Hello World. This is our first blog entry, on what should (fingers-crossed) be the last week of product development before our app hits the app store.
So what’s the hoopla all about?
Good products solve a problem. Great products and services see that gap and create a simple and creative way to fill it. Hopefully that filler kills the mind the gap announcements (Ha!) and also provides value at the same time.
It started with a something simple – a love for travel. As we worked to conquer our wanderlust, there were three things that we observed:
1. Most people purchase their tickets by price. Even frequent flyers and business travelers have become price-conscious buyers, and while loyalty programs are excellent benefits, switching costs are extremely low in the airline industry.
2. What people pay for is directly proportional to the experience they expect. Nothing’s more true when it comes to airfare and air travel. If I’m going to pay a first class fare, by golly I better get a first class experience. If not, expect me to pack my bags and go somewhere else. Similarly, if I can eke out a $99 ticket to my destination, I literally count myself the luckiest traveler on the planet for finding that fare and the minimum I expect is that the airline will get me to my destination safely, and *hopefully* my bags will arrive.
These two dynamics are subtle but fascinating – there’s a huge match between the experience people expect and people pay for. But should that be the case? To a certain extent. However, we think differently on what the baseline of a great flight experience should be.
3. What’s taking soooo long? Everyone that has traveled has experienced this. From the moment you land and are once again bathed in the warm embrace of being able to use your electronic device, to when you’re actually able to leave the plane, there’s the awkward looong wait. We see that wait as an opportunity.
4. Dude – it’s so great to see you! The last piece is what we used as our north star in naming the product, as it’s the first thing that your friends/family/colleagues ask. You guessed it: “How Was Your Flight?”. Soon after that, the flight experience sharing begins.
That brings us to our product – get ready for marketing speak.
“How Was Your Flight?” is a free smartphone application that allow travelers to rate their flight experiences, share them with their friends, and discover local offers in the destination city.
That’s our app in a nutshell. It’s great to meet you too. :)
Our next post: what the problems are, and how we think we can help solve them.
@hwyflight.
