Free app? no users?

I like it’s pretty well documented around the internet bubble I live in that it’s difficult to get new users for an app if you don’t have an established audience. This is true even when you give it away for free and perhaps freeness works against user acquisition also.

One way I think you can get more users of any software is to better refine the problem that it solves. This is an iterative activity and I wanted to share a new feature I’ve added to wishlist palace that I think improves the user experience and is more realistic about users who will actually make an account on that site.

No Account? No Problem — Guests Can Now Claim Items on Any Shared List

Wish lists (for birthdays or holidays) are meant to be shared but I often faced some friction in coordinating with family about who should get what. It’s an incredible privilege to have this problem. However, up until now, to share lists with people on wishlist palace you had to make an account AND EVERYONE YOU WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH also had to make an account. People hate making accounts though. So this was a source of friction.

Now people creating lists still need accounts but there is an option to create a link that you can share with anyone. Anyone visiting the link can then claim items on the list. Because there is no need for accounts to claim items you need to protect the generated url a little but don’t worry too much because you can regenerate it if someone you don’t want gets it (more details below).

Sharing lists via URL to people without accounts will hopefully be useful for:

  • Gifting occasions (birthdays, baby showers, weddings) where the recipient shares a list with extended family
  • Households where not everyone wants yet another account (who can blame them?)
  • One-off sharing with people who shouldn’t need permanent access

How It Works

For the List Owner

  1. Open any of your lists and go to the sharing settings
  2. Click “Generate Guest Link” to create a unique URL for your list
  3. Copy the link and send it however you like — text, email, group chat, or write it down on paper

You can also rotate the link (invalidates the old one and creates a new one) or revoke it entirely if you no longer want guest access.

For the Guest

  1. Open the link — no login required
  2. Browse the list and find something you’d like to get
  3. Click “Claim” next to the item
  4. Enter your name so others know it’s taken
  5. That’s it — the item shows as claimed for everyone viewing the list

The claim is coordinated in real time, so if two people open the link at the same time, only one can claim any given item.

For the List Owner (Managing Claims)

If a guest claim needs to be cleared the list owner can release it directly from their list view. The item goes back to available and the guest’s name is removed.

Privacy and Access

  • Guest links give view and claim access only — guests can’t edit, delete, or add items
  • The link is a long random token, not guessable by brute force (but we all know that security-through-obscurity is not perfect, I don’t condone putting sensitive info in lists anyway!)
  • Revoking the link immediately cuts off access for anyone who had it
  • Guest claimant names are only visible to the list owner and other list members with accounts

A happy path for this feature

Consider this:

You’re planning a birthday party. You build a wish list, generate a guest link, and drop it in the family group chat. A grandparent opens the link on their phone, sees the list, and claims the book set she wanted to get. No download or account required! They just enter “Memaw/Pawpaw” and done. When you check your list, you see the item is claimed and by whom.

That’s the experience I think will be helpful anyway.