ForumsQuestionsIs there a new UI on the way?


Is there a new UI on the way?
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sebastianmaguire

Posted: Sep 16, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
This is a really important question for me. I find the user interface just horrible, plain horrible. So much clutter that can't really be hidden away (eg can't edit the status' or hide some from view and the horrid horizontal toolbars. I have changed settings for a year now and can't get a clean interface out of the application. In my humble opinion a major overhaul is required of the UI. Look at Nozbe for inspiration.

Thanks

Sebastian
Vin Thomas

Posted: Sep 16, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Sebastian,

This isn't the first time this has been brought up. I think there is a lot to be wanted in the design, but Toodledo does make up for it in functionality (maybe Nozbe should look to TD for inspiration).

There are several userscripts that have been made to help with the issue. I have one at http://j.mp/toodledo2

If you are looking to hide some of the fields, you can do that from within your "Account Settings".

Hope this gives you a glimmer of hope. Toodledo is really a great app, and is worth using in spite of the UI.

PS. I don't know if I would look to Nozbe for design inspiration. I would look at something like Things, Todoist, or Checkvist. SIMPLE IS GOOD!
Lance

Posted: Sep 16, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
I find it hard to understand your criticism without an explanation of how you use Toodledo. I would ask if you manage folders as projects, with tasks and subtasks? If so, then I would agree. I use GTD and have about 100 projects and somedays/maybes. A horizontal list of folders is inefficient for me. A vertical format which lists all your folders on one side is a more economical use of screen real estate.

However, if you use folders for major sub-divisions such as one for Projects-Work, Projects-Home, Someday/Maybe, etc. then I think the GUI is pretty good. With only 4 or five folders across the top, project as task, and each task of a project as a subtask, I think it works well.

I'm a Remember the Milk convert. While their GUI is very clean, it did not do what I wanted it to do for me. I needed at least one layer of subtasks. And I didn't want to spend a lot of time up-front with a system that required me to put characters in front of my Projects to separate them from my tasks, and a bunch of other similar crazyness. I also, tried Nozbe as well. Didn't like it either.

However, I have been with Toodledo for almost a year now. And for someone with a crazy addiction to productivity systems and ADD, I think I have found a system that is structured enough to help me keep my ADD in check, but flexible enough to bend it just the way I like it.

But the one thing that puts Toodledo over the top for me, and beats the competition hands down is their attitude towards their customers. Toodledo understand the, "Voice of the customer" concept and their customer service exemplifies this. RTM simply doesn't get it, and Nozbe is always making excuses (they stopped allowing searches in their forums, makes me think they have something to hide). I firmly believe that given two products, the one with consistent superior customer service (even if priced a little higher and/or slightly more attractive) will win in the long run.

If you don't mind, explain how you use Toodledo. It helps the developer understand where your coming from. This will benefit everyone. And there are a lot of smart people who hang around these message boards (Anders and Proximo come first to my mind) who just might be able to give you a suggestion on how to trick out your system to make it work for you.
Proximo

Posted: Sep 17, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by Vin Thomas:
Sebastian,

This isn't the first time this has been brought up. I think there is a lot to be wanted in the design, but Toodledo does make up for it in functionality (maybe Nozbe should look to TD for inspiration).

There are several userscripts that have been made to help with the issue. I have one at http://j.mp/toodledo2

If you are looking to hide some of the fields, you can do that from within your "Account Settings".

Hope this gives you a glimmer of hope. Toodledo is really a great app, and is worth using in spite of the UI.

PS. I don't know if I would look to Nozbe for design inspiration. I would look at something like Things, Todoist, or Checkvist. SIMPLE IS GOOD!


Vin,

I think if Toodledo looked a Nozbe for inspiration on the GUI, many of use would be excited. To think that Nozbe would change to add the options Toodledo has is probably never going to happen. Poor support.

Vitalist is also better in the GUI department than Toodledo, but that's just my opinion I Guess. If Vitalist would add the features Toodledo has, they will have a great product.

For now I stick with Toodledo because it's the overall best choice for me, even if I also hate the GUI.
sebastianmaguire

Posted: Sep 18, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Hi everyone, thank you for your replies. I do use Toodledo for GTD with a primary focus on Status buckets for my opening screen but I want my settings to allow me to display only 4 possible status options instead of 10 and this really bugs me ( & I don't want to use tags for Status).
I am also a Pro user of RTM and I prefer some aspects of their cleaner looking UI as well as their offline functionality with gears ( not avaiable with Toodledo). Also, their iPhone app is great and they have just created an android app ( am hoping to make that leap to android soon). On the other hand I agree that their customer service is pretty bad and their future plans and functionality updates are not user led. The lack of subtasks really bugs me but if they were to add subtasks then they would be the clear winners for me at the moment.
All that being said, the recently updated Nozbe UI is beautiful and the uncluttered screen looks a treat compared with Toodledo that reminds me of an excel spreadsheet with a header at the top and a margin down the side. I have tried Vitalist, things, omnifocus etc. pretty much all of them but none match my main wants:

1. Web app, android app, iPhone app, desktop & offline functionality.
2. Gtd focused with projects as subtasks, contexts, statuses, re-occuring tasks and reminders, sharing ability and calendar support.
3. Simple uncluttered UI suitable with window pane structure and tabs suitable for future touchscreen desktoping.
4. Sync to google tasks once their Api is released.


That's it. I am of course secretly hoping google tasks gets labels/tags, re-occuring tasks/reminders and gears access.
(p.s. In Toodledo I use subtasks for Projects and folders for areas of focus.)
Thoughts?

Thanks

Sebastian
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