GuruShots: Photography Game

What it does

GuruShots turns photography into a competitive online game. Users submit their photos to various themed challenges, ranging from 'Culinary Time' to 'All Small Animals'. The core of the experience involves voting on other users' photos to earn an 'Exposure Bonus', which increases the visibility of your own submissions. Success is measured by climbing ranks within challenges, earning status levels from 'Newbie' to 'Guru', and winning prizes.

Where it shines

GuruShots excels at creating an addictive engagement loop. The voting mechanic (00:53) is central to this; it's not just a passive action but a strategic move to boost your own photo's chances. This gamified system provides constant feedback and a sense of progression. The app also features a multi-layered competition structure, with both user-voted 'Top Photos' (01:42) and curated 'Guru's Picks' (02:12), offering different avenues for recognition that appeal to a wide range of photographers.

UX highlights

Clear Voting Feedback: The circular 'Voting Power' animation (00:57) provides satisfying, immediate feedback for each vote cast, reinforcing the action.
Organized Challenge Dashboard: The main challenge screen (00:45) neatly organizes all critical information: time remaining, total votes, level rank, and quick access to actions like 'Vote', 'Fill', and 'Swap'.
Intuitive Navigation: A standard bottom tab bar provides quick access to joined challenges, discovery of new ones, and leaderboards, making it easy to navigate the app's key sections.
At-a-Glance Ranking: The leaderboard view (01:44) uses a clear grid layout, showing rank number and vote counts, which allows users to quickly assess the competition.
Consolidated Profile: The user profile (03:20) acts as a central hub for a user's identity, showing their status, photo count, likes, and followers in one place.

Monetization & growth

The app's monetization is built around an in-app purchase model with a complex virtual economy. Instead of a subscription, users can buy packs of 'Fills', 'Swaps', and 'Keys' (02:27). These items allow players to perform strategic actions like boosting their photo's exposure without voting, swapping a photo mid-challenge, or unlocking a challenge that is about to close. The store uses common mobile gaming tactics like labeling certain bundles as 'Most Popular' to guide user spending. Growth is encouraged via a prominent 'Invite your FB friends' banner (00:45).

Who it’s for

GuruShots is designed for amateur and enthusiast photographers who thrive on competition and community feedback. It's less for professional photographers looking for a portfolio platform and more for those who enjoy the thrill of a contest and seeing how their work stacks up against others globally. The gamified elements appeal to users who are motivated by leaderboards, leveling up, and earning rewards.

Notes & opportunities

While highly functional, the app's visual design in certain areas, like the profile screen (03:20) and the main menu (03:46), feels somewhat dated and could benefit from a modernization pass to align with current UI trends. The introduction of multiple currencies and game mechanics right away could be slightly overwhelming for a new user. A more guided first-time challenge experience could help ease players into the app's intricate systems.