Stop Innovating (On The Wrong Things) | Dalton & Michael Podcast

Pricing Models

Startups often stumble by overcomplicating their pricing models, which can alienate potential customers. Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel argue that aligning pricing with familiar standards, like those of AWS, can provide comfort and clarity to customers. They highlight the pitfalls of adopting complex pricing structures that confuse rather than attract customers.

Your pricing page doesn't make sense. Like, yeah, it's not even that they don't want to pay. It's just they, they're like, I don't understand what you're saying or how this works.

--- Michael Seibel

By focusing on customer-centric pricing, startups can avoid unnecessary risks and better meet customer expectations 1.

   

Usability

Innovative web design can sometimes backfire if it complicates usability, leading to customer dissatisfaction. Michael Seibel recalls past attempts to innovate website design that ultimately hindered user experience. He and Dalton Caldwell emphasize that usability should be prioritized over unnecessary innovation.

If people can't use your thing, like, I remember back in the day, people would try to innovate on the website design and how the cursor worked and, like, how you would even click buttons. And that was an example of probably not helpful innovation.

--- Michael Seibel

Startups should focus on creating intuitive designs that enhance user experience rather than complicating it 1.