Systems engineer details how he created an app with over 1.5 million downloads
The idea came to me while riding home from work on the bus one night, in my home country of Uruguay. As I tried to work out which players remained missing from my album, I realized I needed a better way to manage my collection, and trade stickers with other collectors.
- 2 years ago
February 8, 2023
The app Figuritas garnered over 1.5 million downloads with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar | Photo courtesy of Matías Jurfest
TEL AVIV, Israel ꟷ During the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, 60,000 people downloaded my app Figuritas to manage their Panini World Cup Sticker Album. By the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, I exceed 1.5 million downloads.
The idea came to me while riding home from work on the bus one night, in my home country of Uruguay. As I tried to work out which players remained missing from my album, I realized I needed a better way to manage my collection, and trade stickers with other collectors.
Read more stories about visionaries from around the globe.
While I intended to use the app for my friends and I, people outside my immediate circle began downloading Figuritas. As people from other countries whom I never spoke to before began using it, I recognized the true potential of the project. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, new users began coming on board every day. The popularity of the app exploded.
The process of a developing an app: design, coding, functionality, and features
Right from the beginning, I had an idea in my mind for the development of the Figuritas app. When I got home from that bus ride in 2018, I started sketching it out. With pen and paper, I used my imagination to create the visual appeal of the app, then I began coding the first version. I kept it simple: add stickers you own and see the ones you are missing.
With the first format complete, I began speaking with users about the experience and adding functionality. Soon, users could log repeat stickers they owned. I added statistics and the ability to generate lists which users could send via WhatsApp. I made the 2018 version alone in Uruguay, plugging away at it in my spare time. When the 2022 FIFA World Cup neared, now living in Tel Aviv, Isreal, I brought in a designer friend to help me with minor issues.
With over 1.5 million downloads of the 2022 application, I began hearing from people around the world. A user from Croatia wrote to me and it felt incredible to hear from a user in a remote country, writing to me in his non-native language. On another occasion, I went shopping and saw people using the app together in public. It felt so good to see them immersed in it.
The next evolution of the Figuritas app
With a rating of 4.9 on IOS and 4.8 on Android, I know I made something great, and I always take into account the reviews, returns, opinions, and comments of my customers. I listen to them and add features they want as often as I can.
My life has not changed at all despite the success of the app. I remain the same person and that gives me peace of mind. Currently, my work includes modifying the original idea so the app can be used in many albums at the same time and in different athletic competitions.
The last group of collectors who downloaded the app continue to complete their World Cup albums, but now they can access the Portuguese League and the English Premier League as well. When the Euro Cup and the Copa América play, we will make sure collectors around the globe can keep using their accounts. We want it to be relevant and not wait four years for the next World Cup.
I feel so happy, my heart soars every time I realize how far we have come. I imagine the users opening my app and smiling as they finish their albums. Working and doing something you love feels fantastic. I get to satisfy thousands of collectors around the world. It gives me energy to keep working and to improve. Making someone’s hobby easy to access and more fun means the world to me.
