Ask HN: Where to Run a User Survey?

[bindd]

We are planning our first implementation (proof of concept) but need to validate our idea for a healthcare startup before beginning work. The problem is we don’t have any users yet.

Can you recommend where we could run potential user surveys to get feedback on the idea? We’re looking to avoid spam and are seeking earnest users to generally understand the pain points of the general public.

We’re not averse to paying a small amount to compensate the users for their time.

[yemi_cortez]

Validation is such a critical (and tricky) phase—especially in healthcare where trust matters. A few places I’ve seen work for similar startups:

Reddit micro-communities (e.g., r/ChronicIllness or r/HealthTech) if you frame it as a discussion vs. a survey.

UserInterviews.com (paid, but high-quality respondents).

Local clinics/hospitals sometimes allow flyers for patient feedback (old-school but effective).

Side note: I’m a copywriter who specializes in healthcare + early-stage messaging, happy to brainstorm phrasing for your survey if it helps boost responses. (No pitch, just free advice!)

[blurr]

Reddit - Try different subreddits. Check posting rules.

Slack/Discord groups - Look for communities in healthcare technology or startup study group.

Facebook groups

Survey/Interview sites - https://www.userinterviews.com/, https://www.respondent.io/ etc.

Offer gift cards or early access as a thank-you.

[mmarian]

No one's going to bother with a free survey; make it paid, and you'll attract some people, but unlikely to be your target audience.

Just post one question at a time on the forum where your targets are. Or, even better, make a relevant statement that they're likely to correct with an answer that you're looking for - Cunningham's Law :)

[grxar]

Google ads maybe?