Should I Build It Should I Build It
07 May 2025
User Experience

A digital business card platform where user can customize their ...

...digital card page and order NFC-enabled card. Their customers can access the digital card page by scanning a QR code or by NFC on customer phone

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

The digital business card space is crowded, with about 25 similar products already out there, putting your idea squarely in the 'Swamp' category. These products aim to replace traditional paper cards with digital solutions, often using QR codes and NFC technology. While there's some positive buzz around the convenience and customization aspects, overall engagement is low, with an average of only 1 comment per product. This suggests that while the idea has some appeal, converting that interest into sustained user activity is a challenge. Since there are no positive signals on use or buy, this might mean that it's hard to get people to actually use or pay for yet another solution in this space. You'll need to offer something radically different to avoid getting bogged down in the swamp.

Recommendations

  1. Deeply research why existing digital business card solutions haven’t achieved widespread adoption. What are the pain points that users still experience? Identify the unmet needs that your platform could address in a unique and compelling way. Look at user reviews, industry articles, and competitor analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of the landscape.
  2. If you decide to move forward, focus on identifying a specific niche or user group that is currently underserved by existing digital business card platforms. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, tailor your platform to meet the specific needs and preferences of a clearly defined target audience. For example, focus on real estate agents with a CRM that integrates with your solution or designers with your API, as this might provide a better value.
  3. Instead of building yet another standalone digital business card platform, consider developing tools or integrations that enhance the functionality of existing platforms. Partner with established players in the market to offer your unique features as add-ons or extensions. This approach can provide a faster route to market and leverage the existing user base of established platforms.
  4. Explore adjacent problems or opportunities within the broader networking and lead generation space. Instead of focusing solely on digital business cards, consider offering a suite of tools that address other challenges faced by professionals in building and maintaining connections. For example, you could offer a tool that automatically captures leads from networking events or a platform that helps users manage their contacts and follow-up activities.
  5. Given the crowded market and low engagement with existing solutions, carefully evaluate whether this is the best use of your time and resources. Consider whether your skills and passion could be better applied to a different problem or opportunity with greater potential for success. Don't be afraid to pivot to a different idea if you're not convinced that you can offer a truly differentiated solution in the digital business card space.
  6. Based on the feedback from similar products, prioritize transparency in pricing. Clearly display the cost of your platform and any associated fees before requiring users to create an account. This will help build trust and avoid frustrating potential customers who may be hesitant to share their information without knowing the cost.
  7. Implement a specialized QR code that facilitates quicker sharing of digital business cards. Make it super easy for the person scanning the code to immediately save contact information or take a specific action, such as connecting on LinkedIn. Minimize the friction involved in sharing and saving information to improve the user experience.
  8. Since some users want to upload photos to their digital business card, make this an easy to use feature. Also prioritize real-time card updates. Ensure that changes made to a digital business card are reflected instantly across all devices and platforms. This will provide a satisfying user experience and encourage users to keep their information up-to-date.

Questions

  1. What specific, tangible benefits does your digital business card platform offer that existing solutions do not? How will you create a 'wow' factor that compels users to switch from their current method of networking and contact sharing?
  2. Given the low engagement observed in similar products, what strategies will you employ to drive sustained user activity and prevent your platform from becoming just another digital ghost town?
  3. How will you differentiate your physical NFC-enabled cards from competitors? Is there a specific design, material, or functionality that will make your cards stand out and justify a premium price point?

Your are here

The digital business card space is crowded, with about 25 similar products already out there, putting your idea squarely in the 'Swamp' category. These products aim to replace traditional paper cards with digital solutions, often using QR codes and NFC technology. While there's some positive buzz around the convenience and customization aspects, overall engagement is low, with an average of only 1 comment per product. This suggests that while the idea has some appeal, converting that interest into sustained user activity is a challenge. Since there are no positive signals on use or buy, this might mean that it's hard to get people to actually use or pay for yet another solution in this space. You'll need to offer something radically different to avoid getting bogged down in the swamp.

Recommendations

  1. Deeply research why existing digital business card solutions haven’t achieved widespread adoption. What are the pain points that users still experience? Identify the unmet needs that your platform could address in a unique and compelling way. Look at user reviews, industry articles, and competitor analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of the landscape.
  2. If you decide to move forward, focus on identifying a specific niche or user group that is currently underserved by existing digital business card platforms. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, tailor your platform to meet the specific needs and preferences of a clearly defined target audience. For example, focus on real estate agents with a CRM that integrates with your solution or designers with your API, as this might provide a better value.
  3. Instead of building yet another standalone digital business card platform, consider developing tools or integrations that enhance the functionality of existing platforms. Partner with established players in the market to offer your unique features as add-ons or extensions. This approach can provide a faster route to market and leverage the existing user base of established platforms.
  4. Explore adjacent problems or opportunities within the broader networking and lead generation space. Instead of focusing solely on digital business cards, consider offering a suite of tools that address other challenges faced by professionals in building and maintaining connections. For example, you could offer a tool that automatically captures leads from networking events or a platform that helps users manage their contacts and follow-up activities.
  5. Given the crowded market and low engagement with existing solutions, carefully evaluate whether this is the best use of your time and resources. Consider whether your skills and passion could be better applied to a different problem or opportunity with greater potential for success. Don't be afraid to pivot to a different idea if you're not convinced that you can offer a truly differentiated solution in the digital business card space.
  6. Based on the feedback from similar products, prioritize transparency in pricing. Clearly display the cost of your platform and any associated fees before requiring users to create an account. This will help build trust and avoid frustrating potential customers who may be hesitant to share their information without knowing the cost.
  7. Implement a specialized QR code that facilitates quicker sharing of digital business cards. Make it super easy for the person scanning the code to immediately save contact information or take a specific action, such as connecting on LinkedIn. Minimize the friction involved in sharing and saving information to improve the user experience.
  8. Since some users want to upload photos to their digital business card, make this an easy to use feature. Also prioritize real-time card updates. Ensure that changes made to a digital business card are reflected instantly across all devices and platforms. This will provide a satisfying user experience and encourage users to keep their information up-to-date.

Questions

  1. What specific, tangible benefits does your digital business card platform offer that existing solutions do not? How will you create a 'wow' factor that compels users to switch from their current method of networking and contact sharing?
  2. Given the low engagement observed in similar products, what strategies will you employ to drive sustained user activity and prevent your platform from becoming just another digital ghost town?
  3. How will you differentiate your physical NFC-enabled cards from competitors? Is there a specific design, material, or functionality that will make your cards stand out and justify a premium price point?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 25
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 1
  • Net use signal: 26.1%
    • Positive use signal: 26.1%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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Hey HN,I’ve been working on OneQR.me, a platform for creating digital business cards designed to replace traditional paper cards with a single, reusable NFC-enabled card. Here are some of the main features: Professional Digital Profiles: Users can create a custom profile with essential details and share it instantly via a tap of their NFC-enabled card or a QR code. Analytics for Taps and Engagement: Gain insights on how often and where your card is used. Great for tracking connections and gauging networking impact. Environmentally Friendly: Instead of printing new cards, a single reusable card reduces paper waste while making it easier to share contact info in a professional way. Customization Options: Choose from templates tailored to different industries or build a personalized style for your digital profile. Easy Sharing: Aside from NFC, profiles can be shared through QR codes, making it accessible even without an NFC-enabled phone. I’d love to get some feedback from the HN community! Feel free to try it out and let me know if you have any suggestions or questions.Thanks for checking it out!

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