Your Software Sucks Because it’s Ugly
If you're in the market for a powerful and user friendly Help Desk solution, please take a look at my company's flagship product HelpSpot.There I said it. I really hate being the one to have to tell you this. I don't like being the bearer of bad news, but it's best you come to this realization now while you still have time to fix it.
See if there's one thing I've learned while starting this business it's that first impressions are practically the only thing that matter. A great first impression sucks your clients into your software making it much harder for them to escape. A bad first impression gets them running back to Google.
What comment do I get more than any other? "Wow, HelpSpot is a beautiful product. All the other help desk software we looked at looks like it was designed by a programmer." heh!
It's only later, usually after they've purchased that I hear about specific features they like or how it's helped them become more efficient, etc.
The take away here is that your software sucks in the eyes of the customer if it looks bad. I really believe that. Now don't get me wrong, you don't have to have a perfect looking product. HelpSpot isn't perfect, it's not as nice as Basecamp or other web 2.0 products which are more visually attractive. However, it is much nicer than most of the competition in my market. So after potential customers have looked at 4 flat grey background help desk products and they come to HelpSpot and see some colors and some borders they think it's the best thing they've ever seen.
So before you launch your product think about how the screenshots on your website are going to look, think about how your app will feel if someone installs it after one of your competitors apps, focus on making the design a strategic advantage of your product.
Discussion
I don't think you could be more right on with this one. I've been telling people for years that their software sucks because it's ugly.
I think we've also seen the opposite though -- a nice interface with nothing really underneath it.
Either way, it's definately worth it to spend some cash on a great graphic designer early in the process!
Created by Alex Strand on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
Hi Ian, I am definitely inclined to agree with you on this, and it echoes something I read in "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing": "marketing is not a battle of products, but of perception". HelpSpot's slick look truly does make it look far more "professional" and polished than many other help desk applications that look like they were cobbled together in Access.
On the other hand, I'm often amazed by the websites and screenshots of products that are obviously doing business and have been doing so for years. You've talked about selling into a fragmented B2B market. When I've looked at websites of vertical retail or business management software, I've seen websites that look they haven't been updated since 1995, with no screenshots, unfriendly corporate-speak disclaimers, etc. Applications cobbled together in FileMaker selling for $1000 a seat. And these companies have been in business for 20 years!
So either there's tremendous opportunity here to enter one of those markets with a slick polished app and clean up, or that market just doesn't care about a pretty or intuitive user interface. I hope it's the former, but I'm not sure!
Created by Jesse Smith on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
[...] Ian has a great post about about the importance of look and feel in software products. To me he is preaching to the choir. Ask anyone who works at Blue Sky Factory and they will all tell you that I am a stickler for good design and UI. We are about to launch Publicaster 6.0 in the next couple of weeks, so we’ve been tweaking out the UI, and workflow to make sure we roll things out for that shiny first impression. “..if there’s one thing I’ve learned while starting this business it’s that first impressions are practically the only thing that matter. A great first impression sucks your clients into your software making it much harder for them to escape. A bad first impression gets them running back to Google.” [...]
Created by The Trend Junkie » Blog Archive » Good on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
Nice post Ian.
As a designer it always amazes me how much the look and design of a thing (software app, website, package, product etc) can impact someone's impression of it. Good design really can be a differentiator!
Created by Mike Rohde on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
So I'm guessing you "left design to the designers" Ian, and hired someone to design the pretty colours? Any chance of an article in the vein of 'Creating a Business Logo'?
Created by Kyle M on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
Hi Ian,
It's greate post for me. Thanks.
Created by Jesse Kim on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
[...] Is your software not selling? Ian Landsman knows why. Your software sucks because it’s ugly: See if there’s one thing I’ve learned while starting this business it’s that first impressions are practically the only thing that matter. A great first impression sucks your clients into your software making it much harder for them to escape. A bad first impression gets them running back to Google. [...]
Created by Startup Fever » Blog Archive » Your So on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
True. I'd recommend staying away from the "established" 1% and instead try and find talented designers who perhaps don't have all the recognition. Find the up and comers, the guys outside of Cali, etc.
Created by Ian on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
I agree totally with the importance of the user interface and user experience.
However, one of the challenges faced by many software startups is that the demand for *exceptional* design talent is very, very high. I have found it near impossible to find a web designer with usable, contemporary skills (CSS, user experience, etc.) that is available. Most of the time, when I find a designer I like and make contact, I don't even hear back. The rest of the time, they're simply booked up solid.
Much like development talent, there is a big difference between "average" and "top 1%". Its a challenge sometimes finding great developers, but its even harder finding great designers these days.
Created by Dharmesh Shah on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
Mads I would suggest you look around various designers blogs and so on. If a designer doesn't have a blog where they post their work I wouldn't go with them. Using those networks you never know what you're going to get. If the designer has a blog you can see their work and get a good feel for what they offer.
Created by Ian on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
Can anyone recommend a good professional GUI designer?
I have previously made deals on the freelancer networks, but its a jungle and you never really know if the quality of the work will meet you expectations.
Created by Mads Kristiansen on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
Sure, there's thousands of examples of horrible ugly products that sell like hotcakes. But if you're just starting out and have a good product it just makes sense to give yourself a little extra advantage.
Created by Ian on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
You mentioned Basecamp in your post and in the 37 Signals e-book that they released yesterday, one of the free chapters stressed "the interface is your product"
I think that statement really nails the importance of interface design!
Here's a link to their release post and the free chapters of their book if you're interested in what they have to say about it:
http://37signals.com/svn/archives2/getting_real_the_book.php
Keep up the great work Ian!
Created by Mark Lubischer on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
I think you're right. On the other hand, there are highly successful products that are really really ugly (e.g. Projectplace - http://www.projectplace.com).
Created by Lars Fischer on 03.02.2006 10:04 am
Great point. I think there's one thing us internet entrepreneur types often forget. That is that a website is not always the primary marketing vehicle for a website. In my case it is, because I don't have or want a sales force flying around the country doing pitches. Alot of old time, $1000 a seat software is the exact opposite. They have huge sales forces and they don't get business primarily via the web. Rather they're sales force cold calls, goes to conferences, sponsors gold tournaments, etc. For expensive software those techniques can still be very effective.
I've found that us internet types often thing our potential clientele is much more advanced than they are because we're more advanced in terms of being willing to purchase something based on nothing but a website. This is something I'm thinking alot about, because I know there's a big part of the help desk market that is old fashioned. When they go looking for a new solution it probably won't be on the web first. For now the "web enabled" folks are providing plenty of business, but down the road I'll need to break into that other market.
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Created by Ian on 03.02.2006 10:04 am