I’ve recently been giving advice to some pre-launch startups about their user interface and initial set of features.  After re-reading one of the emails I sent, it seemed to me that the concepts are pretty universal and maybe apply to your project.

• Less Is More. If you can remove features from the service in the near term, it is beneficial for everyone.  Your developers will have less work, your users will have less learning curve, and you’ll more clearly be able to interpret early usage data.  If you’re not familiar with the term Minimum Viable Product, google it, might be helpful.
• Use Sensible Defaults. Whenever possible, pick something for the user, and only allow them to change it if they need to.
• Stub Future Features. To get better ‘interest’ data on specific future features, you can create links/buttons to non-existent features.  ie:  ’Click Here to Change the Answer Duration’ –> This feature is not yet implemented, but we want to see how many people would be interested in using it.  Would this feature be useful to you [Yes] [No] Leave us additional comments…  You can count clicks and get very direct comments about each prospective new feature.

Entrepreneurs form peer groups which provide a trusted circle of support and constructive criticism for each other. Often, this peer group is used as a sounding board for new ideas – sometimes bad ideas.

The protocol for providing critical, constructive criticism is an oft-overlooked aspect of being an active and valuable participant in entrepreneurial networks and is a delicate topic I want to tackle head-on in this post.

Sometimes telling your entrepreneurial colleague that their ‘baby is ugly’ is the best thing you can do for them. Time is the most valuable resource we possess and helping entrepreneurs figure out where best to spend their time is critical. When bad ideas come to light, honest, thoughtful criticism, delivered clearly and respectfully can be invaluable.

Delivering criticism is always a delicate art. These issues can make it even more difficult:

• If the entreprenuer has already committed time and/or money to the project
• If it is a labor of love, created from a some emotional personal experience
• If it is a close friend – or worse – family member
• If you are successful and they are not
• If they are successful and you are not (’success’ is of course relative)
• If your assessment turns out to be wrong

Be conscious of these issues, but when you’re asked, delivering your opinion is not just a favor, it’s the right thing to do. Here are my suggestions for handling the situation:

• Confirm they actually want feedback. Sometimes people are just floating ideas by and don’t really want feedback. Make sure you understand the inquiry and they really are asking for your feedback.
• Follow the basic rules of critical feedback:
  • Say something nice
  • Deliver the bad news
  • End on a high note
• Explain Your Position. Thoughtful feedback is 1000 times more useful than flat, terse criticism. If the idea is entering an already hyper-competitive market and has no competitive advantage, then ask questions to help illustrate the scale and complexity of the competitive landscape.
• Share Your Perspective. If you are a successful entrepreneur, there are probably more than a few critical attributes which you look for in new opportunities. Share them and discuss how they may be missing from the idea at hand.
• Suggest Next Steps. Great businesses rarely become successful in the same form they start out in. Sometimes an OK idea can lead to other more interesting opportunities, which can lead to a great insight, which can lead to the next YouTube, Google, or NetFlix. However, sometimes ideas are just bad. If you’re sure that the direction is wrong, be honest: ‘I think you should look for something else’
• You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know. If I was asked to provide feedback on a new company for an innovative automobile engine, I’d have to recuse myself from providing much feedback. I drive a car, I know there are lot’s of cars sold, but short of high level ‘market’ stuff – I’d be out of my league. Let people know when you don’t know what about the domain or market being discussed.

There is a time and a place for white-washed, head-nodding agreement, and avoiding conflict. Unfortunately, the circle of trust formed by entrepreneurial peer groups is not one of them. As a fellow entrepreneur, you have a responsibility to provide honest feedback, help educate other entrepreneurs and ensure that the Founder Class creates value and innovation and doesn’t waste time on poorly conceived ideas.

After researching and working on various landing page optimization projects, I’ve compiled a checklist, if you want to design your own effective landing pages to optimize conversions:

• Large, clear, concise Primary Headline
• Large, germane product shot when appropriate
• Large, direct Call To Action (CTA) above the fold
• Multiple additional CTAs throughout the page
• Minimize off-page navigation
• Short, prioritized Key Features list
• 2 Columns
• Testimonials
• Pricing
• Human face(s) for testimonals or in images
• Highlight search terms (of referred traffic) in page
• Use A/B and Multivariate Testing
• Optimize page for fast loading
• Measure, Tweak, Repeat

3 Key Questions:

1. What is offered?
2. Why the prospect should care?
3. What does the prospect need to do?

A few other optional ideas you might want to consider:

• Orange may be the best color for CTA buttons
• Design for least-common-denominator browsers – could be 800×600 and/or mobile

This tip is a ‘2 For One’ – it’s a neat trick to help you practice the power of positive thinking to achieve life goals, while helping you create strong passwords for websites to make your online identity more secure.  Never forget a password again. Here are the steps:

1. Write down a few positive life goals, mantras, or other statements that The Secret, Napoleon Hill or Tony Robbins told you would make you happier and more successful.  Some examples:
   • Practice a Random Act of Kindness
   • Exercise every morning before work
   • Build $1 Million in net worth
2. Turn elements of the phrase into an acronym.  Look for opportunities to swap out words for numbers or symbols, and emphasize the important words with some capital letters:
   • to, too, two = 2
   • for, four = 4
   • money, wealth = $, $$
   • I = 1,!
3. Use the phrase as a password for those sites that require complex passwords with combinations of letters (incl. mixed case), numbers and symbols
   • Practice a Random Act of Kindness = p1RAOK
   • Exercise every morning before work = Xemb4w
   • Build $1 Million in net worth = b$1Minw!!!