How to get first feedback on a side project
Friends say it looks great. Strangers say nothing. Getting useful feedback on an early project takes a clear question and a person who has time to answer it.
Ask a narrow question
"What do you think?" gets "looks nice". Try "What did you expect to happen after you clicked Start?" or "Where did you stop reading?" A narrow question is quick to answer and gives you something you can act on.
Make it easy to try
People give feedback on what they tried. Remove steps: no sign-up if you can avoid it, no install, a link that goes straight to the thing. Hacker News says the same in its Show HN guidelines: make it easy to try, ideally without sign-ups or email gates.
Where to ask
- Hacker News "Show HN". For things people can run. Read the guidelines; landing pages and sign-up pages do not qualify, and you should be there to answer.
- Communities of makers. Indie Hackers, and subreddits and Discord servers for your kind of project. Take part before you post, and follow each community's self-promotion rules. See indie maker communities worth joining.
- Game-specific places for games. See where to promote an indie game for free.
- A room where people can talk to you. In Midnight Cafe you can put a project stand and a Q&A board in your own room. Visitors read your pitch and ask a question. It is a small community, so expect a handful of conversations, not hundreds of views.
Read feedback in patterns
One comment is an opinion. The same comment from three strangers is a problem. Write each one down in a list and count. Ignore suggestions for features that nobody asked about; look at where people got confused or stopped.
Say thanks and follow up
When someone takes time to try your project, reply, tell them what you changed because of it and invite them back. People who feel heard become the first people who tell others.