

Invalidate this startup idea - 500 dollar prototype - padseeker

I had an idea based on my many conversations with non techies with web or mobile app based ideas. It seems they always spend way too much on building their idea from scratch, even if they use offshore resources OR they forgo it completely as it is too hard to manage.<p>I've lost track of the amount of times I've put palm to forehead when I listen to a non-techie tell me how they spent thousands building their idea from scratch, when they could have used using that was already build - like a wordpress plugin, a rails or django clone with some extra work, or goodness knows what else. But they never even thought to ask around about other avenues.<p>So here is the idea - A proposer (a non techie type) posts their idea, and a bunch of technically savvy hacker news types propose ways to build the prototype for 500 or less, and people up/down vote stuff like stackexchange. Perhaps use crowdsourcing for others to up/down vote the proposals. The winning proposal wins and builds it for 500, minus a nominal fee that goes to the company.<p>The proposer can always continue using the builder of the prototype after the prototype is built, or they could take it to someone else. And 500 bucks is not chump change but it isn't a huge investment on the part of the proposer.<p>Just upvote this post if you would consider putting your hat in the ring to build a prototype for $500, or at least vote in other proposals.
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bitcoder
I guess the concept is ultimately a 2-sided market of 'proposers' and
'builders', so the challenge would be balancing them effectively.

I think its unlikely you'd ever have a problem with too many builders and not
enough ideas. I think the challenge will be attracting builders (i.e.
developers) who are willing to build these prototypes.

As you've probably heard, developers are in high demand right now. A hacker
worth his salt is probably charging at least $100/hr, so $500 for a prototype
doesn't sound that attractive.

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stevejalim
Affordable prototypes make sense, but what about the $500 level setting false
expectations for the cost of the production-quality app? If you're pitching
this at non-techies, you'll also have to get them over the hump of realising
that a lash-up is easily an order of magnitude cheaper than a decent, real-
world-robust version.

"Hey, WTF are you doing quoting me £5000 for a full build of this app? I had
the prototype done for $500 and it does almost as much as the real one I
want."

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xoail
Hate it. A decent developer based out of United States will not be able to
work out the prototype for anywhere near $500. That means you open doors for
off-shore devs/companies to bid and try winning the project, acting exactly
like other hundreds of freelance sites. No one will up-vote proposals of the
competition. I don't see how this is different from any other freelance
marketplace sites out there other than putting a hard limit of $500 max. The
poster still has to work hard in preparing the requirement of the prototype,
answering questions and managing deliverables. Prototype also has
expectations, designs, creatives, tests and what not. It's better to just hire
a local person/friend. In general I feel freelance market places are hurting
the economy of the country.

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DanBC
A neat idea. It's a nice fit with something like Bountify (you'd use bountify
for the smaller things, and your site for the larger projects).

Here are a couple of questions. These aren't meant to be bashing or knocking!
Sorry if they sound that way.

* How will you cope if an idiot claims to be able to do something, and wins, and then makes an awful mess of things?

* How does licensing work? If Ann writes some code for Bob who owns the code? (And if Ann is working at some place that claims ownership of all her code, do they own this?)

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padseeker
you could I guess have a process - for custom apps the winner needs to post
their code on github, and others can review the deployed app on heroku? There
are plenty of holes with that as a technical person could pose as a non techie
then grab the code and make off with it. But the proposer's money would be in
escrow, and if the finished product works and, oh i dunno if the other hackers
give it the stamp of approval....

Which that is a whole other bag of worms, if enough hackers are vindictive
enough to vote a working idea down. I'm making this up as I go along. I'm
willing to be swayed in a different direction.

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soupangel
My main problem with this proposal, is that WE all know that $500 buys you a
rough prototype or a proof-of-concept. But a quick search through Elance or
Odesk shows that there are many many potential clients who seriously expect a
fully-polished product for that amount. What happens to the poor contractor
when the client comes back with a huge changelist, which they're honoured to
complete before getting paid?

Having said that, there was a pretty successful version of this idea
implemented for designers a while back.

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soupangel
99designs.com was the link, took me a while to remember

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padseeker
Thanks for all your comments - this post has certainly generated a bit of
interest and there are some interesting ideas I'm going to have to consider.
Although 11 points (at 9:30 EST) is hardly justification for building the
thing out. If I get to 50 maybe I would consider it.

The funniest part is to see the comments coming from each end, the Dev person
saying "I can get $100 per hour, why would I do it" versus the business person
who counters "I can get it built for less than $20 per hour on ODesk". I think
there is an opportunity here. It's not easy to find and manage an offshore
resource, and there are not that many people who can justify paying $100 an
hour.

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ashraful
This is something that I've toyed with. I wanted to offer a service to build
an MVP for as low as $999. Living in a third-world country where a lot for
very talented developer work for a lot less is an advantage that I had.

On my first try, my value proposition wasn't clear enough and I clearly needed
to spend more time on the whole presentation. However, I think the idea still
has merit, and its something I'll try again.

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jamesjguthrie
I quite like this idea and could maybe see myself posting on a site like this.

What I don't like is the "500 or less" part, at that point it becomes a
bidding war and will inevitably be taken over by India-based devs just like
every other coder for hire site.

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alokhar
Cool idea, but one question. Are you talking about developers ripping off non-
techies buy building the idea from scratch, or the non-techies themselves
trying to build it from scratch because they don't know better alternatives?

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maxbrown
I think this becomes more compelling if you offer multiple price points and
try to set delivery expectations at each level. I'm not sure how much can be
built at $500 while maintaining reasonable $/hr rates.

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kennywinker
Sounds like a subreddit, not a website. </irony>

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padseeker
yeah, I think that is a valid criticism. Actually it feels a lot closer to a
Stack Exchange site, not including the way to transfer a payment from one
person to another. I like how stack exchange tracks reputations and allows
people to up/down vote answers to questions.

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vlokshin
Hmmmm... LaunchSky.com definitely comes to mind

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Mz
I am a non-techie. I _think_ I need to learn the technical part to make my
thingamawhop. I don't think it will fly otherwise. Maybe my situation is
unique. Maybe not. What if it is not? What if a lot of non-techies need to
learn and grow with the process of trying to breathe life into their idea?

What if your idea amounts to the guy who snipped the cocoon to make things
easier on the emerging butterfly, thereby tragically crippling it and
permanently denying it the ability to ever fly?

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bradleysmith
I am a non-techie that also believes I ought to learn the technical part to
breathe life into my thingamawhop.

I would still love the ability to know if someone could make it right now
right now for $500.

If you snip the cocoon by putting it on doitfor500.com, that's on you, right?

Where there's a want, there's a product. I'd post my thingamawhop.

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Mz
He asked to be invalidated. I was giving him the feedback he requested. I am
someone who routinely either gets useless pats on the head or hatred from
people. I can't fucking get anyone to engage me in meaty discussion of the
issues. And that fact is helping to ensure that my thingamawhop will be
stillborn or miscarried entirely.

Perhaps he doesn't appreciate being given what he asked for. Perhaps like
everyone else on planet earth, he will not take my feedback seriously and will
merely be defensive like it is a personal attack and not a well meaning,
honest critique. And, gee, that's on him what he does with it. But he did ask
for people to try to poke holes in his idea, presumably on the theory that it
would help him uncover weaknesses and thereby improve the darn thing. But
maybe it was just pc bs, like most of the blather on the face of the planet.

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padseeker
If you think it is invalid that is a perfectly acceptable response. You made a
point and I countered. No need to get hostile Mz. I'm just glad you took the
time to respond. You're feedback is appreciated, even if the answer is "your
idea isn't worth building".

I want to hear what your thingamawop is - please share. Maybe this is the
start of doitfor500, and you get the first version for free. Or at least we
put you on the right path if you do it yourself. I'm really curious now what
it is.

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Mz
You seem to have missed my point entirely. I gave you the feedback you
requested. That doesn't mean "it isn't worth building". That means I respect
you enough to help you try to find the weaknesses before you build the damn
thing, in hopes that it will hurt less should you actually launch. And if you
can't come to terms with that, life will get really painful when you do go
public with it.

My thingamawhop: I nearly died just about twelve years ago. Then I was
diagnosed with "atypical cystic fibrosis". I have spent the last twelvish
years getting well when the entire world thinks that is impossible. I would
like to write a simulation -- aka "game" -- to more effectively share my
mental model. But it might never happen. I get accused of having Munchhausen
Syndrome rather than cf. Most people with cf have made it abundantly clear
that they would rather die a slow torturous death than speak to me at all. And
I have been lovingly called a "troll" by the good people of hn for trying to
get feedback to resolve my problems.

Sorry if I am a tad raw over the whole thing. This kind of bullshit has gone
on for years. It likely won't end. Ever.

Best of luck with your idea.

