Critiquing Startup Websites With Instacart's First Designer

TL;DR

Three YC Winter 2022 startup landing pages (Hokali, Requestly, Verdin) are critiqued. Key findings: pop‑ups work but degrade UX; strong headlines that answer “what is this?” are critical; jargon can self‑select but user‑sourced language is better; above‑the‑fold clutter and multiple CTAs hurt conversion; features should be framed as benefits that solve pain points.

Key insights

• Pop‑ups (e.g., “Save $35”) convert but fatigue users and obscure the product’s value proposition; adding context or FOMO messaging can help.
• Dedicated landing pages for each service improve SEO and conversion because visitors immediately see “is this for me?”.
• Scrolling behavior can be non‑obvious; users may not realize they can scroll, so the design should indicate scrollability.