The Product Philosophy That Drives Soul
Written July 2023. Note: there are improvements and changes since July 2023. The product philosophy outlined here is aligned with those newer additions and features.
The goal of this post is to share a brief background on Soul’s product philosophy. By sharing this background, I’m seeking to inspire others to create meaningful and effective product experiences. I’m grateful to you for taking the time to read this post.
I created Soul to build greater access to the inner Light that illuminates the beauty of life. Both spirituality and science highlight the power of a consistent gratitude practice on the mind and heart. Soul makes it easier than ever to build a gratitude practice and gain access to that inner Light.
But, for many, building that consistent practice is hard to do. It requires time, effort, and work. As a result, a key question drove the product philosophy and, ultimately, user experience of Soul: “why not?” For example, why not sign up for Soul? Why not pay for it? Or why not answer the gratitude prompt via SMS?
Designing from the question of “why not?” gets to the root of what every successful product needs: ease, simplicity, and joy. Leading with the question of “why not” creates a greater chance to build an effective, sticky product that changes lives.
In the context of Soul, it’s changing individuals, communities, and the world:
- Individuals: Gratitude is the most powerful remedy for mental health—why not be happier? Individuals who have a consistent gratitude practice are happier, more content, live longer, have less anxiety, and more joy in life. The research is prolific. Check out this Harvard post on gratitude.
- Communities: Individuals who practice gratitude are more likely to positively trust those in their community. As articulated by Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine, “Trust has numerous benefits for individuals and societies, such as healthier relationships, lower crime, and even a better economy.” For Soul’s internal team, trust of Soul’s product lowers the cost of acquisition (CAC) and increases customer lifetime value (LTV), allowing Soul to shine its light brighter to inspire hearts and minds.
- World: Ultimately, when multiple communities possess higher levels of trust, it creates a world that is more kind, warm, and accepting. As mentioned earlier, even the economy is stimulated.
Below, I outline a few key user experiences that highlight Soul’s product philosophy in action.
Going with SMS & iMessage
It’s simple: individuals are tired of downloading apps. Thus, downloading apps creates cognitive load, reducing the likelihood that individuals will experience the product. As a result, a different approach is needed. SMS is used by nearly everyone in the U.S.—our initial target—and is incredibly accessible on the phone. That inspired me to make the first iteration of Soul a SMS-based tool. Why not use Soul if it’s so easily accessible on your phone?
Moreover, I felt compelled to support iMessage. Normally, that blue iMessage bubble is seen with friends and family who also use iPhone. Soul is a part of that group.
Sign-Up & Onboarding
The Soul sign-up process requires only three pieces of information: your phone number, timezone, and language preference. That’s it.
The sign-up process is minimal. The less information asked, the higher conversion of sign-up’s. That’s exactly what we’re seeing in the data. Why not sign-up for Soul if it’s so easy to do?
Spontaneity
I initially started my gratitude practice as a daily habit. Candidly, in the first week I missed a couple of days. I then felt compelled to make up those days in my gratitude journal. The experience led to guilt and cognitive load, especially as I continued to miss days here and there.
As a result, I decided to write an email to myself to express my gratitude. I would then “schedule send” that email so I would receive it in my inbox a few days later. Sometimes it was a week later and sometimes it was a few days. In the span of three years, I had spontaneously sent hundreds of emails filled with gratitude.
That spontaneity creates novelty and that novelty creates consistency. That is exactly what I experienced. It’s also backed by research.
Later on, I analyzed the times and separation of days between those emails. I found patterns that led to a higher likelihood of one responding to gratitude nudges. This ultimately led to Soul’s algorithm of spontaneously-sent text messages.
Why not respond to the Soul’s SMS when it feels fresh and new?
Joy-filled (and research-backed) Gratitude Prompts
Research from Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas show that humor increases memorability and virality—among many other effects—in profoundly meaningful ways. Nostalgia is also incredibly powerful. That’s why it’s important to infuse elements of humor, delight, nostalgia, and joy—all in their own good measure—into gratitude prompts, which are sent in Soul’s spontaneous text messages.
This delight shines even brighter when it is placed in one’s text messages, which often include transactional outreaches such as verification codes and updates.
Why not respond to a text message that inspires joy, nostalgia, and warmth?
The “Forgiving” Streak
A streak outlines how often one consecutively does a core action. It’s found on a myriad of apps from Snap to Fitbit.
For example, if one sends a Snap every day for a week, the user would have a streak of seven. If the user misses day eight, then the streak starts over; therefore, day eight becomes day one.
From my personal experience and numerous customer interviews, it’s clear that this resetting—or losing—of the streak undermines habit-formation. It’s particularly demotivating in the context of a product that promotes gratitude and its associated effects of happiness, joy, and contentment.
As a result, Soul uses—what I call—”forgiving streaks.” For example, let’s say an individual using Soul misses responding to a gratitude message. When the user responds to the next gratitude prompt their streak will continue increasing. Thus, the streak never resets.
This communicates compassion and understanding. Like other elements in Soul’s product philosophy, this is backed by research. Plus, why not continue with Soul when you always feel you’re growing?
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, at our core, each of us seeks to love and be loved. Practicing gratitude reminds us that we are loved. Always.
That profound reminder—infused with a product philosophy that makes the user experience significantly simple—builds access to one’s inner Light. It is a Light that shines joy and happiness. A Light that illuminates the beauty of life.