Duelboard2023–2024 · 1 year
I built the scoreboard before anyone had anything to score
A first attempt at this that launched as a leaderboard with nothing underneath it, and learned that reputation infrastructure is worthless without the content it ranks.
Built too much (main cause)No marketBuilt too earlyFounderDuels Score
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Why did you start it?
I wanted a way to tell which founders actually knew what they were talking about, and ranking seemed like the answer.
What went wrong?
The ranking was the first thing I built and the last thing anyone needed. Without duels, write-ups or arguments there was nothing to rank, so the leaderboard was a list of people sorted by a number none of them had earned.
What was your biggest mistake?
Building the measurement before the thing being measured. It reads as obvious written down and did not feel obvious at the time.
When did you realise it was failing?
When the third founder I demoed it to asked what the number meant and I could not answer without describing a product I had not built.
What would you do differently?
Start with one format people would use even with no score attached, and add the score once there is something to compute it from.
What should other founders avoid?
If your product is a number, ask what generates the number. If the answer is "users, eventually", you are building the roof first.
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