Help other indie hackers improve their products on yesRamen
About a month ago, I posted here about the struggle of getting feedback on your products, and I asked people if they would be willing to pay for feedback.
Overall, the response was mostly positive, with the majority of people saying they would pay for feedback, but on the condition that the feedback is of good quality and comes from qualified people, preferably potential users.
I had an idea in mind, and this was the beginning of its validation phase.
The idea is simple: imagine a crowdfunding platform, but instead of helping with money, supporters provide their honest feedback.
Makers post their product and a specific feedback request, and in return, they commit to providing discounted or free usage of the tool to the people who answer their questions.
I reached out to a few indie makers that I knew or met online, and, so far, it was pretty easy to get them onboard.
Some even tried to pay on the website to put their products there! Unfortunately, I had not set up the payment system yet...
Makers want feedback and will pay for it ☑
That was validation part 1...
⬇️ Validation part 2 is what I’m hoping to find today. ⬇️
Indiehackers .com being the hub of... well, indie hackers, and given that the products on the website you're about to see are mainly "by indie hackers for indie hackers," here comes the real test:
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Please have a look at yesRamen.com
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If there’s a product you like or think you could use in the future, help its maker with your feedback. At the end of the feedback period, they’ll send you a reward to use the product. Your cute face and a link to your social profile will also be shown in the Feedback Givers section on the homepage (if you wish).
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If there are no products that you find interesting, please tell me what kind of products you would like to see. I’ll find them for you.
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And if there are products that you find interesting but you don’t want to give them feedback, I’d love to know why!
The problem with feedback is at multiple levels:
Who's giving feedback- in my experience working with multiple software products, successful products never seek feedback from random strangers. It should come from targeted people who have skin in the game. Otherwise it'll make you more confused than where you started.
What questions are you asking? Someone mentioned Mom Test which is one of the best books written on this topic. If you are asking someone "will you pay for this?" and building a product based on that feedback, you're already setting yourself up for failure.
Feedback is a 2 way process- when someone is giving you a feedback in one or two sentences it's unlikely that you'll derive value from it. True feedback requires meaningful engagement with the person giving feedback. It requires a well thought out set of questionnaire to channel the thoughts but also at least 15-20 minutes time for thoughts to come out.
How are you planning to address above problems in your platform?
Hey Subro. Thanks for pointing out those challenges. Let's see.
That's the idea behind the rewards that feedback givers get on yesRamen. They're always a discounted or free access to the same product they're reviewing. That's how you get potential users to review your product, and not random strangers.
That's the product creator's responsibility. Every creator/maker writes their own set of questions, based on the specific information they need. I agree that asking the right questions is a skill in itself, and definitely not one that most product makers have. To help them, I provide a default set of questions and invite them to carefully consider them before publishing their feedback request (see the last input in the feedback request creation form).
Eventually, I'll add some resources on how to make a good feedback request (addressing those points, but also the incentive, story, etc.).
Same as above. There's no one-or-two sentence feedback on yesRamen. Feedback givers are asked to answer 5-8 open-ended questions. From experience, I'd say it takes at least 15 minutes, and potentially a lot more to answer a full set of questions.
See for yourself :)
Thanks for explaining but I'd still be a little skeptical about 3 things-
I guess we'll see how these play out. Meanwhile ATB.
Thanks! Your skepticism is helpful :)
That's my bet. There are a LOT of people willing to put their money on projects they believe in, even though those projects may not be able to deliver on their promises (cf crowdfunding). So the idea that some people would offer a little bit of their time doesn't seem that crazy, does it?
There's no credit system, so no incentive to leave useless reviews. Makers are asked to submit 1 review before they can publish theirs but there will soon be enough products for them to find something interesting. They might as well pick something they could use!
For the rest, we'll have to see the quality of the feedback that channels through the platform. So far it's pretty good (but the sample is small).
Probably not. But it's a step in the right direction. I have some ideas in how to allow a conversation between a maker and feedback giver, beyond the initial survey.
I bookmarked it for my future SaaS :)
Hi Julian. I just posted an update on the yesRamen journey.
Feel free to bookmark this one too ;)
Yesss! Can't wait to help you get feedback :)
Loving the value proposition and elevator pitch for the site!
How can we get new products listed on the site?
I think forcing people who want to list on the site to do at least 3 good feedbacks would be a great way to lower spam and grow engagement (IndieHackers does similar before allowing posting).
I also think adding images on the homepage would help build more trust with first time users of yesramen
If possible I'd love to get the thesaurus of brands I'm working on onto the platform I notice (it's meant to help early hackers, startups, products, designers, etc with doing research on brands so they can launch stronger brands)
Looking forward to the future of YesRamen!
Also have to ask, why the name YesRamen?
Thanks a lot vintually :)
I like the idea of forcing people to give feedback before they can get feedback! I thought about it, but with only one good feedback. With 3...🫢 I'm scared they would run away!
I didn't think of it as much as a way to force engagement (although that is a nice upside), but rather as a way to put a maker who wants feedback in a feedback giver's shoes first. Empathizing with someone giving feedback helps create a better feedback request.
Noted for the images. Thanks!
Happy to have thesaurus of brands there! Indie hackers could probably learn a thing or two about branding. I know I could... Feel free to send me a DM on twitter or an email (both links are in my profile here).
Why yesRamen (I should put this in the FAQ)
Awesome! Glad you found the feedback helpful! Also love the explanation of the domain name XD
Email just sent!
Just found it 💌
This is a really cool idea. Would love to add our LaunchPedia website.
Love the way you are charging ❤️
However, I have one doubt, how will you recommend our product to the right audience? Is there any algorithm setup for it you will do manually?
Thanks for the warm words!
Can you clarify what you mean by "recommend our product to the right audience"?
For now the audience on yesRamen gravitates in the indie hacker galaxy. Seems like potential users of LaunchPedia should be there?
Happy to have your thoughts on this.
Not for LaunchPedia, I'm asking generally.
Like how you pick the audience, I thought of building a validation tool some time back, but haven't built it as I felt finding the audience based on product type is difficult for me.
I got hungry just from the picture lol!
I love the idea. Will do some reviews ;)
Haha thanks Tim. It was a last minute decision. If it got you keen on doing some reviews on yesRamen then it was totally worth it!
Would love to know how your experience goes. I added you on Twitter.
This is awesome! I'd definitely pay for honest feedback; good or bad. It's like getting a different perspective on your product + getting in contact with a potential user all in one.
Just wondering how you'd filter the feedback givers to avoid spammers, bots, or trolls? Even here on Indiehackers, I'm seeing bots that post the same comments on a lot of posts.
Thanks :)
Oh the bots... There are so many just in this comment section it's scary 😟
For yesRamen my feeling is that it will be less of a problem since there's no public display of the comments and therefore nothing to gain from spamming.
For now it's manually reviewed. I'll put obstacles in place if it becomes a problem.
Cool! Already following to see updates on yesRamen on Twitter. Wishing you all the luck. I'll definitely get something listed in the coming weeks.
Followed back. Thanks!
I think your product could be a good fit!
One book: the Mom test
Thanks sharky! I heard a lot of good things about it (and you're the second person to mention it here today...)
What did you learn from the book that I can apply to yesRamen?
I have been reading it recently and it explains the Biases and faults that lie in an entrepreneur's questioning which can misguide him/her into believing that the idea that he/she is working on is solving a real problem and that people will eventually pay for it. For example how when someone goes to their mom and asks her "How is this new Idea" and how she lies to them(just coz she loves u). This book provides a set of simple rules so that even your Mom (or anyone) cannot lie to you about if your idea is solving a real problem worth solving(that people will pay for it).
Thanks! I'm trying my best to juggle with that on yesRamen.
For example, the Story section on a feedback request page is quite tricky.
I agree that for good feedback, it's preferable for the person giving it not to know too much about the maker (they could fear offending them).
But I also want potential feedback givers to be motivated to help someone. (which is the intention of this section)
Love it. Insight generating feedback is a real missing. During feedback period, rewards (the bounty) could be increased anytime. In Loomio deployments (collective decision making), the feedback increased significantly when the tag line was good, and discoverability of 'who needs feedback' for 'what' was easy. Love your landing page and elevator pitch. Totally on-point.
Hi. I just posted an update on yesRamen.
Would love your thoughts on the changes.
sure, but travelling at moment, so will be at least few days away.
No worries. Enjoy your travels :)
Wow. Thank you. You sound more like a catalyst than a newbie :)
What do you mean by "tag line"?
did you see this clever idea on sourcing feedback. The chatgpt sample showed the value.
The idea: ChatGPT doesn't currently have access to the internet. But you do. You could make a tool that would scrape all bad reviews for a competitor, feed them to ChatGPT and ask it to create a product description/brainstorm product features based off those weaknesses.
https://www.indiehackers.com/post/17-products-you-can-build-with-chatgpt-16a1752d62
I remember reading it a while ago. It's powerful!
I'm not sure I understand how you suggest I use it though?
To be honest I haven't identified direct competitors to yesRamen (apparently it's not a good sign...)
fm i would do exactly as described in this idea before using yesRamen. It would add insight to the 'best' questions to ask. You get one shot with feedback with a set group of feedback participants. If your questions are solid, you will get much better feedback. Its both a content + tool problem yesRamen promising to solve. If its solving only a tool problem then the value experienced by the tool will be much less.
Gotcha.
I agree. Better use all the free resources you can and do a little bit of market study (that's what I would consider this chatGPT hack to be) before you spend time and money getting real people's feedback.
A pleasure.
tag line is concise sentence setting context "What rhythm works best for us"?
Remember, best feedback is a conversation, not just one way - make it catchy.
https://help.loomio.com/en/guides/board_processes/decisions.html
Linked Loomio website has also many casestudies showing examples of participatory decision making. Feedback loop is identical in mechanics, only difference is who making final decision.
Example tagline and action tagline for a business wanting feedback for using some app for lead generation in the marketing campaign
Impact experienced in your last campaign
Impact inquiry questions
(in your survey, you ask these, and the result you could feedback, similar to how Loomio feedback poll results)
After trying my best to explain it simply (which I am useless at writing concise).
I gave up and asked chatGPT.
A tagline is a short and catchy phrase or slogan that is often used in marketing and advertising to convey a brand's unique selling proposition or message. It is a memorable and concise statement that captures the essence of a product, service, or company and is designed to leave a lasting impression on the target audience. A good tagline should be easy to remember, reflect the brand's values and personality, and differentiate it from its competitors. It can be used in various marketing and branding materials, such as ads, packaging, websites, and social media.
Awesome initiative! I think that you have A LOT of free-for-feedback options to develop and deliver like a product to creators (and there you solve another problem, what to offer as creator). I'm business intelligence analyst! Maybe we can think a tool that maps business value creation process and offer rewards options to deliver. Contact me if you're interested and we can talk about it.
BTW: your reward is, obviously, perfect for IndieHackers community. Cheers for that.
Thanks eolivera! I believe you gave feedback directly on yesRamen?
If yes, can I use your email address to contact you?
Yes, I went through yesRamen! Of course, send me an e-mail and let's get in touch.
Good idea for Lean Startup approach and customer development. I'd recommend to share yesRamen in social media who is focused on cusdev. Search for relevant reddit, fb, telegram groups.
Hey Denis! Thanks for the feedback and the next step recommendation.
Even though I love reddit, I haven't even dared to share there yet because I feel like I would get a 'no self promotion' block. I will look for those channels and try to be smooth...
I already have my product listed on yesRamen and I'm super excited to see what feedback I get.
I like that you can craft your own questions for feedback so that you can get the feedback you actually want and just "thumbs up" feedback.
I think this is a great idea and I'd definitely pay for it.
Thanks snopoke!
Let's get you some proper feedback 📝
I'm very interested to hear how this launch goes!
Getting quality feedback is super valuable something I would 100% pay happily for. The problem is usually drive-by feedback where people say something like "cool product!" or "nice landing page!" without taking the time to really understand the value proposition of your product, view it from the perspective of paying, etc. Basically, all the stuff that gets covered in the Mom Test.
If you're able to figure out how to crack that nut, I'll be a happy customer. Good luck!
Thanks Cory!
I try to make drive-by feedback impossible by design: you won't find public likes or comments on yesRamen. If you want to give feedback (and receive the reward offered by the maker), you need to answer all of their questions.
The cost in terms of conversion (from visitor to feedback giver) is probably high, but I believe that this trade-off is necessary to get good feedback.
I'm hoping to minimize this loss by getting the makers to offer great rewards for the people who help them.
There's also a section with the pictures and social links of feedback givers (a bit like a wall of fame). It's an additional way to thank them for their contribution.
I'm already using YesRamen, it's a super cool product. It's always nice to have feedback about what could be improved for your product 🙌
Thanks Gwendal. I'm so happy to have you on board.
It makes it easier for me to have cool products on yesRamen 💖
Super cool!
A new platform called yesRamen offers a way for indie makers to get feedback on their products in exchange for discounted or free usage.
Thanks for the post
My pleasure. Did you see some products you like?
I can give you one piece of advice for the headline that may change the perspective of the whole lander:
What's the biggest pain your tool solves?
Thanks for you comment. Would love to hear your idea...
That's a great idea. I think a lot of people are willing to pay to get good reviews. It seems to me that every product or service that will be provided should have a quality image to attract attention weather images https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/weather.html
After all, that's an indicator that enough time is being devoted to it.
I think this idea is really interesting. Thanks for sharing and setting it up.
I'm trying ro figure out how i could use it because my business model is B2B2C where it is businesses that pay, but I need feedback from users (who can access the product completely free, its a Chrome Extension).
Do you have use cases where the retribution isn't access to the service? I think for example paying in cash directly doesn't really work because then the incentives to review are different. Would love to hear if you have a different take on it!
Hi Marin. Thanks for your comment!
I had a quick look at Directo (love the idea as I often try to reach out properties directly myself too, and I used to work for a boutique hotel where the mission was to maximize direct bookings).
That being said I feel like it's a little bit outside of the indie maker niche for now (happy to debate that).
Did you look into specific solutions for feedback on browser extensions? Do you have access to your users email addresses? If yes I would just contact them.
I'm also not a fan of cash incentives. Since you're product is free it's tricky. Maybe an early access to new features (also hard to implement though) or something else related to the service you're offering.
Makes sense!
I will research if there are solutions for feedback on chrome extensions specifically, hadn't thought about that.
And thanks for checking out Directo : ).
Best of luck with this.
Agree!
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Great work
Thanks! Please tell me more 🙏
Did you see some products you like?
People may feel uncomfortable giving feedback, especially if they are not confident in their own abilities or worry about offending the person receiving the feedback.
It's a good point. Some answers to that:
The feedback the maker receives is not linked to the feedback giver's name (no "Morawski said X about your product")
with regards to not being confident about their own abilities or worrying about offending the other person, I have to say this had not occurred to me. Maybe I could write about that: the person giving feedback should understand that they're not the one being tested AND that constructive feedback is what most makers are after (as long as it is said with respect, no maker should be offended by negative comment on their product).
I could pay for feedback. Also, not sure if it's related, but regarding Indiehackers helping each others, I could trade memberships of my tool for other makers tools I like.
It would be a cool way to exchange with other hackers, even those who don't have the money yet.
Just my 2 cents
Thanks Jules! Indie hacker barter (troc)? Why not!
It does feel like the matching opportunities are more limited though (because you need to find and indie hacker who made A and wants B and another one who made B and wants A)!