App Showcase: Citizen

What it does

Citizen is a hyperlocal safety app that sends real-time alerts about crimes and incidents happening nearby. It functions as a live police scanner and a community watch platform, allowing users to receive official alerts and view user-submitted videos and updates. The app aims to keep people safe and informed about their surroundings.

Where it shines

Citizen excels at creating a sense of immediacy and community involvement. The main feed (02:35) is a constantly updating stream of incidents, from fires to police activity, making the user feel connected to the pulse of their city. The app's strength is its user-generated content; when viewing an incident, you can see multiple perspectives from different users, providing a comprehensive view. Furthermore, its premium safety features, like "Watch My Back" (09:15), offer a tangible layer of personal security by allowing live agents to monitor a user's journey.

UX highlights

• Immersive Dark UI: The app's black-and-white interface with sparing use of color creates a serious, focused atmosphere appropriate for its content.
• Clear Incident Timelines: Each incident page features a reverse-chronological timeline (02:45), making it easy to understand how an event unfolded.
• Interactive Maps: Maps are used effectively throughout, from showing nearby incidents on the main screen to visualizing your route during a "Watch My Back" session (09:48).
• Gamified Contributions: The app encourages user participation by awarding badges like "Community Helper" (07:30) and even offering payment for valuable live broadcasts.
• Multi-Modal Reporting: Users can quickly report an incident with a few taps (06:05) or choose to provide richer context by going live with video (06:52).

Monetization & growth

Citizen's monetization strategy is woven throughout the experience. During onboarding, it presents a compelling feature carousel (01:24) that leads to a free trial offer for its Premium plan. Within the app, it uses powerful contextual upsells. For instance, police radio clips for an incident are locked behind the premium subscription (02:46), prompting an upgrade at the moment of highest user interest. The app also promotes a Family Plan (02:04), encouraging viral growth by allowing users to extend protection to loved ones. The most unique growth loop is its system for paying users to go live (06:58), directly incentivizing the creation of the app's core content.

Who it’s for

This app is primarily for individuals living in dense urban environments who want to stay aware of their immediate surroundings. It appeals to the safety-conscious, community watch members, and people who follow local news closely. It's also valuable for families who want to keep an eye on each other's safety and for journalists or researchers who need real-time information on developing events.

Notes & opportunities

While powerful, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming for a new user. The main feed is dense with alerts, and the various tabs and features require some exploration to fully grasp. The vertical format for user videos, as seen at 02:35, can feel restrictive for capturing wide scenes like a highway fire, a point the app seems to acknowledge with a pop-up about landscape video at 03:00. Simplifying the initial dashboard or offering a more guided tour of the main UI could improve the new user experience.