Ask YC: Feedback on usabilityfeedback.com (usabilityfeedback.com)
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 :) Also, if you're interested in the service, please email me and mention YC and I will take 1/3 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.
Thanks!
46 comments
[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 106 ms ] threadFor 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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
My only suggestion: if you're not exploring the set of all target users (just the 'git' guy), why not list what kind of applications you're most fit to test? I would hope to know you're not interested in SVN functionality before forking over $450. Exploring Assembla's SVN functionality could have revealed deeper flaws in their Trac integration. At one point, I was asked to re-enter my username and password in an ugly HTTP authentication dialog.
Offtopic, but for anyone interested in a serious look at UX, I recommend Indi Young's 'Mental Models'
Also, did the "usefulness guarantee" not catch your eye? I mention there that you get your money back if the review isn't useful.
(That's funny that you mention "Mental Models" - I just bought that two days ago.)
To get started perhaps you could think about a 'first taste is free' model where you do a review of part of their site (say, 1 page) with no obligation and then based on that they can go to their manager and justify the expense.
i saw the sample study about assembla.com. smart comments. however, what i'd really need, as a web app developer, is more substantial advices on how to significantly improve the usability of my web app. maybe you need to post online a usability framework. or maybe a usability redesign of assembla.com.
(i understand you already did a lot of work, just throwing my 2 cents here. if you can do the things above, i'd pay... and even pay much more than the list $450. It's just that I have the impression that I only got 2 pages of comments for $450)
1) an expert in usability and have few papers written on it
2) have many years of actual usability studies and design
3) have designed interfaces yourself and have examples of UIs you've designed.
Just getting testimonials for 'reduced pricing' won't cut it. What you need is a resume/cv. All these big usability experts sell themselves first and their work second. You need to sell people on why they should trust you.
This startup is basically just selling of your services. Here's some ideas. Start by writing whitepapers & studies of other sites. Do them for free. Just pick any known site and say what you'd do differently. Do this for a lot of them. Make a blog and do a study every day. Make a wiki with usability practices. Start recording videos of random users using some site and criticize them.
In short, work on your credibility since that's what you're selling.
The fact is, I am not a big usability expert. I have given a couple talks on the subject and written a few blog articles on the subject (one of which A List Apart was interested in publishing). I've also done a number of usability tests for companies that I have worked for. Therefore, my thinking is that a more feasible approach in the short term is to show that I actually produce good results. Establishing that I'm an expert is something that will take time. Thankfully, I enjoy usability and will enjoy establishing expert status. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions for otherwise convincing people that they should go with me, I would appreciate it.
It's interesting to me that nobody really cares about the "usefulness guarantee".
But hey, I'm no usability expert either.
Also the block on "how usability helps" basically says nothing. It might as well just say, "Usability is good!" You're going to have to fork over a lot stronger value proposition than that before getting someone to pay for the service. Don't just get reference customers; get reference customer numbers. "With Really Cool Customer Foo, signups went up by 128% within two weeks."
The selling yourself bit, I'll be a little harsher (in hopes of helping), it basically says, "I've done this for some of my buddies sites and they think it's neat." Again, not a strong value proposition. Just cut that part out if you don't have a better case to make; that portion actually makes you sound less qualified that I would have assumed by default.
I didn't notice this at first. It's very useful advice. Some of it I've already started (writing whitepapers & studies). My friend and I have been talking about putting together a wiki with usability practices.
In the mean time, I have had a few people request the service because their web developer (whom I showed the site to) recommended it to them. Hopefully word of mouth will continue to bring in business and increase my cash flow. Over time it will be great to build my credibility in the ways you mention. In the short term, it's also pretty important to me to start gaining paying business.
Having a blog also makes you an authority, which gets you to expert status where people are comfortable paying you for your services. I know blogs are a lot of work, but once you get going and have been doing it for a while it really pays off.
If you want a truly usable site, you actually have to do real usability tests with a bunch of real users.