Superhuman: Transforming Email Management: The Journey of Founders and Productivity.
Company profile
Company business details
Motivation to build the product
The founders were motivated by the need to address the overwhelming problem of email overload that many professionals face. They recognized that traditional email clients were not meeting the needs of power users who require speed and efficiency in managing their communications.Problem that their product solves
Superhuman solves the problem of email overload, which affects professionals, particularly power users like Founders and CEOs. By providing a fast and efficient email management solution, it helps users save significant time, allowing them to focus on more important tasks and improve their overall productivity.Their unfair advantage
Superhuman's unfair advantage lies in its focus on speed and user experience, utilizing AI-driven features that traditional email clients do not offer, allowing users to process their emails significantly faster.Strategies
Idea Validation Stage
Customer Interviews for Validation
In the initial phase of Superhuman, Rahul Vohra dedicated the first year to conducting extensive customer interviews. He engaged potential users by sending them a two-question email asking what email service they currently used and what they disliked about it. This approach allowed him to gather valuable insights and validate his product idea before any coding began. He would respond quickly to replies, keeping the conversation going to extract deeper insights, which helped him understand user pain points and preferences.
Pre-Launch (Product Development & MVP)
High Standards for Product Development
Rahul, the founder of Superhuman, emphasized the importance of setting a higher bar than users expect. He worked tirelessly to refine the product until it was not only free of complaints but also exceeded his own expectations. This relentless pursuit of excellence led to the creation of a product that was so compelling that users couldn't help but share it with others.
Concierge Onboarding Experience
In the early days of Superhuman, Rahul personally conducted hundreds of one-on-one concierge onboarding sessions with new customers. He traveled to their offices, brought gifts, and spent hours observing how they used email. This hands-on approach allowed him to gather valuable feedback, identify bugs, and understand user needs, ensuring that the product was tailored to create a delightful experience.
Paid Onboarding for Honest Feedback
In the early stages of Superhuman, the founder, Rahul, personally onboarded the first several hundred users, including investors like Jason. He implemented a unique strategy where every user, regardless of their status, had to pay for the product upfront. This meant that when users logged in for the first time, they were presented with a payment form, requiring them to enter their credit card details before accessing the product. This approach ensured that feedback was genuine and not influenced by the fact that they were investors or early adopters. Rahul believed that charging for the product would keep the feedback intellectually honest, as users would be more likely to provide constructive criticism if they had invested financially in the product.
Product Market Fit Engine
After spending two years developing the product, Rahul realized that Superhuman lacked product market fit. To address this, he created the Product Market Fit Engine, a systematic methodology to measure and improve product market fit. This involved surveying users with specific questions, segmenting responses to identify ideal customers, analyzing feedback to understand what users loved and what held them back, and implementing changes based on this data. This framework helped Superhuman increase its product market fit score significantly over time.
Learn more about Superhuman
How I Built $825M Email Revolution Called Superhuman | Rahul Vohra
The Incredible Double Interview: Superhuman and Robinhood | E2090
