Show HN: Rate All The Things

by liquid_x • 14 years ago

18 8 14 years ago

jc4p2• 14 years ago

As much as I love tools named after memes, I don't understand the purpose of this at all.

Maybe it's just that the website is two sentences so I don't see the use of the product. Do you plan on displaying the information by users and making a social network out of it? Do you plan on monetizing it? Was this just an application you made while learning to program Java and wanted to show off your accomplishment?

What's the story here?

its_so_on• 14 years ago

I don't mean to be snarky, but I think this is what's called a "minimum viable product" or MVP around here. It's the smallest thing that does something you can explain. In this example it's "on android, download this app, and anything that has a barcode, you can scan and give 1-5 stars." Other times it's "email us a URL and when the contents there change -- for example someone replied to a comment you left on that page -- we'll email you back". Actually brb this is gold!!!

basically, the way to think about mvp's, is it's the "done is better than perfect" equivalent of a proof of concept. Whereas in the old days, someone would innovate and then put out a proof of concept, these days we skip the innovation stage and put out a proof of...ability to put a database app together? I dunno exactly. Sorry about the snarkiness here, I just think there is life outside of this particular bubble.

liquid_x2• 14 years ago

yeah, minimum viable product, just to see if i'm on the right path

phreanix• 14 years ago

Depending on how you plan to implement and display the user ratings, I see some potential in this. Say I was browsing store shelves and was interested enough in a product but needed a nudge in either direction, a quick scan and send is easier than mobile googling and can provide me with near instant, useful feedback.

The hardest part as always will be adoption. This will only be useful to me if there is a critical mass of users to supply me with feedback and make me want to leave my own. Figure that out (incentives? Coupons? Humor? Maybe add a lowest local price search function?) and maybe you'll be on to something.

josegonzalez• 14 years ago

So this is like jot.ly, but with barcodes, correct?

ChrisNorstrom• 14 years ago

I ran into 11 issues: Most of them UX/UI problems. (surprise! I'm a UX/UI Designer)

1) I could NOT find your app when I searched for it, I had to finally type in your name and then the app came up in the marketplace, that's not your fault but hopefully it gets fixed. Maybe the mobile version of the app store didn't have it's search index updated or something.

2) It asked me to create an account, I almost exited the app. "Oh great", I thought, "another username and password". But it was actually very simple, you should change the screen so that it doesn't scare people away like that. All it took was to enter my email. So instead of having a button that says create account and sign in. Just have some text with "Create Account" and underneath it the text boxes for your email and password. And underneath that, a text that says "Sign in" and the text box(es) for email (and password).

3) It asked me to install Bar Code scanner. I already HAVE a bar code scanner app. Red Laser. I don't want to install another.

I thought to myself, too annoying, screw this. (exactly what a normal user would do) And uninstalled the app. I felt bad and re installed it to at least fully try it out before giving feedback.

4) When I tried to sign in it asked me for a password. "WTF?", I thought, I never gave it a password. At the top of the screen it says "If you don't know your password please visit the website" but your website doesn't have anything about my password just a tiny hidden password reset link. That's when I realized your app EMAILS me my password when I sign up. I ran to my email inbox but nothing... This isn't good. I think it's a very bad way of handling accounts. Never give me a password, let me choose my own, It's hard enough for me to remember my own passwords, let alone the ones other people give me. You need to redo this entire userflow.

5)I used the reset password feature and I got an email (in my junk folder) and no joke, it said my new password was "tg6H5FZl0kUxmoAL7pVQ". Why do you hate me so much? Are you a troll? lol. That was NOT easy to type in my phone. Entering Windows serial keys was easier (at least they were in all caps)

7) The next screen was just hideous. tiny text boxes, right aligned buttons of different lengths (please make them all at least one length), bad wording. No no no. "Update Barcode" needs to be changed to "save edit". In fact I shouldn't even see these text boxes. When I scan an item the Item name should be white and normal sized (like it currently is) and the manufacturer should be slightly grayer and slightly smaller so it doesn't distract the eye. I would recommend NOT allowing customers to update the UPC info. This is ripe for abuse. People are going to give objects racist, perverted names. You'd have people scanning and renaming Xbox 360s to "ShitBox 360", PSP to "Piece of Shit Portable", grape juice to "Nigger Juice", Gatorade Frost to "Cum Water", packages of fake nails to "Bitch Talons". Oh jeez I've heard it all. Then again, if your audience is the college crowd they'd probably love this.

8) Rating should be done with a slider UI, all the way left is 1 all the way right is 5. Six stars is not needed I think. It's one star too many. Just have 1-5. And actually use stars, not numbers. Your icon for the app is a star but you don't even use star ratings. Tsk tsk tsk. When you display ratings try to use some kind of images, stars, visuals, not cold emotionless numbers.

9) Once I rate an item I can't change it, not even right after I rate it. So if I accidentally hit the wrong button I can't fix it. That's not good.

10) I have to hit a button "Display Comments" to see comments. I don't like that. Comments should be shown by default if possible. Most people are consumers not creators. They're probably here to read, not write, if there's nothing to read then they'll probably feel encouraged to rate and write. Show the 3-5 latest comments with a 100% width button at the bottom with "Show All 7 Comments"

11) Displaying comments is also illogical. I rated a bottle of juice "5" and left a short comment, but when I read my rating on the comments screen it doesn't show my rating next to my comment.

Everything works, it's just badly designed, furthering my theory of "Good programmers are bad at UX/UI". Other than that good work, you have a lot to fix up but it's very doable. Sorry for being an ass, I don't have aspergers, I'm just going through another one of my weekly, "where the hell am I going in life" depressions.

liquid_x2• 14 years ago

Thanks :)

Show HN: Rate All The Things

Related Stories