
Rate my App: Tea for iPhone--getting quantitative about tea - siglesias
http://www.teaapp.com
======
DanielBMarkham
Best app I've seen in a while on HN -- targeted directly at me, lots of geeky
features, very cool interface, the video leverages my enthusiasm for tea into
a purchase decision, and easy to buy for my iTouch.

Congrats on the great job, siglesias. I'm buying it right now, and I'm looking
forward to hearing what kind of market traction you get!

Also, at a meta level, at some point I'd like to learn more about how iPhone
app developers manage so much functionality for so little real-estate. There
was a lot going on in this app for only 6-10 very simple screens. Did you mock
it up on paper first? Wire frame it? Use an online tool? Details here would be
interesting.

~~~
revorad
This is a really useful looking app for interactive mockups -
<http://keynotopia.com/>

~~~
chrishenn
Currently $80 off at AppSumo: <http://appsumo.com/keynotopia-special-promo/>

I haven't used it but I like the idea. Being able to create your idea in
programs your comfortable with (photoshop) and then actually clicking and
feeling the design is a valuable thing.

~~~
revorad
Oh that's where I found it, but thought the deal was over! Thanks for pointing
it out.

------
nopal
Can you integrate and partner with a internet tea seller?

I know nothing about tea, but I know I could appreciate it. If you made it
even easier for me to get good tea, I think that'd be a great feature. In
addition, your app would know what I'd ordered, and you could leverage that
info. Definitely not a MVP feature, but definitely one that I think could be
useful and profitable.

As it stands, it's a great looking app and I think it's a great example of
finding a niche and creating something compelling to serve it.

 _Edit_ : I just noticed the adagio teas coupon on your site. While this may
be a simple affiliate link, maybe you've already begun trying to forge a
partnership with them whereby you could offer in-app purchasing of their
products (or a selected subset). Hopefully so!

------
mactyler
Mac Tyler here, designer of Tea, thanks for all the kind words about the
design! I'd be happy to answer questions about the design/process if you have
any. I plan on writing some blog posts soon explaining some of the fun stuff
like app icon and basic UI. Once again, glad you guys are enjoying it and
please help us spread the word all you can!

------
Jd
First, a comment: Friggin' awesome!

Second, a list of (hopefully helpful) criticisms:

(1) Re: Intro video. Way too long. Don't need to see the face of the founder.
How can you use an ordinary hot water heater and discuss water temperature? At
least pretend to stick in a thermometer -- or, better, use a Zojirushi or
equivalent.

(2) Should probably have preset times/temperatures for different tea types
that can be edited, to facilitate data entry (maybe you do, but I didn't quite
pick up on this in the video).

(3) Perhaps I'm the only one, but I find data entry (including tasting notes)
to be a major pain on an iPhone. I used to keep my cheese tasting notes on
mine but gave up since I hated doing it that way. I suspect that people will
not continue using the app if they find the most useful features require
significant data entry.

(4) Key and very useful feature(brewing timer) is already included as part of
the free Teavana app. Also the Teavana app has nice music while you brew.

(5) Killer feature would be tea ratings and the ability to share. You might
also want to rate them based on vendor. Or, potentially very profitably, allow
direct buying with the purchase automatically imported into the app. That's
what my app was structured around. To get a more long-term hold you probably
need to "go social" at some point.

(6) Hardcore tea snobs (this term should probably include myself) frequently
brew tea in different pots, vessels. You might consider including this -- and
obviously you would use different amounts of tea depending on the vessel.

Best of luck! Definitely a huge improvement over what else is out there -- and
personally hope it makes it into an app not tied to iOS.

About me: I got into tea while working and studying in China and Japan and
once built a (skeletal) Rails app for rating tea that I never released. I
still think this could be profitable but am now instead n grad school reading
about Tea -- and have also identified several favorite vendors such that I
feel that I have everything I need at the moment.

~~~
siglesias
Howdy Jd!

1) We might try to figure out a way to shorten the video. So much new stuff to
share! 2) All of the presets are editable. 3) I think that 95% of the use
cases will eventually be using the timer, which will be preset perfectly for
each tea. 4) We respect Teavana, but we're not a fan of their app's design.
Maybe that's bias. 5) Agreed. 6) Agreed. We're working on. It was actually an
original feature, but a little trickier than one would think.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have any more, drop me a line at sam at
teaapp. com!

~~~
Jd
re: (1) Not quite sure what to say here, but it might be best to have a short
promo video for those with more limited attention spans and a longer one (or
multiple ones) that go into more depth related to various features.

re: (2) I look forward to using this feature.

re: (4) I don't love the Teavana app either, only noting the music.

~~~
dlennox
Agree with JD here re (1). The site and app are extremely well done. As a big
tea drinker I was hooked in the first 60 seconds of the video, which is also
well done. But it was too long. You risked losing the shot to get me to buy
the app because the video was dragging on. Once you get me excited enough, I
suggest you wrap it up and offer me the link to the App Store. "Don't sell
after the close" as they say. I would move the other stuff to one or more
additional videos - great way for new customers to learn about the depth your
product offers after they purchase. Congratulations on a great app!

------
Swizec
This looks like a freaking awesome app and being a tea drinker it really pains
me that I can't buy it because Apple doesn't want to take my money.

I want this app!

I'm assuming it comes with sane defaults, does it also allow tweaking the
settings to get the steeping times and such perfectly to taste? What about
sharing and cross-comparing these with friends?

~~~
siglesias
Yep, you can tweak the settings pretty much any way you like. One tap sharing
on Twitter and Facebook also.

------
acgourley
I'm square in your demographic, so I'll try to give you some honest feedback.

1) Inventory tracking seems odd to me, unless its primarily to brag to other
tea drinkers. I mean I see my tea every day, I know how much I have.

2) I really like the brewing tracking/suggesting. The amount of tea, length of
steep, and temperature all make a big difference and it can be hard to
remember which caused which flavors.

3) I'm okay with making my tea drinking schedule/habits public, but I'm not
sure I really want to push each one out to facebook/twitter.

So in conclusion, my main enthusiasm for the app would be my ability to log
detailed brewing trials, and to see what others have come up with. I would
worry others might be taking loose or incorrect measurements though, so I'd
want some assurance any public notes were somewhat carefully done.

~~~
siglesias
Hi!

1) Inventory tracking was a risk we took because you're right, you can just
look at your teas. However, there are some really cool features in the
pipeline that will take advantage of the inventory tracker better. For
example, you might have several teas, but some go stale more quickly than
others. Tea can suggest for you which teas to use up more quickly, but only if
it has an idea of how much you have left. Etc.

2) Thanks!

3) That feature is totally optional. Let us know if you find it intrusive.

The brew suggestions that ship with Tea were very meticulously done by one
expert, not an average or random statistics online. Hope you enjoy the app if
you decide to use it!

------
dhughes
What about for Android?

Green tea requires cooler water than black is that something a person new to
tea will be shown or is all data the user enters via trial and error?

If it's pre-determined what about mixing different teas which is a common
thing to do if the brew settings per tea type are set can other users submit
new mixes 10% green, 90% black and say use X grams and brew for Y minutes?

FYI I just posted to Reddit/r/Tea too.

------
jkap
Aren't you Aaron's brother? I remember him showing me this a couple months
ago.

It's a really nice looking app, both aesthetically and functionally. If I
drank tea I'm sure I'd use it.

~~~
siglesias
Yep.

------
Alex3917
I would replace the inventory feature with an age feature, because I think for
most people tracking how many weeks/months ago you bought the tea is more
important than how many cups you have left.

Also, while I conceptually like the features the UI isn't especially
aesthetically pleasing. I would also recommend adding the preferred units to a
preferences page and eliminating that from the brew page.

~~~
acgourley
Age does seem more relevant than volume left! Although you have no way of
knowing how long it sat in the supply chain before you bought it (unless they
time stamped it).

~~~
samatman
While this is true, decent tea will be well packaged and should stay fresh
until one cracks it open. Oolongs and other quality teas that are best fresh
tend to be sold with the date of harvest (like Alishan Winter 09 (sigh!)),
while pu erh can, and arguably should, be 12 years old when one drinks it.

In fact, for serious tea heads, tracking the age of tea might be most useful
for aging pu erh disks that aren't quite 'there' yet.

~~~
Alex3917
I was talking more about green teas, many of which go bad after 6 - 8 weeks.

------
stingraycharles
One minor UX note: it wasn't directly obvious to me that clicking the small
preview images below "Features" resulted in the preview on the right being
updated.

Other than that, looks very nice!

------
sidwyn
I'm too lazy to watch a 5minute video. Other than that, aesthetically
pleasing. Good job!

------
city41
Excellent app. I've always been a "pour boiling water into mug with
prepackaged tea bag in it" kind of guy, your app might convince me to discover
the finer side of tea.

Just a minor issue I noticed: in iPad's Safari the video is stretched (it
extends beyond the bounds of the background book) and as it plays your site
constantly flickers and reloads itself.

screenshot: <http://i.imgur.com/EQyRU.png>

~~~
mactyler
Hmm, I'll definitely check that out. Thanks!

~~~
city41
The flickering is greatly reduced on subsequent viewings (even after clearing
the cache) and only occurs as the video is starting up now, not a big deal
IMO. Not sure why it was so flickery the first time.

~~~
mactyler
No idea what is going on with the youtube embed. I've used css media queries
to use a placeholder image on mobile safari that is a thumbnail you can click
and will load the youtube video.

------
mactyler
Thanks for all the design feedback everyone! Fixed some of the site bugs you
guys had mentioned. I'll probably post the blog entries about some of the
design in a week or so. Follow me on twitter for those updates or if you have
any other questions you want to ask me directly :)
<http://twitter.com/mactyler>

------
samatman
Great app!

What would push it over the top, for me, would be if you offered a thermometer
like this one:

<http://hmb-tec.de/iPhoneApps/BBQ-Thermometer.html>

that plugs into the headphone jack. Ideally yours would be lighter weight and
would float on water, but the peripheral exists already.

This would add great functionality; it would now become 'perfect tea.
anywhere. anytime.' The phone would chime when the water is ready, then simply
pour, the phone chimes again, tea. Doesn't matter if you're by a campfire, in
an office, in front of a stove; perfect tea.

Make it an attractive peripheral that matches the rest of the Apple way and
you will sell a _lot_ of these gizmos, at more than $1.99 - 30% profit per
gizmo. Perhaps a kickstarter to pay for production, a la the Glif? I'm in for
one, possibly two, in advance.

~~~
siglesias
What about a bluetooth thermometer that uses the heat energy from the liquid
to keep it charged? Is that even possible? If anyone knows, drop me an email
at sam at teaapp. com!

------
HedgeMage
_Amazing_ app -- if I were an iPhone user, I'd buy it. I don't watch videos,
so I apologize if this suggestion is already handled, but WRT to the inventory
tracker, will it only work if you know how many servings you just bought?

I'd love it if my loose tea serving remaining would be estimated by my
entering how much (in oz or grams) of tea I just added to the stash, and it
estimating servings remaining based on stated servings/weight for that tea,
then learn from my actual usage. (As a loose tea lover, I _hate_ trying to
guess how much I have of what, and store estimates aren't always accurate.)

------
jseliger
Will buy it as soon as I get home. I started making / drinking tea thanks
largely to this HN article on "A Hacker's Guide to Tea":
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1934051> and the (many!) useful comments
within.

BTW, I've been getting most of that tea from the guy who originally wrote "A
Hacker's Guide to Tea:" <http://www.chicagoteagarden.com/> and it's been good.

------
kore
Checked out the video, and it seems like a well designed app serving a niche
audience.

If you find some success with it, might I suggest skinning the app to serve
other niches that share similar needs? I can think of a couple just off the
top of my head. You might need to make a few tweaks, but the majority of the
feature set could be reused, and with the feedback you get from this app you
might find ways to refine the design even further.

------
quinndupont
Looks amazing, but what about coffee? I'd buy both, even if all you changed
were the name and references from tea to coffee.

------
revorad
Beautiful app and great presentation style inspired by none other than
Mr.Jobs. That's "copy what you like" done well.

------
jrockway
This is cool, but the hard part is not figuring out what temperature to brew
your tea at, but rather convincing some sort of device to do that for you. I
know there are fully-automatic espresso machines where you can set the
temperature, pressure, brew volume, grind size, etc. Is there anything like
that for tea?

~~~
restiffbard
Adagio sells an electric kettle with various settings for temperature. One sec
while I find the link... <http://bit.ly/hEO3qo> There ya go. Sure there are
others but that's the first one I thought of.

~~~
jrockway
The next step is to dispense the tea leaves and filter them out after a set
period of time :)

~~~
dhugiaskmak
Like this?

<http://www.adagio.com/teaware/triniTEA.html>

There are a few companies that make similar brewers.

~~~
jrockway
Yes, very cool.

It seems like it only has two temperature settings, but it's very close to the
right idea. I guess coffee geeks are willing to shell out $3000 for fancy
machines, while tea geeks are not :)

------
dangrossman
Viewing your website at 1024x768 in Chrome, the image of the phone overlaps
the text making it partially unreadable.

~~~
siglesias
Thanks. Will address.

------
acgourley
This is the kind of app that makes me want to hard mount an ipad in the
kitchen.

~~~
anonymousDan
By 'hard mount' I really hope you mean attach it to a wall....

~~~
ascendant
Flush in the counter! No, I jest.

------
ChaseB
Found this on dribbble a few days ago. Congrats on the app launch. Can you ask
mactyler if he's interested in doing some design work for an app I'm working
on? Chase (at) kegstool (dot) com. Thanks!

------
edd
Website doesnt seem to fit on an iPad sized screen, I can briefly read the
content but then the iPhone comes and overlays the right hand size. Looks
slick other than that though.

------
darragjm
Great looking interface! Would like to see an option to sort my brew history
by rating though. No sense in searching through mediocre brews right?

------
bricestacey
On iPhone the iPhone image covers the right side of the text so I can't read
the last word of each line.

------
omnivore
Fabulous, as a tea drinker to the nth degree, I'm always looking for dorky tea
apps and things.

------
raid5
I've been watching the design progress of this on Forrst, great work!

------
joeguilmette
i have not used to app, but. WOW. i love you. I love tea, i love making it,
drinking it, buying it, sharing it. kudos to you.

------
amm3g
about as exciting as tea can get.

------
gcb
can't say about the app. but it wans't fun to see all the images slowly
apearing top-down at your site...

