#faithtech

Yesterday we established that "love" is far and away the most popular Bible topic to search for online. So if you start clicking through your Google results, what do you find? Probably something like this: 

Or if you scroll a bit farther down the page, there are some sites more like this one: 

Most of the other options are variations on this theme: low-quality user experience, and content that is keyword-driven. 

I should be fair: the topical Open Bible (pictured above), a mashup of data pulled from Yahoo! and the ESV Bible, aspires to be a thematic map of Biblical content. But the non-keyword data generated by users is limited, and the UX is a serious impediment to the site's vision.  

As a first step toward designing BibleBridge, I began studying existing Bible apps and analyzing Google Trends to understand how Christians are searching for Bible verses and related content. My goal was to answer the question: what are the existing use cases for Bible-based apps and online resources? 

After pulling together the search data and the behaviors I observed, I identified five primary use cases for Bible-based content: 

Navigating to a specific verse or resource referenced during church or Bible study

Seeking encouragement and inspiration from trusted sources, and through them serendipitously arriving at specific content

Attending an occasion or life event, such as a wedding or funeral

Investigating a sensitive or controversial topic (e.g., "what does Jesus say about...")

Following through on a commitment to deliberate study of God's word

It's in the last few areas that I see an opportunity for BibleBridge. The first use case is crowded with YouVersion and its many copycats, and the second will continue to be served quite well by the church leaders active on Facebook, Twitter, and the rest. But topical discovery is challenging for nearly all online media, and particularly broken for Christian content. 

Welcome to Building BibleBridge! Over the next few months I'm going to use this site to track progress as I work toward the launch of BibleBridge, a mobile application designed to "bridge" the gap between God's word and daily life. 

Along the way, I plan to share the questions I'm investigating, prototypes of the product, and sources of inspiration. I hope that the discipline of posting keeps me on track to launch later this fall, and that your input makes that launch a success. One thing I know for certain: I can't do this alone. I need your feedback and advice, and above all, I need the Lord's blessing. As Paul wrote, "Each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).