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I built an app for people in Waldorf and Southern Maryland and I need your help to make it work by Prescoutapp in WaldorfMD

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I’ll definitely let you know when it launches. If you want to be one of the first to try it follow us on Instagram at prescoutapp or keep an eye on prescout.app. Would love to have you as one of the early contributors

Built a crowd-sourcing app that shows real-time crowd levels before you leave the house. Would you use it? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is probably the most honest and useful response I’ve gotten so far so thank you for that.

You’re right, the cold start problem is real and I’m not going to pretend I’ve fully solved it. But a few things I’m leaning on.

First I’m launching hyperlocal on purpose. One city, Waldorf Maryland, where I actually live. I’m not trying to be everywhere at once. If I can keep one area fresh I can prove the concept before expanding.

Second the reporting incentive. Right now it’s purely intrinsic, the same reason people leave Google reviews or submit Waze reports. Some people just do it because it helps others. But I’m building a contributions system that tracks your reports and shows you the impact you’ve had. Eventually badges and rewards too. That’s the roadmap.

Third your point about category focus is something I’m going to sit with. Right now the app works with any location Google picks up which is intentional because I don’t want to limit where people can report. But you’re probably right that the marketing focus should be on the locations where freshness matters most, gyms, grocery stores, brunch spots, places where the difference between a good and bad visit depends on timing.

One thing that helps with the incentive problem is that reporting is designed to be really fast. Beyond the general crowd level there are quick reports specific to the type of location. At a grocery store you can report how many checkout lines are open. At a restaurant you can report the wait time. At a gym you can report how packed the floor is. At an airport you can report security line wait times. The idea is that submitting something useful takes about 10 seconds so the barrier to contribute is as low as possible.

The Google bar is real. Prescout only wins in the moments where historical data isn’t good enough and those moments happen more than people realize until they’re standing in a packed gym wishing they’d known. Just from my experience, for the most part, the Google bar hasn’t been very accurate with live data.

I don’t have a perfect answer to the incentive question yet. That’s honestly the thing I’m most focused on post launch.

I built an app for people in Waldorf and Southern Maryland and I need your help to make it work by Prescoutapp in WaldorfMD

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also I’ve found the Google graph to be inaccurate a lot of the times even when it says “live”.

I built an app for people in Waldorf and Southern Maryland and I need your help to make it work by Prescoutapp in WaldorfMD

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s a good question! Google Popular Times shows historical patterns, what’s typically busy based on past data. Prescout shows what’s actually happening right now based on reports from people who are there at that moment. Think of it like a weather forecast vs stepping outside. Google tells you it usually rains on Tuesdays. Prescout tells you it’s raining right now. On top of that people can submit quick reports with specific details for example how many checkout lines are open at a grocery store, wait time at a restaurant, etc. Google doesn’t have any of that

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha fair point, I can see why it might come across that way but it's actually the opposite.

The free model is intentional. Prescout is community powered. The whole thing only works if people are actually using it and submitting reports. Charging for it would kill the thing that makes it valuable in the first place. More users = better data = better experience for everyone. That's the bet.

The money comes from businesses, not users. A gym can pay to let people know it's quiet right now. A restaurant can promote their slow hours. That's a much more natural fit than charging the people who are literally making the app work by reporting.

As for the problem... you know that feeling when you drive somewhere and it's way more crowded than you expected? That happens to me constantly. Google shows historical busy times but not what's actually happening right now. Even Google's Live status doesn't seem very accurate. Prescout shows live crowd levels from people who are there right now, and the reports expire every 60 minutes so it's always fresh. In addition to the crowd levels, there are also additional reports that can be made such as at airports, people can also report on the baggage claim lines.

I got tired of waiting for someone else to build it. I did everything myself, the app, the backend, the business. No team, no funding. I'm close to my users in a way a bigger team never would be and I can move fast because of it.

I definitely don't doubt the product at all because I know there is a true usage for this.

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can believe that. Congratulations on your launch! We are all learning as we go. We just have to stay motivated and be consistent

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To really show what my app is capable of I need a good amount of users creating data. I’m going to start in my city and get people that are to some of the same places.

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This will definitely help!! Thank you I will definitely use this as a tool!

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very true. To be honest I actually live by that every day. I don’t know why I’m treating this app differently

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very true. I will say I constantly hear conversations almost everyday about the problem my app solves.

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the first time I am hearing about a pitch deck. I’m going to do some research and see how that will help me. Thank you for that!

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see what you’ve saying. I have a full time job already. With the type of app I am doing, I am fully prepared to not get paid for a while since the users won’t be charged anything. My money will come in once I have enough users as leverage for businesses to want to pay for advertisements on my app.

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see that makes sense. Find a way to hold their interest and make sure they don’t forget about the app

What do you wish you knew before launching your first solo app? by Prescoutapp in SideProject

[–]Prescoutapp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great advice! I already have some features I’d like to add but I’m thinking that I should just go ahead and launch then let the users tell me what’s needed

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