The internal R&D group of Meta, known as NPE Team, has just launched a new social application, Move, designed for personal and group to-do lists. The app allows people, including individuals or groups organizing around a project, to create to-do lists and send notices and reminders of items that still need to be completed. However, unlike traditional to-do apps, Move gamifies the experience by allowing users to earn points for tasks they complete, which in turn allows them to customize an alpaca avatar with accessories such as hats, clothing, sunglasses, and more.
The idea is to encourage group participation, as avatar customization allows users to see which group members are the most productive. That is, if your avatar does not have additional "accessories", then it is clear that you have not yet participated in the group project. This could serve as a subtle form of social pressure to get more involved.
Meta confirmed that Move it's still a small test of the company's New Product Experimentation (NPE) team, who imagine it could be used for things like community initiatives or classroom projects. He sees the app as a kind of "social to-do" tool, making a group's to-dos easier to access and more transparent. Before launch, the app was tested with a small group of community organizers for early feedback.
The company suggests that Move could be used for student group projects, sorority or fraternity projects, roommate to-do lists, neighborhood groups, community projects, or even personal to-do lists or family chores.
Meta's NPE team has shifted focus in recent months to take a more global approach, rather than trying to create the next new social experience. So far, Meta has invested on an AI-powered development platform for creating virtual characters, Inworld AI, and has been working on other non-social apps, such as one that would help former inmates re-enter society, and one for LGBTQ families who were in the process. of becoming parents. NPE's change in strategy also included plans to invest in small business teams, the company said.
The launch of Move It seems to indicate that the group hasn't given up on social projects entirely, but the app had been in development before NPE's change of focus last December.
The app is currently available in the apple app store in the United States as a free download. No in-app payments or subscriptions required. Meta says it will be looking to learn more from this initial release.
Additional reporting by Manish Singh.
