Making Dad Jokes Actually Work
Role
Ux designer
Front end bubble developer
Agency
Agil fx
Duration
Oct 2023 - Nov 2023
Objective
Redesign the Dad Jokes app so users can actually find jokes, share them easily, and stick around.
Problem
Hidden navigation – Users couldn't find new jokes
Clunky sharing – Too many steps to post to social media
Stale content – Same jokes kept appearing
Dead community – No reason to engage with other users
Our User personas
Meet Marlin
Who he is : A dad looking for jokes to share with his kids, but the app's messy navigation and repetitive content keep frustrating him.
What he needs : Quick access to fresh jokes and an easy way to share them—no hassle, no hunting.
Pain points
Marlin’s Dad Joke Woes
Solution
Faster, Simpler, Funnier
We rebuilt the app around three core fixes
Simple Navigation
New jokes appear first. No digging required
One-Tap Sharing
Share to Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp instantly. In-app "laugh" reactions encourage engagement.
Community Features
Leaderboards, badges, and live events reward the best jokesters.
Design References
Familiar design = Less confusion
We studied how Instagram and Twitter handle content sharing:
X - Text posts
INSTAGRAM - Media posts
UI Comparison: Instagram vs. X (Twitter) vs. Dad Jokes
Key Takeaways
Familiarity wins
Users already know how to double-tap (Instagram) and retweet (Twitter) — we reused these patterns to reduce learning curves.
Hybrid humor
Blended Instagram’s visuals with X’s snappy text for dad jokes that look and feel like apps users already love.
Metrics that matter
Replaced “likes” with “Laughs” to match the app’s playful, cringe-worthy vibe.
Mid-Fidelity
Iterating Toward Simple
We sketched multiple versions and tested each with users.
Key Components
The Main Post Card
Visual hierarchy: Title → Hashtags → Punchline
Profile & timestamp (borrowed from Instagram/Twitter)
Trending indicators (like Twitter hashtags)
Micro-interaction: Laugh Spray
Tap to "laugh" → emoji explosion
Three states: default, on tap, fully engaged
Gill - the rebel
Sat,Apr 20,2023
The Great Bag Breakout: Now What?
#GillTheRebel #BagLife #MarineBreakout
11
4
2
The Final UI
Groan - to - Giggle
When it’s time to showcase the Dad Jokes app in its final form, we dive straight into a vibrant reef of comedy. Each screen now glimmers with a mix of playful marine motifs and snappy joke mechanics—enough to satisfy even the pickiest clownfish
Splash Screen
Feed
Uploads
Results
Since launch, DadJokes™ has sparked laughter among pun-lovers worldwide—here’s the impact in numbers
More shares
40 % more shares
Post-launch, dads shared 2x more jokes.
Rating
4.8 stars
Post launch we have been
rated 4.8 from 3.0
What We Learned
Familiarity beats novelty
Familiarity beats novelty – Using known patterns (Instagram double-tap) made adoption instant
Speed Matters
Reducing steps from 5 to 1 doubled engagement
Community drives retention
Leaderboards and badges kept users coming back
