If your startup has users, they probably like what you have done as is. In particular, they would not appreciate any major changes no matter how clever/creative/useful you think they are. About the only thing you can do that they will not complain about is to improve speed. Is that about right?
Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
1–10 of 22 posts
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#2No, users used to love it when we introduced new features.
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#3I would say that is very wrong.
Check this article that was submitted earlier http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/02/gmails-humble-begin...
Gmail had nothing when it launched, but kept on adding features as the need from user arose.
This is generally the way to go, I think that the way you describe is stalemate at best, and disaster at worst.
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#4No, users used to love it when we introduced new features.
If you incrementally add one new feature then any existing user may or may not use the new feature. But what happens if you radically overhaul a site, changing its style, changing the items, style and placement of the navigation and improving but changing core functionality?
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#5"they probably like what you have done as is"
If only.
Frankly, I have trouble remembering a single time that has ever happened to me.
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#6I find the only startups that I'm being drawn into are the ones with creative founders. The two that come to mind are Wesabe and now TipJoy, both are sites that launched when they had built enough to be useful, but still have a lot of interesting potential. You can just look at Google's share price if you want proof that users love potential and expect change and improvements.
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#7No, users used to love it when we introduced new features.
If you incrementally add one new feature then any existing user may or may not use the new feature. But what happens if you radically overhaul a site, changing its style, changing the items, style and placement of the navigation and improving but changing core functionality?
Can you not throw away what's bad and keep what's good during your overhaul?...
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#8Where on earth did you come up with that idea?
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#9Adding features is pretty safe territory but there's frequently going to be a certain amount of backlash when you change something, even when you're trying to improve it. It's scary how outraged users can become really. Announcing changes in advance and giving the option to use the old version can reduce the number of death threats :-)
Re: Ask YC: Users don't like creative founders, right?
#10I find the only startups that I'm being drawn into are the ones with creative founders. The two that come to mind are Wesabe and now TipJoy, both are sites that launched when they had built enough to be useful, but still have a lot of interesting potential. You can just look at Google's share price if you want proof that users love potential and expect change and improvements.
Google's products don't change much in terms of UI/features. They innovate more on the technology behind the scenes.