Does the builder require a HTML5 browser or does it output HTML/CSS that requires a HTML5 browser? I'm guessing the former, but that wasn't clear to me from the homepage and I'm not sure you want more text there to describe/confuse the user... Actually, I might even leave that off. Your number one goal is to get them to click the button. The more committed they are, the more they'll stick with it and maybe download chrome just to use your product.
HN user
cjkundin
I love every aspect of startups! But overall, the constant building, learning and problem solving are my favorite parts. I'm from snowy MN, and now in sunny Menlo Park, CA. I would be more than happy to give startup feedback, just drop me a line...
I think it really depends on your startup (SEO, advertising, bloggers, etc)
I saw this the other day: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2461271
Also here is another great resource! http://blog.traindom.com/places-where-to-submit-your-startup...
Thanks for the feedback!
Privacy is a big deal for our users and we take it seriously. Only the people you elect to see your garden will see it. Data encryption for storage and transportation (SSL) is on the horizon.
We're currently working on an export feature to automate the retrieval of your moments but in the mean time, if you email us we'll zip them up for you.
It's funny you mentioned the relationship use case since we have a few users that are already using it for that. One of them is using it like a time capsule and giving it to her boyfriend for their 1 year anniversary.
Thanks! We use the LAMP stack with a few frameworks (CakePHP, jQuery) and wrote some custom video processing code. Feel free to email us at support@momentgarden.com
Hi,
Great feedback and we definitely need to make that more clear on our site! Thanks.
We're working on a "family" view so you can see all your kids in a single timeline. If a user wants to email a moment for two kids, they could add them both to the "to:" field and we'll show it in each of the recipient's garden and eventually combine them in the family view. However, you're right - from the web, this is not possible yet. We tried to keep things as simple as possible, but this is something we'll have to consider going forward.
Thanks for the feedback! You can add family members to contribute and they can elect for immediate, daily or monthly digests. Although not "automatic" yet, you can choose to share individual moments (and only those) of your garden to Facebook and we'll even show the comments in your garden.
We hope you like it, and feel free to send any comments/questions our way!
I agree. Don't give up and try and bring anyone and everyone along for the ride. This doesn't mean make them a partner, but share your experience and don't be afraid to ask others for help. This will give you a network of other people with similar interests and yourself a reputation that will help down the lines. It will also give you a perspective on if you want to work with these people in the future or on your next project.
I think this is very good advice! Drilling down is especially important for us and I like the idea of keeping the dashboard clear of information you wouldn't look at on a daily basis. The hardest thing for me is to look at something that is metrically failing and be willing to pull the plug, especially if I built it. Luckily I have heard this advice enough where I consciously question my motive for not pulling something.
I walked through the app, creating a custom card and sharing via email.
I think you did an EXCELLENT job walking the user through the tasks. Instead of going about it from the engineering stand point, and creating a dashboard to manage your cards (ha) you lead me through real use cases and I was able to create a card with little effort. I'm a firm believer when a user goes online they become dumber and just start clicking buttons. Again, I was lead through the app with big fun icons and steps that had bright "Next" buttons. A 5 year old could have created and shared a card, that's awesome.
I also liked how you explained the privacy setting on step 3(?). I was thinking it, and right next to the 'Next' button was my answer.
With that said, I thought there were a few pages that felt cluttered. The share page, for example. This is your viral channel and maybe the most important step (depending on your goals) so I would make this the only thing on the page (or bigger). Removing some of the content on the right and definitely at the bottom might prevent people from not doing that final, important, step.
Also, on the share page, have you thought about an email form with a pre-filled message and the link inside? We have found (slightly different use case) that most people don't even care about changing the message and having this form just reduces user friction. However, I can see the advantage of letting the user use their own email client to..
My first comment is "I get it" which is great. Simple and not overly engineered. Seems like a great method for tutorials and how tos created from content experts.
I think the problem will be to engage people in creating the routes. What incentives are there to create routes? I see you get a "stamp" but is that enough? It isn't for me.
Also, is being dependent on Facebook for create routes going to hurt you? I get it that it will help this spread virally (almost required these days) but I would be interested in seeing if this prevents people from creating routes, especially since Facebook is blocked in some businesses and schools.
Will be interesting to see how app gaming progresses, especially with the big players getting even bigger. This will definitely make it harder for your average entrepreneur?
A great way to get a condensed amount of information that is meaningful to you while you browse. Nice work.