Polsta
A social planning app that turns 'let's hang out' into a confirmed event in under a minute.
Project Snapshot
- Client
- Polsta
- Industry
- Social Networking (Event Planning)
- Platform
- iOS only
- Timeline
- 4 months
- Our Role
- iOS app development + interaction design
The Challenge
Polsta's founders noticed the same friction in every friend group: someone suggests "let's do something," and then ten messages later, nobody has agreed on what, when, where, or who's actually coming. Before iMobdev got involved, there was no product — just a clear idea that planning a casual outing should take one guided flow instead of a scattered group chat.
The pain points were concrete. There was no single flow that captured activity type, attendees, location, and time in one continuous motion, so plans stalled at the "figuring it out" stage. There was no lightweight RSVP mechanism to convert an invite into a clear "Going" or "Naah" without a phone call or a dozen texts. And favorite contacts, once starred, had no way to stay prioritized across future events.
Every plan that died in a group chat was a missed hangout and a missed reason to open the app again. Polsta needed the actual event-creation experience to feel faster and more fun than typing out the same plan in a messaging app, or there was no reason for it to exist.
Technically, the four-step creation flow — category, attendees, location, time — needed to feel like one continuous card-based motion rather than four separate screens, on a timeline that didn't allow for a heavyweight custom animation framework.
Our Solution
iMobdev's approach was to design event creation as a single swipeable card stack rather than a form. Each step — what, who, where, when — is its own card in the same visual language, so creating a plan feels like flicking through a deck rather than filling out fields.
On the architecture side, we built a native iOS app with a lightweight event service handling event state, contact starring, and RSVP status, backed by MapKit for location search and pinning. Push notifications tie the invite and RSVP loop together in real time, so a "Going" or "Naah" response reaches the organizer instantly.
On the UX side, the app uses a bold coral-and-blue palette carried from the Polsta star mark through every primary action button, with a dark, gradient-rich background on the event-creation flow that makes the white content cards pop. Starring a contact surfaces them at the top of the "with whom" list for future events, turning repeat planning into a one-tap action.
For data, each event links its category icon, attendee list, pinned location, and confirmed time into a single shareable invitation screen, so recipients see everything they need — and can respond — without leaving the app.
Delivery was phased: the core create-event flow and RSVP screen shipped first as the testable core loop, with contact starring and push notification polish following once the primary flow was validated with early users.
The Impact
Polsta launched with a planning flow that replaces a ten-message group chat with a single guided card stack — pick an activity, pick people, pick a place, pick a time, and send. The instant Going/Naah RSVP screen gave organizers a clear read on who was actually coming, something the group-chat status quo never reliably provided.
Early users adopted the starred-contacts shortcut quickly, turning repeat hangouts with the same close friends into a genuinely faster habit than texting. iMobdev continues to support Polsta as it explores group chat and recurring-event features.
Key Features
What We Built
Category-First Event Creation
Start a plan by picking an activity — Movie, Dinner, and more — from a swipeable card carousel.
Starred Contacts
Mark favorite friends with a star so they surface first when picking who to invite.
In-App Location Picker
Search and pin a meeting spot on an embedded map without leaving the event flow.
Radial Time Picker
Set the event time with a circular dial and name the event before confirming.
One-Tap RSVP
Invitees respond Going or Naah instantly from a single shared invitation screen.
Post-RSVP Discuss Thread
A Discuss link on the invitation screen keeps event chatter attached to the plan itself.
Tech Stack
- IOiOS (Swift)
- MAMapKit
- Node.js
- Firebase
- PNPush Notifications
- REREST APIs
Screenshots
App in Action
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“Polsta is the first app that made planning something with friends actually faster than a group text. iMobdev got the flow exactly right.”
Founder
Polsta
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