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Comment by sbarre | Hacker News Reader

Your homepage doesn't explain anything about what I should do when I land on it.

What's a space? What's going to happen if I create or join one?

Why would I want to do this?

Or is this intentional and you're soft-launching or just doing some testing?

edit: I clicked create a space and you immediately ask for access to my camera.. but there's no explanation of why you're asking for it, or what I'm getting out of it.

I feel like there are huge assumptions about users understanding what's about to happen..

And before I grant access to a remote site to my camera, I want a better idea of why I'm doing it, and what you're doing with the feed.

View on HN

I gave access to my camera and everything, but I didn't understand what this product does until I saw this screenshot in another thread: https://i.imgur.com/VVt0zCU.jpg

I think it would be really helpful if you could see your own avatar.

This is a great point. Connection process should be an array of the founder's faces with chat blurbs welcoming them to connect their camera with your avatar in the middle with a preview of your camera!

I still don’t understand, actually. What’s 3D about that? What are the paper-cup-like things under the avatars?

Your criticism is fair, except the camera access. It's a video chat tool, of course it's going to ask you to use your camera. What do you expect?

Your landing page says no such thing.

There is nothing to expect because the landing page has no useful information, as the parent comment stated.

If you check out the text of the link at the top of the page, it has some helpful context. Specifically, that the linked website is for "video calls, in 3D"

But in any other context you'll likely not know what it is. Even with the title, I have very very little idea of what it means. Video calls with one other person? Multiple? Are they recorded? Define "3D". There needs to be at least some high level explanation on the page (or a link to one).

> It's a video chat tool, of course it's going to ask you to use your camera.

You only know this because you saw the HN headline.

You know it's a video chat tool only because of the HN thread. How would you know if you randomly stumbled on to the landing page?

That's a fair point, here's a little more information: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/pop-9

As alway text and an intro video will help people understand how your product is different from Zoom etc.

As long as it's a micro video (a few seconds with no audio or introduction)

I won't watch a longer video just to understand what random product does.

I think most people are comfortable with a soft cap at 60 seconds?

A simple animation, a voice over, and maybe some video captures of the software would be great.

Yes, a basic melee demo and an overview of the weapons.

Or.... that!

I think you mean, as long as it explains why, what and how in the shortest possible number of words it’s a good video. Spending time trying to be funny or not actually explaining would be bad, if it takes a while to explain more thought and structure may be needed.

No. I mean exactly what I said.

Audio is unnecessary and means I have to stop everything else I'm doing. And so does anyone else in the same room unless I can find headphones.

And 3 or 4 seconds is ample time to demonstrate that specific aspect that is hard to demonstrate with the written word.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across that way. I understand how you would like it, but personally I'm happy to play a video with sounds if it explains things quickly and clearly.

99/100 times I won't play the video. I'll only play a video if i already know what product is & does, and I want to learn more.

Off topic, but your both Andy.

I didn't take it as a negative. I just wanted to clarify. I'm fierce on this topic as I can sense video becoming more pervasive and I think it's usually the wrong choice - as well as personally hating it most of the time.

I watch plenty of YouTube videos but that's when I'm in a different mode. For understanding stuff I want to skim read short clear text with illustrations. Animation and video can enhance that but it shouldn't replace it.

And I never, ever want spoken voiceovers.

Did Google tell people in a landing page what it was back 20 years ago like we expect startups to do?

This is not some universal rule that cannot be broken. For most startups, landing page is useful. But not always.

I like the simplicity of Pop's page.

"Search the web using Google" https://i.imgur.com/9XDWpVk.png

or an even earlier version of Google, "Search Stanford" "Search the Web" https://i.imgur.com/EKiQnJX.png

They both provide more information than Pop does.

Wow, what a blast from the past. Thanks for digging these out. :-)

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