The Story of Straw, the polling engine for your pocket

Straw

Straw is a new Windows Phone app that aims to help you become instant feedback from your friends and followers on social networks. Recently, nosotros covered the polling app and its public beta on Windows Telephone. Since our initial coverage, the app has received numerous updates fixing bugs and addressing feedback from a growing user base. We figured it was as skilful a time equally ever to talk with Harbinger co-founder Ben Rudolph about the founding of the app and its time to come.

Straw Team

How Harbinger was born

Ben Rudolph, Craig Kitterman, Nate Gunderson and Jason Wilmot are the founders behind Harbinger. By day, the four of them piece of work at Microsoft in various roles, but by night they're working on an app to assist you easily poll friends and followers whenever yous desire.

Straw

The idea for Straw came to the team last year at a New Years Eve party. In that location, the presently-to-be Straw team was discussing upcoming higher football games with the usual smack talk. While debating which teams would win this and that basin game, they soon realized in that location was no skillful way to go that feedback on social networks.

Early Straw

Ask a question on Twitter (like, "which team will win a game?") and you lot can apace go a lot of quick responses. The aforementioned matter happens on Facebook and other networks. A ton of responses, only no way to easily digest and process feedback. People can become off-topic or might not fully understand the results you lot're looking for. The Harbinger team wondered if it would exist easier just to poll your friends? That'south the idea behind Straw, to make polling across social networks easy and fun.

The Straw of today

The four began working on Straw in earnest a few months ago. Right at present, Straw is available for Windows Phone, with Android and iPhone versions coming in the most future. The app allows you to create rapidly and share a poll. Straw works with and can share to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and SMS.

Straw

To quickly create a poll that works with the social networks yous frequently use is an important feature for Straw. Right now the focus is on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and SMS, but we wouldn't be surprised to see other options added based on community feedback.

When your friends and followers want to participate in a survey they simply click the link generated by Straw. This link will accept them to a web page where they tin can bandage their vote. Users don't need to sign up to participate, so this helps to remove the friction of collecting information from your friends. You too don't take to worry also much nigh anyone rigging the results if they try to take a poll in the aforementioned browser. Anyone trying that are met with a dialogue box informing them the extra vote won't count.

The team at Harbinger has been receiving a lot of constructive feedback since launching their Windows Phone app. They've been impressed with the enthusiasm that has sprung upwards with those using Straw. The surprise to the squad has been the quality of the feedback they're receiving so early in development. Instead of asking for WhatsApp and Straw integration, users are explaining how they desire to see the WhatsApp integration. That extra depth of information when providing feedback to Straw has impressed the team in these early days of development.

How's it beingness used?

Just scan the #PollWithStraw hashtag on Twitter, and you'll chop-chop get an idea of how people are using Straw. Variants of "Which team will win this game?" are some of the more obvious questions users are asking with Straw. Sports will undoubtedly be popular with the service, simply information technology'due south the personal recommendation angle that's interesting. Asking your friends questions similar "What suit looks improve on me?" or "What motion picture I should watch tonight?" are where Straw gets fun.

Straw

The Harbinger squad has been surprised past the number of people using the SMS option with Harbinger. Dinner plans are now being made with Straw where everyone tin can vote for where to eat. Just make a poll and send it to your friends. They select from some options and it helps to speed up the controlling process.

The Straw of tomorrow

Harbinger has some big plans for the future. The ultimate goal is to make mobile polling fun, quick and easy. The team hopes to accomplish this with apps on all major platforms.

Users on Android and iPhone can look frontward to Straw coming soon. In that location'southward no ETA on those apps; the squad just wants to release them when they're ready and functional. Users on Android and iPhone take already expressed their eagerness to the Straw squad for the app.

A yr from at present the Straw team hopes to go the premier polling tool on mobile. That's the principal idea backside Straw: to put a powerful polling engine in your pocket. To make polling fun, engaging and lower the barrier for users to make information-driven decisions.

Download Harbinger for Windows Phone

Straw is available as a public beta on Windows Phone, and you can download it today for complimentary. Don't forget to transport any feedback to hello@pollwithstraw.com and follow Straw on Twitter (@pollwithstraw)