Square dance APP competitive product analysis report: The huge economic potential of the square dance market has not yet been reflected

Apps such as Tangdou Square Dance , Just Love Square Dance , and 99 Square Dance have already gained certain advantages in the market competition. While moving towards commercialization and expanding new businesses in the future development, they should also pay attention to user experience and improve user satisfaction, so that middle-aged and elderly groups, including aunts, can also enjoy more of the dividends of social development and technological progress.

one. Overview

1. Industry Overview
2. Competitive product selection
3. Application Market

2. Strategic Analysis

1. Overview

2. Detailed description

(1) Product advantages (2) Business model

3. Product Function Analysis

1. Function comparison
2. Functional description

4. Product structure analysis

1. General Introduction
2. Analysis and prediction

5. Visual Interaction Analysis

1. Color matching
2. Page Layout
3. Interface

6. Functional suggestions 7. Summary and thoughts

one. Overview

1. Industry Overview

Square dancing is a dance art that is popular across the country. It gets its name because most of its participants gather in the square. It is developing rapidly and is suitable for all ages, especially the middle-aged and elderly groups. According to data from the State Council's sixth national census, the number of people born in the 1960s and 1970s in China is approximately 440 million, and the proportion of elderly people in China is expected to increase to 24% by 2030, reaching the level of most developed countries. Such a large number of people need a lot of entertainment applications to serve them, and the square dance field is a good entry point.

In recent years, the square dance industry has been booming, from the launch of the Tangdou Square Dance PC version in 2011, the release of the Just Love Dance BBS in 2012, the Cha Cha Square Dance promotion app in 2014, the launch of the Dafu Square Dance hardware in 2015, the release of the National Square Dance app, the entry of the Dancing Times WeChat public account, the overall transformation of 99 Square Dance from Yiting Music Network, and the release of the 1758 Square Dance user version and coach version by the Dance Center in 2016... Various companies have explored various models, trying to find a good enough breakthrough.

With the development of mobile Internet, a large number of square dance apps have sprung up in the market. The emergence of these apps has greatly promoted the demand for smartphones among urban and rural aunts and uncles. They were originally a group that was relatively indifferent to smartphones, but because of their love for square dancing, they began to spontaneously and actively learn the use of smartphones and square dance apps. At present, if you search the keyword "square dance" in the Android market, you can find hundreds of related apps. Among them, the download volume of Tangdou Square Dance, Just Love Square Dance, and 99 Square Dance has exceeded 10 million. The square dance market is a newly emerging market with huge potential. Its profit model still needs to be continuously explored and improved. Moreover, based on the current situation, the homogenization of square dance apps has become quite obvious, and many apps do not have much difference in functional services.

2. Competitive product selection

(From left to right: Android version 5.8.8.5; Android version V 2.0.5; Android version V 2.5.8)

Reason for selection: A well-known and widely used square dance APP in the market.

3. Application Market

(1) Total downloads (as of May 8, 2017)

The order of the pictures is Tangdou Square Dance, Just Love Square Dance, 99 Square Dance:

(2) Crowd attributes (Note: In the iResearch Index, only the data of Tangdou Square Dance and Just Love Square Dance were found; 99 Square Dance was not included)

① Tangdou Square Dance (2017.3)

② I love square dancing (2017.3)

2. Strategic Analysis

1. Overview

2. Detailed description

(1) Product advantages

Sugar Bean Square Dance:

• The original Tangdou.com can import a large amount of content and users;
• The founding team has been focusing on square dance video platforms since 2011 and has extensive industry experience;
• The company switched from PC to mobile earlier, which gave it a first-mover advantage.

I love square dancing:

• Started early in the square dance industry;
• It started as a square dance forum, and its social functions are powerful;
• A large number of previously accumulated users can be imported;

99 Square Dance:

• Possessing abundant resources of famous teachers and teams;
• Owns many exclusive copyright works;
• Offline square dance activities are most effective.

(2) Business Model

Sugar Bean Square Dance:

• Advertisements: The built-in advertisements of Tangdou Square Dance are very rare and obscure. I once thought that there were no advertisements in this app at all. It was not until I had been using it for nearly a week that I discovered that the "Tangdou Sisters Group" that had briefly appeared in the activity box on the homepage and a hairdressing product that had recently appeared (appeared in the name of event participation award) were advertisements.

I love square dancing:

• Advertisements: placed on the startup page, home page, etc., mainly to display products in the gold coin mall;
• Mall: Mainly provides square dance related products, and also has a small number of daily necessities for purchase.

99 Square Dance:

• Advertisements: mainly placed on the startup page and home page;
• Mall: Currently, it does not sell goods, but only provides points redemption services to increase user stickiness;
• Activities: Provide users with a platform for watching, registering for, and participating in online and offline square dance activities. Some activities require payment of a certain fee.

Summary: As of now, the commercial potential of the three apps is not very high, and they have only launched some preliminary business models. On the one hand, this is because they are all in the early stages of development, and the current focus is still on accumulating users and consolidating market position. On the other hand, there are still many issues to be explored for this type of app to establish a good business model, such as how to cross over from square dance products to other products (health care, travel, education, etc.), and how to educate square dance app users about online payment. It is conceivable that after their market position is more solid, these apps will spend more energy considering monetization issues.

3. Product Function Analysis

1. Function comparison

In summary, although the three apps, Tangdou Square Dance, Just Love Square Dance and 99 Square Dance, have a considerable degree of overlap in functions, they also have their own focus and characteristics.

The biggest overlap among the three apps is the video module, which mainly provides functions such as square dance video query, viewing, collection, and download. It can be seen that these functions correspond to a core demand of square dance app users, and Tangdou Square Dance’s biggest advantage over the other two apps lies precisely in this. So although Tangdou Square Dance may be the one with the least functional modules and quantity among the three apps, it focuses on providing users with the latest and most comprehensive massive square dance videos, which best meets users’ needs for this function, and is why it has been able to take the lead in the current competitive market. In addition, Tangdou Square Dance and Just Love Square Dance APP also have the function of shooting or recording square dance videos. Although 99 Square Dance does not currently have this function, it supports uploading recorded local videos, which to a certain extent makes up for the gap in this function with Tangdou Square Dance and Just Love Square Dance.

A unique feature of 99 Square Dance is that it is the only one among the three apps that has opened up an event module and hosts a large number of online and offline square dance activities. In other words, it provides users with a platform for signing up for square dance activities. And because square dance is an inherently highly demonstrative sport, its fans are very enthusiastic about participating in the activities. As far as I know, a number of different types of square dance competitions or activities have been held across the country in recent years. It is conceivable that in the future development, the demand for related activities among square dance enthusiasts will further expand, and 99 Square Dance has undoubtedly taken the lead in this field.

Like 99 Square Dance, Just Love Square Dance also has a huge unique feature - the dance friend show. On Dance Friends Show, users can not only post square dance videos, but also post text, photo albums, etc., like many popular social platforms, to show all aspects of their lives. Through the Dance Friends Show, Just Love Square Dance is not only positioned as a platform for online video teaching of square dance, it has also become a community for interactive communication among users.

2. Functional description

(1) Search

Search entry:

① Sugar Bean Square Dance

Search is one of the most commonly used functions of square dance APP users, and its proportion in the product is very important, so Tangdou Square Dance has set up 3 search entrances, and the first entrance is prominently placed at the top of the homepage for user convenience; the second is placed in the upper right corner of the "Popular" page (not too conspicuous, after all, the homepage already has this function), so that users can search directly when they find it difficult to find the target dance music when facing the display pictures below; the third one is for the convenience of users to shoot videos, because after clicking "Shoot-Show Dance", you can directly search for the dance music you want to shoot on the pop-up page without having to download the dance music before shooting. This will undoubtedly greatly optimize the user's shooting experience and is a core feature of the APP's shooting function, so it is also placed in a more conspicuous place.

② I love square dancing

There are a total of 5 search entrances for Just Love Square Dance, including the 3 mentioned above for Tangdou Square Dance (top of the homepage, upper right corner of the popular/dance music page, and top of the shooting page); in addition, Just Love Square Dance has placed an entrance in the top center of the "Experts" page, so that users can search directly when they cannot find the target expert below; the last entrance is placed in the upper left corner of the video module, so that users can search at any time while browsing the page, but because users enter this module mainly to browse the displayed pictures (otherwise they can search directly on the homepage), the search entrance is not made too conspicuous.

③ 99 Square Dance

99 Square Dance has only one search entrance, but it exists in both the homepage and dance team modules, and is prominently located at the top of both pages. It can be seen that it is also highlighted, and its ease of use is not worse than the previous two APPs.

Search Page :

① Sugar Bean Square Dance

(The order of pictures from left to right is before search, during search, and after search)

After clicking the search bar on the homepage of Tangdou Square Dance, the page that pops up is as shown in the left picture. You can directly click on the recommended words below to search, but if you want to search for other content, you have to click on the search bar again before the input keyboard pops up. The recommended word option can introduce and recommend some recent popular dances, activities, etc. to users on the one hand, and on the other hand, if the user's option is there, it can also reduce their operations. In the process of entering keywords, the content of the keywords will be automatically matched. This setting can help users achieve their search goals faster. The picture on the far right is the page that appears after searching for keywords in Tangdou Square Dance. It is divided into the hottest and latest sections. Users can choose according to their needs. In addition, if the page does not display the content the user wants, the user can search again directly at the top of the page without returning, which is very convenient.

② I love square dancing

The settings before searching for I Love Square Dance are exactly the opposite of those for Tangdou Square Dance. The input keyboard pops up directly and you can search immediately. However, if you want to search for the popular words below, you have to click on the middle page to retract the input keyboard. It can be seen that it believes that since the user has entered the page, it is mainly to enter keywords for search. The recommended words below are of no value to users in most cases. The page in search is basically the same as that of Tangdou Square Dance. After searching, the page of I Love Square Dance is divided into three sections - type, difficulty and popularity. This setting is undoubtedly more detailed and convenient than the "latest" and "hottest" of Tangdou Square Dance, and will bring users a better experience. However, it does not place a search bar on the page. If the user wants to search again, he must return. This setting is not as good as Tangdou Square Dance, and it is recommended to add it.

③ 99 Square Dance

The picture on the left is the page before searching for 99 Square Dance. You can directly click on the popular words below to search, and the input keyboard will pop up directly, so you can enter content immediately. I personally feel that this setting is the best experience among the three apps. It provides users with free choice space and reduces the possible operation steps for users to a minimum. However, during the search process, it will not automatically match content like the other two apps. This is not as convenient as the other two apps. It is recommended to add this function. The page after the search is almost the same as Tangdou Square Dance, so I will not go into details.

(2) Video viewing

(From left to right: Sugar Beans, Just Love, 99)

① Sugar Bean Square Dance

After the page pops up, the video automatically buffers and plays. This setting can reduce the user's waiting time and allow users to watch the video content as quickly as possible. However, if the user enters the page not to watch or watch the video immediately, it will cause certain troubles to the user, so there are pros and cons; the video page of Tangdou Square Dance has functions such as downloading, collecting, and sharing. The icons of these functions are designed to be relatively small, which is undoubtedly to avoid affecting the user's viewing experience, and the setting of small icons can also make the page appear more concise; however, compared with the small function icons mentioned above, the icon of the function of sending flowers is not only large, but also bright. Fortunately, it is far away from the video and will not affect the viewing experience. It also has the effect of beautifying the page. The highlight of the function of sending flowers is undoubtedly to reflect its community function. This is the same purpose as the setting of the comment bar that automatically pops up at the bottom at the first time, but Tangdou Square Dance obviously pays more attention to the simplicity of the page, and this comment bar is indeed not very obvious.

② I love square dancing

After the page pops up, you need to click on the video before buffering and playing it. The pros and cons of this setting are exactly the opposite of Tangdou Square Dance. It can be convenient for users who enter the page but do not want to watch or watch the video immediately, but it also prevents some users from watching the video content as quickly as possible. However, it may also be that it believes that users themselves need a certain buffering time after entering the video playback page, and it is not appropriate to play the content immediately. Just like Love Square Dance, it supports downloading, collecting, sharing and other functions, and its icon is the largest among the three APPs. The flower sending function is also bright and eye-catching, which is undoubtedly convenient for those older users or those with poor eyesight. And its more conspicuous comment column is automatically popped up at the bottom at the first time. Although the page does not look very simple and beautiful, it is undoubtedly more convenient for users to use.

③ 99 Square Dance

Like Tangdou Square Dance, the video automatically buffers and plays after the page pops up, allowing users to see the video as quickly as possible, but it does not give users the psychological buffer time they may need; it supports downloading, collecting, sharing and other functions, and the icon size is centered among the three apps. I personally feel that the design of these icons is the best, which does not destroy the simplicity of the page and is also very convenient for users to use; unlike the previous two apps, 99 Square Dance does not have the function of sending flowers, so it highlights the attention function, placing it in the center and occupying a large area, which is very conspicuous; as for the comment function, you need to click "Comment" at the bottom to pop up the comment bar, which may be due to the fact that users do not have a high demand for comments, but I suggest that it should be automatically popped up like the previous two apps to encourage and facilitate users to comment.

(3) Video and audio downloads

① Sugar Bean Square Dance

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② I love square dancing

Like Tangdou Square Dance, Just Love Square Dance provides downloads of both dance music and videos on the video playback page, and its download icon is the largest of the three apps, which is very convenient for elderly users and those with poor eyesight. However, after starting the download, you must exit and then enter "My Downloads" to view the video. It may be because it thinks most users will choose to continue watching the video, but it is recommended to open a short interface to directly enter "My Downloads" like Tangdou Square Dance, otherwise it will be inconvenient. The download page of Just Love Square Dance is subdivided into two sections: "Already Downloaded" and "Downloading", and the number of files is marked on the side, which makes it easier for users to understand their download status and avoids the inconvenience caused by too many files. I personally feel that the download page with these settings gives users a better experience. In addition, unlike Tangdou Square Dance, the pause/resume, delete and other operations of Just Love Square Dance are concentrated on the download bar, listed on the left and right, making it easier for users to operate single files and effectively avoiding accidental deletion.

③ 99 Square Dance

Like 99 Square Dance, it provides downloads of dance music and videos on the video playback page, but like Just Love Square Dance, you need to exit the video playback page and find the download center before you can view them, which is not as convenient as Tangdou Square Dance. In the download center, you can click on the picture to pause/resume, etc., or click the delete button in the upper right corner to delete single or multiple files. It is almost the same as Tangdou Square Dance, so I will not go into details.

(4) Video recording

1) Introduction

① Sugar Bean Square Dance

Tangdou Square Dance can be recorded directly in the download center by clicking "Show Dance" on the right side of the downloaded dance music, or by clicking "Record" at the bottom of the page to choose to record or upload, then enter the list of downloaded dance music and click "Show Dance" to record;

After entering the recording page, you can set and select the title, background, camera, etc. After shooting, you can save and publish the work (you can also click the back button to cancel the work), and you can also provide feedback on audio and video mismatches.

② I love square dancing

If you just love square dancing, you must record videos in "My-Video Recording", and the local video upload function of the mobile phone is not supported. Enter the recording page, you can set the background, title, flash, etc., and you can cancel, save, and publish the work after recording (I will not repeat it here).

③ 99 Square Dance

99 Square Dance itself does not have a video recording function. It only supports uploading square dance videos recorded on the mobile phone. The button is on the right side of the search bar on the homepage and the function is relatively simple.

2) Contrast

• In general, among the three apps, Tangdou Square Dance has the most powerful video recording function. It not only supports shooting videos in the app, but also supports uploading locally recorded videos directly. However, Just Love Square Dance and 99 Square Dance only have one of these two major functions.
• After downloading the dance music from the Tangdou Square Dance Download Center, you can directly record it here, while for Just Love Square Dance, you must exit and find the "My-Video Recording" module before you can record. Tangdou Square Dance is undoubtedly more convenient. Moreover, even if you don't record in the Download Center, the operation required for Tangdou Square Dance to record is also fewer and simpler (its shooting button is always very conspicuously located at the bottom center of the page), and the user experience is undoubtedly better;
• In video recording, Tangdou Square Dance supports switching between the front and rear cameras, while Just Love Square Dance is fixed to the rear camera. The ability to use the front camera means that users of Tangdou Square Dance can intuitively understand the effect of the video recording and their own performance while recording, which can effectively improve recording satisfaction and reduce recording time (if the effect is not good, it can be terminated immediately, while using the rear camera is difficult for you to find out and for others to interrupt). In addition, when using the rear camera, you usually need another person to help record, while using the front camera, users can complete the operation alone, and can choose the recording time more freely and casually.
• After recording, Tangdou Square Dance supports immediate feedback of audio and video mismatch by clicking the button in the lower right corner. However, this option is not found in Just Love Square Dance. Although it is still impossible to judge the effectiveness of information feedback, the setting of this function itself conveys the message of focusing on user experience, which is conducive to improving user satisfaction.
• In terms of video uploading function, no obvious difference was found between Tangdou Square Dance and 99 Square Dance.

(5) Other functions

① "Dance Friends Show" who love square dancing:

1) Introduction

Dance Friends Show is one of the four functional modules of Just Love Square Dance. It provides users with a community for communication and interaction, and supports functions such as viewing and following text posts, picture posts, and video posts. In addition, by clicking the button in the upper right corner of the page, you can also choose to take photos, create albums, send texts, record videos, and other functions to show all aspects of your life. Many APPs have not achieved ideal results in building communities. Their communities are very deserted, and the content quality and activity are very poor. However, Wuyouxiu, which loves square dancing, can be said to be a successful case. On the one hand, this is because it started out as a forum and has rich relevant experience. On the other hand, it is also because its users are mainly women with a strong desire to show off, which gives it a natural advantage.

2) Advantages and disadvantages analysis

advantage:

1. Can meet users' social and self-display needs;
2. Increase application viscosity;
3. Wider dissemination and promotion through the community;
4. Based on user discussions in the community, you can iterate and improve product features, and find new business opportunities.

shortcoming:

1. The overlapping functions with Moments, QQ Space, etc. are not very meaningful to some users, and the uniqueness and differentiation of its functions still need to be shaped;
2. There are many alternative product options and they are always facing competition from giants;
3. The monetization path is long and the business prospects are unclear.

② 99 Square Dance "Activities"

1) Introduction

99 Square Dance provides its users with a platform for online appreciation and participation in square dance activities, where users can not only watch but also sign up to participate in activities of their interest. However, perhaps because the overall number of activities or the number of popular activities is small, and the activity box at the top of the homepage can better display recent popular activities, 99 Square Dance does not seem to have carefully polished the layout of its activity page. There is no distinction between video and non-video activities, registered and non-registered activities, online and offline activities. All are concentrated on one page (as shown in the right picture), which is a bit messy and difficult for users to use and find.

2) Advantages and disadvantages analysis

advantage:

1. It can meet users' needs in participating in activities and socializing;
2. Enhance user stickiness;
3. By holding events, we can increase the popularity and spread of 99 Square Dance.

shortcoming:

1. The layout of the event page is rather messy and the user experience needs to be improved;
2. Compared with the vast number of users, the number of activities is still insufficient;
3. The time, financial, and human costs of hosting an event are high.

4. Product structure analysis

1. General Introduction

Although they are all square dance apps, they have different product structures due to differences in strategic goals, product positioning, and development stages. By analyzing the product structures of the above three apps, we can find three tendencies in the current square dance apps:

(1) Simplification

The most typical example of this tendency towards simplification is undoubtedly Tangdou Square Dance. On the one hand, although its product structure can be divided into five parts, they are all built around only one core - video, focusing on providing users with functions such as square dance video viewing, downloading, and uploading. The other two APPs have at least one more core besides video, such as 99 Square Dance's "Activities" and Just Love Square Dance's "Dance Friends Show" and "Gold Coin Mall". On the other hand, the interface operation of Tangdou Square Dance is very simple, which is also the case with 99 Square Dance. Only Just Love Square Dance is inevitably relatively complicated. Simplified operation can lower the learning threshold for users, making it easier for the elderly who love square dancing to accept and use the APP, which will undoubtedly increase the appeal of the product.

(2) Socialization

Tangdou Square Dance has a preliminary social function - My Dance Team, where users can join or create a square dance team. In addition, after watching other people's videos, users can send flowers, like, etc.; In addition, I Love Square Dance has also opened up a "Dance Friends Show" module, where users can post, view popular posts, add followers, etc., to better meet their social needs; 99 Square Dance has opened up a unique event section, organizing and publishing online and offline square dance activities, providing users with a platform to appreciate and sign up to participate in square dance activities. At the same time, these activities have also become a channel for online and offline communication and interaction between users;

(3) Comprehensiveness

This is particularly evident in the app "Just Love Square Dance". It not only has online social platforms such as "Dance Friends Show" where users can communicate and share experiences with a large number of users across the country, but it has also opened up its own e-commerce platform - "Gold Coin Mall", which sells a large number of products related or unrelated to square dance. In addition, it has also created an online game platform within the APP - "Just Love Games" (although there are only a few games at present). Through such a layout, we can find that Just Love Square Dance is targeting the user's entire lifestyle and entertainment method, and is committed to building a comprehensive application platform for users, which is undoubtedly the stage that many square dance apps ultimately want to achieve.

2. Analysis and prediction

When their market position becomes more solid, some square dance apps will inevitably give more consideration to monetization issues, so that modules with stronger commercial nature will gradually increase. And because transactions on such apps may be more related to the daily consumption of middle-aged women, modules such as health, travel, and financial management will also be established accordingly.

In addition, some modules that meet user needs and have commercial potential may also become the focus of competition in future development, such as live broadcasting. Of course, square dance apps are unlikely to use live streaming as a means of monetization from the beginning. In the early stages, their competition will focus more on content and experience. Only after they are relatively mature will they consider exploring their commercial value.

However, at present, square dance apps will focus more on accumulating users and consolidating their market position. Therefore, compared with the commercial module, the fierce competition in the community module should come faster. For example, the two biggest changes made by 99 Square Dance in its latest version v3.0.0 launched yesterday (2017.5.8) are to enhance the community function. One is to change the download of the original four major modules to messages, and the other is to change the dance team module whose main function was to display and watch to a module for creating and joining a dance team. Women account for the vast majority of square dance APP users, and women’s demand to showcase their beauty, health, dancing skills and other aspects is undoubtedly huge, so competition in the community module is undoubtedly crucial to the future development of major square dance APPs.

5. Visual Interaction Analysis

1. Color matching

(From left to right: the homepage pictures of Tangdou, Just Love, and 99)

The color schemes of the three apps are generally similar. Most areas are complementary between cool and warm colors, which makes the interface more eye-catching. However, the color design at the top of the page shows the biggest difference among the three apps:

• Tangdou Square Dance: The top of the page is white. In addition, because the page does not have much content as a whole, there is a lot of blank space. The white at the top is integrated with these blank areas, giving users a feeling of simplicity and functional simplicity.
• I Love Square Dance: The top of the page is red, and with its diverse functions and huge information on each page, it is easy to give users a very grand and lively feeling;
• 99 Square Dance: The top of the page is blue, which is above the activity display box on the homepage. It complements some of the displayed activities and gives people a sense of pleasure under the blue sky. On other pages, blue also gives people a sense of cleanliness and reliability.

2. Page Layout

(1) Tangdou Square Dance

The shooting module is located at the core position at the bottom of the page, which is based on both the recognition of user needs and the affirmation of its own advantages.

Previously, at the right of "shooting" at the bottom of the page was "message" (as shown in Figure 1 below), and in the past two days it has become "follow" (as shown in Figure 2 below). Although both "message" and "follow" have very little substantive content (as shown in Figure 3 below), this layout shows that Tangdou Square Dance has placed the construction of the community module in an important position and is trying to make some major adjustments and changes.

(2) I love square dancing

Only 4 modules are displayed at the bottom, and the video recording function is not included like Tangdou Square Dance, but this may be because its video recording function, as its icon says, was recently developed and has not yet generated enough confidence;

Compared with the other two apps, there is an additional section in the middle of the homepage called "I Love Headlines", which can deliver news, health and other information to users. However, it is not beautiful, but makes the page look a bit crowded. Moreover, the quality of the content it delivers is not high and is even misleading. It is recommended to adjust it or delete it directly.

(3) 99 Square Dance

There are 8 icons in the middle of the 99 Square Dance homepage, divided into two rows, while the other two apps have 5 icons in one row. Among these icons, 99 Square Dance mainly has more content such as "famous teachers", "famous teams", and "activities", which undoubtedly wants to convey its advantages to users;

There is an advertisement display box between the 99 Square Dance page and the video playback page, which is not harmonious with the overall page. It displays the content that users have recently searched online, which may violate privacy and easily trigger negative emotions in users. In addition, it is very common for square dance users to watch videos with friends on their mobile phones. The content of this advertisement box may make users feel apprehensive in such a scenario, affecting the user experience. It is recommended to at least develop a close button.

3. Interface

1. In terms of navigation design, there is basically no difference between the three apps. The other core functions listed in the table are also basically the same in terms of ease of operation. Only the video recording or uploading function requires only one step for Tangdou Square Dance and 99 Square Dance, while it takes two steps for Just Love Square Dance.
2. Some core functions are not listed above because the three apps do not have them at the same time. Now we analyze them: Tangdou Square Dance and Just Love Square Dance both have "My Dance Team", and the operation steps are two steps (Homepage-My-My Dance Team); Just Love Square Dance and 99 Square Dance both have malls, and the operation also requires two steps (Homepage-My-Mall); Just Love Square Dance's "Dance Friends Show" can be accessed directly on the homepage; If the activities of 99 Square Dance are displayed on the homepage, you can go directly, otherwise it takes two steps (Homepage-Activity-Enter);
3. Tangdou Square Dance also uses the activity box on the homepage to display information on health care, body beauty, etc. Overall, the information display is concise and clear; Just Love Square Dance also displays "Just Love Headlines" scrolling recommendations for hot news, and its scrolling frequency is consistent with the change frequency of the top activity box, giving people a slightly confusing feeling; 99 Square Dance slightly reduces the weight of the video display picture, making the activity information displayed in the activity box at the top of the homepage and the icon part in the center of the page the most eye-catching content. Such a design is undoubtedly to show its unique advantages.

6. Functional suggestions

1. Sugar Bean Square Dance

The community function is relatively weak, and the construction of community modules should be strengthened to better meet the social needs of users.

2. I love square dancing

(1) Intuitively, the product structure of Tangdou Square Dance and 99 Square Dance is very simple, while Just Love Square Dance is more complex. This is not only because its current layout is wider and has more functions. A closer look will reveal that another reason is that its functions are highly repetitive. For example, the homepage module and the video module all have "lists", "categories", "experts", etc. (see the figure below). The homepage module, video module, and my module all have "downloads", and there are also "coin malls", "video recordings", "viewing history", "my collections", etc., which overlap in at least two places. I think that some of these repetitions are appropriate, while others should be simplified as necessary;

(2) The video recording function of "I Love Square Dance" is in the "My" module (see the figure below). However, most users habitually think that this function is in the "Video" module, so it is recommended to move the location of this function or set up an independent module for it to facilitate user use.

3. 99 Square Dance

(1) One shortcoming of 99 Square Dance is its video recording function. It does not support recording videos within the APP, but only supports uploading videos recorded on the phone. From a long-term perspective, this function should certainly be strengthened. However, perhaps in order to cover up this shortcoming, the upload function icon is placed in an inconspicuous position next to the search bar (see the figure below). I think this will make some new users mistakenly believe that the APP is completely lacking in relevant functions and abandon it. Therefore, I suggest that it should not be concealed. After all, user needs cannot be concealed. It should be placed in a more prominent position in the product structure, and when the relevant functions are more powerful in the future, consider establishing an independent module for it;

(2) The current content of the activity module is rather complex (see the figure below). The module should be further subdivided to distinguish between activities that can be registered and those that cannot be registered, and between online and offline activities, so as to facilitate user use and improve user experience.

7. Summary and Thoughts

According to the data from the sixth national census conducted by the State Council, the number of people born in the 1960s and 1970s in China is approximately 440 million. Such a large number of people need a lot of entertainment applications to serve them, and the Square Dance APP is one of the entry points. Moreover, the group of middle-aged women who are keen on square dancing actually have great economic potential. They often control most of the wealth in an ordinary family. Of course, many of the current functions of square dance apps have not yet reflected the huge economic potential of the square dance market. However, after accumulating users and consolidating its market position, square dance apps will inevitably become more and more commercialized.

The core group of square dancing - aunties, although mostly frugal, are not so stingy when it comes to their own interests. Alibaba Big Data and China Business Network Data Center have jointly released "The Most Beautiful Sunset - Middle-aged and Elderly Online Dance Consumption Report". According to the report, "62 yuan for dance shoes, 42 yuan for dance tops or bottoms, 90 yuan for dance suits, 50 yuan for accessories, 151 yuan for performance costumes, it can be calculated that 437 yuan is the standard configuration of a middle-aged and elderly 'dance' master", and this is only the average of personal equipment, not including audio, teaching equipment, props, etc. In addition, as the owners of family finances, since middle-aged women are responsible for all household expenses (including daily expenses, purchasing, travel, financial management, etc.), fast-moving consumer goods companies, travel companies, financial services companies, etc. are all potential partners for square dance apps.

Apps such as Tangdou Square Dance, Just Love Square Dance, and 99 Square Dance have already gained certain advantages in market competition. While moving towards commercialization and expanding new businesses in the future development, they should also pay attention to user experience and improve user satisfaction, so that middle-aged and elderly groups, including aunts, can also enjoy more of the dividends of social development and technological progress.

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The author of this article @胡齐森 is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting! Site Map