record low.
To reduce losing users right after their payout, I introduced a mechanic where users earn increasing coin bonuses after their first three payouts. This creates loss aversion – as they already have coins to work toward the next payout, they are more likely to stay. When ready to cash out, users complete phone verification for fraud prevention, then choose from 50+ payout options via a trusted external provider – to reduce maintenance and support volume for Appinio. The experience is packed with trust signals and celebratory motion design to make the payout moment feel rewarding and secure.
The Help Center offers users quick access to articles covering the most common app issues. If a solution isn't found, users can open a support chat that starts with an AI assistant and escalates to a support team member when needed. Users can also submit feedback via an in-app survey, helping the team continuously improve the app experience.
By standardizing colors, fonts, motion guidelines, and reusable UI components, the design system ensures a cohesive look and feel across the product. This unified framework reduces friction during design-to-development handoffs, accelerates iteration, streamlines the design process, and supports seamless dark and light mode theming.