Product Hunt

What it does

Product Hunt is a discovery platform and community centered around new technology products. It serves as a daily launchpad for startups and makers to introduce their creations to an audience of tech enthusiasts, investors, and early adopters. Users can browse daily featured products, upvote their favorites, and engage in discussions directly with the creators.

Where it shines

The app excels at fostering a sense of community and discovery. The user experience is built around interaction, not just passive browsing. For example, after creating an account, the user can immediately engage with a product's discussion thread, where they can upvote comments, reply, and even report spam (01:50 - 02:38), giving them real agency. Another highlight is the "Pulse" feature (04:57), which presents weekly top launches in a vertical, story-like format, making discovery feel modern and engaging.

UX highlights

Contextual Onboarding: The app doesn't demand an account upfront. It prompts the user to join only when they try to perform a community action like upvoting (00:20), which respects the user's initial browsing intent.
Rich Discussion Tools: Users have a full suite of moderation tools for their own comments, including edit, report, and delete functions (02:27 - 02:51), which fosters a safer and more responsible community space.
Multiple Content Formats: Beyond a simple list, Product Hunt uses engaging formats like full-screen stories for weekly roundups (04:57) and announcements (13:50), keeping the experience fresh.
Deep Exploration Paths: From a single product page, users can dive into makers' profiles (03:12), related topics (04:14), and even the product's external website via an in-app browser (03:15), creating a rich discovery web.
Playful Brand Voice: The app's release notes use humorous, self-aware copy (00:02), turning a typically dry screen into a delightful brand touchpoint.
Granular Search Filtering: The search functionality allows users to filter results by Top, Products, Launches, People, and Discussions (08:18), providing powerful tools for finding specific information.

Monetization & growth

The video does not show any explicit monetization strategies like a subscription paywall or in-app purchases. The app's growth seems primarily driven by its community-centric features. Users are encouraged to participate through upvotes and discussions. The platform includes warm-up screens for notifications (01:17) and app ratings (01:26) to boost re-engagement and App Store visibility. The entire ecosystem is built on user-generated content and the network effect of makers launching products and users discovering them.

Who it’s for

Product Hunt is for tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, product managers, designers, and investors who want to stay on top of the latest trends in software and technology. It's also a critical tool for makers and startups looking for an audience to launch their product to, gather feedback, and find their first users. The inclusion of job roles in profiles suggests a professional networking component as well.

Notes & opportunities

The app experience is generally smooth, but there are minor points of friction. After creating a new collection (12:37), the screen is empty and doesn't offer a clear next step to add the product the user was just viewing. The user has to navigate back to find and save it. Additionally, the user profile feels a bit empty initially; prompting users to add a bio or link during onboarding could make profiles feel more complete from the start.