Building a clean alternative to a cluttered deals website
A developer launched a new UK deals site without ads to replace a popular service that users find too profit-driven. It shows how solo founders can win by focusing on simplicity.
Large websites often become worse over time as they prioritize ads and profit over user experience. This process is known as enshittification. The creator of this project noticed that the UK's biggest deals site was frustrating its community with too many ads. By removing all ads and focusing on what users actually want, they are trying to win over the old site's audience. This demonstrates that solo entrepreneurs can find success by offering cleaner versions of services that have become too corporate.
Key points
- Created an ad-free version of a popular UK deals community
- Focused on user experience instead of maximizing ad revenue
- Identified a gap left by a market leader losing user trust
- Shows that solving a common frustration can be a valid business model
Quick term guide
- Elo
- A number that represents how skilled a player is in competitive games — it goes up with wins and down with losses.
- founder
- A person who starts a new company or project.
- user experience
- How easy and pleasant it is for a person to use a product.
- enshittification
- The process where an online service becomes worse for users in order to make more money for the company.
- Lean
- Software that rigorously checks whether a mathematical proof is logically correct.
- IDE
- A software tool that combines a code editor, a way to run code, and error checking all in one app.
- business
- An activity where you provide value to others in exchange for money.
- mod
- A fan-made file that modifies a game to change graphics, controls, or other features.