A-Café @acafe-official - Tumblr Blog

A-Café (Update #25) - Community Discussion

Good morning everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I'm finally back with another community update. In the first part, I'll be giving a brief overview of where we're at in terms of project progress. Then, in the second half, we'll discuss a new development in app accessibility.

Without further ado, let's begin!

1) Where are we at in the project currently?

A similar question was asked in the A-Café discord recently, so I figured I'd include my response here as well:

Right now we’re reworking the design of A-Café, both visually and architecturally. The initial planning and design phase of the project wasn’t done very thoroughly due to my inexperience, so now that I’m jumping back into things I want to ensure we have a solid prototype for usability testing. For us that means we’ve recently done/are doing a few things:

analyzing results from the old 2022 user survey (done)

discussing new ideas for features A-Café users might want, based on the 2022 user survey

reevaluating old ideas from the previous app design

making a new mock-up for usability testing

Once the mock-up is finished, I plan on doing internal testing first before asking for volunteer testers publicly (the process for which will be detailed in an upcoming community update).

2) Will A-Café be available for iOS and Android devices?

Yes! In fact, the first downloadable version of A-Café may no longer be so device-specific.

What do I mean by that? Well, in the beginning, the plan for A-Café was to make two different versions of the same app (iOS and Android). I initially chose to do this because device-specific apps are made with that device's unique hardware/software in mind--thus, they have the potential to provide a fully optimized user experience.

However, I've since realized that focusing on device-specific development too soon may not be the right choice for our project.

Yes, top-notch app performance would be a big bonus. But by purely focusing on iOS and Android devices for the initial launch, we'd be limiting our audience testing to specific mobile-users only. Laptop and desktop users for example, would have to wait until a different version of the app was released (which is not ideal in terms of accessibility).

Therefore, I've recently decided to explore Progressive Web App development instead.

[What is a Progressive Web App?]

A Progressive Web App (or PWA) is "a type of web app that can operate both as a web page and mobile app on any device" (alokai.com)

Much like a regular mobile app, a PWA can be found through the internet and added to your phone's home screen as a clickable icon. They can also have the ability to work offline and use device-specific features such as push-notifications.

Additionally, due to being web-based applications, PWAs can be accessed by nearly any device with a web browser. That means regardless of whether you have an iOS or Android device, you'd be able to access the same app from the same codebase.

In the end, a PWA version of A-Café should look and act similarly to an iOS/Android app, while also being accessible to various devices. And, due to having only one codebase, development of PWAs tends to be faster and be more cost-effective than making different versions of the same app.

To be clear, I haven't abandoned the idea of device-specific development entirely. We could launch iOS/Android versions of A-Café in the future if demand or revenue end up being high enough. But as of right now, I don't believe doing so is wise.

[What Does this Mean for me as a User?]

In terms of app installation and user experience, not much should hopefully change. I'd like to have A-Café available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

There will also be the option of searching for A-Café via your device's web browser, and then installing it on your home screen (iOS devices can only do so using Safari). We will likely rely on this method until we can comfortably ensure user access to A-Café on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

-------------

And that's it for now! Thank you for reading this latest community update. For more insight into the development process, consider joining the A-Café discord. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this post, we would love to hear your input in the comments below. See you later!

#aroaceapp #aroapp #aceapp #aromantic #asexual #aspec

Hi there, I'm sorry for bothering you but I'm just curious if this app is still in development? Thank you for your time!

My apologies for not getting back to you sooner! I’ll add what I wrote in the discord Q&A channel since I think it summarizes what’s going on best.

The app is still in development, but progress has been slow lately. Unfortunately, I chose to start this project before truly understanding what my major’s workload entails. (i.e. I’m past the general education stuff and now it’s all hard major-related classes).

Basically, I don’t have the time to consistently work on this project, so sadly progress will likely continue to be very slow until I have a more relaxed schedule or our team grows.

A-Café (Update #24) - Looking for Usability Testers for Mobile Version of A-Café!

Hello everyone! Welcome to another update.

1 - We’re looking for potential Usability Testers for the high-fidelity version of the app prototype! If you’re not sure what Usability Testing entails, the last update has a brief explanation that may prove helpful!

Please consider taking this short survey if you are interested. Keep in mind that the prototype is not the official version of A-Café. It is a model of what we envision the final product to look like and is subject to change.

2 - Our discord community has grown a lot, so we're looking for a new moderator! If you're interested in applying, please use the google form here:

Qualifications include:

Being 18+

Having been active on the server for 2-3 months

That's all the news we have for now! Thank you for reading, and have a great day!

#acafe #aroace #aromantic #asexual

A-Café (Update #23) - Usability Testing

Hello everyone! Welcome to another update. We have an exciting announcement for you today:

We’ll soon be looking for potential Usability Testers for the hi-fidelity version of the app! The hi-fidelity prototype is interactable, like a phone version of a slideshow with buttons and sliders. I’m sure some of you have played around with it before, but just in case you haven’t, here’s a link!

What does it mean to be a Usability Tester?

Usability testing typically includes attending a casual session where you complete tasks like a regular user would on the app. The activities in question vary, as they are unique to the app they’re based off of, but some common ones include: logging in, following or adding someone, sending a message, and so on. Often, the tester is recorded as they perform these activities, so the development team can better understand how to improve the app’s features and design.

During the session, there is a facilitator who assigns you tasks. It’s important to remember that they are not grading or judging you on anything. They are simply there to observe how a potential user might navigate the app. If you get confused at any point, it’s not a personal failing. Chances are, it’s a flaw in design that you helped us uncover. And by finding this design flaw, we can make the app better for future users such as yourself!

Again, this session can be in-person or online. (Our sessions will be online). If you are interested in being a potential tester, we’ll be sending out a survey before the next update so please keep an eye out for that! Anyone can be a Usability Tester, but we’ll specifically be looking for A-Spec adults like you who desire relationships with other A-Specs!

That’s it for now! Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful day. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to add them below and I’ll get to them as soon as possible.

#acafe #a spec

A-Café (Update #22) - Improved Prototype!

[For context: We’re aiming to create an app that will help connect Asexual and/or Aromantic people across the world and give them the power to search for the specific relationships they want]

Hello everyone! Today we have some new developments:

1-The Prototype is ready for your viewing pleasure! Please feel free to look through it via your phone or computer and tell us what you think! (Computers offer the best navigation experience). Here’s the link!

We’ll do an official user testing period soon for this prototype, but until then, we’re happy to receive any feedback you might have for us. Remember that the prototype is more like an interactive slideshow than an actual app.

2-The A-Café app is going to focus on dating and platonic partnership. We considered allowing clubs or other groups initially, but as development progressed, we realized that the app was becoming too complicated. If we stuck with the original plan, the Beta would take longer to properly implement, and users might have difficulty navigating through the wave of features.

We realize this may be disappointing to some, and for that we sincerely apologize. We hope you understand why we made this decision.

That’s all for now! Thanks so much for reading, and have a lovely day.

#acafe #aroace

A-Café (Update #21) - Clarifications

[For context: We’re creating an app that will help connect Asexual and/or Aromantic people across the world and give them the power to search for the specific relationships they want]

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another update:

1 - I realized that I haven’t been very clear on the estimated release date so I will publicly address that here (apologies for the confusion everyone)! As of right now, we don’t have an estimated release date for the Alpha or Beta versions of the app. However, we hope to polish up the prototype soon for user testing, so look out for a release date on that.

For those who are curious, I’ve released primitive versions of the A-Café prototype in previous posts (namely update #8 and #9 on r/aromantic), but haven’t done so in a while. The official release will have more interactivity, although you can play around with this one here if you like. (It's not 100% finished so some buttons don't work, but I figured some people might want to view it anyway).

To be clear, a prototype has no real functionality. It’s more like an interactive slideshow presentation of what could be. (We’ve been building a functional app behind the scenes though, don’t worry!)

I hope that clears up any questions you might have, but please ask in the comments below if anything still seems foggy.

2 - Thank you for your feedback on neo-pronouns in the last post! (Here's a link to it). We received some helpful advice and will be looking into various options for neo-pronoun users whose native language is gendered. However, we always welcome more input, so don’t be afraid to add your thoughts on this down below!

That’s it for now! Apologies for the short post; there wasn’t too much to comment on this time around. Thank you as always for your patience and support; we look forward to working with you as this project grows.

#acafe #aroace

Sorry if this has already been answered but will there be an option to look for Queer-platonic partners?

Thank you for asking! Yes, we will be including a search option for queer-platonic partners.

A-Café (Update #20) - Prototype Questions for You

[For context: We’re aiming to create an app that will help connect Asexual and/or Aromantic people across the world and give them the power to search for the specific relationships they want].

Hello and welcome back readers! The updates go as follows.

1 - Prototype progress is moving along nicely! The past two weeks, we’ve been discussing and improving important features such as the app homepage. Speaking of which, I'd love your thoughts on a specific feature.

The Current Goal: On the homepage, you’ll be able to create personal event reminders (ex: Friend’s birthday coming up!). You’ll also be able to activate group notifications, so that you’re reminded of meeting times and fun events.

Our Problem: We’re not sure how the user should be able to edit or unfollow these reminders. This is a screenshot of what I have in Adobe Xd. (Keep in mind: the icons included may not be final).

Current Functionality Idea: slide to edit/unfollow/delete, along with a "Undo deletion?" pop-up after user deletes note.

How do you feel about this function? Let us know any concerns you might have in the comments below.

2 - Non-Binary and Neo-Pronouns in Grammatically Gendered Languages

English is a neutral language, meaning words are usually not dependent on the gender of ourselves or the person we're talking to. Therefore, languages like English allow the speaker to use all sorts of pronouns fluidly.

But with languages like French, this is harder to do. French has only two genders: masculine and feminine. This means French speakers are essentially forced to refer to themselves in a masculine or feminine manner. There are methods to get around this, but some may be controversial.

We're of course doing our own research on this issue, but if anyone speaks a grammatically gendered language and would like to put in your two cents, please do so! We'd love to hear from you how we should handle non-binary and neo-pronouns.

That's it for today! Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful rest of your day!

#acafe #aroace

A-Café (Update #19) - New Plans and Team Members!

Hello and welcome back readers! The updates go as follows. 1 - First things first, what happened to the March 1st release date? Well, unfortunately we simply weren’t ready to release anything yet. It’s extremely difficult to predict anything when it comes to software development, and I made the mistake of underestimating the scope of our project. Speaking of which: 2 - We are temporarily scaling down the app. Wait, what does that mean? Essentially, the app is going to start off simpler than we initially planned. And then over time, we’ll slowly introduce other features we’ve been thinking of. We are doing this because our team is small, and I overestimated the amount of features we could handle implementing right now. Rest assured, we have a lot planned, but we’re taking a more realistic production route. Once the Beta is solid, we'll let you know what features specifically are going to be included in the first round. (Users can sign up for testing at acafe.io)! 3 - We’re polishing up the old prototype! Keep your eyes out testers; we’re going to be asking for your help in the future. 4 - We’ve been discussing how gender should be handled within the app. Our team has contemplated it before, but I want to get more direct feedback from you all once we’re ready for user testing. (I'll send out a post when the time comes). 5 - We have two new team members! They’ll be helping us with user testing and design, among other things. That’s all the updates for this week! You may be wondering when the actual release date is for the Beta, but I feel hesitant to put a date on anything right now. I don’t want to break any more promises. However, I’ll make sure to give a specific date once I’m certain that we actually have a secure and functional Beta that’s been properly tested. Until then, thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful rest of your day!

#acafe #aroace

A-Café (Update #18) - Testable Alpha iOS Version of App May be Coming

[For context: We’re aiming to create an app that will connect Asexual and/or Aromantic people across the world and give them the power to search for the specific relationships they want]

Apologies for the wait everyone! The updates go as follows. 1) We’ve found some new volunteers to help us in the Frontend and Backend! Thank you for giving your time to help A-Café out! 2) We might stick to the March 1st deadline, but not in the way we promised. What do we mean by this? At the moment, there is still no online functionality for the app, but there are bare essentials that users may be able to test out. (This only applies to iOS. The Android side needs more work before it can be tested, as we aren’t doing cross-platform mobile development). We’ll let you know if this becomes an option in early March; if it does, it will be more like an Alpha than a Beta. (Meaning we’re still messing around with the features and aesthetics). If it’s not a viable option, we’ll reevaluate our timeline. But either way, a testable app is coming. 3) New potential launch screen? Since the first release of the prototype, we’ve experimented with the official look of the Beta. We’d love to know what you think of this look!

That’s all for now! Thank you all for reading, and until next time, have a wonderful rest of your day.

#acafe #aroace

Hey, just wondering, I know the app is 18+, but is the discord as well? Sorry if you don't want asks on here, I couldn't find another way to find out without actually joining the discord to ask.

No worries! Thanks for asking!

The A-Café discord allows people 13 and up. But you're right that the official app will be for adults 18+ only.

A-Café (Update #17) - Frontend Help Needed!

[For context: We’re aiming to create an app that will help connect Asexual and/or Aromantic people across the world and give them the power to search for the specific relationships they want]

Hello and welcome back readers! The updates go as follows.

We’re looking for Frontend volunteers! Our current Android dev has become busy, so they’re not able to do their part alone. If anyone has experience with Android development and is willing to help out, we would love to work with you! (iOS volunteers are welcome as well of course!)

Discord mod applications are closed! Since our discord community has grown a lot, we looked for (and found) a new moderator to help us keep everyone safe.

Let’s Address How Everything is Going

We’re currently still working on a suitable MVP (minimum viable product) for the beta. We know some of you might be feeling frustrated with our slow progress, but please understand that all of our volunteers are part-time.

Meaning, we all have full-time jobs or college classes (or both), which makes it difficult to get everything done as fast as we’d like. Of course, once we’re open-source things will likely progress faster, but we need to make sure we have a secure product to avoid malicious code seeping through first.

What is Open-Source Anyway? And Why Can’t we go Open-Source Right Now?

Open-Sourcing means making all or part of an application’s source code public. Any coder can view and contribute to the project (of course, the additions they make must be approved before final commit).

While more contributors often means faster production time, we can’t always trust the code that unfamiliar people offer. Even those who are part of the team could be a security risk. That’s why it’s important for us to have a secure product and contribution system first.

We need to ensure that we detect as much malicious code as possible, so that users like you are protected from bad actors.

That’s mainly why we haven’t had much to show you lately; a lot of our work has been design and code-heavy. But, on the bright side, there are more visual perks coming your way soon! Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding.

#acafe #a spec #asexual #aromantic

A-Café (Update #16) - Future Open-Sourcing, Discord, and More!

[For context: We're creating an app that will help connect Asexual and/or Aromantic people across the world and give them the power to search for the specific relationships they want]

---

Hello and welcome back readers! The updates go as follows.

1) Last time, we talked about creating a small non-profit to make the future donation process easier and provide legal protection for the development team. We asked what the name should be, and it seems “The A-Spec Foundation” was the most popular choice.

In case you missed the previous update, “The A-Spec Foundation” is a small non-profit that would help A-Spec people via academic and technological means. It isn’t related to the A-Café project.

Right now, we are solely focused on developing A-Café. Again, The A-Spec Foundation currently exists in the background for donation and legal purposes.

2) We’ve decided to go open-source in the near future. Once the Beta works and is secure, we’ll allow outside developers to contribute to the A-Café project. Since our team is small at the moment, this will help development progress faster, as well as strengthen the overall product.

When we’re ready to officially go open-source, we’ll let you know in an update.

3) Our discord community has over 600 members! Since we only have two mods, we’re accepting applications for another moderator. If interested, please apply using the google form here!

Minimum qualifications include:

Being 18+

Having been an active or semi-active member for at least a few months

(We play games on Saturdays. It's very fun and chaotic)

That’s all for now! Thank you all for reading, and until next time, have a wonderful rest of your day.

#acafe #aroace

A-Café (Update #15) - Future Plans for a Non-Profit

Hey everyone! To simplify the donation process when we eventually open that up, Astro and I are putting together a non-profit.

This non-profit would promote various goals:

A-Spec research and awareness

Web/Mobile resources that make it easier to connect (ex: A-Café)

Supporting other A-Spec organizations

In essence, it would exist to help A-Spec people through academic and technological means.

We want to reassure everyone that A-Café is our sole priority. Currently, the non-profit only exists to simplify donations and attain legal protection.

Additionally, we will NOT use A-Café for research purposes. That is not what A-Café is for, and would go against our policy of user privacy.

Now, let’s move on to the potential names!

Different Non-Profit Names

The A-Spec Foundation

A-Spec sounds more inclusive of all Aro and Ace identities, but some people might not know what A-Spec means. “Foundation” suggests community and grassroots movements.

The AroAce Foundation

AroAce is easier to say than A-Spec. “Foundation” suggests community and grassroots movements.

The A-Spec Institution

A-Spec sounds more inclusive of all Aro and Ace identities, but some people might not know what A-Spec means. “Institution” suggests science and seriousness but sounds somewhat cold.

The AroAce Institution

AroAce is easier to say than A-Spec. “Institution” suggests science and seriousness but sounds somewhat cold.

What do you think? Let us know which name you like best!

#acafe #aroace

A-Café (Update #14) - Initial Beta Release Moved to March 1st

Hello and welcome back readers! Since this week's update is short, we figured we'd post the original here.

[For context: A-Spec people are incredibly diverse, with varying relationship preferences and types of Aromanticism/Asexuality. We’re aiming to create an app that will help connect Asexual and/or Aromantic people across the world and give them the power to search for the specific relationships they want]

The updates go as follows: 1) The first Beta release has been moved from January 1st to March 1st. We feel that there are still some things to work out before we can release the first version for testing (such as searching for other individuals). I realize that this is very frustrating, and I sincerely apologize for the delay. We deeply appreciate your patience and understanding. 2) While you wait, we have a wonderful discord community for A-Café that’s steadily growing! We’re hoping to start doing game nights on Saturdays after the new year, so if you’d like a chill group of A-Spec friends, consider stopping by! It's been a nice placeholder during production. 3) Also, remember to sign up as a Beta tester so you'll be sent instructions once the first Beta is released. Users can sign up at our website, Acafe.io. (All updates are being posted there as well, along with extra information about the project and our team). That's it for now! We promise the next update will be more eventful. Until then, thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day

#acafe #aroace

A-Café (Update #13) - Part 3 of A-Café Deep Dive

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another deep dive into the features of A-Café. (Part 2 can be viewed here).

Last time we went over how to contact individuals and groups that you’re interested in, but what do these meeting spaces look like and how can you make your own? (Keep in mind that some features may not look exactly the same in the official Beta, as the photos presented are from the prototype).

Let’s start with private chatrooms first. You can only invite someone to a chatroom if they’ve accepted your friend request first (or if you’ve accepted someone else’s request).

When you accept an invitation to a chatroom, you’ll be taken to the “chatroom” page. Here, you can see a list of all the people you’re currently chatting with, as well as the last thing that was said.

By clicking on one of the rooms, you’ll end up in a space where you can get to know one another better. If you want to have more than one person in the room, simply add them by their username.

Groups

With A-Café, groups come in many forms: A non-profit organization, a Hollow Knight speedrunning club, a local hangout for A-Specs like you, and so on. As long as everything stays legal and safe, groups can be made for pretty much any reason!

There are, of course, rules that Group Moderators must follow, but we’ll go into that next time to avoid making this post too long.

Group Feed

When you get to the group feed page, you’ll see the most recent announcement or question made by a Group Mod. These important messages are always found at the top of the screen, separated by a gray bar so they’ll never be lost.

If you want to see past important Mod posts, simply click on the “Announcements” button at the top middle.

To read through the Group rules, click the “Rules” button near the top left.

To see upcoming group events, click the “Events” button near the top right.

To view the most recent posts by fellow group members, go to the bottom half of the screen. You can scroll through all of them and leave comments if you so choose. There will likely be a way to filter posts by categories other than “most recent”, if users would like that.

How do I make a Group?

To create your own group, provide the required information (such as group name, meeting times, and so on). When you’re done filling out this form, you’ll be taken to your new group space. Here, you’ll be able to fine-tune group settings.

For example, if you want to keep meeting spots private from non-members, go into edit mode and make the proper adjustments.

Reporting Bugs, and Other Final Thoughts

Before we end this mini series on expected Beta features, I want to address how to ask for help. If you navigate to the “Contact Us” page, you’ll see a basic text box. Above that, there is a smaller box where you can specify what you’re contacting us about.

So far, there are 4 categories: “Ask a Question”, “Report a Bug”, “Report a User(or Group)”, and “Feedback”.

When we enter the Beta stage, this will be an extremely useful tool; it will enable us to catch errors, and understand what users like or don’t like.

But until then, thank you so much for reading this series! We appreciate your time, and hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!

#acafe #aroace

A-Café (Update #12) - Part 2 of Deep Dive into A-Café Features!

Welcome back to part 2 on the features we expect to have in the A-Café Beta. You can view Part 1 here. We have a lot to discuss so let's get started! (Keep in mind that some features may not look exactly the same in the official Beta, as the photos presented are from the prototype).

When we last talked, you had just input your search criteria and received your search results for individuals. So, what now? Let’s say you want to know more about someone named Eren. To do so, click on her profile.

Here you can read her short bio. It describes in a few sentences who she is and what she’s looking for. To find out more, click on the blue “About” button underneath said bio.

The first part of the “About” section lists basic information pertaining to Eren.

Her orientation, gender, full pronouns, religion, and so on.

The second part, which can be accessed by pressing the “Preferences” button at the top of the screen, describes attributes that she wants her future partner to have.

This includes their orientation, gender, age, religion, child status, drug use, and so on.

In Eren’s case, she wants an Aromantic man who is around her age, and lives close by. Some other important attributes she desires are: not smoking, not drinking unless they’re in social situations, being child-free, being vegetarian or vegan, and so on.

Finally, the last part of the “About” section can be accessed by pressing the “Comfort” button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Here, you’ll see exactly what Eren is and is not okay with regarding common relationship actions.

These actions include: Sex, Romance, Touch, Petnames, Kinks, and Polyamoury. For each topic, there is a text box which you can use to specifically describe your preferences. Above each box, is a slider to visually represent how strongly you like or dislike certain actions.

In Eren’s case, we can see that she loves Touch, and sensual affection in general. Her text box says: “I love cuddling, hugging, holding hands, kissing, etc.”.

Alright, you’ve learned a lot about Eren, and you seem to fit her criteria. How do you get in contact with her?

First, go back to her main profile page. There you’ll find a “friend request” button. If you click it, Eren will be notified that someone is interested in her. She can then choose whether or not to accept your request. If she does, you will be allowed to start a private conversation with her.

In A-Café, you cannot message someone out of the blue. And no one can surprise message you either, (except for the app’s Moderators of course). This helps prevent you from being contacted by users who don’t fit your criteria at all, or who are obviously trolls.

This can remain true even in Group settings (if you so choose). Speaking of which, how do you join Groups?

If you remember, Groups can be found in much the same way that individual people can. You input search criteria, and are met with a list of results. You can also switch between the two categories via the “Sort By” button.

In this case, let’s say that the Group “Hawaiian A-Specs” has caught your eye.

By clicking on their picture, you’re met with three descriptive sections: “Who are we”, “Meeting Times”, and “Activities”.

The Hawaiian A-Specs are “A club for adult A-Spec friends who like drawing, painting, and hanging out while creating in general!”

As for their meeting times, it depends on whether it's offline or online, but generally they meet on Mondays and Fridays from 5 - 7 pm, (GMT timezone).

Finally, their activities include: “Drawing, Painting, and Chatting.”

Hey, that sounds like a fun group for an artist like you! Why not join them by clicking the “Join Request” button?

The group’s moderators will be sent a notification that you’re interested, and hopefully grant you access to their space. This might seem unnecessary compared to before; why should people request to join a group?

Fortunately, Group mods will be able to choose which parts of their group are public or private. This means that for some groups, you have to be “let in” by the mods to see or do anything.

But in other groups, you might be able to view upcoming events or see the group feed. It all depends on what the mods of those groups decide.

But we’ll get into all of that and more, next time! Until then, thanks for reading!

#acafe #aroace

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