Hi YCers,
I've finished putting together a home page for a service I'm starting at http://www.usabilityfeedback.com , and would really appreciate any feedback on it. (Incidentally, if you're interested in the service, please email me and mention YC and I will take 33% off the price.)
For a couple years now I've been doing usability reviews for people just for fun. Then two and a half weeks ago I was laid off because the startup I was working for is nearly out of funding. I had had the idea for usabilityfeedback.com for awhile and decided to run with it in a way that would be quick to implement, enjoyable, and that could start generating cash immediately.
So far the response has been very positive, with other web developers I know recommending it to their clients. I'm really hoping it will do well enough that I'll be able to do it full time and have time left over to improve and add more services. Or at least stay off the streets.
interesting but people seem to be using great communities like HN for free, and high quality, advice. and not to mention, coming from more than one person.
Yeah, that is one of my worries. The response I've gotten from other developers / web dev shops has been enthusiastic, though, so I'm still hoping there's room for me in the market. Just doing one review each business day would be enough for me to cover expenses and begin adding services and reviewers.
I'm not sure if just doing a video and giving detailed, easy-to-reference documents is enough to set me apart, but for now it's a place to start. I also think that being a small shop and giving more personalized service could set me apart, but I haven't emphasized that on my site.
If that doesn't work out I've considered trying to start a usability feedback community. In fact I had one for awhile at http://www.hallwaytesting.com (now a defunct blog), but it seemed like most people were interested in just getting feedback and not giving any, or just in advertising their sites. So I'm not sure how to make a community like that work.
I also like the idea; but, again things like Hacker News or even if you wanted the video sites like usertesting.com you could get 21 users for the same price.
One thing I'm wondering is if I should mention usertesting.com and explain how my service is different from theirs. For example, you could indeed get 21 users for the same price, but they you would have to watch something like 210 minutes of video and read 21 feedback forms, a lot of it covering the same ground. As opposed to ~15 minutes of video and a summary document which clearly points out problem areas and gives possible solutions.
Part of me really thinks Usability Feedback could do well if I just market it well. I'm just not sure what I should do differently. A/B testing would probably help.
If I were you I wouldn't mention competitors and how you differ, as you are then 1) promoting competitors and 2) branding yourself vs. the competition, rather than just defining yourself.
Having said that. my quesion was specifically, how many people are going to be reviewing the site for $450?
Different people take a different view of websites/apps, so having a small group of users is a huge benefit, vs. being reviewed by just one person.
I wouldn't want to watch 210 minutes of video, but for $450 would expect the video (or whatever else you supply) would be shortened to the most important feedback, and maybe have the full video available if a client wants to watch it.
I would have said that I might have been a potential client, but with only one person reviewing the site, I don't see the value being inline with the cost.
Thanks for your feedback. Having a video highlighting the most important feedback is definitely ideal. In fact, it would be great to have relevant video clips on the summary pages as well.
For $450, how many different reviewers would you want? Right now I can easily get up to 3 people to do a review. Alternatively, how much would you pay for a review by a single person? If you're interested, I'd like to work out something that you'd be happy with.
Some people have expressed surprise at the price because they thought it was inexpensive, which was actually surprising to me. Thanks for giving me a better sense of how I should price the service.
If you want we can continue this conversation over email: daniel@usabilityfeedback.com
> ...you would have to watch something like 210 minutes of video and read 21 feedback forms, a lot of it covering the same ground.
How about you partner with usertesting.com (or just quietly use them). YOU watch the 210 minutes of video and give me an edited and analyzed summary report. I'd pay for that. You could hold the record for "Most User Testing Videos Ever Watched by a Single Person". There's your credibility right there! Where your sanity will be by that time is anyone's guess.
I have a chronically ill partner, and medication is expensive. I'd like to be able to do this full time, and it would therefore have to cover those expenses.
If you are reliant on that expense and at the same time trying to start a business -- you might consider finding traditional employment while trying to get this business going.
Starting a business can be rough at the beginning. And you may not want that stress in your life.
Thanks for the advice, and the sympathy. I am indeed looking for traditional employment and doing a contracting project while I search. With Usability Feedback, I could pretty quickly put something together and figure out how viable the idea was, so there's not a huge amount of risk and stress involved.
There's a significant difference between avoiding criticism and avoiding public criticism. There'd probably be a whole lot more people asking for HN feedback if the comments were only visible to them. That's a good market to go after.
For a couple years now I've been doing usability reviews for people just for fun. Then two and a half weeks ago I was laid off because the startup I was working for is nearly out of funding. I had had the idea for usabilityfeedback.com for awhile and decided to run with it in a way that would be quick to implement, enjoyable, and that could start generating cash immediately.
So far the response has been very positive, with other web developers I know recommending it to their clients. I'm really hoping it will do well enough that I'll be able to do it full time and have time left over to improve and add more services. Or at least stay off the streets.
Thanks!