Thoughts of our CEO - why we launched the way we did and how we’ll continue with your feedback.
On the first of February, almost exactly eight weeks ago, was a big day for us at enduco! Sure, we had already had a freemium version of the app on the market for quite some time (and had also tested monetization there for a while), but basically we had been working on our actual product for a good 3 years - more or less in stealth mode: The Pro version, the digital AI coach for - at the start - cyclists.
In a startup environment, you learn relatively early on that as much as possible should remain "lean" for as long as possible. Lean workflows, lean processes (if any at all at the beginning), fast decision-making and, very importantly, an MVP. MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product, i.e. a product that contains the core functions and can be used to test what users actually think of it. We were able to test our MVP in advance with a good 300 volunteers and received a lot of super valuable feedback! We took this feedback on board and continued to develop the app. And yet we knew that we couldn't disappear into the dark again for 3 years and then be on the market with a top polished, finished product. That would a) take way too long and b) we would miss the feedback of the users. So we decided to upload a kind of hybrid of MVP and finished product to the app stores and let users loose on it.
Of course, it was clear that this would lead to headwinds here and there. Paying for an app that still crashes from time to time, or that cannot yet execute certain functions on certain mobile devices without errors, understandably leads to frustration - and thus to mails in support (best case) or negative reviews in the app stores (worst case). So it was also clear that we would have to provide very fast, good support to compensate for what the product itself does not yet deliver. The support itself is provided by IT, i.e. the people who build the product. On the one hand, this is faster, and on the other, the developers have a direct ear to the users and can process feedback more quickly.
And lo and behold, after good support, even the one or other App Store rating is occasionally revised once again.
We absorb feedback like a sponge absorbs water. No matter what we receive, it is noted, discussed and very often implemented. The large amount of feedback we have received since the launch on February 1 has led us to redesign the app. We want to iron out ambiguities, make it more intuitive to use - and, of course, live up to our promise that everyone who entrusts us with their training will achieve their goals in the best possible way.
In addition to the redesign of the app, which will also include some new features, we are also planning the first smart link between the features that will then be available in the app: Coach and Routes. To have sensible routes suggested for a particular training session, that would be something... 😉
I know we are not perfect yet. And we probably won't reach that status for a long time - which is due to the fact that the idea of "perfect" simply shifts every time something changes or a new idea comes along. But we do our best to implement the existing in a way that everyone who uses the app can expect. And we are and will always be dependent on your feedback.
So until the release of the redesigned app (planned for early June), we're retreating back into our cave and going full throttle!
Keep getting better!
André
