Your analytics show a developer spent 40 minutes exploring your product. They clicked through your homepage, read your docs, tried to sign up, attempted to connect an integration. That looks like serious evaluation.
But they'd already decided to abandon it in minute three.
I watched ten developers evaluate the same product across five different segments. Every single one made their decision in the first three minutes. Everything after that moment was just confirmation of what they already knew.
What I Watched Happen
Search invisibility killed them before they started
One developer searched for the exact problem this product was built to solve. They couldn't find it in search results. They had to search by the company name directly just to locate it. By the time they landed on the homepage, they'd already seen five competitors and formed opinions about what "good" looks like in this space. They were skeptical before they even started evaluating the actual product.
Unclear value propositions don't get second chances
Another developer landed on the homepage and read the value proposition three times. "Not very sure what this means," they said out loud. After the third read, they still couldn't figure out what the product actually does. Within two minutes, they'd decided this product wasn't for them.
Broken sign-up flows signal broken everything else
A third developer tried to create an account. The email verification link didn't work. They tried the password reset flow instead. Same problem. Eventually they were forced to use an authentication method they explicitly didn't want. They were visibly frustrated before they ever saw the actual product functionality.
Error messages with no guidance compound frustration
Another developer made it through sign-up but immediately hit errors when trying to use the product. Error messages appeared with no explanation of what went wrong or what to do next. Each error compounded their frustration, and I watched them lose confidence with every failed attempt.
Invasive permissions without explanation kill trust
One developer balked at the permissions request. The product asked for full account access with no explanation of why it needed that level of access. They refused to connect their account and later said they'd never use this product with real data.
Generic design signals low credibility
Three developers called out the design within seconds of landing on the site. They weren't evaluating aesthetics—they were evaluating credibility. One checked the contrast ratios on text. Another tested whether basic buttons actually worked. A third said it looked like it was built from a template. The generic design signaled to them that this might be a weekend project, not a serious product worth trusting.
No social proof means no one's using it
All of them noticed the same thing within the first minute: no customer logos, no testimonials, no evidence that anyone was actually using this product. They didn't assume the product was new. They assumed it wasn't working.
The Gap You Can't See
You see that 40-minute session in your analytics and think the developer was engaged. They may have already decided to abandon in minute three. Everything after was just confirmation for them.
Watching developers in real-time showed me the exact moment they decided. Your dashboard just can't do that.
This is what I do with Built for Devs. Developers evaluate your product in real-time so you can see the moments your analytics miss. Book a Call →
Your analytics show a developer spent 40 minutes exploring your product. They clicked through your homepage, read your docs, tried to sign up, attempted to connect an integration. That looks like serious evaluation.
But they'd already decided to abandon it in minute three.
I watched ten developers evaluate the same product across five different segments. Every single one made their decision in the first three minutes. Everything after that moment was just confirmation of what they already knew.
What I Watched Happen
Search invisibility killed them before they started
One developer searched for the exact problem this product was built to solve. They couldn't find it in search results. They had to search by the company name directly just to locate it. By the time they landed on the homepage, they'd already seen five competitors and formed opinions about what "good" looks like in this space. They were skeptical before they even started evaluating the actual product.
Unclear value propositions don't get second chances
Another developer landed on the homepage and read the value proposition three times. "Not very sure what this means," they said out loud. After the third read, they still couldn't figure out what the product actually does. Within two minutes, they'd decided this product wasn't for them.
Broken sign-up flows signal broken everything else
A third developer tried to create an account. The email verification link didn't work. They tried the password reset flow instead. Same problem. Eventually they were forced to use an authentication method they explicitly didn't want. They were visibly frustrated before they ever saw the actual product functionality.
Error messages with no guidance compound frustration
Another developer made it through sign-up but immediately hit errors when trying to use the product. Error messages appeared with no explanation of what went wrong or what to do next. Each error compounded their frustration, and I watched them lose confidence with every failed attempt.
Invasive permissions without explanation kill trust
One developer balked at the permissions request. The product asked for full account access with no explanation of why it needed that level of access. They refused to connect their account and later said they'd never use this product with real data.
Generic design signals low credibility
Three developers called out the design within seconds of landing on the site. They weren't evaluating aesthetics—they were evaluating credibility. One checked the contrast ratios on text. Another tested whether basic buttons actually worked. A third said it looked like it was built from a template. The generic design signaled to them that this might be a weekend project, not a serious product worth trusting.
No social proof means no one's using it
All of them noticed the same thing within the first minute: no customer logos, no testimonials, no evidence that anyone was actually using this product. They didn't assume the product was new. They assumed it wasn't working.
The Gap You Can't See
You see that 40-minute session in your analytics and think the developer was engaged. They may have already decided to abandon in minute three. Everything after was just confirmation for them.
Watching developers in real-time showed me the exact moment they decided. Your dashboard just can't do that.
This is what I do with Built for Devs. Developers evaluate your product in real-time so you can see the moments your analytics miss. Book a Call →
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