ForumsNewsProgress Report - January 2015
Progress Report - January 2015
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Jake Toodledo Founder |
Continuing on our new progress report idea, here is what we worked on last month:
==Web== +Habits can now accept decimal numbers as values when logging a habit. +Fixed a bug where Safari could not copy/paste text in the Lists section +Updated our logo to a slightly more refined design. +Working to get the various sections of Toodledo to be independent so that if one section experiences problems the other sections can stay running. +Redesigned the Collaboration Tools section to be consistent with our new design. +Fixed some small bugs with the forums related to the recent redesign +The Habits section now obeys your account settings with regard to the first day of the week (Sun/Mon) +Improved many pages on Toodledo when viewed from a mobile device +Continued to improve our internal building/testing/deploying tools +Fixing a small issue with 2-step auth +Redesigned the Settings section. +Added an “action menu” to Habits that allows you to delete, clone and print habits. +Fixed bugs with Habits on older browsers +Added “Suggested Habits” to Habits dashboard +Fixed various minor issues with Habits +Redesigned the Organize section (folders, contexts, goals, locations). This was a big one. +Fixed a bug where the “Always use SSL” account setting wasn’t taking effect until you signed out and back in. +Worked around a bug with Google Calendar syncing tasks with the wrong time. +Worked on redesigning the top navigation area of Toodledo.com so that it is responsive and adheres to our new design. This was a big one. +Added option for task alarms to be set to go to “3rd party apps” only. +Worked on a caching layer for the tasks section to speed up page loads and releave some stress on the database. +Fixed a bug where a number habit could not be unset after it was set. +Worked on a feature where Habits can now be intentionally failed so it gets removed from your inbox. +Added collapsible dividers to the Habits sidebar +Redesigned the public sharing and scheduler pages +Fixed a bug with making a saved search for “repeats by other” +Added Habits to Toodledo’s Backup/Restore tool +Redesigned the landing page for Lists and Outlines +Planned initial stage of redesign for major sections (tasks, notes, lists, outlines) +Improved visuals and usability for new functionality in Habits +Storyboard for Habits promotional video +Redesigned the Subscription/Payment pages +Began transforming rough style guide into official pattern library +Continued research and exploration for re-brand +Began first stages of usability testing and user feedback ==Android== +Finalized Android app first stage redesign plans +Fixed a bug where “no access token” error was sometimes appearing when syncing +Remembering the last view visited +Made significant progress towards a “Material Design” redesign of the app. +Prepared a new release of Habits for Android ==iOS== +Fixed bug with Dates/Timezones showing some tasks in the wrong sections +Prepared a new release of Habits for iOS +Added Habits as an option for the “Start Page” setting +Finalized iOS app first stage redesign plans +Made progress on Lists for iOS +Fixed bug where the sync progress bar could disappear before sync was actually complete +Worked on Apple Watch app +Cleaned up the “iOS8 Today Widget” +Stability improvements +Improvements to internal continuous integration tools +Fixed syncing issues with a large number tasks. +Disabled sync related fields and buttons during a sync. +Improved syncing perfromance. +Fixed issue with saved searches and “with parent” +Fixed issue with saved search and “today” and “tomorrow” +Added more testing for tasks and syncing. +Fixed clearing badge count after a purge. +Fixed various date calculations and use of GMT vs. Local time. +Fixed issue with updating alarms after a full sync. +Made significant progress towards a redesign of the app (some of the items mentioned above have not been released yet) |
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coolexplorer |
Jake, lot of work being done at a good pace and that is very heartening. Lot of effort on the UI (cheers!!) and Habits (expected since it is a new launch with features being developed/corrected).
I Look forward in future months to emphasis on the core USP i.e. Task Management Functionality eg. (1) Sequential Sorting of tasks (2) Task Multi-select (3) Sub-sub tasks ?? (4) Tag improvement (5) Visible Logical Connection of Goal--> Project--> Task (6) Tight Google Calendar integration (7) Optional TD calendar with Month, Week at a glance task entries (8) Task count for Custom Views (9) Make the Status field customizable or add an additional User customizable field, etc. Some of these are long standing requests from your most ardent users who love TD. This message was edited Feb 02, 2015. |
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creinhard |
Just curious -
"Continued research and exploration for re-brand" What does this mean? (gulp) Chris |
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Jake Toodledo Founder |
I think "re-brand" may have been the wrong word. "re-design of our logo" is more accurate.
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Widaker |
Posted by coolexplorer:
Jake, lot of work being done at a good pace and that is very heartening. Lot of effort on the UI (cheers!!) and Habits (expected since it is a new launch with features being developed/corrected). I Look forward in future months to emphasis on the core USP i.e. Task Management Functionality eg. (1) Sequential Sorting of tasks (2) Task Multi-select (3) Sub-sub tasks ?? (4) Tag improvement (5) Visible Logical Connection of Goal--> Project--> Task (6) Tight Google Calendar integration (7) Optional TD calendar with Month, Week at a glance task entries (8) Task count for Custom Views (9) Make the Status field customizable or add an additional User customizable field, etc. Some of these are long standing requests from your most ardent users who love TD. +1 and I would like to add to the list (0) including saved searches in mobile apps. I am a big fan of Toodledo and use it every single day. Kudos to the development team and the efforts they're putting in. And I love the fact that you guys communicate so openly and interact with the users a lot. But it frustrates me that you're putting so much resources in the habits section, while the improvement of Toodledo's core features, i.e. task management, seems to be lost somewhere on a lower priority list. I see from the progress report that you've been working on a new release for the habits section on Android and iOS, while saved searches (the native Toodledo environment for a lot of users) are still not available on mobile even in spite of several users requests. And TBH, I don't think Toodledo profits from having a habits section. It shouldn't even have one IMHO. It's a kickass best-of-its-kind task management tool, but if you want a habit tracking tool there are already a lot of better alternatives such as HabitRPG, HabitBull, etc. The same goes for the notes section for that matter (though to a lesser extent): being able to add some info to a task is useful, but if I want to include more info than just some plain text or manage entire notebooks, I'll switch to Evernote or OneNote or the likes. I would put my money on integration, not expansion. Like what you guys already did for IFTTT's Toodledo channel - great work! Or you could integrate Evernote notes into Toodledo tasks better, or make it possible to incorporate Toodledo completion stats into HabitRPG, etc. People don't want a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none task-note-list-habit management tool. They want core functionality. Very extensive, highly flexible core functionality that is easily integrated into other (core functionality) tools. But in the end still core functionality. Just my 2 cents of course :-) This message was edited Feb 04, 2015. |
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natgross |
Although Habits is nice, I am afraid it is diverting important resources from the core product.
There are many many important improvements required in the ui, as well as functionality (this software is in the majors), but the one feature missing that I really need, is multiple contexts per task. |
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Widaker |
Posted by gggarrett:
Posted by Widaker: "And TBH, I don't think Toodledo profits from having a habits section. It shouldn't even have one IMHO. It's a kickass best-of-its-kind task management tool, but if you want a habit tracking tool there are already a lot of better alternatives such as HabitRPG, HabitBull, etc. The same goes for the notes section for that matter (though to a lesser extent): being able to add some info to a task is useful, but if I want to include more info than just some plain text or manage entire notebooks, I'll switch to Evernote or OneNote or the likes." I have to disagree with Widaker. The Notes section is one of the best things about Toodledo, and it made me into an everyday user and subscriber. The notes are available offline, are easy to sort, and search works well. Evernote requires a subscription to be used offline (my iPad relies on WiFi), and it is overkill for the plain text notes that I like to take. In my view, the notes section is a distinguishing feature that makes Toodledo far better than the other task management apps out there. Outlines, Lists, and Habits I could live without, but not the Notes. I can see where you're coming from concerning Evernote being overkill, I also prefer simple plain text notes for most tasks. But if plain text is really all you need, then I don't understand why you would use the Notes section instead of just the note field already included for each task (which is great). The Notes section is intended to serve as a general note-taking tool, for storing things like business plan drafts, recipes, quote collections, etc. This encompasses a lot more than purely task-related things - as a note-taking tool should, since most of an average person's notes are not directly linked to tasks. But I don't want to use Toodledo for general note-taking. There are other services that are far better suited for this, like Evernote or OneNote. Trying to compete against these services with Toodledo's Notes section is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Of course not everyone uses Toodledo in the same way, so I understand that different things might be useful for different users. And the Notes and Habits sections perhaps do have their merits when you look at usage statistics. But if you're serious about note-taking or habit-tracking, you'll already be using different tools for that. Dedicated tools for both of them, like Toodledo is for task management. It's like when you're buying a car: You want a car that drives well, feels comfortable, doesn't make too much noise, or has whatever car specs you care about. But you don't want a car with blades underneath it that you can also use to mow your lawn. You just get a lawn mower for that. Yes, a car and a lawn mower seem to be related to each other in the sense that they both have four wheels and an engine, so it might seem to make sense to put the blades underneath the car to get the combo system. But do you really want to maneuver your car through your garden? Silly analogy of course, but seriously: I think it's a pity that so much effort is invested in non-core functionality. And you also see it in the other direction BTW: habit tracking tools and note-taking apps implementing to-do lists and reminder features. I wish you guys would all talk to one another a bit more, trying to mutually integrate each other's services. This message was edited Feb 04, 2015. |
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aromweis |
I would share the concern that new bells and whistles are stealing resources from core development. On Android, I really hope that "Made significant progress towards a “Material Design” redesign of the app." means that the bug where repeating subtasks *do not work at all* is going to be fixed soon. The workaround described in a reply to my bug report does not fix the problem at all. All I am told is that it is on the list of items to be fixed.
I am now actively looking for another Android app because this is a deal breaker for me. Please don't make the mistake of doing lots of things 75% well instead of doing a few things 100% well. |
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shelbyp |
Posted by natgross:
Although Habits is nice, I am afraid it is diverting important resources from the core product. There are many many important improvements required in the ui, as well as functionality (this software is in the majors), but the one feature missing that I really need, is multiple contexts per task. Well I think many who are active in the Habits section and discussions would disagree... Habits is a core part of GTD and therefore a key tool and part of the "core product". Since Toodledo has added Outlines and Habits, I actually have most of my tasks and GTD workflow in these sections and not in the original "Tasks" section. I think the issue is more around what you are using TD for. People who are using it in the context of larger project management will obviously want more features in the tasks section. However for the numerous other people who use the tool for either small projects or personal GTD, Habits and outlines are extremely powerful and potentially more useful then tasks (Lists for others certainly, but I don't use them). In order for Toodledo to be suitable for larger projects I would need dependencies, Gannt, charts to model progress (burn down charts), and for projects which include a strong link to the source control repository to monitor progress, bug tracking etc. JIRA (by Atlassian) is by far my favorite tool in this context, which has all that and much more either in the core product or plugins and is cheap for the feature set. It is unlikely that TD will compete with that level of sophistication any time soon in the tasks section. This message was edited Feb 07, 2015. |
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trainerandcoach |
Habits, lists and notes adds to the functionality of Toodledo for many of us... I could potentially stop using Evernote, a very good program but just another extra step. So, although I understand others' needs, it is excellent for me and I'm guessing at least another group of people trying to be as effective as possible in the most efficient way. Thank you.
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DSM_2 |
Can you enumerate what functionality Notes in TD provides you above and beyond what you might get from having (say) a list of URLs that pointed to your Evernote notes as needed?
Point being, let Evernote do the note taking functionality which it seems to be doing very well. Integrate that capability into TD through the TD API and IFTTT. Let Toodledo focus on the core of task management like: 1. Task chains or dependencies 2. Multi-level parent/child tasks 3. Arbitrary task relationships (DAGs) 4. Scriptable status changes (TaskB becomes Next when TaskA is Done, etc.) 5. Status changes based on other variables These would make Toodledo a task management system that is head and shoulders above what is out there today. |
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AA |
Posted by shelbyp:
Well I think many who are active in the Habits section and discussions would disagree... Habits is a core part of GTD and therefore a key tool and part of the "core product". I absolutely agree. Toodledo Habits have been a revelation for me, starting from Day 1 last month (New Year's Day). I now wonder how I could ever live without them. ;-) (I used to track my habits using a self-made Excel sheet, but this is so much better!) Habits are anything but "bells & whistles" to me; they've become just as crucial to me at this point as the Tasks section itself. (And definitely more important than the Notes section, although that one is indispensable as well.) :-) This message was edited Feb 11, 2015. |
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garyo |
Posted by shelbyp:
Posted by natgross: Although Habits is nice, I am afraid it is diverting important resources from the core product. ... I think the issue is more around what you are using TD for. People who are using it in the context of larger project management will obviously want more features in the tasks section. However for the numerous other people who use the tool for either small projects or personal GTD, Habits and outlines are extremely powerful and potentially more useful then tasks... For me, it's got nothing to do with larger project management. I just am frustrated daily with simple things like no batch editing. Just yesterday I had a bunch (about 25) of sub-tasks, and realized I should make a context for them and move them to that context. Once I thought about having to go to each one, change its context, and make it not a sub-task... well I just gave up. So yeah, seeing TD implement new features, then have to fix the inevitable bugs in them and respond to feature requests there, while leaving what seem to me like holes in the main workflow, seems like diverting important resources. As a software engineer, my mantra is always bug fixes before new features. I get that not everyone works that way though, or maybe I'm the only one who's annoyed by all these little problems. TD is still head & shoulders above anything else. |
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coolexplorer |
Posted by garyo:
Although Habits is nice, I am afraid it is diverting important resources from the core product. For me, it's got nothing to do with larger project management. I just am frustrated daily with simple things like no batch editing. Just yesterday I had a bunch (about 25) of sub-tasks, and realized I should make a context for them and move them to that context. Once I thought about having to go to each one, change its context, and make it not a sub-task... well I just gave up. So yeah, seeing TD implement new features, then have to fix the inevitable bugs in them and respond to feature requests there, while leaving what seem to me like holes in the main workflow, seems like diverting important resources. As a software engineer, my mantra is always bug fixes before new features. I get that not everyone works that way though, or maybe I'm the only one who's annoyed by all these little problems. TD is still head & shoulders above anything else. +1 Strengthen TDs Task Manager features and capabilities Please. I (and others are) constantly on the search for the "best Task Manager". You are ahead but the competition is nipping at your heels. |
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AA |
Posted by coolexplorer:
+1 Strengthen TDs Task Manager features and capabilities Please. I (and others are) constantly on the search for the "best Task Manager". You are ahead but the competition is nipping at your heels. I admit that, much as I love the new Habits feature and find it essential for me by now, I'm disappointed that Toodledo as a top-of-the-line task manager makes it impossible to set up some elementary task recurrence patterns, such as "every last day of a month", "every first weekday in a month", "every last weekend day in a month", or "every year on second Tuesday in October". (These will be relevant for non-everyday Habits, too!) That's a glaring functionality gap to me. I believe Outlook made such recurrence patterns possible back in the 1990s. It would definitely be nice to see these missing, basic task recurrence options added before brand-new functionality is added to Toodledo or its design is tweaked. Currently, the help file says this for monthly recurrence patterns: Monthly: It will repeat on the same day of the month (eg., every 16th). It is important to note that if you repeat a monthly task on the 30th or 31st, it will skip over months that do not have that date. For example, a monthly task due on Jan 31 will skip to March 31st because there is no Feb 31st. If you need to repeat a task at the end of the month, we recommend having it due on the 1st of the following month with a 1 day reminder or start-date. Can it get any more inconvenient and convoluted than this? :-( I'm sorry, but I just don't wish to set up a last-day-of-the-month task for the first day of the following month with a reminder 24 hours ahead of the task. Those are two completely different things to me. Because February only has (mostly) 28 days, I now need to schedule all tasks really meant to be last-day-of-the-month tasks for Day 28 in Toodledo, so that no month is skipped. That is far from satisfactory and from what one would expect from a first-class task manager. This message was edited Feb 16, 2015. |
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msucorey |
Really encouraged by how much more powerful this app has become - signals a committed team and builds trust as a long term solution.
Habits is a keeper - this is helping me roll up a lot of stuff I had scattered around on various other trackers...to include mundane things of a paper log nature. Outlines is great - I'm finally able to divest from WorkFlowy which I was having to manually back up since I wasn't a paid subscriber. Interested to see where Evernote integration goes. Nozbe and Swipes are both still finding their way here...and stumbling a bit at times...looks like Toodledo has the vision and horsepower, though. |
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