Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#1

Post by lucasoman » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:23 PM UTC

I couldn't find what I was looking for in a list-manager-slash-organization-tool, so I started working on this a couple months ago. I'd love to get some feedback!

Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?
mysimplist.com

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#2

Post by davidw » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:32 PM UTC

I would put the 'what can you use it for' stuff on the front page, to give people an idea who it's for.

...

Also - is this really a startup or just kind of a cool project? With all the other list things out there, how are you going to emerge enough to make money at it?

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#3

Post by mynameishere » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:38 PM UTC

You should have a confirmation email in your inbox in just a few minutes.

I found a bug.

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#4

Post by breily » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:40 PM UTC

1. Explain what it does on the main page - if I'd seen the link somewhere else, I never would've gone past the front page.

2. Maybe some screenshots of the embeddable widget - it sounds cool but I'm not exactly sure what it does.

3. A bookmarklet or something might be a good idea, so I can tag/add stuff as I browse other sites.

Overall seems pretty good, the UI looked really complicated at first but the help area was pretty good at explaining that.

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#5

Post by sant0sk1 » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:43 PM UTC

Let possible users get a taste of using it before requiring registration. As is, I would never sign up.

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#6

Post by lucasoman » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:45 PM UTC

mynameishere wrote: post #3

You should have a confirmation email in your inbox in just a few minutes. I found a bug.

Nope. ;-)

I understand why you don't like this, if you're highly security conscious or mad about the spam you get. But my privacy policy is very simple and clear, and it's linked right next to the text input for the email. Some site features use your email address, and future features will, too.

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#7

Post by lucasoman » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:48 PM UTC

davidw wrote: post #2

I would put the 'what can you use it for' stuff on the front page, to give people an idea who it's for. ... Also - is this really a startup or just kind of a cool project? With all the other list things out there, how are you going to emerge enough to make money at it?

I searched through the many list things out there, and none of them gave me the flexibility I wanted. This is something I wrote for myself, and I decided to make it something everyone can use.

Most other list apps are one-dimensional. You have a shopping list and a to-do list. This is a tree that lets you make lists of lists of lists. You can put your entire life into your Simplist and it won't be overwhelming or difficult to manage. My Simplist is seven layers deep in some places, which I didn't even realize until I counted.

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#8

Post by kyro » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:50 PM UTC

I visited your site, looked around the front page, and wanted to leave. Don't make me click to find out what your product is about. Use all that wasted banner space to explain what the product is with a few images to give me an idea of what I'm dealing with. That banner image looks a bit cheap and doesn't even come close to explaining to me what's going on. Anything in my life can be simpler. Keep it down to one nice looking logo, and widen the site up so you get more space to show images/demo.

After careful manipulation of the front page, you'll be able to fit all the content from 'what's a simplist' and 'how does simplist work.' Incorporate your links nicely, not just a stack at the bottom, too.

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#9

Post by joshwa » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 2:50 PM UTC

For pete's sake, screenshots! I have no idea what this thing does. sounds like a todo list, but the interface is the differentiator in this market, so you need to SHOW us what it looks like!

Re: Ask YC: Opinion of new startup Simplist?

#10

Post by mynameishere » Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 3:02 PM UTC

lucasoman wrote: post #6

mynameishere wrote: post #3

You should have a confirmation email in your inbox in just a few minutes. I found a bug.

Nope. ;-) I understand why you don't like this, if you're highly security conscious or mad about the spam you get. But my privacy policy is very simple and clear, and it's linked right next to the text input for the email. Some site features use your email address, and future features will, too.

What percentage of users do you want to turn away automatically? It's not a privacy issue.