[Proposal] PlayStore App Development For Pickle Finance

Community Action
#1

  • Abstract -
    Develop an app for Pickle Finance in the PlayStore

  • About yourself -
    I am a Pickle investor and have contracted several apps before based on websites. It’s fairly simple and things like appypie can get it done very fast. But depending on how much we want to invest it can be more ornate. Here is a quick example of what appypie puts out: https://snappy.appypie.com/index/app-download/appId/cc918451383d

  • Solution & motivation - Having an app allows Pickle to be a first mover in this regard as I don’t think any project has an app. Additionally, many use their phone more than a desktop. As DeFi grows, DeFi from your phone will too.

  • Deliverables & timeline - I will deliver a PlayStore app two to three weeks from approval.

  • Cost - For a simple website to app conversion I don’t see this costing more than $200 USD.

  • Vote - 1) Approve proposal 2) Reject proposal

Build an app for Pickle.Finance
  • Approve Proposal
  • Reject Proposal

0 voters

1 Like
#2

Not sure about this - does appypie create an actual app or just a web interface wrapper? And if it’s so easy/cheap then surely many more projects would do the same?

#3

Appypie just does a web interface wrapper but that’s just an example of something we could do. I would probably need a bit more information in order to make a more unique app outside of Appypie. But I’m not sure how user friendly wallet integration/staking/etc would be. I do agree that just doing a web interface wrapper should be relatively easy/cheap, not sure why other projects haven’t done something like this yet. Maybe cause they don’t see the utility which there might be none. However, I think if it gets even one more person interested in Pickle then it’s a win in my book.

1 Like
#4

Cool well I for one do a lot on my mobile so as long as this connected to the metamask app or wallet connect, I’d definitely be keen

#5

I think there are two proposals here:

  1. Do we need an app? (vs more development on website)
  2. How should an app be developed?

I write apps for a living, so I love mobile, but I question the need right now. What does it give us? I’d love to see WalletConnect on the new website though.

If we did decide to pursue an app, I would vote against a website wrapper. Native apps are much more usable & professional. The development process could be 100% native or use a technology like ReactNative to leverage web dev talent if we cant find enough mobile devs to help out. (I’d be happy to help on the iOS side!)

1 Like
#6

You bring up good points and I’m glad to see others interested in making this happen! In terms of what it gives us: I think it would give us exposure to folks who are interested in Pickle, who want to check their holdings through our interface, who want to access links to forum/PIPs/Discord/etc from their mobile. We could even integrate links like Pickle FYI for people to learn about Pickle. WalletConnect would be great which supports the reasoning for an app because it allows users to interact with Pickle Finance outside of WalletConnect but on their mobile. I would prefer a website wrapper just because I think it would be the safest option as my thoughts about the app are mostly informational purposes but I am all for more capable individuals taking the lead to get a well designed app for Pickle.

Just for fun I ran through some numbers in my head: There are ~100 million Android users. Let’s say 1% (1 million) of those users are exposed to the app. Then 1%(10,000) of those people download the app and each add $100 to Pickle’s TVL, that would be a $1 million increase in TVL for a relatively low cost/low effort project. I realize 10,000 downloading the app is higher than the average but it’s not impossible to see considering our Discord alone is around 2K users.

#7

What is the difference from checking the website on your mobile?

#8

For a wrapper, no real difference but potentially saves time and exposes more users to Pickle through the respective app stores.

#9

I don’t think a mobile app should be something created in a bounty-type context, since it’s an evergreen product that needs to be maintained continually. I believe if it exists, it should be part of the Core team’s activities.

3 Likes
#10

I agree with @dafacto above. If an app is developed should be part of the PICKLE finance suite and should keep in line with the theme of the main website as well. And i guess only then it can be guaranteed that the app is not going to get abandoned in sometime once the creator moves on!

1 Like
#11

I disagree. The core team can’t be expected to do everything. I understand your concern of an app being abandoned but nothing currently stops me from making a Pickle Finance app an excluding the community altogether. With a proposal, the community would fund it and therefore should have control. It is much easier to work with the dev team than to expect the dev team to do it if there is enough interest.

#12

The core team can’t be expected to do everything.

The core team has to do everything that is core to the project. Mobile access to the platform is unquestionably core to the project.

I understand your concern of an app being abandoned

I didn’t mention being abandoned. I said it would need to be maintained, to keep pace with the features provided by the website. And that’s a recurring activity, the scope and requirements of which are not known today.

(This, by the way, presumes that the project is using something sensible like React Native, rather than a web wrapper, if it were going to build a mobile app.)

nothing currently stops me from making a Pickle Finance app

Absolutely. But if it’s just a web wrapper, then there’s no benefit w.r.t. to just visiting the page in mobile Chrome or Safari.

#13

The core team has to do everything that is core to the project. Mobile access to the platform is unquestionably core to the project.

I am not sure where you are getting that the core team has to do everything. It has been mentioned before that the goal of Pickle is to be a DAO. Therefore the core team does not have to do everything core to the project. In fact, if the goal is a DAO they will ultimately relinquish control to the community.

I didn’t mention being abandoned. I said it would need to be maintained

You are getting into semantics and the post after yours mentioned it being abandoned. Not being maintained and it being abandoned are not much different.

And that’s a recurring activity, the scope and requirements of which are not known today.

I am not suggesting I alone manage anything. My proposal is to get an app made for the community. Not sure where your line of thinking is coming from as far as activity and scope. Again this is a community proposal.

Absolutely. But if it’s just a web wrapper, then there’s no benefit w.r.t. to just visiting the page in mobile Chrome or Safari.

As mentioned in my previous posts there may be no benefit at all but for a small investment it could get some individuals to add TVL to Pickle.

I will say I am not actually interested in doing this anymore so if the proposal does get approved I open the project up to anyone the “core devs” see fit to do it. Or they can just do it themselves apparently.

1 Like
#14

Love this idea, whether it’s official or not is another matter - but would love a pickle app

#15

I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m saying.

As an example, adding WalletConnect as an access method to the website is a closed-scope activity, that’s suitable to be done as a bounty task. Once it’s done, it’s done.

A mobile app is an open-ended activity, just like the Pickle platform itself. And that’s what I meant by “evergreen”. The time, effort and cost of the activity doesn’t end with its v1 launch. It has to be maintained and kept in parity with the rest of the project.

Some open-ended activities might be suitable for funding, like maintenance of a support portal. But those kinds of activities are easier to estimate in terms of recurring scope and cost, e.g. you can simply say, “I’ll spend 10 hours per week working on this, and we’ll see how far that gets us.”

But for something like a mobile app, if it’s officially supported by the project, it has to maintain feature parity with the website. If the core team add something complex to the website, the mobile app has to adapt, and the cost of that can’t be known today, and for that reason a core access path to the platform (like a mobile app) can’t be done as a community bounty activity.

2 Likes
#16

Yes I understand that. I don’t think you understand this is a proposal to get it made. This is why I suggested a wrapper as that would be easier to maintain than a native UI. WalletConnect would be nice but it does not provide information about Pickle which is what (as I mentioned in previous posts) would be useful about having our own app. Also mentioned previously, having an app is just faster instead of going through your phone’s browser. There could be another proposal for maintenance but again this proposal is to just get an app made. It’s good you’re thinking ahead. Maybe if it is ever made you can propose to maintain it or the Devs can just maintain it.

#17

WalletConnect would be nice but it does not provide information about Pickle which is what (as I mentioned in previous posts) would be useful about having our own app.

What words could I have used to make it clearer that WalletConnect was mentioned as an example of a closed-ended activity vs the open-ended activity of a mobile app—and not, as you evidently interpreted it, an alternative to a mobile app?

There could be another proposal for maintenance but again this proposal is to just get an app made.

OK, this is the last thing I’ll say about this, because at this point we’re just going in circles.

It’s not that I’m “thinking ahead”; rather, I’m intimately familiar with the lifecycles of mobile apps, and I know what considerations go into them when companies and projects decide to have them built.

If you wanted to create an Android web wrapper for the Pickle platform, and release it yourself, that’d be great! I encourage you to do that. But having that activity funded takes it from being something community build on a voluntary basis, to something endorsed by the project.

When an organization endorses something like a mobile app, a number of obligations and responsibilities go along with endorsement. There’s an expectation that it will be maintained. There’s an expectation that it will be secure. There’s an expectation that it’ll be available for iOS in addition to Android. There’s an expectation that it will be supported. There’s usually an expectation that it’s a bit more than a web wrapper. I could go on.

1 Like
#18

What words could I have used to make it clearer that WalletConnect was mentioned as an example of a closed-ended activity vs the open-ended activity of a mobile app—and not, as you evidently interpreted it, an alternative to a mobile app?

Yes I get WalletConnect is a closed ended activity. But it does not provide what an app would. Do you understand this?

OK, this is the last thing I’ll say about this, because at this point we’re just going in circles.

I agree. We are going over semantics rather than the actual proposal idea.

It’s not that I’m “thinking ahead”; rather, I’m intimately familiar with the lifecycles of mobile apps, and I know what considerations go into them when companies and projects decide to have them built.

I am familiar as well. Instead of “not thinking ahead” maybe inject some discourse on how the problems can be fixed rather than just pointing at problems that will exist in the future.

If you wanted to create an Android web wrapper for the Pickle platform, and release it yourself, that’d be great! I encourage you to do that. But having that activity funded takes it from being something community build on a voluntary basis, to something endorsed by the project.
When an organization endorses something like a mobile app, a number of obligations and responsibilities go along with endorsement. There’s an expectation that it will be maintained. There’s an expectation that it will be secure. There’s an expectation that it’ll be available for iOS in addition to Android. There’s an expectation that it will be supported. There’s usually an expectation that it’s a bit more than a web wrapper. I could go on.

Maybe there is a fundamental difference in how we are viewing these community proposals. The context provided on Discord and the forum is that if you have created something or would like to create something that has or will benefit Pickle then you can apply to have it funded. I have no idea where you are getting your information from. Nowhere does it say projects should be “more than a web wrapper”. Also, I think framing this process as an “endorsement” from the project is dangerous. I would advise not to do so as we saw with Bluekirby and YFI. DeFi projects should avoid endorsing anything they do not have control over.

But again I will reiterate, I am not longer interested in this proposal as I am working on another project currently.