Ask HN: Trouble wrapping my head around business ideas

1 point

3 years ago

I got an ad for a Kickstarter campaign not too long ago, and I'm having trouble understanding the steps the founders went through to see this idea through to become a Kickstarter campaign.

The product is called [Ringo](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ringobottle/ringo-the-water-bottle-that-magnetically-holds-your-phone?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=ringo). Essentially, it's a metal water bottle with a MagSafe ring on the top that tilts, allowing you to mount your phone and adjust the viewing angle. If you don't have a phone, or want to use a tablet, it comes with a magnetic adhesive ring.

Its uses:

1. You can mount your phone to watch/record stuff, useful during a workout. 2. You can take video calls. As it holds up your phone. 3. You can use your iPad as a second screen, by mounting it next to your display.

I'm not trying to hate, I'm happy for their success, but I'm naive about a lot of things and want clarification:

1. How did they get past this first barrier during their planning stages: Typically If I need to watch something, follow a workout, or take a call, I can just prop my phone up on the nearest object, or even my water bottle IF I have it near me. The chances of having an 'object' near me are higher than having my bottle near me. One of their examples is using the bottle in a plane tray table, do people want something tall and unstable on their tray table that their phone is attached to?

   1. I don't understand what problem they're trying to solve. Their problem statement to me is; 'a way to hold up your device that's STABLE'. Yes, a way to prop up your phone during a workout is technically a problem, but how significant is it?

   2. I can't prop up my phone on anything? My bottle? Their collateral shows using the bottle holders in a treadmill. But any further thought and experimentation would show that you don't want your neck to be cranked at an angle for extended periods of time. And their solution introduces more problems, do enough people want a phone stand to be built into their bottle?

2. Is using it to hold your tablet up a gimmick or something to fluff the marketing?

   1. It's not practical. What if I want a drink? I have to remove my iPad, set it down, unscrew the bottle, take a drink, re set-up?

3. How do you even validate this idea?

   1. I can see so many holes in the project that if I were the one to start it, I would have left it in its idea stage. Yet, it's 784% funded

4. I tend to overthink, as you've probably noticed. Am I giving too much credit to people? Is it just 'Oh, what a nifty idea. This looks useful in the gym, I'll buy it'?

1. I don't understand what problem they're trying to solve. Their problem statement to me is; 'a way to hold up your device that's STABLE'. Yes, a way to prop up your phone during a workout is technically a problem, but how significant is it? 2. I can't prop up my phone on anything? My bottle? Their collateral shows using the bottle holders in a treadmill. But any further thought and experimentation would show that you don't want your neck to be cranked at an angle for extended periods of time. And their solution introduces more problems, do enough people want a phone stand to be built into their bottle?