

Need feedback for my startup skanr.com please - smokeyj
http://skanr.com

======
tptacek
I have no idea what business problem this solves. That's sad, because you used
the word "powerhouse" to describe it, and that got my attention; that was good
writing!

Learn the difference between a "feature" and a "benefit". A benefit is a pain
I know I have even I don't know what any of your features are or mean. _LEAD
WITH BENEFITS._

~~~
smokeyj
This tool has the potential to drive down the costs of integrating mobile
feedback. You can just use my app to integrate a range of input and media, as
opposed to writing your own app from scratch to collect input.

~~~
tptacek
Nope. Keep going. "Integrating mobile feedback" is a feature. See if this
helps: a benefit is something my mom would understand, or a CEO would
understand. What basic business function is improved by "integrating mobile
feedback"? Why do I want a range of input and media, and why mobile?

Feature/function/benefit language is tricky, but it's extremely important.

Here is a _fantastic example_ of what I'm talking about:

<http://www.appointmentreminder.org/>

~~~
smokeyj
Website owners don't have to create an iPhone application to interact with a
mobile phone. Hows that?

~~~
tptacek
Getting warmer, but are you sure you want to assume that every business owner
that owns an iPhone knows immediately why they want a custom iPhone
application? You have 15 seconds to sell them.

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rwhitman
Ok, when I read the copy on the home page and "How it Works" I didn't get it
at all.

When I watched the video it made a ton of sense and made me really excited.
Problem is when I come to a site like this I don't ever click on the video.

I would work on the copy, a lot. The tool is definitely powerful (I can think
of several use-cases where a client wanted to use cheaper HTML forms but
augmented with mobile device capabilities like camera & geo location) but the
copy isn't expressing what it does in terms of the problems it solves for me,
the random visitor. You need to paint the verbal descriptions with broader
strokes.

~~~
smokeyj
Thanks rwhitman, based on the comments I can tell I need to go back to the
drawing board with my pitch. What could I have told you to make you more
inclined to have watched the video? Thanks again for your input!

~~~
rwhitman
I think getting users to click video play buttons tends to be an effort in
futility - video is a time commitment. Its a good supplement to the copy, but
I probably wouldn't depend on it as your main tool to explain the product...

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arnorhs
I might be a bit slow between the ears, so I don't really understand what it
is. What is it exactly? Is it a webservice, is it a piece of technology? Is it
a javascript library?

The site looks very nice and you absolutely have my attention.

~~~
smokeyj
Thanks for your interest, Skanr is the iPhone client that allows your service
to leverage this new functionality. The interface used to capture data is
represented by a simple JSON string, hope that helps!

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Xuzz
Just a suggestion -- use DisplayRecorder (from Cydia) on a device (
<http://rpetrich.com/cydia/displayrecorder/> ) or SimFinger (on GitHub) with
the simulator ( [http://blog.atebits.com/2009/03/not-your-average-iphone-
scre...](http://blog.atebits.com/2009/03/not-your-average-iphone-screencast/)
) when taking your videos -- it makes it a lot more pleasant and less
confusing than seeing a mouse cursor over the iPhone's screen.

------
dangrossman
I don't know what it is. I read the "How It Works" page and don't understand
how it works. There's something called a metric, which is encoded as a JSON
string and somehow sent to a phone which renders a UI to send something back.
What is communicating with the phone? Is it a web service you're going to run?
Is it a library for my application to use?

~~~
smokeyj
The HTML link includes a launch parameter telling the phone where to download
the Metric (the json string), allowing the Skanr client to parse it, render
the interface, and send the results to the defined destination.

~~~
dangrossman
What HTML link? A URL pointing to some kind of service you'll run? How will
this service be connected to a phone? Is it something I'll build into a mobile
application? Do you register a phone through a website and the phone runs some
generic Skanr application? You've only lead me to more questions!

~~~
smokeyj
The link that launched the Skanr app contains a variable with a URI to the
Metric file. The Metric file can be stored anywhere, it just has to be a valid
HTTP URI. The data is collected by the Skanr client and sent directly to your
web service via XHR. Keep the questions coming if you have them :)

~~~
J3L2404
How does a link from my website launch the Skanr app? What is the NS class or
method?

~~~
smokeyj
The browser recognizes the protocol of the skanr:// link and launches the
application.

~~~
J3L2404
I found it, a custom URI scheme - cool.

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detst
Is this how it works?

I have a web app that keeps inventory of your physical book collection (not
really). My users would like to use their iPhone as a bar-code scanner to add
new books to their inventory. I don't want to create a native application so I
decide to integrate with your app. My user installs your native app and then
comes to my site to add a book and clicks a scan link. That scan link calls
your native app to use the camera on the device to scan the bar-code, decode
the image and send me back an ISBN.

I'm not sure I would have taken the time to figure out that's how it works
without seeing this on HN.

"Go where your html form can’t."

That makes sense to you and me now, but meant nothing to me when I first
entered your website.

~~~
smokeyj
That's exactly how it works, if you have any ideas on how to repackage the
sell I'm all ears! It sounds like this is my new priority :)

------
Terretta
I don't get targeting the iPhone yet featuring Flash on the home page. Your
audience can play HTML5 or gracefully degrade to QT.

It's about iPhone, but I can't see it on iPhone or iPad.

Make pitch1.swf a .mp4 file, and use the embed stack here:

<http://camendesign.com/code/video_for_everybody>

Try the second one from the bottom, w/o the Ogg lines.

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kevinburke
In terms of the website design you should find something to put in the
whitespace to the left of the video and below the description - maybe a quote
from a well-known person, or make the video more square and pull up the
content below the fold.

------
smokeyj
Hello HN, I would be super happy if you share some feedback on my project! I'm
hoping my tool can help some folks make some cool mashups, thanks again for
your time :)

------
smokeyj
I reworked the copy in the main section, hope that clarifies some confusion.
I'll continue working on the copy to sell the benefits, thanks everyone!

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hbrundage
Site isn't loading for me, anyone else having this problem? I'd love to give
some feedback if I could visit the site.

~~~
smokeyj
Ahh one sec, I'm resizing the server.

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J3L2404
Very well done. This is a new model, at least to me, and an easy way to access
the mobile space without creating a native app. I think this will be very
effective.

The website and newsletter signup process are very polished.

Congrats

~~~
smokeyj
The goal is to make the mobile space more accessible, thanks for the comment!

