The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
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The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
They say software should always be as flexible as possible. We think that’s bullshit. The best software has a vision. The best software takes sides. When someone uses software, they’re not just looking for features, they’re looking for an approach.
Felix • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
Your average e-mail client, browser software, spreadsheet software does not have an opinion regarding how it should be used. Instead, it provides a maximum of flexibility which is appreciated by the average user, yet, not optimal for particular target groups. This enables an untapped potential for challenger firms which are capable of two things ( ... See more
Felix • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
Opinionated = Strong character 👨🏻🎤: Products such as Superhuman or Roam Research stand for something — they polarize. An E-Mail ending with “sent via Superhuman” signals professionalism. It’s more than the aura of a new product — it can become a sustainable branding advantage. Overall, I’m convinced that the importance of branding will increase... See more
Felix • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
A new willingness to pay 💳: Superhuman costs $30 per month. Roam plans to charge $15 per month — that’s an unprecedented willingness to pay. Will this scare people away? Definitely, but this is part of the plan (see above).
Felix Schmitt • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
Large market size💰: By building opinionated software, you deliberately leave a large share of the market unexploited — it’s not a “lowest common denominator” approach. Fortunately, the overall category of productivity software represents a very large market (mainly because it’s industry-agnostic). Therefore, even a slice of the market is often suf... See more
Felix Schmitt • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
Your average e-mail client, browser software, spreadsheet software does not have an opinion regarding how it should be used. Instead, it provides a maximum of flexibility which is appreciated by the average user, yet, not optimal for particular target groups. This enables an untapped potential for challenger firms which are capable of two things (3... See more
Felix Schmitt • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
3rd wave of differentiation = opinionated software
Felix Schmitt • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
From the 2000s onwards, cloud computing, especially SaaS as the new delivery model had a significant impact on the productivity space (enabled by the explosion of internet speed). Advantages such as low setup & infrastructure costs, high scalability and automatic updates have been so revolutionary (2nd wave of differentiation) that on-premise softw... See more
Felix Schmitt • The Era of Opinionated Productivity Software: Superhuman, Roam, What’s Next? | HackerNoon
Since the emergence of productivity software in the 1980s, it was sufficient for a long time to entirely focus on features (1st wave of differentiation). This is not surprising as a large value could already be created by adding desired features to very rudimentary software products.