Stuck: iPhone app review

Stuck is a new social networking app that asks users around the world to describe when, why and where they are stuck. 

The Stuck app is the product of Swiftcover.com's innovation labs, and has so far been promoted organically, via Facebook (where it has 50,000 fans) and Twitter. I've been trying the app out...

The home screen on the app is very impressive; a globe showing the location of people's 'stuck' postings around the world. You can manipulate the globe with your fingers, spinning it round, or zooming in to a particular location. 

The far-flung locations of the postings also bear testimony to the fact that the app has gone global; it is being used in 50 countries so far. 

You can click on any of the symbols on the map to read how other people are 'stuck'. This can also be emailed or shared on Twitter. 

You can also view what people have posted in a Twitter-style timeline: 

Posting is easy enough too; there is a nice clear button on the home screen. Then it's a case of choosing the category, traffic, life, songs etc, and the type of feeling, before adding text of up to 140 characters. 

There are some other useful features too, such as the option of seeing other postings in your area. You can allow the phone to find your current location, and then display what's happening in your location. There are also filters that allow you to see only certain types of postings; in this way you could, for example, see who's having traffic problems in your local area. 

Despite the fact that the app comes from Swiftcover.com, there is no branding on the app, other than the purple colour, though it may eventually be tied in with the brand more closely. 

This is because the innovation team wanted to let the app work on it's own merit, and not to deter users by the fact that it came via an insurance brand. 

According to Swiftcover's head of innovation Ambarish Mitra, there are more features planned for the app, including Facebook Connect, two-way communication between users, audio postings, and more categories. 

Conclusion

The app is well designed and easy to use, and comes with some excellent features, especially the globe view of worldwide postings. It's one of the more impressive brand apps I have seen so far.

I like the fact that Swiftcover has concentrated on producing an app that is fun for users, rather than just focusing on how it will promote the brand. 

Judging by the App Store reviews, it's also popular with users, with an average score of four and some very positive comments.