Show HN: Pi – End Productivity Hell

(pipipi.co)

7 points | by piappco 2100 days ago

4 comments

  • ptd 2100 days ago
    This is a very cool idea, but your website doesn’t make it very clear what exactly I’m buying in my opinion. So I get 12 pods, what does that mean? Do I have to set these pods up? I think your value proposition should be more impactful. Really unique idea, I think this is a great approach.
    • lourot 2100 days ago
      I agree: I watched the first 30 seconds of the video and didn't really understand what I was seeing, so I jumped to later points of the video, then I read a bit the landing page and I didn't understand what a pod is, so I jumped to the About page. At this point I was able to understand what you want to solve, but I still didn't get "how", i.e. I still don't really get what the tool is doing.

      I'm sure it's great :) But somehow after 1-2 minutes I gave up trying to understand. Other projects often manage to give me a more precise idea in 1-2 minutes. The issue might be on my side though.

      • piappco 2100 days ago
        Thanks for the feedback!

        I focused on showcasing use cases for each pod in the video but that might have taken away from conveying the overall goal. Pi is intended to act as one hub for all your productivity tasks throughout the day. Is there anything specific you think could help make things clearer?

        • lourot 2100 days ago
          Let me describe what I see in the first seconds of the video:

          - First you open your app which seems to be a popup. It shows "tasks", "tables", "calendars". Fine.

          - But suddenly it's gone and you are on a "It's Nice That" article. I don't understand what happened. It's about cycling and your app shows items about cycling. Ok. You click on "+". You type "Morning run".

          - But suddenly it's all gone again. You're now typing "The Washing Company". It has nothing to do with cycling, or tasks, or calendars.

          And all this happened in only 11 seconds. I don't understand what I saw or what happened. I don't understand what the app does :) It might be a todo-list app, it might be a bookmarking app, it might be kind of a dashboard. I can't tell because each scene lasts only 3 seconds, I need to pause the video to be able to read, and when you're about to do something, it's all gone and it's already the next scene. So I have no chance to see what the app can do :)

          And it goes on like that. You're reading something about food. Then you're about to do something and bang, before you actually do it, you're reading something about shoes :)

          • piappco 2100 days ago
            Ok I see what you're saying. I'll take all of that into consideration. Thanks
    • piappco 2100 days ago
      Thanks for the feedback!

      I'll try to improve the clarity of the pods and what they do. Basically each pod is a simplified version of what could be a standalone app. Pi acts as a single space for all the pods. No set up is required. You can use them as your normally would any todo list, calendar app, etc.

      I hope I clarified things for you a bit. Let me know if you have any other questions or comments.

  • jehna1 2098 days ago
    I think I "got" what Pi is all about and I think I like it.

    $70 is just out of the range of value I can see Pi would benefit me.

    Can I ask how many users you have so far? How did you start with Pi and validate the idea?

    • piappco 2097 days ago
      Thanks for the positive feedback!

      What price would you feel comfortable paying for Pi? Would a free trial make the $70 price point more reasonable for you? Would your rather pay a subscription?

      I'd prefer not to reveal exact numbers this early but I'm absolutely getting some real traction and interest so far. All positive feedback so far.

      I noticed a lot of my "productivity" throughout the day was a back and forth between switching tabs, opening/closing apps and trying to manage multiple projects between each of the tools I used. I had more macOS desktop spaces open for these tools than I did what I was working on. I wanted a solution that would allow me to maintain focus while being able to manage different projects/ideas. No one tool could offer a solution for all of my tasks. Individual tools were either overkill or required a subscription. A single source, always accessible and use of collections made my daily tasks much less hectic. Now I can get through the day with only one or two spaces open.

      Initially I saw improvements in my own productivity. The overwhelming initial positive feedback so far has served as great validation as well. I've gotten a ton of valuable user suggestions and am now working on improvements before posting on more outlets.

      I hope I answered all of your questions.

      • jehna1 2097 days ago
        Thank you for taking time to answer! I definitely relate to having a ton of desktop spaces open all the time.

        > What price would you feel comfortable paying for Pi?

        After reading through the website and watching the product video, I'd be willing to pay $15-20 to try it out and see how many of my productivity problems it can fix.

        > Would a free trial make the $70 price point more reasonable for you?

        Free trial would definitely help me evaluate all the features, and if they're worth more for me. I can see that if the app is a hit, it's worth $70 for me. But at this point I fear that it's not perfect, so $15-20 is something I'm willing to throw away to see if the app fits.

        > Would your rather pay a subscription?

        I have a personal problem with all subscription models: I instantly calculate what using the app will cost in 3 years to get perspective.

        Now if you'd set $6/month as your price point (to match $70/year), I'd see it as committing to $210 over three-year period.

        I know some people don't see subscription models as scary as I do, and it's a really common way to lower the bar to purchase things nowadays. But I'm very cautious of anything subscription-based.

        • piappco 2097 days ago
          I appreciate all your feedback. I'll take it all into account and keep you updated. Thanks again!
  • Rainymood 2098 days ago
    What is the song called? It sounds very similar to a Minecraft OST
    • piappco 2097 days ago
      Rafael Krux - Nostalgic Piano
  • lihaciudaniel 2100 days ago
    Great idea and also It would be great to be explained more what I am going to get. Can it connect to others app (any.do) (insight timer)? Is it reliable timer, 100% sure it would work?