6 ms·

Please rate my startup (again)

29 points by TimothyBurgess 16y ago

I either posted this at the wrong time (5am-ish) or nobody likes me... :( So I'm posting again, sorry for the repost! A while back I asked for a site review and I got some very constructive feedback. I honestly was not happy about it all at first but I'm glad I pushed my ego aside and listened... because my new landing page is a thousand times better than the first. It took me a while to come up with something [relatively] concise... I probably spent a week just trying to come up with a way to explain all of the things my app does in as little time/words as possible (went through 5+ revisions)... while matching the current look/feel... and not being too cheesy. As for a little background info on myself... I'm 23 and this is my first startup with no funding or guidance. I've basically spent the past 7 months by myself glued to my computer with only my dog by my side and occasional contact with family. I make a little money here and there doing some freelance odd jobs. I'm just taking it as it goes and quite frankly I'm ready to move forwards because my current situation has grown incredibly stale and depressing. I'd bet I'm far from alone in this kind of situation here on HN. But I think it's time for me to really move forwards... live life and have fun again. I came up with the idea behind this startup when I was a professional touring musician. It takes care of all the boring, tedious number-crunching aspects to being a professional in the industry. (In advance, the term "soundscans" is widely known among all serious touring bands in case anyone asks.) With that said, please check out my startup and I would be so very grateful for any advice and guidance in moving forwards with this. My main concerns are whether or not there are any security holes and/or crippling bugs. (Edit: Small question... how many of you have to download a plugin to hear the music when clicking play? I'm trying to minimize the number of required plugins while supporting older browsers.) I'm also wondering about a "terms of service" agreement. Does anyone have any advice as to how to properly approach this? And one last thing if anyone would be so kind... My laptop resolution only goes up to 1280x800 so if anyone with higher resolutions could let me know if it does okay I would very much appreciate it. I've also only tested the mobile version on my phone (Samsung Instinct) and my father's phone (first gen Droid)... so any input there is also greatly appreciated. I'll include working links in a comment. (Side question: Why are working links not allowed in text submissions?) Fullscreen: http://www.rela.cc Mobile: http://m.rela.cc

TimothyBurgess 16y ago
Fullscreen: http://www.rela.cc http://www.rela.cc Mobile: http://m.rela.cc http://m.rela.cc
nyellin 16y ago
The page takes too long to load. It is blank for a very long time. Then everything suddenly appears on the screen at once. If you can't fix the load time, at least add a better loading indicator so that people don't close the window.
nyellin 16y ago
Furthermore, the "Sign up now" call to action shouldn't disappear when you play the demo video.
abofh 16y ago
You're going to HTTPS on full-screen very fast; you might get better performance with some HTTP+CDN integration (if possible, I've not examined the code at all). The mobile landing page should probably provide a link to what the app does (since the fs didn't load at first for me, it's what I saw first). The main page is very cluttered -- try reducing the amount of text, and adding more significant white padding between your columns, and remember that not everyone comes to see your site with a 29" screen. Still looks far better than my UI skills any day :-) Edit; Just tried to play the videos, and the audio is clipping badly (linux, chrome); A filter pass through on peaks/troughs would probably be wise
makethetick 16y ago
Based on the design/workings of the site, the blurry onmouseover images are quite hard to read, especially with the small font. Also, to avoid using plugins (which everyone hates), can you not use HTML5 or flash? On a large screen (1920 x 1080), the site still works but it's pretty spaced out and harder to read. Maybe try limiting the size by setting a fixed width/height?
makeramen 16y ago
I'm no designer, but I'm pretty sure you're violating a whole handful of design guidelines here. The site just feels like one giant fullscreen flash ad.

TimothyBurgess 16y ago

Fullscreen: http://www.rela.cc http://www.rela.cc Mobile: http://m.rela.cc http://m.rela.cc

nyellin 16y ago

The page takes too long to load. It is blank for a very long time. Then everything suddenly appears on the screen at once. If you can't fix the load time, at least add a better loading indicator so that people don't close the window.

nyellin 16y ago

Furthermore, the "Sign up now" call to action shouldn't disappear when you play the demo video.

abofh 16y ago

You're going to HTTPS on full-screen very fast; you might get better performance with some HTTP+CDN integration (if possible, I've not examined the code at all). The mobile landing page should probably provide a link to what the app does (since the fs didn't load at first for me, it's what I saw first). The main page is very cluttered -- try reducing the amount of text, and adding more significant white padding between your columns, and remember that not everyone comes to see your site with a 29" screen. Still looks far better than my UI skills any day :-) Edit; Just tried to play the videos, and the audio is clipping badly (linux, chrome); A filter pass through on peaks/troughs would probably be wise

makethetick 16y ago

Based on the design/workings of the site, the blurry onmouseover images are quite hard to read, especially with the small font. Also, to avoid using plugins (which everyone hates), can you not use HTML5 or flash? On a large screen (1920 x 1080), the site still works but it's pretty spaced out and harder to read. Maybe try limiting the size by setting a fixed width/height?

makeramen 16y ago

I'm no designer, but I'm pretty sure you're violating a whole handful of design guidelines here. The site just feels like one giant fullscreen flash ad.