Last week, TechCrunch reported that Dropbox had attracted two million users, just four months after it reached the one million active user mark. It got me thinking about why some online service become so popular, while the vast majority struggle to get any kind of traction no matter how hard they try.
Now, if anyone had the definitive answer, they’d be sitting on a pile of gold. But there are some fundamental things that wildly popular online service have in common.
1. They meet a basic need that quickly resonates with users. For Dropbox, it’s a simple proposition: the ability to synch files across multiple computers. For people who work in multiple places or have multiple computers, Dropbox is a service that quickly strikes a chord.
2. They’re user-friendly and easy to use. These kind of services do what they need to do without unnecessary frills or feature creep. There’s nothing that kills a good idea than developers who believe that more (features) is better. This only confuses users by giving them too many options. At the end of the day, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is a much better approach.
3. The barriers to entry are low because the basic service is free, while premium services are available for people who want more features, data, etc. For all the talk about freemium, the most successful online services seem to thrive because they make it easy for users to join the fray.
4. They have a user-friendly, intuitive interfaces that are accessible. Services that feature this kind of interface make it easy to people to quickly climb on board. Once people start using the service, they tend not to leave. In other words, the “bounce rate” is pretty low.
5. They tell great stories. There’s so much competition that success can often hinge on how well their stories are crafted and delivered. The ability to tell a good story can make a huge difference compared with other services that may be as good but don’t tell their stories as well.
Any other things that help make online services successful?
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Why Do Some Online Services Thrive?
Now, if anyone had the definitive answer, they’d be sitting on a pile of gold. But there are some fundamental things that wildly popular online service have in common.
1. They meet a basic need that quickly resonates with users. For Dropbox, it’s a simple proposition: the ability to synch files across multiple computers. For people who work in multiple places or have multiple computers, Dropbox is a service that quickly strikes a chord.
2. They’re user-friendly and easy to use. These kind of services do what they need to do without unnecessary frills or feature creep. There’s nothing that kills a good idea than developers who believe that more (features) is better. This only confuses users by giving them too many options. At the end of the day, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is a much better approach.
3. The barriers to entry are low because the basic service is free, while premium services are available for people who want more features, data, etc. For all the talk about freemium, the most successful online services seem to thrive because they make it easy for users to join the fray.
4. They have a user-friendly, intuitive interfaces that are accessible. Services that feature this kind of interface make it easy to people to quickly climb on board. Once people start using the service, they tend not to leave. In other words, the “bounce rate” is pretty low.
5. They tell great stories. There’s so much competition that success can often hinge on how well their stories are crafted and delivered. The ability to tell a good story can make a huge difference compared with other services that may be as good but don’t tell their stories as well.
Any other things that help make online services successful?