App Showcase: Umax

What it does

Umax is an AI-powered self-improvement app that analyzes a user's facial aesthetics. Users upload front and side selfies, and the app provides scores on attributes like jawline, skin quality, and masculinity. Based on this analysis, it delivers personalized recommendations to help users enhance their appearance, a practice often referred to as "looksmaxxing."

Where it shines

Umax excels at creating a sense of investment and curiosity. The multi-step onboarding process, while lengthy, builds anticipation for the final results. A key moment is the sequential selfie upload (00:48 - 01:02), which breaks a high-friction task into manageable steps. The app's monetization strategy also stands out. Instead of a hard paywall, it offers an "Invite 3 Friends" option (01:31) to unlock results, cleverly turning a potential point of churn into a viral growth loop.

UX highlights

• Structured Data Input: The app doesn't just ask for photos; it specifically requests a "front selfie" and then a "side selfie" on separate screens, guiding the user to provide optimal data for the AI.
• Early Social Proof: Immediately after the gender selection, the app displays the text "Trusted by 1,000,000+ people" (00:04) to build credibility before asking for permissions or sign-up.
• Gamified Feature Discovery: Post-analysis, premium features are presented in a "LEVEL UP" carousel (01:19), framing self-improvement as an engaging progression rather than a simple transaction.
• Clear Action Categories: The main coach screen (02:18) organizes improvement tips into clear, actionable categories like "Gain more muscle" and "Sharpen your jawline," providing clear navigation paths for the user.
• Aggressive Rating Prompt: The app asks for an App Store rating (00:04) extremely early, even before account creation, a bold tactic to capture initial excitement.

Monetization & growth

The primary monetization and growth mechanic is the results gate at 01:14. After investing time in the onboarding and photo upload, the user's results are blurred. To see them, they can either pay for the Pro version or invite three friends. This "invite-to-unlock" feature is a powerful growth engine, converting curious non-paying users into acquisition channels. The app also heavily promotes its Pro version through a "Get Umax Pro" button on this screen and an "Upgrade to Pro" option in the settings (02:29).

Who it’s for

Umax is targeted at individuals, likely younger men, interested in self-improvement and maximizing their physical appearance. The term "looksmaxxing" is popular in certain online communities, and the app's focus on quantifiable metrics like "Jawline" and "Masculinity" scores aligns with this data-driven approach to personal aesthetics. The user is looking for actionable advice to improve their looks and confidence.

Notes & opportunities

The onboarding flow is quite long and requires significant user commitment before delivering any value. While this builds investment, it could also be a point of high drop-off. The app could potentially test showing a sample analysis or a small piece of a user's result to demonstrate value earlier. Additionally, the constant use of stock photos of models (00:49, 01:02) could be replaced with more authentic user-generated examples to feel more relatable.