Pulse: Bringing Social Back to a Real Rhythm
How we redesigned lightweight social with mood stickers and dynamic cards — and gave attention back to the user.
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A counterintuitive decision
When we built Pulse in 2022, mainstream social products competed on time-on-app. We set the opposite goal: get users out of the app faster — and leave happy.
It sounded like a self-defeating KPI. In hindsight, it’s exactly why Pulse crossed 500k monthly actives.
Three design principles
1. Emotion first, content second
The first thing you see in Pulse isn’t a feed — it’s “how do you feel today?” as a mood sticker. Expression starts from emotion, not from “what should I post”.
2. Dynamic cards, not infinite scroll
Each update is a collectible, fading card. Once you’ve swiped through today’s cards, you’re done — the app gently says “that’s all for today”.
3. Relationships are private
Pulse has no public follow list. Who you see and who sees you is mutual. It makes sharing safe.
What the data told us
Six months in, we ran user interviews. The word that came up most was “comfortable”. That reassured us more than any retention metric.
Comfortable didn’t mean low retention, though — Pulse’s 30-day retention sits at 42%, above the category average.
In closing
Social products don’t need more stimulation — they need more restraint. Pulse is our answer to that.