Ask HN: Startup idea – disconnected, physical space charged by hour
It's essentially a hotel room, but only bookable for one person, for a few hours only. There is no internet provided, and cellular signal is blocked. Alternatively (if blocking cellular signal is infeasible), users are asked to turn over their devices at the counter or have the devices "locked" in a "faraday box" for the stay duration. In the room, distraction and stimulation is kept to the minimum. No screens or ads allowed in the room; and the view from the window would be calming and non-stimulating.
The idea is borne out of my exhaustion of living in a hyperdense Asia city, where I am always surrounded by sensory pollutions such as advertisements, city noises, as well as constant phone notifications. I am also the victim of my own internet addictions.
To stay focus, I've tried to work in coffee shops. Although I'm generally productive in coffees shops, I often find I couldn't really fully relax or "be myself" in a public space. I tried "staycation" in a real hotel, but the check-in is complicated, the cost is high, and the room is designed more toward leisure and entertainment. It usually lacks a good desk, a good chair; and the high-speed internet is too enticing.
Specifically, the space is provided to those who would block out hours from their calendar for "reading" or "writing" but constantly fail to protect that commitment. More broadly, my intuition is that "traveling" to a dedicated offline zone once in a while may be as beneficial as traveling to a different country.
I realize the idea is rather unrefined, and not very "tech." But I'd love to know HN community's thoughts on it. Thanks.
89 comments
[ 4.8 ms ] story [ 130 ms ] threadIt is just a hotel room? Is it a retreat? Is it a new type of therapy?
Semantics might be key here perhaps.
https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/recharge
https://breather.com/
If you're offering people to disconnect completely for several hours, some form of "we'll hold your phone / offer an emergency contact number" service would be attractive. Like it or not people - especially parents - have gotten used to being contactable at all hours in emergencies, and it would get rid of a major anxiety I think a lot of people feel when going off-grid.
But for me personally, it seems like it would be difficult to sort of "intentionally" decompress in a limited amount of time. The fact that I'm being charged for every minute I don't slow down would probably stress me out to the point of being counterproductive.
So I think it needs to be a little bit more intensive somehow, especially in order to compete with the things I already do if I want to decompress and disconnect for an hour or two: massage, float tank, etc.
It should probably be a Faraday cage, I don't think you could do jamming in highly populated areas, but also providing a landline seems like a good idea in case of emergency.
These obviously also have internet in rooms, but contacting one to try to setup and advertise distraction-free rooms might get you somewhere if they exist where you live.
Some questions that may or may not be useful:
* Who is realistically experiencing enough pain that they would pay for this service?
* What psychological or social customer needs are not satisfied my the market?
* If Apple launched this service, how would it be? What about your local city admin? Hoe about a non-profit?
* What are the top 5 competing alternatives and what are their pros/cons?
* How would you prototype this idea with just 100 dollars and 2 days? What about a physical prototype over 5 days?
* Someone is ready to pay a premium price for this service. Why? Who? When? Where?
> - Who is realistically experiencing enough pain that they would pay for this service? > - What psychological or social customer needs are not satisfied my the market?
I've tried to digital detox at home by leaving all of my devices away in another room. I find myself reaching for my phone to take a picture, ask someone a question, or search for some answer to a question. I tried a half hour and a whole hour. I wasn't trying to meditate; I just wanted to be where I was without distraction. I started counting how many times I reached for my device. I would instinctively try to use my phone a least 10-15 times an hour. Having my always on phone and watch has changed the way I think and act. Since I always have my phone, it feels like an extension of myself. The smartwatch is similar. If I'm not wearing it, I'll still instinctively look at my arm for the time, date, weather, etc.
I imagine there are other people like me, looking for a 3rd space to either do some deep work, meditate, or try to get away to fight burnout and other related issues (not always work burnout). The obvious competitor for the deep-work side is WeWork. I can rent personal workspaces in various styles: working in a shared room, finding an available private booth (and trying to work) that is not much bigger than a portable restroom, or renting and working in a conference-type room. Each gets more expensive, except the booths. Those are usually free to use for a brief period (30m?) if you have paid for common room space, but finding an available booth is challenging. None of those are for non-work. Common areas are noisy and busy enough to distract a monk. I can't get deep work done there unless I hide in a booth if one is available, and they are not time bound (I think they recommend 30m before letting someone else use the booth.
If there were screens or just pre-programmed audio for guided meditations, that would be helpful for those trying to disconnect truly. Otherwise, they sound like nap pods or a coffin-type hotel.
Real estate can be costly, especially when renting instead of buying the space (and building equity). I don't consider home or coffee shops a reliable 3rd space for deep work, as they are too noisy and distracting (even with headphones). Going into the office is hit or miss, as it can be productive to be around other people working, but it isn't always conducive to deep work. We have booths at work for something like this, but there's no sound isolation or door.
I've experienced enough burnout and not feeling productive to pay for a place to go and meditate. I can also probably find a meditation class or maybe a quiet but shared space at my local community center or community gym (I'm in Austin, TX, USA).
I could probably go to an internet-enabled library for deep work, but not all libraries provide booths (most I've seen is in college libraries, which means being an enrolled student). Library solo space is hit or miss. A lot of libraries have reading areas that are shared, which can be distracting.
Re: making it non-profit: Starting and running a not-for-profit corporation is as much work as a regular corporation, possibly more (I've started a nonprofit, which folded, and sat on the board of another). The upside is you may be lucky enough to find wealthy donors, so not all of the money would rely on making enough space rental revenue to cover expenses (beyond just rent). The downside is you need to know where to find wealthy donors.
Get a box with a time lock.
Put ALL your devices in it.
Set the timer to 1/2 hour.
Find EVERY day a half hour to dedicate to this exercise.
After 1 week increase the timeout to 1 hour ...
As to "who's the customers?" I've jotted down 4 types of customer profiles that I think have the most urgent needs. You'll probably understand the scenarios from the descriptions: 1. the writer on deadline 2. the CEO that needs deep thinking (say Bill Gates) 3. the busy couple that needs to talk heart-to-heart (this is for a couple setting) 4. the exhausted dad who just wants to do nothing
As to the urge of constantly reaching for phone, I hear you. One method I find helpful during a "digital detox" is to write down whatever answers I want to search for. This way I can kick the idea out of my mind and stay out of internet a bit longer.
https://matadornetwork.com/read/people-japan-renting-cars-ev...
I can't think of a similar offer, since it's something you can achieve for yourself (given enough willpower) just by turning off your phone and not taking a device.
Would people pay for something they can have for free? Many wouldn't for sure, but would many? Even if they lacked the will power, would they be too embarrassed to admit they needed your service?
If there are no similar businesses that could be a sign it won't work.
This isn't a startup. You're looking at the intersection of people who:
* Need to get away from distractions.
* Lack self-control to reduce distractions themselves.
* ...but do have discipline to check in regularly to this distraction-detox zone.
* Have something they can do to fill up time that doesn't require connectivity. No google docs, and no streaming music.
* Are not claustrophobic.
* Will visit regularly.
* Will pay.
You pay $X/mo for access to the service. Your X buys you Y x 2hr slots which you have to book in advance to manage availability.
You can have different tiers for X and Y, but you would need to make sure you have good availability, otherwise people would cancel their subscription if they can never find a good slot.
What you are describing (putting aside the issue of whether this is appealing) is a small business not a startup.
On the plus side of that equation it's relatively easy to start and inexpensive to try.
In a broader sense, I do think the "manipulate space for your needs" market will grow in the future, especially as remote work continues to become a viable alternative to the office.
1. https://selfcontrolapp.com/