All Segments
Does Your Startup Website Pass The First Impression Test? | Design Review
10 segments available
When someone visits your website you only have a few seconds to convince them it’s worth their time. So how do you do that? In this episode of Design Review, Aaron Epstein is joined by Zack Onisko, the former CEO of Dribbble, to review user submitted websites in under 10 seconds and give their first impression feedback. They’ll provide expert advice on how to leverage animation, improve UI and design the most effective messaging for potential customers. If you would like to have your startup's website reviewed in a future episode of Design Review, please submit your info here: https://forms.gle/Yv7sCGpsi4PpAfRP9. Thank you to these companies for volunteering: YC https://artisan.co/ https://www.bottomless.com/ https://www.cloudthread.io/ https://reason.ing/ https://www.kapacity.io/ https://www.rollstack.com/ Non YC https://ampstem.com/ https://www.bertlabs.com/ *Keep in mind that some of the featured websites may be updated between the time we film and publish Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DesignReview-apply Work at a startup: https://yc.link/DesignReview-jobs Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Coming Up 01:04 - Artisan AI 02:52 - Bottomless 06:07 - Cloudthread 09:21 - Integrated Reasoning 12:27 - Kapacity 14:21 - Rollstack 17:30 - Ampstem 19:12 - Bert Labs
Segments Timeline
The First Impression Countdown
In this segment, Aaron Epstein introduces the concept of first impressions on websites, emphasizing the critical few seconds a visitor has to form an opinion. He discusses the importance of capturing attention immediately and sets the stage for the design review process with guest Zack Onisko, former CEO of Dribbble.
"when someone clicks over to your website this is how long you have to make a great first impression what's your takeaway what do you remember from that it was pretty something in cleaning services I t..."
Artisan AI: Clarity Over Complexity
The review begins with Artisan AI, where Zack Onisko shares his initial impressions. He notes the confusion caused by the website's design, highlighting the need for a clear hierarchy and messaging. The segment stresses the importance of concise headlines and calls to action to avoid overwhelming visitors.
"first up we have Artisan AI let's start the clock on this one digital workers called Artisans and worldclass software me the first Artisan Ava the sales rep okay all right that was a few seconds what ..."
Bottomless: Clean and Trustworthy
Next, the focus shifts to Bottomless, a service for dog food delivery. Zack and Aaron discuss the clean design and effective messaging that conveys trustworthiness. They emphasize the importance of clear communication about the product's functionality, particularly the smart scale feature that automates reordering.
"have bottomless your dog food peanut butter tea always in stock repeat to deliveries at the perfect time based on your great domain right bottom.com oh yeah not even. okay we got a few seconds what's ..."
Cloudthread: The Jargon Trap
The review of Cloudthread reveals issues with excessive jargon and distracting animations. Zack and Aaron struggle to understand the core message due to the overwhelming amount of text and motion. They stress the need for simple language and clarity in communicating the product's purpose.
"thread let's check it out okay I think I know what it does um I have no clue so please tell me so it say something about like like it's monitoring usage across like multiple tools okay infrastructure ..."
Integrated Reasoning: The Importance of Clarity
In this segment, Integrated Reasoning's website is critiqued for its heavy use of jargon and complex animations. Zack and Aaron discuss how the design fails to communicate the company's purpose effectively, emphasizing the need for straightforward language and better use of space to convey key messages.
"integrated reasoning so let's check this one out uh integrated reasoning okay oneof aind High throughput processors designed for combinatorial optimization okay do you know what those words are I like..."
Kapacity: Straightforward Messaging
Kapacity's website is reviewed next, where Zack and Aaron appreciate its straightforward messaging about smart heat pumps. They discuss the importance of clear visuals and concise text, noting that while the design is clean, it could benefit from more engaging product visuals.
"next up we have capacity let's check it out here make your heat pump smart all right okay all right what do you remember I think I know what this product does it seems like a smart heat pump I think i..."
Rollstack: The Animation Dilemma
The review of Rollstack highlights the challenges of using too many animations. Zack and Aaron discuss how the complex animations can distract users from understanding the product's purpose. They emphasize the need for simplicity in design to enhance user comprehension.
"next up we have roll stack okay automate your slide decks and documents for client qbr client MBR pitch decks board presentations okay what do we remember I think I know what it does right I think tha..."
Ampstem: Visuals vs. Messaging
Ampstem's website is critiqued for its beautiful visuals that fail to communicate the core service of cleaning effectively. Zack and Aaron discuss the importance of aligning visuals with messaging to ensure visitors understand the service offered right away.
"let's check out some non YC user submissions that come from the YouTube audience here so first up we have amp stem all right delivering excellence in every step providing cleaning services that priori..."
Bert Labs: The Heavy Load
The final review focuses on Bert Labs, where Zack and Aaron point out the heavy loading times due to large images. They discuss how this can negatively impact user experience and search engine rankings, stressing the importance of optimizing website performance.
"up we have Bert Labs let's see here welcome to Bert Labs Innovation at the intersection of AI and iot request a demo creepy hand thing okay something iot yeah uh I don't know the images were heavy um ..."
Closing Thoughts
In the closing segment, Aaron and Zack reflect on the reviews conducted during the episode. They encourage viewers to consider their website's first impression and invite feedback for future episodes, emphasizing the ongoing importance of effective web design.
"joining us thanks for having me yeah it's great to do this with you and thank you to all the founders that uh volunteered their websites for review really appreciate it so uh if you have any feedback ..."