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44 Comments

Feedback on the IH website?

What's the most annoying thing about the IH website, and how bad is it for you on a scale of 1-10? (1 = barely noticeable, 10 = I almost refuse to use the website bc of it)

I'm trying to get a handle on how much I should prioritize incremental fixes and improvements to the website vs working on bigger "moonshot" features. It's tough to do both with a tiny team.

Also, while you're at it, what's the best thing about IH, and how impactful is it for you on a scale of 1-10? (1 = negligible, 10 = life-changing)

#meta

  1. 21

    It's still annoying that closing a 'post' modal takes you to the profile of the user who made the post, instead of back to where you were previously (I think this only happens when clicking via your alerts/history though).

    As for what I value most about IH, that's a tough one but it would probably have to be this

  2. 15

    I really dislike the load screen displaying the quotes.

    Scale of 1-10: 8

    I'd rather just see the homepage load faster. It's annoying to me whenever I visit the website. Other than that, I love the website.

    The thing I love most about the website is the podcasts, honestly.

    10

    1. 5

      Maybe its how he is dealing with the load issue. Ah okay, we are loading slow, but here's a quote.

      And by the, way those quotes are really great. Sometimes, I just keep loading the page to read the quotes. :-) They come from the people who walked the walk.

      1. 1

        This is very true, that definitely could be potentially be it.

    2. 4

      I LOVE the load screen quotes. I was going to send you a message about it saying how much I like the idea. :)

      1. 2

        I definitely see how people can love them. I'm a Web Developer, and from my perspective all I obsess over is "load time, load time, load time." So for me, maybe it's more of a pet peeve than anything. Still love the website and everything else.

    3. 2

      Sometimes I get frustrated that I can't finish the quote that I'm reading before the page loads.

  3. 8

    I wouldn't call it annoying, but I find myself not feeling very tempted to get involved with the discussions on IndieHackers. I wish that wasn't the case. I guess that would classify as a 10/10 according to your scale.

    Why that is?

    I'm not entirely sure and I probably haven't thought about why for long enough. Having said that, here are some thoughts.

    I might be completely wrong in thinking this (so take this with a grain of salt) but I don't perceive the value of advice people get on the forums to be very high. There's a nugget here and there, and there are a handful of high-profile users like yourself that give good advice. But my perception is that overall there's a lot of noise and a lot of misguided voices and a lot of people that (also) don't have the answers. If I am looking for advice on starting an indie software business, I'd rather comb through posts by Brennan Dunn, Patio or listen to the super valuable IH podcast. I have plenty of questions about how to proceed with my side-project, but posting them on IH never even crossed my mind.

    Part of the challenge, I think (again, may be wrong here, I don't participate much here), is that there is little structure to guide conversations. If you join Amy Hoy's course, or someone else's, there's a roadmap on which the course is based, which you follow (presumably -- I'm not a member), and you ask questions along the way. If you haven't done step A yet, you're not going to be likely to post questions about step C. (Although there will also undoubtedly be drawbacks to having an "imposed" structure like that.)

    The best thing about IH? The podcast is phenomenal, the interviews are great, and I love the content promotion you do through email and Twitter that make sure I don't miss any of it.

    1. 3

      Your paragraph on "I don't perceive the value of advice people get on the forums to be very high" is so true. There is way, Way, WAY too much low-value chatter on the site, or people trying to hawk their awesome job board or whatever, and a lack of good methods to filter out the great content from the mediocre or zero value. (Tangent. I suppose that's part of the twisted genius of social media platforms: the addictive nature of the platforms makes you feel like, "oh, I've got to know what is going on in case I miss something good", and then this makes you feel like you've done "work" when you look for it, when all you've ultimately done is waste time.)

      From an organization viewpoint, the content in posts is littered all over the place, and no great ways to filter for value - assuming there is value there. Maybe that's part of why the podcasts are good, is because frequently there is meaningful content in one place.

      "I have plenty of questions about how to proceed with my side-project, but posting them on IH never even crossed my mind." This is also spot on; it is an exception to the rule when you find good content in post comments, and I think we're setting ourselves up for disappointment if we expect to find great guidance in them; they are not the equivalent of talking for an hour with a mentor and having in-depth, un-interrupted, sans social media conversations.

    2. 1

      I've been struggling to put my finger on it but yeah, this pretty much echoes my own feeling, "a lot of noise and a lot of misguided voices." It may be a bit harsh but it rings true to me. Well put, @jessems.

      And yes, the podcast really is fantastic. Useful and inspiring.

  4. 8

    I wouldn't call IH annoying in any way, but -

    1. Loading speeds (I think you already mentioned it)
    2. Spam
    3. When viewing the most recent posts, and someone just published 20 updates to their products, it's quite annoying, perhaps it could be consolidated to one post.
    4. Slight z-index bug - https://i.imgur.com/ClETpbL.png

    None of the above is super critical.

    The best (cheesy) thing is the community itself; interviews, podcasts, products etc.

    1. 3

      yes, #3 is so annoying, it deserves a 10.

    2. 2

      Agreed. I want to post a backlog of updates for my product profile... but don't want to feel like I am SPAMMING it in there... maybe option when posting long ago... "hide from stream"? or default does it if longer than a month ago?

  5. 7

    8/10 - issue: Quotes while page loading.
    I like reading the quotes, but the quotes, especially if they are long, are not readable if the disappear in just a few seconds. What is the point of showing a quote you can only read halfway through? It becomes more of an annoyance than a feature. If the quotes are valuable - and they are - then maybe they deserve to be in their own section.

    10/10 issue: Bottom navigation jumps away before you can navigate.
    If you ever want to use the navigation at the bottom of the site, it is near impossible to do so because of how older posts load ("Loading More") and make the bottom navigation jump out of view to the new bottom of the page. Ok, then you have to scroll down to the new bottom, but then more posts load, and the nav jumps again, and the cycle repeats ad infinitum. It's as if the site is playing a cruel trick on the reader. Not fun.

    Have to think more about the best thing about IH, and how impactful it is; conflicting thoughts on this... At least I can say right now that a handful of the podcast interviews are super interesting and I've listened to them multiple times.

    1. 2

      I wanted to mention this as well. I don't understand the idea of footer on "infinite" pages.
      I actually like the quotes but it seems I'm in minority. It reminds me loading screens in games. Although some of them are too long to read.
      In general I really like the ux/ui and would rate it 8/10. (desktop user)

      1. 1

        Reddit sobra this by having a side "footer"

  6. 4

    The browser's back button. Often times I find myself wanting to check out someone's profile and product page but find it impossible to get back to where I was. Whether that was a post, a comment on a post or a search result.

    Cmd + click to open links in a new tab is also not great of an alternative because of loading times: I end up having to fetch the entire page again.

    Love the community though so keep up the great work!

  7. 3

    Must frustrating things:

    • Loading speed, maybe a 6.
    • I'd like it to be more clear what the markdown is for post formatting (or else super basic WYSIWYG or preview). I've looked for it on Indiehackers but can't find it, 6.

    Best things:

    • A genuinely active and smart community 7.
    • It is actually evolving (feature and performance-wise) over time, unlike some online communities, 6.
  8. 3

    10/10: On iOS 11 and 12, iPhone 7, I can rarely get IH to load at all. I'll simply get a blue screen of death with an infinite loading spinner/quote. Especially on product pages. I rarely use IH on mobile because of it. It's super frustrating.

    8/10: Performance and loss of navigation (i.e. you push back but it does nothing, push it again and you're thrown back to the home page) makes spending extended periods of time reading on IH a chore. The quote loading screen seems like an uninteresting bad-aid, since I feel like I see the same quotes over and over.

    5/10: The lack of ways to discover new products and people on IH. Makes product pages feel like a neglected feature. Maybe a community showcase? Or make product updates more prominent? Right now, posting updates isn't really incentivized so most product pages are rather boring.

    7/10: I feel like it'd be nice to incentivize previously interviewed people to post on the IH forum with things they have done to grow their businesses. I feel like there's a disconnect between interviewees and the forum. People new to building a business could get so much value if those people were more active. Lots of low-quality (discussion-wise) "general" questions on the forum, prompts for feedback (get feedback from your users, not other indie hackers), or show off posts. I'd like to see users (and again, past interviewees) encouraged to post case studies on their marketing efforts, landing page tweaks they've done, cost reductions, etc. Content/discussion seems kind of stale right now, TBH.

    1. 2

      The lack of ways to discover new products and people on IH

      I'd like to see users (and again, past interviewees) encouraged to post case studies on their marketing efforts, landing page tweaks they've done, cost reductions, etc.

      I was just thinking about a combination of both of these today, actually. It'd be interesting if there was some sort of daily Product Hunt-esque leaderboard, except instead of being for product launches, it might be for people who've reached various milestones. We'd vote on whoever made the best "here's how I did it" post about it.

      1. 1

        I think that might be something to experiment with. I'm not sure how I feel about leaderboards/gamification, but I would love to see updates and discussions like that, so whatever gets it flowing.

  9. 3

    ANNOYANCE
    10/5 - Added complexity from the UI overhaul. Hard to put a number on it as I've love/hate relationship. I love the hashtag shortcut, enabling me to see quickly how my hustling brethren are doing. I also appreciate the dedicated follow queue, enabling me to easily catch when any of my follows post.

    But I've had a more difficult time getting a handle on what's new and interesting in IH in general. I found the past one view to rule them all simple and accessible, consequently, I was more likely to jump in.

    After having written the above, I realize the new UI is great at reinforcing silos. That's both bad and good. Every so often, I'll remember to jump into another hashtag to see what's up. But more often than not, I'll shortcut to my favorites and neglect the remainder of the site.

    LIFE CHANGING
    10 - Accountability buddies. It's exactly what I was seeking when I came to IH and I got it!

    1. 1

      10 - Accountability buddies. It's exactly what I was seeking when I came to IH and I got it!

      And the best is, you added that feature!

  10. 2

    The 👎🏻

    • Loading speed (10)
    • Closing modal takes you to profile (7)
    • Can't search by product name (8) - workaround: I have to remember the founder's name and do a search then click on product link
    • Firefox bug - login does not work because every reload invalidates the user session (8) - workaround: I open safari specifically for IH 😝
    • Trying to filter users by location is clunky (6) - needed for organizing local meetups
    • Modal flashes when it has been populated before with previous post; the new post will be loading and the previous post will be visible until the loading completes then it flashes and re-renders the new post (6)

    The 👍🏼

    • Awesome Community (10) - that network effect is strong
    • hashtag (7) - love the way to quickly filter
  11. 2

    Score #5 - There should be an easy way to discover people. Maybe when I am on a profile show other users with similar interests. Or maybe something like twitter.

  12. 1

    Add an 'All; filter for user profiles, and make that the default. Then each filters act as independent tabs.

  13. 1

    While reading an interview and scroll down about 70-80%, there is no way to go to home page of IH - top link is only product.

  14. 1

    Same quotes of Buffer. I literally have it memorized now 🤣

    Plz don't just make them random bcz it only chooses Buffer for me

  15. 1

    The loading screens have great quotes but when the screen loads too quickly I can't finish reading it in time before it disappears 😢

  16. 1

    The most annoying thing to me is the loading and rendering time on my laptop. I don't have a high-powered machine so it can take 30-40 secs before the page is done rendering. I would rate this issue a 7

    The best thing about IH is the ability to brainstorm with other developers and designers alike. I would rate this ability an 8

  17. 1

    Best things: content & community!

    Worst things: website performance, back/forward button hijacking, and general UX/UI jankiness (especially on mobile, and especially compared to simpler sites like HN)

  18. 1

    8 - Old posts die quickly. I believe if you add "9 comments (5 new)" and highlight it a different colour that may help keep good old posts alive.

  19. 1

    Slightly clunky when I try to highlight a whole comment (for web clipping etc) on iOS Safari: first line appears to never be highlighted, but in fact it is once I press share

    I have no problem with this, just mentioning in case it is an easy fix that would not ding someone impression of someone new

    9/10!

  20. 1

    @csallen the new "Report" button is breaking things up on edge cases -

    https://i.imgur.com/COdR7KN.png

  21. 1

    [9] When I clicked a product update from the home page and then clicked the close button [x], instead of sending me back to the home page, unexpectedly, it forwarded me to the product page.

  22. 1

    Features related to "Products"

    • Show product in user profiles: Show the product in the user hover over. I know there is the coveted "anchor" but maybe also just show a link to their product. ;)
    • Search products: From top search and/or search products by name in product page
    • Mention products in posts and comments: i.e. @referralrock or something else when talking about your product in a post
    • Product Updates: As mentioned not having product updates post to the stream for retro adds. (I want to post a backlog of updates for my product profile... but don't want to feel like I am SPAMMING it. .. maybe option when posting long ago... "hide from stream"? or default does it if longer than a month ago?)
  23. 1

    Pains

    • Keyboard accessibility problems, particularly on "posts" - 10
    • Returning to pages just visited often causes the whole thing to reload along with a spinner and quote - 7
    • Slow page loads - 7
    • Heavy users are often here for the purpose of selling to IH rather than collaboration, community, etc - 7
    • No way to block/mute posts from the above people- 5
    • Awkward to share revenue on products where some can be verified by Stripe but some is from other channels - 3
    • Infinite scroll - 3
    • Annoying quotes - 2

    Best things

    • A treasure trove of written interviews - 9
    • Great podcast - 7
    • Relentlessly optimistic people on the forum - 6
    • Occasional usage by very successful indies - 5
    • Office hours - 3
    • Fun, non-boring colors and theme - 3
    • Mostly utilitarian UX (except for posts) - 2
  24. 1

    Marking each notification as read ..It would be done automatically once you scroll down to all notifications

  25. 1
    • I love the loading quotes

    • I love how fu*king fast it is too. Not sure what the front end deal is but the speed of it is so nice to use. I'm actually very jealous.

    • It's very helpful.

    • I find the salary disclosure thing really brave. I like your conviction there.

    • I don't fully understand the 'contribute post stuff' I'm not sure that's too clear ...

  26. 1

    IPhone 6s Safari portrait - site navigation is unusable

    Desktop and mobile the ‘Clever SPA aspects’ are frustrating. Give me Web 1.0

    Love the missions and content!

  27. 1

    To me it worked fine, now its just a little bit more distracting. I think it covers the basics well. I would personally work on moonshots if I were you, unless you start to see metrics tanking. My reasoning for this is as follows:

    1. Does UI really matter? I think its the content. Craigslist is doing just fine, airbnb's website when they started was utter garbage. Yours very sleek, but does a redesign really move the metrics you want in a valuable way?
    2. Grow by riding the wave. What it means is that the maker/hacker movement as a whole is growing. Just by being in the market even if you dont gain any more market share your company will still grow. Ie. you have 20% of the indiehacker market if the market doubles and you stay at 20% you still have double the users.

    For these reasons I would say work on the moonshots. Though make sure you have good analytics in place so just to ensure it wasn't a mistake. Its a risk but I think its calculated in your favor.

  28. 1

    Mainly load speed for me. The best things are the podcast and the community!

  29. 1
    1. Load speed (8)
    2. In product profile, I always click the logo expecting it to be a link to the website (8)

    I would rate IH impact in my life with (8).

  30. 1

    This comment was deleted 5 years ago.

  31. 1

    This comment was deleted 5 years ago.

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