Density for iOS - See how busy popular places are in real time.

@rrhoover No need to request anything from anyone with Density... no pics, no videos... An accurate count of density in real time. Hoping @andrewfarah jumps in to discuss.

@rrhoover Crowdsourcing the data was an option but it leaves out a trove of data. So we built a permanent sensor instead that gets affixed to a doorframe. It's anonymous but accurate, scooping up 10s of millions of data points every day. We analyze that and turn it into a running, real time count of places just like Philz.

@andrewfarah yes! I gathered that from the landing page. Much better solution for the use case I described. :)

@rrhoover mind if I co-opt "travel toward disappointment?" I'll give you author's cred if we ever use it in a super bowl ad :)

@andrewfarah haha, go for it!

@andrewfarah Cool product. I've been intrigued by this space for a while now & I've seen a lot of failed attempts. But this looks promising. Questions: Have you experienced any push back from merchants of popular venues more likely to have longer queues? I can see how this data would be valuable for venue-owners long-term, but initially are they afraid tools like Density will cause deflection at peak times? Also, would venues like this show 'high traffic' all the time? Thanks!

@andrewfarah how does the app find locations? Does it hook into an external API like GMaps for Foursquare? When I was searching for a place to request, I was looking for some suggested places close to my location. An attribution line a la old style instagram: ) would make me sure that the data is accurate.

@lindzora That's a really good question. Couple things. - Merchants have pretty crazy peaks and valleys; super busy for an hour then really quiet. They've told us they'd prefer a more even distribution throughout the day. Something we can do. - Coupa Cafe, one of our locations, actually asked for the "reverse Density" for his managers. They want notifications when Coupa is swamped so they know to put more people on the floor and address the line faster. A sort of on-demand staffing. - Loyal customers are loyal regardless. They just want to know the best time to show up. In fact, many times, they already know anecdotally. @rrhoover and Philz Golden Gate is a great example. I'm sure you probably have a place or two like that as well. - re: High Traffic, Even with the most popular places, like Blue Bottle Coffee, there is always a slow time. And certain days are dramatically different from others. Personally, I'd actually like to see this in places I hate going to as well... like the DMV.

@cbeck527 Welp... we should probably do attribution. Thanks for that! We backfill locations using Foursquare. And then when someone requests a location with that fun "slide to request" bit we store the location data ourselves and keep a running tally of how many votes for a place there have been. The cool thing is... this sort-of-straightforward / really simple feature does three things: 1. It identifies which locations we should target next. 2. Demonstrates to a merchant there's actual demand for Density. In other words, how many existing customers would be made happy by installing us. 3. When a "requested location" comes online, we notify those who asked for it. Making them smile and driving engagement.

@lindzora @rrhoover @andrewfarah Congrats, really interesting idea. I like the "reverse Density" idea in particular, I think it could play really well with ShopKeep. Have you looked in integrating with any Point of Sale?

@kevinace Sorry man. Gotta think big and start small.

@kevinace "hate geo-limited launches" interesting, care to elaborate? Geo-limited (i.e. scarcity) is a proven way to properly market products/services.

@andrewfarah I absolutely get it. Just frustrating as a user (in Ohio) that is rarely able to use new products. I only get to drool.

@mbesto I'm in Ohio. It's frustrating to never have the ability to be an early adopter because most products tend to launch/pilot only in SF, LA, NYC, etc. As a business owner, I understand the reason for limited launches. As a user, I hate it.

@kevinace I will personally come to Ohio and do the installs myself, if you can create the demand. Not to mention, @jtriest, @BrettdeM and @blakeir are close to there. It'll give me a reason to swing by and say hello.

@bilb02 my thoughts as well.

@bilb02 @adamarice First off... [passes mic to @jordanmessina]

@bilb02 @adamarice @andrewfarah https://vine.co/v/OeuEvbDrmpl

@bilb02 @andrewfarah @jordanmessina haha, I don't mean it *can't* work, just wondering how you guys are addressing the scalability issue.

@bilb02 @adamarice More seriously.. First, if we were the only ones doing the distribution, you're absolutely right. Too big a sales job. Too many people doing cold calls. Not sustainable or scalable (unless you can do magic like @wileycerilli...) There are others with both a vested interest in the data and a pre-established network. Second, if @JacobJaber and @PhilzCoffee were the ONLY ones to adopt this, it would be immediately relevant to @rrhoover @hunterwalk and thousands of others. In other words, I don't think you need mass scale to be relevant. You need relevant locations to be relevant. Third, smartphone tracking without a user's consent is dying http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/09/io...

@jason Literally from upstate new york :). FWIW, Density wouldn't exist without @jtriest, @jason, @brettdem, @ClarkValberg, @Billy_Draper and our 65 other amazing investors.

@rahulc_23 There was a lot of debate on this. Notifications were the entire first version of the app. We didn't show real time at all. We'd notify you when it was quiet. They are still a primary part of the system but we decided we'd rather get the sign up over with initially than block a primary function with a login screen. @benredfield and @jordanmessina might have some good commentary on this.

@benredfield @jordanmessina @andrewfarah Thanks. Not sure I understand the connection between real time traffic & sing-up. For me, I would have left at signup screen if I hadn't seen 300+ votes here. Is this just me? :)

@benredfield @jordanmessina @rahulc_23 Notifications was the justification for sign up. It was the only function in the first version of the application.

@benredfield @jordanmessina @andrewfarah Thanks and good luck!

@rahulc_23 I run design at Density with @kyle_ohara. If for no other reason, requiring it gives us a feedback loop. We felt that user accounts would make it easy for us to track usage and actively reach out to those using our solution for this problem. As opposed to just passively accepting critique. I guess we hope we're building something that creates enough value in people's lives that they'd be willing to contribute to the problem—a fair trade of sorts. But, shit, we totally understand and expect people to be turned off by sign-ups. Just curious, what's your beef with them?

@cbeck527 So many plans to expand... :). And we'll do so faster if you start requesting places in NYC!

@andrewfarah done and done :)

@talantorriero The cool thing about bars is that the data could be used in another way. Users looking for a trending place instead of a quiet one.

@andrewfarah This is a HUGE idea! So happy you guys are tackling it. Best of luck.

@maxwellfinn That's a totally fair trade. Can you make a t-shirt that just say "startup" across the front?

@maxwellfinn t-shirt "I was #2 on Product Hunt :)" @rrhoover

@andrewfarah we can definitely do that. Any color preference? We could make your team exclusive ones for Density also. "Geolocation Ninjas. Density!"

@jdcarlu haha I think it should say "#2 to Density on Product Hunt!"

@jdcarlu @maxwellfinn That would be an amazing t-shirt. #17 on Product Hunt [date]

@ericjorgenson What you haven't mentioned is the integral role you continue to play by peeking out the @Zaarly windows on our behalf... https://twitter.com/andrewfarah/...