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Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

buildmymvp.com

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Re: Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

#11

Post by supermw »

These things never work out well. Picking out options for an app the same way you'd pick options for an automobile implies the work is fairly well siloed and commoditized. So it should be cheap and fast, but then the price and timeline at the end is not what you expect, so you take your newly created list of requirements and go elsewhere. People going through these things want instant gratification.

It also implies that if you want something that does not fall neatly into the categories given then you're going to pay even more.

Giving estimates is just part of sales. If you're tired of it, then don't work sales.

Edit: Ok I decided I should probably give some constructive advice with every teardown I do, so here's a tip: If you really want to do things this way, instead of instantly giving a price at the end, create the illusion that the info will be sent to a human and you'll send a quote by email after they've had a chance to review. Then just set up a cron job to go through your list of emails at certain strategic times of the day and send personalized messages with the quoted price and time frame. This way you start a conversation with the potential client and keep them on the hook.

Re: Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

#12

Post by tjpnz »

xrd wrote: post #6

Fantastic. I'm sure this has them lose out on many opportunities that shops with less integrity will sell them on. And, that might mean they won't survive.

They're claiming to be able to cut the displayed time and cost by up to 70%.

Re: Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

#15

Post by jasonkillian »

morpheuskafka wrote: post #8

Looks very similar to http://howmuchtomakeanapp.com/ and appears to exist primary to upsell the user at the end to the paid service.

Weirdly enough, both websites use this exact same quote: "This means you'll need to make an API (application programming interface). It's how all your friendly apps talk to each other."

Either plagiarism was involved, or there's some underlying library that's the same for both, or they both hired the same company to build their MVP ;)

HowMuchToMakeAnApp is by "Commite, a digital studio specialized in driving ideas from inception to launch" based out of "Seville, San Francisco & New York".

BuildMyMVP is made by "ProductDone a digital studio based in Auckland, New Zealand".

The two sites side by side: https://imgur.com/a/e7OVYVa

Re: Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

#16

Post by newsbinator »

puranjay wrote: post #9

Aren't the estimates a bit on the higher side? Moreso in terms of time than costs. A barebones mobile app shouldn't take 6-9 months to develop.

Yes and no. A barebones mobile app is fast to develop when you're working with experienced people who know what they want.

If you're working with first-timers, you have to account for 3 - 5 major redesign decisions along the way.

There are valid techniques for mitigating this: educating the client, setting clear expectations, delineating desired outcomes, having an iron-clad contract, charging for modifications, etc.

Each of those approaches is arguably good/bad in terms of project management on consulting work.

But at the end of the day, if you work on tech projects with first-timers, there's going to be a learning curve, and that learning curve is going to 2x or 3x your dev time, if you're smart about it. Or 10x your dev time if you're not.

Re: Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

#17

Post by HillRat »

puranjay wrote: post #9

Aren't the estimates a bit on the higher side? Moreso in terms of time than costs. A barebones mobile app shouldn't take 6-9 months to develop.

I’m just trying to figure out how an estimate is supposed to cover PMO, design, dev, QA, and deployment for $70K over 6-9 months. That’s ... an unusual cost and time breakdown, to put it mildly.

Re: Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

#18

Post by evanwarfel »

Nice idea. One issue is that most users will think that you have responded to the incentive to inflate the prices and make yourself look better by comparison. Some ways you can make your estimates more credible include:

  - 1) give ranges of price estimates

  - 2) communicate the uncertainty around different parts of the estimate

  - 3) show what size team you are estimating will be working on your project

  - 3b) have a slider so that people can play around with the team size (and explore the team-size / price / time tradeoff)
 
  - 4) show an estimate of what kind of volume the finished mvp can handle

  - 5) show real-life estimates you've gotten on a set of projects. possibly include how much it would have cost to build this very website at both a large institutional design agency and a well-regarded boutique agency.

Re: Show HN: We Got Sick of Giving Out 'Ballpark Estimates' So We Built This

#19

Post by gpuhacker »

jasonkillian wrote: post #15
morpheuskafka wrote: post #8

Looks very similar to http://howmuchtomakeanapp.com/ and appears to exist primary to upsell the user at the end to the paid service.

Weirdly enough, both websites use this exact same quote: "This means you'll need to make an API (application programming interface). It's how all your friendly apps talk to each other." Either plagiarism was involved, or there's some underlying library that's the same for both, or they both hired the same company to build their MVP ;) HowMuchToMakeAnApp is by "Commite, a digital studio specialized in driving ideas fr…

If you do a search on the second sentence: "It's how all your friendly apps talk to each other." You'll find at least 10 other cost calculator websites that all use that exact sentence to explain the term API. It also shows how flooded the web is with sites like this.
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