Hacker News Reader

Comment by patmcc | Hacker News Reader

You know, I skimmed the article and liked it, and thought "hey, I'll check out GrooveHQ.com, see what their deal is" since I haven't heard of them before.

And I get to a page where the only way to learn more is to watch a video. Instant turnoff. I'm in a quiet place, I don't want to make noise or plug my headphones in just to have any idea what it is you actually do. Please consider that people might want to read something about you on your signup page.

View on HN

Agree 1000%. Aside from the extra time playing a video takes (far slower than reading), I wouldn't be suprised if more than half of web users, at any time, are unable to listen to audio.

At work, or on cell phone, it's not like a majority of people have headphones plugged in.

Do the numbers show that videos are so much more effective for engagement and conversion, that it trumps all the people who are unable to watch them?

I didnt get that far. I was just starting to read the home page when I got the horrible modal asking if I want to learn how to make $30k in a month and cancel link "No I dont want to grow my business". This page is somewhere between tasteless and sleazy.

Agreed. I abhor popups of any kind as it is, but to present the false choice that a user either [will subscribe to what you're offering] or [doesn't care about improving] makes me put on my "really?" face.

edit: Same with the free trial offer. The no option says "No, I like to pay for trials". I'm not choosing whether to pay for a free trial or not, I'm choosing whether to participate in a free trial or not. Ugh.

Exactly. I closed the page when that thing popped up.

Besides, it didn't have an option on it saying, "I don't HAVE a business, you insensitive clod!"

I've said this before, but they wouldn't do it if it didn't work. Just google "video engagement vs. text engagement". It really does increase conversions and alleviates a lot of confusion. It doesn't excuse the need for descriptive text, but rather complements any online offering. Seeing is believing.

I agree with this sentiment, I too avoid video, but it is a very easily digestible format for a lot of people. Think about Leap Motion, would it have nearly been as interesting without the impressive video showing you why it's interesting?

That's their choice, obviously. I hate being forced to watch a video, and when I land on a page that only has video content I leave.

I used to do that too. Now I squash my overwhelming desire to leave and I give it a shot. Almost everytime, I leave with a much better understanding of the product.

But are you better for it, or have you just spent more time of your life watching what are, essentially, ads?

I honestly think I am getting a quicker understanding than skimming a bunch of text and letting my brain fill in the rest. So sure, I'm better for having taken the time.

Always important to remember that different people are affected by different modes of communication.

I am impatient and I want to consume info quickly, so I don't like videos. Give me the facts.

Many people find reading and parsing factual statements to be a chore. They want to play the video and sit back and eat a sandwich. They want that horrible hipster acoustic guitar intro with the gratuitous close up of the tattoos. Factual statements are like homework. They want emotional response. I am suspicious of same.

Also I work with Israelis and they consume spoken English much easier that written. Reading is cognitive load for many folks.

I used to work at a company where the IT department would clip the speaker wires on all new systems. It always pays to have good copywriting on your website and text bubbles in the videos, in case potential customers work in a cube farm.

I was also turned off by the lack of content, meaningful product information such as screenshots etc.

Sounds like you guys were sent to a rather drastic test we're running right now. I prefer more content too, but the video is currently in the lead.

Fair enough - I'm not saying no video, but maybe have a "Read more" link underneath the "Learn More" or something? Just a thought for the next A/B test.

Agree completely. Now that we've tested the simplest page we could come up with, it's time to start adding other paths to the funnel.

The extra content doesn't even have to be on that page. I was very disappointed that clicking the items in the menu just took me down to the small blurbs of content I had already read instead of pages devoted to those topics.

another data point for disliked the video. In my mind, if the sales page is that unfriendly, how unusable is their software going to be?

I was in the same situation but the video had enough screenshots and text to understand what the product is all about. I know what you mean though, I prefer not having a video too

I'm in the market for this type of product but I'm not going to sit through the video. I need something I can read and look at in detail at my own pace and without the sound right now. The chances of me remembering groove exists the next time I do have time to sit through a video are pretty slim.

edit: Sat through the video and it's just walking through forwarding an email from gmail for the setup. Not even what I was looking for from a video. The "what you get" tab has more info but still not enough for me to waste time on a free trial. There is also an overlay on the video that show steps and prevent you from using the video controls which was super annoying.

Same here. If you're really sure people want a noisy, slow to parse medium, at least provide a link to the text equivalent.

Did you see this ? It shows screenshots with explanations.

http://www.groovehq.com/#what_you_get

EDIT: Apparently, this link takes you to "how it works" tab and you still have to click on the "What You get" tab manually.

That link just takes you to the how it works tab. The first time I loaded the page the "what you get" link didn't do anything. I opened it back up in safari and now can see the interactive feature list. Still not much information there.

I get redirected to http://www.groovehq.com/start and get a login screen.

It's like the return of the flash intro page from the 1990s. But even worse.

I've found that watching a video with audio off is good enough, and even first watching it muted in order to better grasp its message.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com