Interview: Amber Discko on maintaining a self-care app when people really need it and finding your community

Hello! I hope you’re all staying safe and about as well as any of us can hope for right now. For today’s interview, I talked with Amber Discko, the developer of the self-care app Aloe Bud, who I wrote about in Wired a couple of weeks ago. We talked about their rise in users in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, finding comfort in online communities, and more!

Aloe Bud’s been on the App Store for about two years now, and you’ve talked about seeing spikes in the app’s downloads before. What made this spike different? Have users responded differently in the past month or so?

Depending on current world events, we see an increase of downloads because of people sharing Aloe Bud as a resource for dealing with the latest issues. Sadly events such as mass shootings, political news, celebrity deaths, and other emotional times will cause this to happen. What's new here is the length of time the spike has lasted, where as other events eventually resumed normal downloads, this spike hasn't yet.

What’s it been like seeing more people flock to your app right now, in the midst of all this?

It's been a mix of feelings around the rise in downloads due to the current situation. Yes, I'm glad more people are discovering Aloe Bud and using it to build new work from home routines, but the reasoning for it is not a fact I'm exactly happy to share.

Aloe Bud came out of you needing to track some of your routine on your own. Are you using it the same ways today that you were when you first started working on the app? 

Well, I always have all my daily tasks and reminders set for taking medication and hydrating, the main ones I struggle with. My app usage has changed over time depending on a few factors such as mood, environment, job changes, relationships, etc. I may add more reminders and reduce depending on current stress levels. I'm always considering how others use Aloe Bud, which is why we encourage our community to send feedback on how we might improve based on their usage.

Most of your career has focused on community building, in some way or another, right? For people who might be struggling with finding a community or some support right now, especially when a lot of us are feeling alone, where would be a good place to start?

For online communities, the best way to start is to pick one or a few of the online spaces, blogs, social networks you find enjoyment using. Then think of some topics you like and start exploring communities that exist around these areas. Maybe that's through a hashtag, Facebook group, forum, Discord group, etc. Right now, I as many others are enjoying Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and I've found a few small online communities I participate in to feel more connected.

Finally, what’s your favorite thing you’ve seen online this week?

Yesterday I found this video on Twitter where someone reenacted the song "Little Town" from opening of Beauty & the Beast and not only as Belle, but literally every character in the scene. It's worth watching all 3 parts, each a little over a minute long. Honestly, it deserves an Oscar.

Have a lovely weekend y’all, and stay safe! I’ll talk to you next week. ✨