Maybe because there is a very decent application in Linux called gLabels.
Besides that, the most important factor is the cost of one hour of work of an employee for the boss.
I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
11–20 of 60 posts
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#12"The creation of ID card is generally done with photoshop and separately edited for each card"
I've actually never seen this done. The schools and companies in my area all have systems that integrate the picture taking with the identity information and automatically print a card. What you're describing simply requires too much skill and time.
So you've built a product, but you're competing with packaged systems. I did a quick search and picked the first (non-ad) link: http://www.idsecurityonline.com/photo-id-systems/?gclid=CI2s.... It looks to me like you assumed you'd found a niche market without realizing the breadth of competition. Sorry ... and good luck.
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#13You are probably pitching your product to the wrong audience. Your customer is not the one actually making the cards, rather their boss. Making the cards only costs the employees time, something they don't mind wasting for the most part. For the manager or owner it directly costs money, time wasted on making cards costs the employer money in the form of wages. They are also the one with the purchasing power in an org…
I completely agree. By talking to the guy making the cards and not the boss, you are essentially showing him a product that makes a big part of his value as an employee obsolete. Buying it would be like cutting off a big portion of his value to the company and future as an employee. To his boss however, it could be a huge savings, he saves on wages and he no longer needs someone with good Photoshop skills to do the s…
It doesn't have to be that an extreme, making the employee(s) currently responsible for the cards redundant, but it would allow them to do more productive tasks. That said, those productive tasks may not be as relaxing and mindless as creating those cards in Photoshop.
Point still stands though.
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#14"The creation of ID card is generally done with photoshop and separately edited for each card" I've actually never seen this done. The schools and companies in my area all have systems that integrate the picture taking with the identity information and automatically print a card. What you're describing simply requires too much skill and time. So you've built a product, but you're competing with packaged systems. I di…
This, pretty much. At my school(s) the cards are generated automatically from registration on Moodle/WebSurf/WebPortal, and are printed from machines built specially for the purpose. I mean, one of the schools I'm talking about has 25,000 students, with at least a 20% churn rate every year. That's a lot of cards, they're not doing it in photoshop, sorry man. Cool product, good application of skills, though!
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#15What if you implement in-app purchases. It will look like a free program, but when they get used to it: "Bang! You have used all your id-card-coins for the week. Would you like to buy more?". This is how consumers are owned these days and they seem to enjoy it.
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#16[deleted]
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#17[deleted]
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#18>Why do people want everything for free when other have put a lot of effort on making it?
I don't think that's the problem. People will pay if what you build solves their problem. More specifically, they'll pay if they see that what you build solves their problem.
Before building, you should check:
1. Do they have a problem?
2. Do they know they have a problem?
3. How much of a problem is it for them?
4. Who, exactly, has the ability to act on this problem?
5. What language do they use to describe the problem?
6. Do they have any requirements that aren't obvious to me? Can I incorporate them into what I'm building?
If this sounds like marketing, it is, but it's the good sort. Building something people don't actually want is a perennial problem.
Rather than trying to sell what you have, figure out what they want. Then you'll know whether to:
1. Change who you're talking to
2. Change how you're talking about the product
3. Modify the product
4. Abandon ship
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#19"The creation of ID card is generally done with photoshop and separately edited for each card" I've actually never seen this done. The schools and companies in my area all have systems that integrate the picture taking with the identity information and automatically print a card. What you're describing simply requires too much skill and time. So you've built a product, but you're competing with packaged systems. I di…
Same goes for conference badges, which is similar. There is dedicated hardware (printer that fits the size of the badge) which is sold together with its accompanying software.
Consider that programming it made you learn new things!
Re: I built an application to solve a problem but got nobody to buy it
#20"The creation of ID card is generally done with photoshop and separately edited for each card" I've actually never seen this done. The schools and companies in my area all have systems that integrate the picture taking with the identity information and automatically print a card. What you're describing simply requires too much skill and time. So you've built a product, but you're competing with packaged systems. I di…
Looking at it another way, the existence of the packaged systems probably validates the market and the developer's intuition that it scales. Likewise, his experience that people use Photoshop to hand craft ID's shows that it is underserved.
Sure, a Windows app won't own the market. But there are may be many small organizations within and without the education sector that could streamline their organizations - conference organizers, wedding planners, caterers etc. Think mom_and_pop with XP not organizations with IT. Think Bingo Card Creator[that's HNer Patrick McKenzie]
There's money in the long tail where integrated solutions and government contracts are rare. Looking at it another way, the existence of the packaged systems probably validates the market and the developer's intuition that it scales. Likewise, his experience that people use Photoshop to hand craft ID's shows that it is underserved.
Sure, a Windows app won't own the market. But there are may be many small organizations within and without the education sector that could streamline their organizations - conference organizers, wedding planners, caterers etc. Think mom_and_pop with XP not organizations with IT. Think Bingo Card Creator[that's HNer Patrick McKenzie]
There's money in the long tail where integrated solutions and government contracts are rareLooking at it another way, the existence of the packaged systems probably validates the market and the developer's intuition that it scales. Likewise, his experience that people use Photoshop to hand craft ID's shows that it is underserved.
Sure, a Windows app won't own the market. But there are may be many small organizations within and without the education sector that could streamline their organizations - conference organizers, wedding planners, caterers etc. Think mom_and_pop with XP not organizations with IT. Think Bingo Card Creator[that's HNer Patrick McKenzie]
There's money in the long tail where integrated solutions and government contracts are rare. Looking at it another way, the existence of the packaged systems probably validates the market and the developer's intuition that it scales. Likewise, his experience that people use Photoshop to hand craft ID's shows that it is underserved.
Sure, a Windows app won't own the market. But there are may be many small organizations within and without the education sector that could streamline their organizations - conference organizers, wedding planners, caterers etc. Think mom_and_pop with XP not organizations with IT. Think Bingo Card Creator[that's HNer Patrick McKenzie]
There's money in the long tail where integrated solutions and government contracts are rare