Meet our product manager Simon

An interview with Simon Hjälmefjord, our product manager where he talks about why Quickbit chose a closed beta launch for our new app, the advantages of a beta launch and how he sees the Quickbit app developing in the future.

When did you join Quickbit and what’s your role as product manager?

I joined Quickbit just in the end of 2020 and my main role is to develop our products and offer more value for our users.

Tell us about how the idea of the Quickbit app came about?

The main mission for Quickbit is to make it easier for people and companies to use cryptocurrencies in their everyday lives. That’s why we created the Quickbit app for the consumer market. You can carry it all day in your pocket – like you carry your phone or bank cards – but with the difference that you with the app can buy, sell, send, swap and eventually pay with crypto in seconds.

Why did you decide to do a closed beta launch? Are there any advantages for choosing it?

The main goal of a beta launch is to release a version of the app and learn how the app can meet our goals, which are offering an excellent user experience and creating a desired business impact. We are starting with a closed beta, inviting the first batch of users that had signed up through our waiting list.

Also, one of the main reasons for having a beta launch strategy is actually to test the product and the market. A big part of the most successful apps – Spotify, Twitter and others – have opted for a beta launch. Everybody is talking about Clubhouse right now, and they are still in beta. That tells us we are on the right track for opting for this type of launch.

We already have an early access list and can release the app to a smaller audience. The first group is made of our biggest fans and we will expect their feedback which will influence what we should improve and develop in the app. For example, if we see that there is a lot of interest in sending crypto and we see in our analytics and user feedback that part of our design interface needs some improvement, we can take action. Taking that feedback on board, we can make few changes and release an app update. We are listening to our users’ feedback, almost in real time. This proves that we have a very customer-centric culture at Quickbit.

Another big advantage is that we can test the performance of our internal systems to see that everything is working for the users. If there are any glitches along the way, we can correct them before rolling out to more and more users.

How do you see the Quickbit app developing through the months after the beta launch?

In the first beta version we are offering three currencies (Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin), to buy, swap crypto for crypto and also to send crypto to other Quickbit users or to external wallets. With time, we plan to add new currencies – starting with Ethereum and Stellar Lumens.

We are always going to base our future decisions on data – we have our own user behaviour analytics tool. We have a built-in feedback survey in the app, and users can tell us what’s working well and what’s not, what needs to be improved and even suggestions for new features.I am also very excited about releasing the Quickbit Card that will let our users pay with crypto. Because that is what we are all about, making it easier for more and more people to start using crypto.