With the bevy of mobile check-in apps on the market, TechCrunch pointedly asked “do we really need another mobile check-in app?” when Quipster first launched earlier this year. In the following months, Quipster clearly proved the answer is “yes.”
Allowing users to check-in, share and connect with others — these are the fundamental basics of Quipster. Learn how Quipster sets itself apart after the jump.
Getting Started
Quipster is an extensive location based social sharing network, offering its users recommendations, the ability to “quip” and follow local or non-local feeds. These “Quips” can be grouped into locations or topics, which can be followed, shared and added to. And users can view local and international quips without needing to follow the author.
Signup for Quipser is standard; a user name, password, email address and optional photo are all that is needed.
How to Quip
The first time you use the app, Quipster will host a series of overlays of how to use the app—detailing the functions of the most important tabs.
Before signing up for the app, a series of images show how the app can be used.
There are five main tabs at the bottom of the app (which apparently have changed since they launched earlier this year). They are Explore (was City), Topics (was Nearby), Share, Feeds and Profile.
On the Explore page, you can toggle location and subject to customize your feed.
At the top of the Explore page there is a box with two search options relating to topic and location. When tapped, the box will open a new a page, where the user can toggle between locations ranging from city to country and topics ranging from recent to more specific activities such as dining.
Only a few cities are represented in the list: San Francisco, New York, Houston, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Seattle, Daly City, Arlington, Chicago, Denver, Albuquerque, Dallas, Minneapolis and Boston. There is also an Around Me option and an Around the World option for geotargeted updates and all updates, respectively.
Once you have selected your topic and location, a running feed will begin on the Explore page. The difference between Quipster and Foursquare is that on this page, you don’t have to be following someone in order to see their “Quip.” A “Quip” is essentially an optional photo tagged with a location, and a short description of why you are sharing the photo/check-in.
Topics can be narrowed by using the Browse function to select a specific category/Topic.
The Topics tab at the bottom of the screen offers a selection of Latest, Popular and My Topics. The Quips can also be filtered by utilizing the Browse function, which allows users to select from the following categories: Dining, Partying, Shopping, Art & Entertainment, Traveling, Activities and Miscellaneous. These Topics are not subject to location and will feature streams of photos belonging to a “topic” within each category, such as “World Architecture Tour” and “Stunning Picture” under the Travel category. All of these topics are open conversations for other users to add their relevant Quips.
In order to share a Quip, you must select a Topic that helps to define the type of Quip you are sharing.
You can add your Quip to various Topic feeds and share with your friends.
The Share tab starts with a page featuring a variety of icons representing a number of categories. Once you choose a tab, a new list of icons will open on the next page with a more detailed list of topics. Choose a topic, or an icon that fits your need, and yet another page will open in which you can enter all relevant information for your Quip. You can choose a photo from your Camera’s Library, or take your own photo, add a comment, choose a location, edit the caption for the icon topic you chose, toggle on or off share settings (Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and With Buddies Only) and select a Topic that you have either started or are following to place the Quip into.
The Feeds tab is a list of your Quips and Quips from other users you follow. The feed also contains updates to the topics you follow or have posted into.
Your Profile features your history and messages from other users.
The Profile features your number of Quips, Followers and who you are Following. The Profile also features an inbox, which will keep track of who has liked or commented on your Quips. When you select View my Profile, it will open a new page that features your bio, the number of cities you have visited and your titles, or badges you have acquired.
General Observations
Quipster offers its users the ability to create and post into specific topics. While it has been compared to Foursquare, the app itself has a different goal in mind — creating a discovery-based conversation between users rather than focusing on sharing location-based check-ins and photos to your followers. That being said, Foursquare still seems to have been on the minds of those over at Quipster as the badges and titles that you earn are very reminiscent of those found on Foursquare. The badges and titles themselves are meant to separate the top Quipsters who are the experts in certain categories.
However, it doesn’t seem to add anything to the user experience for Quipster and feel almost like a last-minute addition. The icons used for the Topics look generic. However, the icon idea seems to help users quickly identify a Quip more readily as the icon is fairly identifiable. The interface is easy to use and the functionality makes sense. Overall, there seems to be a few extras that bog down the user experience, but other than that, Quipster looks poised to offer a fresh outlook on location based social networks.
Conclusion
Quipster offers a different kind of experience for users looking for social discovery via location based social networking apps. Utilizing topics as the glue to hold together Quips from various users, Quipster is able to effectively categorize check-ins and observations. It offers its users more connectivity as it does not limit the content to who the user is following. While there are a few improvements that could be made — namely a few design decisions, and badges — Quipster is still a worthwhile discovery app to add to your arsenal. And the name is catchy.