On Mar 2, 2010, at 2:22 AM, Sean Dougall wrote: > Hi Nate, > > First off, congrats on releasing a new product! That alone is no small > achievement. > > Based on a first look, I'd make a few recommendations: > - The instructions page looks daunting to me. This is partly because > there are so many steps, and also partly because the UI doesn't lend > itself very well to static screenshots. The first screenshot, for > example, looks like everything's accidentally positioned halfway off > the window. This makes a lot more sense with the animated UI, but you > have to download the app to find that out. I think a screencast tour > showing it in action would be a much more useful primary source for > instruction (maybe with a pared-down version of the existing page as a > "more information" link).
That's a good point, and I'm glad you shared your reaction to the written instructions. I think some people will appreciate a written-out explanation, but a quick guided tour for the majority of site visitors would show how simple and easy the app really is. > - Minor note: your support address is misspelled on the instructions > page. :) Fixed, great catch! > - I think the Front Row-inspired interface is very cool, though a dark > background and slightly slower animations would be easier on the eyes > (especially on a TV, which is where I'd expect Photon Star to really > be useful). And I personally would take the Front Row inspiration a > step farther and start out fullscreen, at least by default. Starting out full screen was my original plan, but I didn't want the glitchy way Cocoa does the transition to be the first launch experience. That's a technical issue I'll need to sort. Do you think a significant amount of people have their computer connected to their TV? > To be totally honest, I think the biggest issue is that your site > doesn't make it clear what problem Photon Star is solving. For > example, I can use iPhoto to get all my unrated photos in a smart > album, and rate them with Command-1 through 5, using the arrow keys to > navigate. That doesn't give me a pretty full-screen interface or Apple > Remote integration, but it does get the job done in one step per > photo. From your site, I can more or less see what Photon Star is, but > not what makes it awesome. Does PS make photo rating more accurate? > More fun? Easier/faster? > > My suggestion would be to focus on the fun aspect. The main benefit to > PS that I can see is that you can put it up on a TV and sit on the > couch with a remote -- and share the rating process with other people. > I honestly wouldn't focus too much on the productivity aspects, > because it's not the fastest or simplest workflow. (And iPhoto isn't > _really_ about productivity anyway!) But the interactivity of the app > feels almost like a game to me, so if you can find a way to describe > the reasons why it's fun -- or even add some rules to make it into an > actual game! -- I think I'd be more inclined to want to use it. > > In any case, you mention that you believe the app can help people > enjoy their photos more. I'd say go with that idea for the site -- > focus a bit less on what Photon Star is, and more on why it's going to > change my life. :) Very helpful suggestions and points to ponder. I can't actually claim credit for the workflow (it was inspired by part of an Aperture workflow post by Fraser Speirs), and maybe it's not for everyone, but turning the decision into a few two-way choices instead of all 5 options at once does seem to make the rating go quicker. Or at least like you say it makes it more fun, which is an aspect I should probably bring out in future versions. > Again, congratulations on putting it out there! As with any app that > people aren't likely to know to search for, you'll be fighting an > uphill battle at first, but don't get discouraged! Thanks a lot for taking the time to write up all this feedback. I'm slowly learning to be as patient as I can with the business side, and as impatient as I can with getting updates out. I just worry sometimes that my lack of marketing skill/imagination will keep me from ever reaching the "critical mass" I need to recoup the time I've invested in my shareware. (e.g. After wasting a few days dealing with what license key scheme to use, I wondered if it would have been more cost effective to just make a text box where the user types "I promise that I paid for this" instead!) regards, -natevw Calf Trail Software, LLC > On Mar 1, 2010, at 6:53 PM, Nathan Vander Wilt wrote: > >> Hello all, >> >> I recently released a new iPhoto-related product >> (http://calftrail.com/photonstar/ >> ) to not much fanfare. I'd originally thought it would automatically >> be more popular than my previous product since it is useful to a >> much wider audience and has less technical requirements than >> Geotagalog. >> >> But as I began submitting it to download sites, I realized that it's >> really a one-of-a-kind app. I was happy to see one search for >> something like "fast iPhoto rating" bring someone on the very first >> day of launch, but it's not really an app that most people would >> think to look for or see listed as a better-designed alternative to >> something else. I really believe in the potential for this app to >> help people enjoy their pictures more, but how can I get the word out? >> >> I already sent out an initial press release for all the splogs to >> repost, but I'm rapidly losing the stomach for that kind of >> "marketing". When Geotagalog 2.0 is a little closer to release, I am >> planning to send out a company newsletter to those who signed up and >> of course mention Photon Star as a new product. (And am trying to >> decide if it's appropriate to send keys to Apple employees who have >> requested NFR licenses in the past.) I also know someone who might >> be writing a short review for an online Mac magazine if he's happy >> with it. >> >> So little things here and there might boost interest for a bit, but >> I'm wondering how to best find customers for Photon Star in the long >> run. I haven't had a ton of luck building momentum/awareness for my >> products, so every product seems to bring a new marketing-from- >> scratch challenge. I'd much appreciate any advice or suggestions for >> finally moving things out of the "hobby" range, especially with this >> latest product. >> >> thanks, >> -natevw >> Calf Trail Software, LLC >> >> > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > MacSB email guidelines: http://tinyurl.com/2g55d6 > Use MacSB-Talk for off topic messages: > http://groups.google.com/group/macsb-talk > Yahoo! Groups Links > > >
