myroommateapp.com
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/169446/Screen%20Shot%202011-12-15%20... http://dl.dropbox.com/u/169446/Screen%20Shot%202011-12-15%20...
I've gotten a few friends to use it, and some encouragement to turn it into a pay-for app.
What does HN think?
Value creation: what is it about this app that the users value? E.g. is it because the users don't have to deal with pen and paper, and that in a messy house sometimes the paper gets lost, or the person forgets, etc. What do they value about it? It's probably not "I like it because it is cool" <-- unlikely someone who isn't your friend will say that.
Growth: How are you going to find other people who will need this? How can you get in front of people who have room mates, who have this problem you're solving. There's no "room mate conference", or "room mate meetup", so you have to be creative. Maybe hit up people on Craigslist posting ads for room mates; odds are they've been living with room mates before and have experienced the pain you're solving.
Value capture: How can you "monetize". Straight up charge for it? Ads? Testing willingness to pay is key. Think about it, some things in life you've come across that you think is, "wow that's cool", but when they asked you if you would pay, did you open up your wallet?
I hope this will help spur some thoughts!
Best
Maybe you could upload some screen shots so that I could know what I'm signing up for.