We build apps/services for the healthcare space. Passwords are the numero uno cause of friction for healthcare users - but not for healthcare staff. We've experimented with a few password alternatives but haven't landed on any that:
- Don't force users to take a second step after they've entered some identity information in the first step.
- Is HIPAA compliant. There's no specific requirement for passwords but the security standards are very high; need to be audit proof.
My sense is a bioID is where we're headed. This year feels like the beginning of the end of the password era.
One of our startups is in a tough, low tech. market [in the USA]. On a tight budget we had to deliver robust SMS based features fast to meet customer expectations. It would have sucked the ocean to build Twilio's stack from scratch then use it hoping we got it right the first time. As someone else said: "the most enjoyable developer experience of any api I've ever used" is why we signed up and haven't looked back.
This "Most restaurants are largely unwilling or unable to provide a well-executed delivery service. I'm more than happy to pay an additional gratuity for the logistical system these delivery-services add." is why there's still significant headroom in the space; to invest and drive more efficiencies. It's like my pals in the digital ad space who talk about 8% as the best conversion rate they can achieve.
Facebook, Instagram [and any similar VC backed company] are not targeting the 1%. Quite the opposite. Mass human scale adoption is their goal. And once this is achieved then their biz models get very interesting. I do hope there is a significant shift towards social impact ventures. This is where some of the hardest challenges are.