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Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

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Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#171

Post by for1nner »

sebisaacsinflow wrote: post #101
yummypaint wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Such as?

- Opt in free trial without putting in card details - Longer free trial - One-off purchase vs subscription - Web sign-up In addition to these we also send email and notification reminders before the free trial ends and refund everybody who requests one.

Why not offer the service with a paywall? And I don't mean the awful website kind.

I mean: someone signs up - regardless of whether you want to call it a subscription - and every month on renewal, they get a notice to confirm renewal (or have to re-enter payment, though I suspect that's probably _too_ much friction).

Is that a great way to retain revenue? Probably not. But it's way better for press than what I saw when I opened this thread and was immediately turned off. It's definitely the kind of consumer-first model that I'd love to see more of, certainly from a company/app whose target is helping people...

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#172

Post by eh9 »

mrkurt wrote: post #46
skeletron wrote: post #22

Many of the reviews of the Android app are quite critical of the trial and payment model, for example: > CAUTION: After the free trial period (7 days), they will charge for an annual subscription ($102.95 US). This is OPT OUT, not opt in. In other reviews they say they will offer a refund (I will update when/if I get one) but for an app for people with executive function issues, an opt out format seems shady. Either…

It's fair to criticize this, but it's worth noting that this is how subscriptions work in Google / Apple app stores. You really can't do anything else.

Why do you think you can’t do anything else? There’s different trial methods. Shorter subscription periods. OPT-in models.

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#173

Post by mStreamTeam »

sebisaacsinflow wrote: post #146
mStreamTeam wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can get a real job instead of making products that prey on people with ADHD. There's no job shortage, so don't make excuses for them

If we didn't build and charge for our app then we can't continue working on it and improving. We enable many people to get support they wouldn't be able to otherwise and significantly broaden accessibility compared to medication and in-person therapy. We're not a non-profit but we do need to improve our model.

Linux is free and somehow that has gotten decades of support.

You can do good work for "your community" without putting profits first

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#174

Post by mrkurt »

eh9 wrote: post #172
mrkurt wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's fair to criticize this, but it's worth noting that this is how subscriptions work in Google / Apple app stores. You really can't do anything else.

Why do you think you can’t do anything else? There’s different trial methods. Shorter subscription periods. OPT-in models.

There are no free trial subscriptions with opt-in "continue paying" as far as I know. I mean, why would Apple and Google build that? They make more money with trial + automatic billing.

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#175

Post by Igelau »

throwanem wrote: post #38
mStreamTeam wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone with ADHD, I can confirm this model is super predatory. I cancel all my credit cards every year just to get rid of all opt-in charges on regular basis

Billing an entire annual subscription up front, as opposed to monthly, seems especially questionable. What if the therapy doesn't work? What if it's so badly implemented that it can't work? You're still out a hundred bucks just the same, and that's just in the first year. edit: There is also a monthly subscription option, in the Apple app store at least. It's $22 a month - so over twice as much as the annual. This do…

> Sachs is a Psy.D, not an MD. Granted, this does entitle him to "Dr." as a term of address, just as would a doctorate in physics, ancient history, or underwater basket-weaving. But, just as with any of those, it doesn't qualify him as a doctor in the generally understood sense.

Indeed, I've had better help from a LCSW than a Psy.D, and I never called the social worker "Dr."

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#176

Post by capableweb »

levi-epstein wrote: post #135
jstx1 wrote: post #32

I was excited to try it and gave up during sign-up because there's no free option. The 7-day limited trial of the paid version isn't the same as a free tier.

A lot of work goes into building and continually improving a product like Inflow and we need to charge a subscription fee for it to be viable. We believe that being more affordable than other options which means many more people are able to access the support that they otherwise would not have access to.

I also ended up dropping out at the same part of the signup. I don't have a problem paying for things, but I don't feel comfortable with a user experience that doesn't say up front how much it costs. It wasn't until I filled out all the details that it became apparent there are paid plans. That for me is a warning sign about what the company could do in the future.

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#177

Post by weisk »

mStreamTeam wrote: post #30
skeletron wrote: post #22

Many of the reviews of the Android app are quite critical of the trial and payment model, for example: > CAUTION: After the free trial period (7 days), they will charge for an annual subscription ($102.95 US). This is OPT OUT, not opt in. In other reviews they say they will offer a refund (I will update when/if I get one) but for an app for people with executive function issues, an opt out format seems shady. Either…

As someone with ADHD, I can confirm this model is super predatory. I cancel all my credit cards every year just to get rid of all opt-in charges on regular basis

There are nowadays plenty of e-banking solutions which provide you with virtual cards, which you can create and destroy on the fly and at 0 cost. It is really wonderful for this kind of scenario. Vivid is the one I've been using, I couldnt be happier with it. Theres also N26 allowing this, and Im not sure but, Skrill, Transferwise, Revolut,...

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#178

Post by Justin_K »

mStreamTeam wrote: post #30
skeletron wrote: post #22

Many of the reviews of the Android app are quite critical of the trial and payment model, for example: > CAUTION: After the free trial period (7 days), they will charge for an annual subscription ($102.95 US). This is OPT OUT, not opt in. In other reviews they say they will offer a refund (I will update when/if I get one) but for an app for people with executive function issues, an opt out format seems shady. Either…

As someone with ADHD, I can confirm this model is super predatory. I cancel all my credit cards every year just to get rid of all opt-in charges on regular basis

Also, as someone without ADHD, I can also say this model is predatory. Nobody should have to remember to put in a request to not be charged after a trial.

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#179

Post by sebisaacsinflow »

nicoburns wrote: post #103

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I can't help but feel like an app is last thing ADHD people need.

We definitely have some areas to improve with the onboarding. Many people with ADHD have found our app super helpful and we also have done a study with a university in the US assessing pre/post symptom/impairment change which has been super promising and submitted to a prominent journal.

Re: Launch HN: Inflow (YC S21) – Self-help app for people with ADHD

#180

Post by what_is_orcas »

sebisaacsinflow wrote: post #84
WhiteDawn wrote: post #74

As someone with ADHD, I’ve stayed away from this product because it is a subscription service. I will sign up for subscription services fully well intentioned and then proceed to not use the service and forget to cancel it in time. I know myself well enough now to stay away from any product offering a subscription. There is no real “managing” it, it’s just a fact of life for me and something I live around. An app tar…

Thanks for the feedback. We're working on some potential solutions to this and in the meantime we refund everybody who requests one.

For an app that _for_ folks who aren't neurootypical, accessibility should be priority #1. That it's not does not inspire confidence and suggests that you're going for an "exit" strategy, which might be great for VCs, but not for users, and without users, I wouldn't expect a lot of VC backing.
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