6 ms·

I wonder how they can do this without compromising sales of their main product -- it seems like many people can now just use the free version linked from ux.se

by spicyj 15y ago

I wonder how they can do this without compromising sales of their main product -- it seems like many people can now just use the free version linked from ux.se instead of getting a proper myBalsamiq account.

domodomo 15y ago
If you can't export and save it should be fine. Also I doubt you can create a clickable PDF with this, which is one neat use of Balsamiq. ux.stackexchange.com is exactly their target demo. Normally a company like Balsamiq would pay for ads on a site like this, that would entice you to try their free demo. This cuts out that step, they can try a basic version of the software right on page. And it's good for the ux.se community too. Pretty brilliant move.
balsamiq 15y ago
We're not too worried about it, I have found that the old "the more you give the more you get" adage really has some truth to it. I also fundamentally believe in the goodness of people. Those who want to take advantage of you always will, but the vast majority of people do not live to take advantage of other's hard work, or at least I like to believe so. That said, there's one thing we did to prevent people from using the UX.SE.COM integration as a non-nagging web version: you cannot export from the editor, just Import. You can only save the BMML from the publicly posted image of the mockup on the UX question page. So if you want to save your work, you have to do it in public. Not a huge step, but we think it's enough. Peldi
- iusable 15y ago
  Really digging your attitude - Awesome! This could be one of the coolest implementations of the freemium model I have seen yet.
- tommoor 15y ago
  Great reply, i'm sure this approach will pay dividends down the line!
zaidf 15y ago
it seems like many people can now just use the free version linked from ux.se It's a good question but generally the overwhelming majority of customers of such products can easily afford them. One way to think about it is imagine wanting a crunch bar. You can pay fifty cents in the vending machine steps from your desk. Or you can do down two levels and get it for free from your buddy. If I have fifty cents, I'd almost certainly just get it from the vending machine without even thinking twice(it's too little money). Now if I was so terribly broke or inconvenienced because I had no quarters(and the machine only took quarters), it'd be a whole different thing and I'd go for the free one.
tedmiston 15y ago
"it seems like many people can now just use the free version linked from ux.se instead of getting a proper myBalsamiq account." You can pretty much do that now by using the web demo at balsamiq.com anyway. You'll get a tiny nag screen every 5 minutes, but seeing that once or twice over the course of a quick mockup sketch isn't such a big deal.
patio11 15y ago
Just an FYI: This is not the mental model of people who actually pay money for software. I've been at the table where Balsamiq has been purchased before. Here's a conversation I've had three times. Me: So here's my concept for a redesign of the $FOO page. You'll notice that I moved the conversion buttons to ... Engineer: Oh that's cool. What did you do that in? Me: Balsamiq Mockups. It is a design tool written by a buddy of mine which... Engineer: How much? (and/or Why not just use Photoshop? and/or You didn't pay for that, did you? You can do it in Excel.) Decisionmaker: Doesn't matter. Get a copy for everyone, put it on the company card. You were saying, Patrick? [Addendum regarding strategic use of freebies: Peldi emailed me a license key when asking for a review way back in like 2007. I don't think I ever actually blogged a formal review, but that email has been a big win for both of us over the years. He's got a Marketing For Startups blog post where he discusses that technique in detail. It's still one of the best actionable posts I've ever read. http://blogs.balsamiq.com/product/2008/08/05/startup-marketing-advice-from-balsamiq-studios/ http://blogs.balsamiq.com/product/2008/08/05/startup-marketi... ]
- izak30 15y ago
  Thank you for constantly bringing reason to this type of comment on HN. I don't read names first for some reason, but reading this, I thought to myself, "heh, sounds like Patrick". You're consistently great.
  - dschobel 15y ago
    I appreciate Patrick's intent and mission to get engineers to value their wares more but I don't think his anecdote makes the most compelling argument. For a counter-anecdote, I will say that in +10 years of a software career I have never, not even once, seen a "decision maker" say anything near "Doesn't matter. Get a copy for everyone, put it on the company card." ¥ ¥ Most likely because that would be a stupid and reckless thing to say.
    - tptacek 15y ago
      The presumption is that a piece of wireframe-sketching software that a consultant has brought on their laptop is not going to cost enough to be worth talking about.

by spicyj 15y ago

domodomo 15y ago

If you can't export and save it should be fine. Also I doubt you can create a clickable PDF with this, which is one neat use of Balsamiq. ux.stackexchange.com is exactly their target demo. Normally a company like Balsamiq would pay for ads on a site like this, that would entice you to try their free demo. This cuts out that step, they can try a basic version of the software right on page. And it's good for the ux.se community too. Pretty brilliant move.

balsamiq 15y ago

We're not too worried about it, I have found that the old "the more you give the more you get" adage really has some truth to it. I also fundamentally believe in the goodness of people. Those who want to take advantage of you always will, but the vast majority of people do not live to take advantage of other's hard work, or at least I like to believe so. That said, there's one thing we did to prevent people from using the UX.SE.COM integration as a non-nagging web version: you cannot export from the editor, just Import. You can only save the BMML from the publicly posted image of the mockup on the UX question page. So if you want to save your work, you have to do it in public. Not a huge step, but we think it's enough. Peldi

iusable 15y ago
Really digging your attitude - Awesome! This could be one of the coolest implementations of the freemium model I have seen yet.
tommoor 15y ago
Great reply, i'm sure this approach will pay dividends down the line!

zaidf 15y ago

it seems like many people can now just use the free version linked from ux.se It's a good question but generally the overwhelming majority of customers of such products can easily afford them. One way to think about it is imagine wanting a crunch bar. You can pay fifty cents in the vending machine steps from your desk. Or you can do down two levels and get it for free from your buddy. If I have fifty cents, I'd almost certainly just get it from the vending machine without even thinking twice(it's too little money). Now if I was so terribly broke or inconvenienced because I had no quarters(and the machine only took quarters), it'd be a whole different thing and I'd go for the free one.

tedmiston 15y ago

"it seems like many people can now just use the free version linked from ux.se instead of getting a proper myBalsamiq account." You can pretty much do that now by using the web demo at balsamiq.com anyway. You'll get a tiny nag screen every 5 minutes, but seeing that once or twice over the course of a quick mockup sketch isn't such a big deal.

patio11 15y ago

Just an FYI: This is not the mental model of people who actually pay money for software. I've been at the table where Balsamiq has been purchased before. Here's a conversation I've had three times. Me: So here's my concept for a redesign of the $FOO page. You'll notice that I moved the conversion buttons to ... Engineer: Oh that's cool. What did you do that in? Me: Balsamiq Mockups. It is a design tool written by a buddy of mine which... Engineer: How much? (and/or Why not just use Photoshop? and/or You didn't pay for that, did you? You can do it in Excel.) Decisionmaker: Doesn't matter. Get a copy for everyone, put it on the company card. You were saying, Patrick? [Addendum regarding strategic use of freebies: Peldi emailed me a license key when asking for a review way back in like 2007. I don't think I ever actually blogged a formal review, but that email has been a big win for both of us over the years. He's got a Marketing For Startups blog post where he discusses that technique in detail. It's still one of the best actionable posts I've ever read. http://blogs.balsamiq.com/product/2008/08/05/startup-marketing-advice-from-balsamiq-studios/ http://blogs.balsamiq.com/product/2008/08/05/startup-marketi... ]

izak30 15y ago
Thank you for constantly bringing reason to this type of comment on HN. I don't read names first for some reason, but reading this, I thought to myself, "heh, sounds like Patrick". You're consistently great.
- dschobel 15y ago
  I appreciate Patrick's intent and mission to get engineers to value their wares more but I don't think his anecdote makes the most compelling argument. For a counter-anecdote, I will say that in +10 years of a software career I have never, not even once, seen a "decision maker" say anything near "Doesn't matter. Get a copy for everyone, put it on the company card." ¥ ¥ Most likely because that would be a stupid and reckless thing to say.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    The presumption is that a piece of wireframe-sketching software that a consultant has brought on their laptop is not going to cost enough to be worth talking about.