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StreetScout, Three Weeks On

It's been more than three weeks since we released StreetScout for iOS and I'd like to take this moment to talk a little bit about the results.

Before we released StreetScout the plan was to price the app at 69p. At the moment, that plan has been put on hold.

I was at the Founders' Hive MVP Demo day the Saturday after launch and was given so many pieces of advice about what 'next steps' I should take for leading the direction of the app. There were plenty of great bits of feedback about how to make it have more of The Awesome. Some of the best feedback though was to just shut the hell up about pricing - it's still in it's infancy, so becoming focused on what the price of StreetScout for iPhone is will distract away from improving the app itself. Then again, so will blogging about it.

Nevertheless, I'm quite keen to share what's happened so far with anybody who is interested.

Location-based services are buggy...depending on where you are

At first, I was told there was a bug with the app, by Apple. There were no results for the tester! They didn't tell me where or what they were searching for so it was tough for me to debug - and honestly, Mixpanel was showing me nothing but successful results in the US. So, what was I to do?

In the end, somehow it was approved. I never learned why. But what I did learn is that perhaps, messaging with location-based services needs to be really clear. There needs to be complete clarity about which guarantees can be made and which cannot, so that whoever it using it knows what to expect. This is especially true when you are relying on third-party services to power yours.

Don't believe the hype!

I've said this before, but hype is just not worth taking seriously. Yes, if people like what you're doing you should take it as a great feedback and positive encouragement, but hype does not equal validation. I'd like to thank Paul Brannigan for bringing me down to reality after a particularly hypetastic evening.

The key thing is to put aside the emotional feedback for a little while, and take the pragmatic stuff and putting it into improving your service or product.

Criticism is key

If someone says something that at first sounds like a horrible criticism, try to figure out where they are coming from. Sometimes this will come in the form of someone else interpreting comments, but you need to be able to do it yourself. If someone comes at your idea or product like they're attacking it, they probably aren't intending to be harsh. Put yourself in their shoes.

Carry on...

For some this is easy, but not to much for others. Now that I have StreetScout in the hands of hundreds of people, there's some temptating to sit on one's laurels - but the fact is, they have a product which isn't finished yet. Sure, it does the job - but it could do more. A lot more, and better.

Finally, some stats, in case you're interested...

Downloads to date: 600ish

Downloads per day for the last week (average): 15

Searches: 1066

City with most searches: London, UK

City I really didn't expect: Jakarta, Indonesia

Most popular search term: "Cafes"

Search term I really didn't expect: "my girlfriend"

I'm off to India in a week or so, so hopefully a release soon after then. Until then, back to work!

Thanks for reading :) Dan

This post was on Dan's Personal Blog originally.

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Five Great Pubs for a Pub Crawl in London's Shoreditch

Determining a great pub crawl route can be a pain. Everyone has their own favourite places. On a Friday or Saturday night it's often a matter of trying to find the ones with the right balance between busy and ghost town. Plus, you want to stick to a route and not get too distracted by ending up walking 100s of metres just to try out "that amazing pub just around the corner" Dave told you about.

Luckily, StreetScout can offer some really helpful suggestions. Here's some of my favourites from a Shoreditch Pub Crawl in London:

The Book Club - Trendy

Huge venue, plenty of fun to be had and plenty of cocktails to choose from. It's hard to pin down the single thing about the Book Club which give it it's character: is it the pool table array downstairs? Is it the ping-pong table upstairs in front of the large, street-facing window? Is it the unisex toilet you didn't expect to see your opposite-gender colleagues in? Or maybe it's their cocktail, "The Shoreditch Twat."

I'll let you find out.

Roadtrip - Rocky

A great choice for anybody who's looking for a slightly grungy evening and some decent rock n roll blaring out of the large and numerous speakers. The Roadtrip is attached to the Workshop, too, for last-minute gig-goers. The beer selection is good - not the best on the list - but the burgers are great and the seats are comfy. Plus, a nice wooden terrace area for the summer.

Strongroom - Friendly

My personal favourite, the Strongroom is a popular choice for private parties, but don't let that put you off - most nights you'll be fine. A huge garden terrace, this pub has a large capacity. As well as that, the food & drink choice is diverse as it is generous. Would you like some scotch egg with your nachos and spiced cider? Obviously, you would. No where near as pretentious as it sounds.

The Griffin - Authentic

Opposite The Book Club, The Griffin provides an often-needed escape from the hipness in such a hip area. With a welcoming array of beers, no-nonsense decor, a rocky jukebox and a very large pool table, it's really a place for anyone. And a great place to stand outside of with a cold beer on a warm summer evening.

The Old Fountain - Aley

A regular hidden gem just a little way to the North of Shoreditch, The Old Fountain recently gained a lovely roof terrace for itself. There are plenty of rotating real ales on the taps and a few good munches. Plus, the roof terrace is protected from the wind with a bit of coverage for rain, it's even great in stereotypical London weather.

I'm not going to go through any more, because if I get carried away we could be here for hours. There are so many great pubs enroute from Old Street to Brick Lane.

What are some of your favourite pub crawl routes? Let us know in the comments, or find out some great new ones using the new StreetScout iPhone App.

-- Dan

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StreetScout is now available on the App Store

It brings me enormous pleasure to announce that StreetScout is now available on the iOS App Store.

You can download the app here: StreetScout on the App Store.

It's free at the moment so check it out while it is!

If you don't know, StreetScout is a great new way to find the things you're looking for on your route. Whether you're a commuter, cyclist, driver, or just a person who likes to make the most efficient use of your time, StreetScout is a flexible way to do that, and I hope you'll enjoy using it as much as we do.

Founders Hive MVP Demo Day

Today, mere hours after StreetScout made it onto the App Store, I went to a Demo Day run by Founders Hive at Google Campus. I demoed the App and took questions, and in the end StreetScout was awarded for being the Most Viable Product of the day :) thanks for the bubbly.

Just a quick thank you to everybody who made April #MVPDemoday a memorable one @streetscoutapp won the first prize for most viable demo.

— TheFoundersHive (@TheFoundersHive) April 6, 2013

This, folks, is the beginning of something great. Stay tuned, and please do give StreetScout a go. We'd love to hear your stories, feedback and ideas. We have plenty more to come. That link again: StreetScout on the App Store.

And if you want to stay up-to-date with developments and new versions, please consider signing up for the StreetScout mailing list at http://streetscoutapp.com.

Exciting times!

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Introducing StreetScout

The trouble these days with living in a city, especially when you're new, is truly *knowing* your local area. You could take the same route every day on your walk from your home to your office, and never notice [that awesome hot dog stand on the corner of Old Street and Great Eastern](http://streetscout.io/#s=Waterson_Street,_Shoreditch,_London,_United_Kingdom&e=Old_Street_Station,_London,_United_Kingdom&q=hot_dogs). Or maybe you lament each day that your usual walk down Kearny Street doesn't give you many ATM options - when, really, there are plenty - you just didn't notice them. [StreetScout did](http://streetscout.io/#s=600_Jackson_Street,_San_Francisco,_CA,_United_States&e=425_Bush_Street,_San_Francisco,_CA,_United_States&q=atms). The links I've provided you, as you may have noticed, link you to the StreetScout web app. This app started as a little project by [me](http://www.danielhough.co.uk) to improve my Javascript skills, and create a tool which would make my walks to-and-from various places a bit more productive or interesting. You see, we're obsessed with making the best use of our time. We don't always get it right, but we do know this - a journey spent thinking about all the stuff you need to do when you're finished with your journey is a journey wasted, if you could've been doing those things instead. That's why we made StreetScout. If I have to take a trip somewhere, and I have other stuff to do - shopping, going to the bank, posting a letter, getting some coffee - why should I wait until I get there to do it? _Two birds, one stone._ Right now, [Pete O'Grady](https://github.com/peteog) and I are hard at work on the iPhone version of the app. We're going to introduce new features and it's going to be a heck of a lot cooler, because it'll be native for your device. **[Please sign up to the mailing list](http://streetscoutapp.com)** if you want more information. Alternatively, you can follow StreetScout, and its development, on twitter [@streetscoutapp](http://twitter.com/streetscoutapp)