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Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#11

Post by ColinWright »

faisalkhalid80 wrote: post #7
ColinWright wrote: post #6

Immediate thoughts: Why would I learn to use yet another tool? You already use it, you already know how to use it, but I would have to invest effort in learning its quirks. Seems only to be focused on London, UK. Is this right? Didn't work on three of the other major UK cities I tried, which makes it useless for me. How would I find out about it? What does it offer that I can't get from Google or FourSquare? Why shou…

thank you for the feedback. yep it's only for London right now..

I feel like I'm being unnecessarily harsh. I'm on a desktop, the design seems clear and clean. When I ask for an area I get a tiny cluster of flags that I then need to zoom in on, but I guess that would be easier on a mobile, just pinch/zoom. If I hover over a flag I get the details, but when I move to click on one of the links, they disappear, so I can't actually access the details. I can't phone to make a reservation, or check on the Google search results.

Those are my immediate usability comments.

Edit: These are of necessity "drive-by comments," neither crafted nor gestated. I'm in the middle of other stuff, and had some immediate thoughts. Take them as intended to be overall helpful. And now I need to go.

Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#12

Post by ColinWright »

faisalkhalid80 wrote: post #10
ColinWright wrote: post #8

I see you never responded to this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9883697 Is that because you didn't see it, or didn't like it? Have you taken it on board and incorporated its advice?

Hi Colin - I have read the comments on that link several times, and they were very helpful. I have tried to incorporate them.

Cool. So the question is - why would anyone choose to use your app? What additional value does it provide?

Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#13

Post by faisalkhalid80 »

ColinWright wrote: post #11
faisalkhalid80 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

thank you for the feedback. yep it's only for London right now..

I feel like I'm being unnecessarily harsh. I'm on a desktop, the design seems clear and clean. When I ask for an area I get a tiny cluster of flags that I then need to zoom in on, but I guess that would be easier on a mobile, just pinch/zoom. If I hover over a flag I get the details, but when I move to click on one of the links, they disappear, so I can't actually access the details. I can't phone to make a reservati…

thank you.

Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#14

Post by faisalkhalid80 »

ColinWright wrote: post #12
faisalkhalid80 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi Colin - I have read the comments on that link several times, and they were very helpful. I have tried to incorporate them.

Cool. So the question is - why would anyone choose to use your app? What additional value does it provide?

1. usability - on mobile, its just easier than using Google, Yelp, Zomato or anyone else. less noise. 2. aggregation - we pull data from many different APIs so you have all the info you need to make a decision in one place (Telegraph news articles, Twitter feed, Uber cost, Google and Zomato reviews, Google search results, Zagat status, Michelin status etc...)

Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#16

Post by phantom_oracle »

Let's critique/fix a few things:

1) Show all restaurants (with markers) on the map, so that when someone visits, they know there is data on it.

2) Tell people that you are currently only in the London+surrounds area

3) The biggest issue you face is that Google already has this built-in to their Google maps product

4) Maybe the URL is too long for (some) of the target audience

Good luck

Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#17

Post by Guest192038 »

The site looks like a clone of Google Maps, but you're limited to London, you show far fewer results in any given location, and the search doesn't work nearly as well.

For example, I can visit Google Maps, type in 'Italian food in Mayfair' and I instantly have results. On your site I type the same thing, and I get nothing. Instead, your site gives search suggestions for Indian and British food for my Italian search, and I'm forced to click one of the suggestions.

It also doesn't allow me to search cuisine and location at the same time. I can search for Italian food across your entire database, or I can search for a location like Mayfair. To do both, I need to search the location first, and then apply a filter for Italian cuisine. Also, why can I search cuisines, then filter cuisines? I mean, I can use the British search suggestion, and then apply a filter for Indian. Why is this even possible? Filters shouldn't exist, the search bar should be able to combine cuisine and location.

Lastly, for my original search, your site shows 8 results. Google is returning hundreds. You're going to get absolutely no traction when you offer an inferior product to a well established competitor with millions of users.

Why don't you tell us some reasons why someone should use your site instead of the competitors, like Google Maps?

Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#19

Post by faisalkhalid80 »

DrNuke wrote: post #18

Generally speaking, it's 2016 and market is flooded: every other and new product needs more than design & usability to stand up, say some sort of original, maybe unrelated hook that drives people crazy even before launching. Good luck!

Thank you, I see your point..

Re: Ask HN: I use my own product, but others don't. Why?

#20

Post by faisalkhalid80 »

Guest192038 wrote: post #17

The site looks like a clone of Google Maps, but you're limited to London, you show far fewer results in any given location, and the search doesn't work nearly as well. For example, I can visit Google Maps, type in 'Italian food in Mayfair' and I instantly have results. On your site I type the same thing, and I get nothing. Instead, your site gives search suggestions for Indian and British food for my Italian search,…

Thanks for the feedback. The main reason to use us is.. 1. its easier to use. you mention google maps - try using it on mobile, when you need to decide in 2 seconds. doesn't work, too much noise. you see 8 results because these are top ranked, we don't show you everything. if thats what you want (everything) then its google. 2. aggregation. unlike google, which you mentioned, we show you content from numerous different sources. when i am picking a place i want to know: is it michelin rated? zagat rated? timeout top100? what % score did it have on zomato? did any of the major newspapers write up on it? what do ppl say about it on twitter? what are recent reviews like? these are all things we have, in one place. the use case here is mobile entirely. mb we should just get rid of the desktop site to clarify that and add a mobile app..
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