From temporary to ... This could also title the news of the third version of Lake Coloring App, this year's finalist for the Slovenian Start-up of the Year Award. Two Apple awards, the App Store Editors' Choice and the Apple Design Award Winner 2017, 60+ illustrators, more than five million downloads and countless user responses of the two versions so far are just the barest, but a lot telling facts about the Lake Coloring App.
How well has the team absorbed user response and what does the new, third version of the Lake Coloring App bring? "Responses via mail and App Store have also certainly contributed to the highly anticipated update. The truth is that at the launch of 2017, we knew that the interface at the time was temporary. At the time, we had only 10 illustrators and the thing worked. We were going to adjust the interface somewhere around the joining of the 20th illustrator, but then the current situation overtook us on the right lane, and so it happened that in 2019, now that the version 3.0 has seen the light of the world we have 60+ illustrators, "explains Katarina Lotrič, Co-Founder of Lake Coloring.
The team says the biggest problem so far has been the lack of transparency, which has become bigger with the growth of the illustrator community. There are currently over 60 coloring pages in Lake, accompanied by a brand new interface from today. What is new is a wholesome graphic design, which you will notice when you update your application. What about the coloring experience? This remains for the time being, but ... as Katarina whispered, this renovation is coming on turn later.
To become a recognizable tool for relaxation
Adults who relax through creativity remain the target group of Laka, the team has learned that people mainly come to Lake for two reasons. "The first reason is that painting for them is fun and they fill part of their free time with it: especially those who do paint, but this is impractical except in the home environment, while you can paint virtually anywhere on your iPad or iPhone at any time. The second reason, which appears to be the main one, is that coloring relaxes people and presents them with a way to calm their anxiety, relieve depressive states, help themselves to sleep… And this is a direction that will be emphasized in the future, " says Katarina.
Coloring is supposed to have similar effects as meditation, except that meditation does not work for everyone, and the team wants to convey its effects to users through the application. Therefore, in the future, the Lake will be further deepened with the desire to become a recognizable tool for relaxation, with the help of psychologists and mindfulness experts.
Now, the new version of Lake Coloring is mainly bringing more intuition to the user, which is what tabs seek to achieve, the first, wearable tab is Hey !, says Katarina. "The tab will be editorial, always live and will offer the hottest at that time. The last associate illustrator, an editorial selection of the week, thematic sections,... here you will be able to quickly learn about the diversity that Lake has to offer, "the interviewee explains.
He continues that the All art tab makes it easy to filter content through badges. The studio is a place where all the user's activities are stored so that everything that the user ever touches is accessible in one place and the list of his favorite colors is at his fingertips all the time.
Faster to content, easier to coloring
"However, as far as homeliness is concerned, the covers of the author 's coloring books now say that it is a coloring book. We made it easier to switch between coloring pages, everything is more intuitive. We believe that with the new interface comes a greater sense of control and that movement within the app is more transient and with less noise. The user quickly gets to the desired drawing and focuses on what made him download the app: coloring, "says Katarina Lotrič.
However, she emphasizes that the essence of Lake Coloring remains unchanged. "Our vision was for Lake to become a platform and we have realized that over time. Today, Lake is the largest coloring book platform offering author works that support illustrators. Our business model involves splitting your subscription with illustrators, "explains Katarina.
As Freya Kotchakorn tells, a Thai illustrator who has been collaborating with Lake for two years: "Lake actively supports illustrators by allowing them to live as illustrators, without all the bureaucratic distractions that usually come with platforms like Etsy or Society6." Katarina replies in this regard: "To them, Lake represents passive income, and we also see it as part of social responsibility. We are proud and honored to be able to contribute a piece of the puzzle in their attempt to make a living from art. "
Building the user community was organic
Lake is also characterized by a systematic build-up in the user community, and the team says they have taken it very organically. "When we came up with the idea, we started 'combing trough' Instagram. We were looking for talented illustrators who stood out for their style and managed their social media presence well. Then we made a list and went on our 'mission', "Katarina explains, and goes on to say," We contacted them by email in which we wanted to reasonably convince them that it was worth working with us, even though we had virtually nothing but passion and visions. We were aiming for at least 3 to get started, we got 10 and that's how it started. Everything is easier today. "
Today, many artists report to the team themselves, but the team also contacts them. And every one goes through the vigilant judgment of the Lake Coloring Art Department. "We are betting on the quality and authenticity of the creator," Katarina points out.
They also recognized these values at Apple, where they won the Lake Coloring App with the Apple Design Award Winner 2017, which only 10 developers receive each year, and were named App Store Editors' Choice. This gives you credibility in the business world, says Katarina: "It's easier to make new deals and people are ready to talk to you. The same on the user side. These badges let people know that the app is of good quality, performs well for its intended purpose, which, we dare think, drives a faster decision to give the app a chance. "
Katarina acknowledges in the end that she has noticed in the feedback messages that they want red. So did they get it with version 3.0? You will have to check this for yourself ...
