Product Sense: Fliki.ai
This is a great example of the importance of a freemium or free trial that allows users to reach their first Aha moment before putting up a firewall. It also shows how a technical glitch (or two) can kill signups and hurt growth.
The Product: Fliki.ai
The Problem Fliki would solve for me: Create quickly shorts videos with a voiceover that will let me create daily content to prompt my brand and help my clients learn concepts in 1 to 3 minutes per day.
The Pricing Problem: Because of the technical problem, I had to try to download the video to see if it would work. And if it did work, I would have to be willing to purchase a product that required blind trust that voiceovers were working.
Since I didn’t understand the point system, I gave up. If you need a video to explain your point system, no matter how well-meaning, you are in trouble. A lack of transparency and not enough wiggle room to figure out the product. Pricing needs to be simple for a new product. I needed more time/points to get one successful project complete. The pricing system on points is meant to be easy but isn’t transparent when I am still learning the product and haven’t been able to build even one video that works for me. It also doesn’t allow for needing to test different formats. By the time I figure out the tool, I had used up my points AND hit a wall of a technical glitch that made it impossible for me to complete my first 1 minute TikTok/Short.
As a product leader, I understand what is going on here. With AI-based products, processing time is expensive. But, if i can’t figure it out before you start charging, I will seek out other products. If the tool doesn’t work and I have to trigger payment to test my ideas, your product doesn’t work.
Known Technical Glitch: The tools failure to properly create a voiceover on a 1 minute video killed trust and prevented even the simplest of aha moments. It caused me to lose trust and close my wallet. Upon closing my wallet I went in 30 seconds from wanting to pay NOW to looking for a trusted alternative.
. . .
Here is what I wrote to the support team before I started investigating competitors:
I was prepared to pay for your service, but I can't get even one video to work right, so I hesitate to plunk down even the $28 for one month to try more testing. In my mind, I shouldn't have to pay to make sure the product works properly.
I also can't figure out how the credits and timing work. I have 1 video of about a minute in length ready, but all my credits are used. That means, every test costs me a credit, so getting up to speed is EXPENSIVE.
I had a 10-scene video, but the first 2 or 3 scenes will NEVER work with a voiceover. I have restarted nearly 10 times. I tried to download the video to see if the download will work properly, and the tool is just glitchy, but I can't download it because I don't have enough credits.
Since the interface is glitchy and I can't understand the pricing model, I can't manage my usage of the product, I will keep looking for another solution.
It is a shame; I was ready to hit purchase until my test video wouldn't work with the voiceover JUST as I thought I had figured out how to make your tool work for my business.
Please explain how the pricing model works. If I have understood it, I highly recommend you extend the tester case because I couldn't get to the product Aha moment for my business within a 24-hour time period with 2 valid tests: (1) turn blog into video -- didn't work: for me but showed me what is possible. and (2) custom video for 1 minute short for an idea I have.
You have built something with high potential but your test period doesn't let me have a simple win. If I can't finish a 1 minute short and test it in the tool, I can't believe it is worth $28 per month. I am certainly NOT subscribing for a year if I can't get one simple 1 minute TikTok/Short created.
So close, but not enough.
