SurveyMonkey to buy Wufoo (YC W06) for $35m • Hacker News Board

Re: SurveyMonkey to buy Wufoo (YC W06) for $35m

#61

Post by 6ren » Tue, Apr 26, 2011, 4:48 PM UTC

veeneck wrote: post #60

6ren wrote: post #57

> customers frequently use Wufoo’s forms to process online transactions. > a process that previously required hours of work by web developers can now be done by anyone with web access in a matter of minutes. Can I ask a question of the Wufoo team? Do you attribute your success primarily to: allowing anyone to do what only web developers could do (targeting non-consumption); reducing the work from hours to times; or p…

If I had to pick one of those, it would be reducing work. People will pay for something that makes their job easier / efficient. Knowing what people want is hard though. I personally attribute it to day after day of paying attention to the details in support, design and all other areas of a business, which slowly builds trust and paying users.

Of the three, my guess would be making web-form creation accessible to people who could not do it before. While it's great to save time, that's a percentage improvement; whereas making the impossible possible is of a different order altogether. It's also to get people to adopt if they haven't already invested in a way of doing it that is already working for them (even if it is inefficient etc) - change is hard when you have bigger problems to worry about. But that's just my guess - I'd love to hear from the wufoo team...

But I agree with you about the support, design etc. There are a few companies providing online forms. Technically, it's not that hard to do; and I had a quick play with a competitor, that seemed pretty good. So I guess the "what people want" above just defines the mini "industry" of online forms - if Wufoo's is within an industry, its success must be based on additional factors, like the ones you mention.

Re: SurveyMonkey to buy Wufoo (YC W06) for $35m

#62

Post by veeneck » Tue, Apr 26, 2011, 7:29 PM UTC

6ren wrote: post #61

veeneck wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I had to pick one of those, it would be reducing work. People will pay for something that makes their job easier / efficient. Knowing what people want is hard though. I personally attribute it to day after day of paying attention to the details in support, design and all other areas of a business, which slowly builds trust and paying users.

Of the three, my guess would be making web-form creation accessible to people who could not do it before. While it's great to save time, that's a percentage improvement; whereas making the impossible possible is of a different order altogether. It's also to get people to adopt if they haven't already invested in a way of doing it that is already working for them (even if it is inefficient etc) - change is hard when y…

"I'd love to hear from the wufoo team..."

That would be me :) I'm one of the co-founders.

Re: SurveyMonkey to buy Wufoo (YC W06) for $35m

#63

Post by 6ren » Fri, Apr 29, 2011, 1:25 AM UTC

veeneck wrote: post #62

6ren wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of the three, my guess would be making web-form creation accessible to people who could not do it before. While it's great to save time, that's a percentage improvement; whereas making the impossible possible is of a different order altogether. It's also to get people to adopt if they haven't already invested in a way of doing it that is already working for them (even if it is inefficient etc) - change is hard when y…

"I'd love to hear from the wufoo team..." That would be me :) I'm one of the co-founders.

whoops! Sorry, I am chagrined :/ But, bonus, I got an answer from a co-founder. Thanks!

I thought you were speaking hypothetically (I checked your profile too).