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Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

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Re: Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

#23

Did not appreciate being forced to answer survey questions and then find out at the end this only works with Google calendar. Borderline dark pattern move...

We put this in place so that folks aren't going through the entire product onboarding which takes several minutes only to find out later there's no way to add an Outlook calendar.

Re: Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

#24
post #4

This seems like it's in the vein of Superhuman -- it's just 10x better, but you pay for the privilege. I found this review of how it can slot into someone's workflow -- https://amontalenti.com/2019/11/04/work-is-a-queue-of-queues . Seems like you're making at least one person very happy!

We found a lot of inspiration from Superhuman but there are some key differences: there's no required concierge onboarding and we don't require an invite from another user. Andrew Montalenti's post on work being a queue of queues is fascinating in its own right. One of the things we're betting on is that we'll live in a world with more work queues as SaaS tools proliferate and specialize. We're hoping to build a plac…

Any pointers to further reading on this concept?

Re: Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

#26

Needs access to google calendar. Also onboarding questionnaire is cumbersome. I don't like it.. too many steps and effects in the interface for a list.

Yup, right now we've only been able to build an integration with Google Calendar. Turns out building a near replica of Google Calendar isn't easy! Once we add more services, we'll open it more broadly and make the questionnaire less cumbersome.

It's always good to see productivity tools, but I'm also not really sure what the integration would do. At least it limits signups.

As for the form, it almost felt like one of those RPGs, where you're basically forced to answer "yes I'll pay". I can only assume that this is done for basic research. What's good for you is that you actually capture the No->Yes flow, which means "No".

I used 2 accounts, as I don't like giving apps full permission to my calendar.

Good luck!

Re: Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

#27
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We found a lot of inspiration from Superhuman but there are some key differences: there's no required concierge onboarding and we don't require an invite from another user. Andrew Montalenti's post on work being a queue of queues is fascinating in its own right. One of the things we're betting on is that we'll live in a world with more work queues as SaaS tools proliferate and specialize. We're hoping to build a plac…

Any pointers to further reading on this concept?

Do you mean work being a queue of queues or superhuman?

Re: Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

#28

> for elite professionals This is not a beginning of a beautiful friendship. It's like saying "we are an X for really good people only", which leaves one to decide if they are brazen enough to consider themselves really good and try this wonder X or just accept the reality of being somewhat OK and move on. Perhaps you are trying to be selective with whom you want to accept as clients and this is meant to be a filter,…

We are definitely shooting for the "professionals who perform their job at an elite level" vibe more than a socioeconomic distinction. That being said, this is a valid criticism since "elite" has some obvious connotations.

Imo you already figured it out with this HN thread. "Busy People" got me to click, 'elite' added to your bounce rate.

Re: Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

#29

> for elite professionals This is not a beginning of a beautiful friendship. It's like saying "we are an X for really good people only", which leaves one to decide if they are brazen enough to consider themselves really good and try this wonder X or just accept the reality of being somewhat OK and move on. Perhaps you are trying to be selective with whom you want to accept as clients and this is meant to be a filter,…

We are definitely shooting for the "professionals who perform their job at an elite level" vibe more than a socioeconomic distinction. That being said, this is a valid criticism since "elite" has some obvious connotations.

I had the same reaction as others to "elite". I think you risk putting off the actual elite professionals and attract the aspirational with that phrasing. If that's not the intention, cutting "elite" will probably help a lot.

Re: Launch HN: Sunsama (YC W19) – Daily Planner for Busy People

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for that feedback. We put that in place so that folks weren't surprised after using it that Sunsama doesn't have a free tier since people assume that all productivity tools have a free version. If you just change your answer, you can proceed!

Yes, but the sale shouldn't end because I just said no. There should be room left for me to be delighted by the product, such that I convert into a paying user. Instead, I feel alienated and not at all interested in trying it in the future.

Indeed, this should have been incredibly obvious and is the whole reason free trials exist.
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