readfa.st
Learning and science
speed reading training
SHOW HN2011
46points
27comments
#268of 1,097 in 2011
Top 25%of 2011 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
5 positive, 8 neutral or asking, 3 mixed, 7 critical, out of 23 comments about the project. Thread score -0.09.
Design: 2 for, 3 againstIdea: 1 for, 2 againstDocs: 0 for, 2 againstPricing: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Good execution and easy onboarding
From 2 comments
Nice execution! I like the badges and WPM counter on the right, and it steps you nicely into using it.
ladon86 on HNI wouldn't change a thing. This is awesome. I will be using this to consistently improve my language. With the amount of content I read online, improving a skill at the same time…
josh33 on HN
Useful and worth using to improve reading speed
From 3 comments
I would pay between 5-10 usd/month to see my speed increase. I think I am going to be using this tool a lot if it works.
rokhayakebe on HNI wouldn't change a thing. This is awesome. I will be using this to consistently improve my language. With the amount of content I read online, improving a skill at the same time…
josh33 on HNGood stuff. It is the first Show HN site that I actually bookmarked for later. It is well-done and it is interesting. A couple of things though. Requiring an email address…
huhtenberg on HN
Works well on mobile
From 1 comment
Works on my iPhone, way to go, the screen size is a little nit of a problem but the site runs smoothly.
creativeone on HN
Objections
Signup wall hides what the product does
From 5 comments
Your site tells me absolutely nothing about the product without requiring me to sign up. Consequently, I did not sign up.
avree on HNAgreed... You need a video, a tour, or a how it works section. I'm not signing myself up for anything without a clue of what it does or how it works.
bherms on HNI agree also, you really need a lot more information up front to tell people what the service actually does. Especially for a service like this, I don't see a lot of value hiding…
athst on HN15 years into the web and still we see new sites coming out with the "Go Away" pattern. I just don't understand it. If a potential user has somehow managed to find his way onto…
jasonkester on HNNice idea! A couple of suggestions: 1) Make the quizzes shorter than 2 minutes. 2) As avree and bherms suggested, you need an intro. before the sign-up. I'm just an impulsive…
lpnotes on HN
Scientific basis for the curriculum is unclear
From 2 comments
Hey guys, great idea, but your method seems off from most of the speed reading courses I've found. Whereas those courses focus on training you to not just read individual words,…
SkyMarshal on HNThis site is fundamentally flawed. The key to fast reading is learning to read phrases rather than words. It is the same concept as reading words instead of letters (obviously…
ftwinnovations on HN
Email signup invites throwaway addresses
From 1 comment
Good stuff. It is the first Show HN site that I actually bookmarked for later. It is well-done and it is interesting. A couple of things though. Requiring an email address…
huhtenberg on HN
Not innovative
From 1 comment
That's not innovative at all.
rorrr on HN
Requests
Import PDFs, books, or web pages to read
From 4 comments
Awesome app! I'd actually enjoy reading regular books like this. Can I upload PDFs to have read to me at my speed of choice? If you could access my kindle library that be even…
creativeone on HNNice app. Any way to integrate the bookmarklet on online pdfs files ? or import the contents of .pdf to readfa.st?
tagnu_ on HNYea I see what you mean about spreeder.com. I think what makes it so fast is that I don't have to move my eye across the page in what I think are called 'saccades'. I imagine an…
johnwatson11218 on HNI have also wanted to do this, or have a link to pull in titles from project gutenberg.
johnwatson11218 on HN
Add an intro or video before signup
From 3 comments
Agreed... You need a video, a tour, or a how it works section. I'm not signing myself up for anything without a clue of what it does or how it works.
bherms on HNNice idea! A couple of suggestions: 1) Make the quizzes shorter than 2 minutes. 2) As avree and bherms suggested, you need an intro. before the sign-up. I'm just an impulsive…
lpnotes on HNGood feedback on the sign-up sheet. We've cobbled together a brief video explanation of the site - let me know what you think!
sashakatsnelson on HN
Publish research findings on reading speed
From 1 comment
Hey guys, great idea, but your method seems off from most of the speed reading courses I've found. Whereas those courses focus on training you to not just read individual words,…
SkyMarshal on HN
Shorter quizzes
From 2 comments
Nice idea! A couple of suggestions: 1) Make the quizzes shorter than 2 minutes. 2) As avree and bherms suggested, you need an intro. before the sign-up. I'm just an impulsive…
lpnotes on HNThat's a good point on the quizzes - we've added logic to choose quizzes that are more reasonable in length (going for 90 seconds for now and we'll see how it affects use).
sashakatsnelson on HN
Questions
What speed-reading curriculum the exercises are based on
From 1 comment
Hey guys, great idea, but your method seems off from most of the speed reading courses I've found. Whereas those courses focus on training you to not just read individual words,…
SkyMarshal on HN
Why the quiz WPM differs from the reported speed
From 2 comments
Hey guys, great idea, but your method seems off from most of the speed reading courses I've found. Whereas those courses focus on training you to not just read individual words,…
SkyMarshal on HNThe exercises we looked at were everything from the index-card/finger and stop-watch to flashing words all-around the screen. Based on the small bits of data available and the…
sashakatsnelson on HN
How the product will be monetized
From 1 comment
I wouldn't change a thing. This is awesome. I will be using this to consistently improve my language. With the amount of content I read online, improving a skill at the same time…
josh33 on HN
Alternatives named
ZapReader
From 1 comment
Every time the topic of speed reading comes up I post about http://www.zapreader.com/ This javascript site parses a whole lot of text and displays it at a fixed location very…
johnwatson11218 on HN
Spreeder
From 1 comment
Another site, similar to ZapReader is spreeder.com. Sites like these offer a really spartan reading experience, but on top of a proven curriculum/methodology. They were a big…
sashakatsnelson on HN
ReadSpeeder
From 1 comment
This site is fundamentally flawed. The key to fast reading is learning to read phrases rather than words. It is the same concept as reading words instead of letters (obviously…
ftwinnovations on HN