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Ask HN: Should I gauge interest in my app or go straight to release?

7 points by MegaLeon ↗ HN
Hi everyone,

I've been developing a small web app as a personal project and I got a fully functional prototype.

It got potential, and I've been thinking about releasing a fully polished version as a proper service. That would involve getting a decent hosting plan, run testing, implement a subscription model to monetize the project.

My dilemma is: should I instead lightheartedly deploy this first version to gather interest and receive feedback, and then progress to a more adult version of it and redirect users?

People who have shipped several web apps and potentially met modest usage in a few of them, what's your opinion?

9 comments

[ 4.7 ms ] story [ 39.3 ms ] thread
monknomo
You could start with a landing page to gauge the level of interest, and then change your deploy plans based on the interest level?
[dead] mc_hammer
yes try to guage interest

depends how long it would take. if your not working for x months to do it thats the cost. if you can do it in a few weeks of course.

you can test in a few days, heres two ways you might not have heard of

* put an add on craigslist

* try to sell it on ebay

then cancel the ad when you get a sale

rcavezza
You don't need to launch this to get feedback. I would cold email five people who you think will find it useful.

Ask them if they have this problem you're trying to solve. Ask if they currently use something to solve that problem. Ask them for their feedback and if they'd be willing to pay for this service.

You can find emails pretty easily by using any of the following tools: saleshacker, voilanorbert, toofr, curtact, or http://emailhunter.co

If you can't get people in your target market with this painpoint to answer your email, you will have a hard time finding your first customers.

drewrv
Do you really find cold emails effective? Personally, whenever I get a cold email I make a note of the company name and vow to never purchase a service from them.
fucsia
I found them very effective. But I don't ask people to pay, I ask for feedback. If the software is good, they'll want to use it anyway!

People are willing to help if you are equally open about what the software can and cannot do. I implemented several features straight out of what people said they wanted through email, and the product was noticeably better for it.

I've also had people not respond at all or react strangely.

SyneRyder
Someone on HN sent me a cold email recently asking me to help beta test their web app. They'd found me via a comment where I'd mentioned using a competitor's app, and wanted my opinion / feedback on their own app.

What they did right is that the first email wasn't a sales pitch, just asking for feedback / opinions / bug reports. What didn't go well is that they seemed rather defensive about my negative feedback. If you do get negative feedback, remember it might be specific to that person's situation - the same app might be perfect for someone else, and you can use the feedback to identify who is & isn't your target market.

siquick
This is an excellent read by Justin Mares (co-author of the excellent Traction book).

tldr;

Find out if people actually want your product before you build it.

`80/20 Validation: The Cheap and Fast Way to Prove a Business How to easily test a business idea in 2 weeks with less than $100`

https://sumome.com/stories/80-20-business-idea-validation

pavornyoh
Why not post it here and get feedback from here before proceeding to a fully polished version?
burkestar
The best book on this subject is Lean Startup. Build, test, iterate. Put something out there, gather feedback and adjust.

Also consider the "show HN" to get feedback from the hacker news community.