Tinder for X vs Tinder UX
David Bland
Speaker & Advisor on Experimentation ?? Coauthor of Testing Business Ideas Book ?? Host of How I Tested That Podcast???
“So what is your product?"
"We’re like Tinder for X.”
Here in San Francisco I’ve heard this conversation countless times in Philz Coffee, Sightglass, Blue Bottle and well, you get the idea.
In these pitches you can substitute Uber for Tinder and for X you can substitute anything from jobs to puppies.
Not exaggerating, see Product Hunt Tinder for X collection
Surprisingly as of late, it isn’t limited to the hipster startup founders framing it this way, the suits are doing it as well.
Why am I starting to become concerned with this growing trend?
Since I’m part of the problem (having used this framing in past workshops) I feel the need to elaborate on its shortcomings.
Tinder X vs Tinder UX
When you pitch your product as “We’re Tinder for X” what I really hear is“We’ve copied Tinder’s UX for X” which isn’t exactly the same thing.
Tinder’s UX, while interesting, isn’t necessarily a great starting point for an entire product or service. That UX framing is merely a nuance and implies you’re much further along in finding product/market fit.
I’m assuming you’ve already validated:
- customers have the problem
- customers want your solution to that problem
- that UX you cloned from Tinder resonates with customers
I mean why else would you have jumped ahead to Tinder’s UX for your product without any context?
Using Uber for X isn’t much better, since in that case most are fixated on being successful by creating an iOS App that delivers something to you.
Which brings me to another danger of framing your product this way.
Don’t Forget the Business Model
We’re beginning to see the fallout from those who rushed to copy Tinder and Uber’s UX without a sound business model.
HomeJoy (Uber for Housecleaning) filing for bankruptcy is one of the biggest and I believe it is only the beginning.
Delivree King (Uber for Delivery) scaled to about 15 cities before it ran out of funding.
Dine In (Uber for Restaurant Delivery) failed to raise money.
It is deadly to overlook the underlying business model needed to make something like Tinder or Uber work.
In 2016, even Uber is realizing their current business model is becoming outdated. That is why they are expanding into auto leasing.
If you go back to see how Tinder was created, you’ll realize it’s a part of IAC which didn’t even seek to monetize Tinder for a long time.
(btw IAC owns quite a few things, taken from Wikipedia)
Entering Highly Regulated Markets
You may think that since Uber was able to disrupt the taxi industry, that you can do that as well with your Uber for X product.
Right?
Flytenow (Uber & Tinder? for Aviation) was recently ordered to cease operations from the FAA.
Government tends to lag behind giving your new product or service a head start, but after Uber’s success don’t be surprised to see that head start shrink.
So if we can’t use Tinder or Uber for X, what should we use?
Please don’t run out and find an elaborate elevator pitch template that ironically, you’d not be able to finish in an elevator.
Instead, tailor your pitch to the situation and where you are on your journey.
- If your product or service is in early testing of the value proposition, then lead with [customer segment] followed by [problem] and then your [solution].
- If you have active users in a product or service you’ve built, then always lead with traction metrics.
- If you still want to pitch as Tinder or Uber for X, then do so to invite more questions about your product or service. That way you can elaborate on how you are different and illustrate the underlying business model.