ForumsNewsToodledo Redesign Plans
Toodledo Redesign Plans
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Jake Toodledo Founder |
I'd like to introduce the newest member of the Toodledo team. Bridget is our new Interaction Designer who will be helping us redesign and improve Toodledo across all of our products. She has a strong background in ID and UX design and has already done some great work for us over the last few months, which we are getting ready to release.
We know that people are familiar with the way Toodledo currently works, so we aren't going to make any sudden big changes. We'll make changes in a bunch of small phases (baby steps) to avoid disrupting anyone's productivity by making the website less familiar. Any changes that we make will be careful and thoughtful. Our goal is to make Toodledo easier to use and more efficient. Our plan may change as we progress, but here is our current roadmap. Phase 1: Redesign the home page for new non-Toodledo users. Because new customers do not have any expectations about Toodledo, this is safe place to start. It will set in place our design patterns and give us a template for future work. We will keep the top of the page (logo, sign in button, etc) similar to our current look so that returning customers will recognize Toodledo and know where to sign in. Phase 2: Redesign top/bottom navigation for registered users. This is the light blue section at the top and bottom of the page. We will update these sections to make them a little cleaner, but the functionality will not change much. Phase 3: Internal support pages. We will redesign the internals of the secondary pages on Toodledo. This includes things like the settings section, the forums, help pages, tools, etc. The goal here is to make all the secondary pages easier to use and consistently designed. Phase 4: Tasks section facelift. We won't be moving anything around or changing functionality yet. We will just be updating the look and feel to make it cleaner and consistent with the rest of the site design. Future phases have yet to be defined, but will include the Notes, Outlines and Lists sections as well as our iOS and Android apps. Please welcome Bridget to Toodledo and feel free to give us your feedback and suggestions about what you would like to see refined and improved. Thanks, Jake |
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Bridget K |
Hi Toodledo users,
As mentioned above my name is Bridget and I will be taking on the roll of Visual and Interaction Design. I am happy to be joining the team and I look forward to getting started on Toodledo. Over the course of the coming year I will be working closely with our development team to make improvements in ease of use, visual aesthetics and the overall experience of Toodledo. Please feel free to reach out to me any time. I’m happy to hear your perspective as a Toodledo user. :) Bridget |
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Tamar E. |
Welcome Bridget! I have been a Toodledo user for many years.
I'm not sure if these specific items have been discussed in one of the forums, but I'd love to see Toodledo offer the following features: Ability to attach files (photos, PDF, etc) to tasks using the computer or the app. I believe with a Gold subscription this is possible on the computer, but not on the app (unless that has recently changed). Ability to search the text of task notes, not just the title of the tasks on the computer (I seem to only be able to do this on the app. Thank you! |
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Vicfrances |
Hi Bridget and welcome!
Toodledo needs a new enhacement of usability and design! Hope you can make a good role :) Cheers!^^ |
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dannyw0011 |
Good news to hear! Over the years, the UI has often been riduculed, but some of us only know what doesn't look right or function smoothly without knowing how best to correct it. It's good to know someone with a background in design will be looking at it.
And personally, I think one of the top priorities should be rich text formatting of notes, which is something that is desperately needed for both aesthetics and functionality. |
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Salgud |
Am I mistaken, or are others? I read the introduction of Bridget to be about a facelift, in stages, for TD, but not about adding new features, such as being able to attach files or search task notes (which, by the way, we have been able to do for years). Did I misinterpret Bridget's role at TD?
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Purveyor |
Posted by Jake:
Phase 1: Redesign the home page for new non-Toodledo users. Because new customers do not have any expectations about Toodledo, this is safe place to start. What is a "new non-Toodledo user"? Also, everyone has expectations, including "new customers". I would reverse the order of the phases. The essence of Toodledo is the task list. Start there and make it work better. (Design is more than veneer, right?) Improve the look and feel with an eye towards greater effectiveness. Then carry over the new design elements to Notes, Outlines and Lists, and then update the secondary pages. This message was edited Sep 12, 2014. |
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PetrV |
Posted by Jake:
We'll make changes in a bunch of small phases (baby steps) to avoid disrupting anyone's productivity by making the website less familiar. Any changes that we make will be careful and thoughtful. Our plan may change as we progress, but here is our current roadmap. That is the correct approach. Thanks This message was edited Sep 12, 2014. |
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vivendom.budget |
Wellcome bridget !
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M |
Please please keep in mind, Bridget, that some of us are "old-timers" (I've been using PCs since 1985, before the existence of the computer mouse) and are highly reliant on keyboards and shortcuts. Reaching for a mouse slows me down, big-time. I want to do as much entry/editing/menu access via the keyboard as I can.
Some new design trends seem to be trying to tell me that keyboards are out of date - but I'm still WAY faster as a typist than a mouser. Thanks, and I'm (cautiously) excited to see the changes. |
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coolexplorer |
Posted by Purveyor:
I would reverse the order of the phases. The essence of Toodledo is the task list. Start there and make it work better. (Design is more than veneer, right?) Then carry over the new design elements to Notes, Outlines and Lists, and then update the secondary pages. Welcome Bridget !! I Agree with the above. An UX refurbishment is long due. We can always do with a bit of color in our lives and in the UI, because * humans love color. Color rules the world & directs our actions * its a quick fix - easiest way to modernize, grab eyeballs and increase sales (from those on the fence) * for heavy Toodledo users a fresh look can add joy to everyday life. Suggestions for the UX from a layman : 1. Modern Font type (high contrast, true clear?) 2. User selectable Skins / Themes. 3. Red checkbox for "Top Priority" tasks, Blue checkbox for "High Priority" tasks. 4. Productivity Quote of the Day appearing in masthead. 5. The 4 main Tabs (Tasks, Notes, Outlines, Lists) being represented by Symbols (maybe legend on hover over). 6. Button with Hover-over to show Keyboard shortcuts. 7. Hover-over Note icon in Tasks to see Note content (click only to edit). 8. Light pastel shading for Sub-task rows to clearly differentiate from Parent tasks. 9. Different Font for "All Tasks" under all menus and "New Search" under Search menu to differentiate at a glance. 10. Eliminate clutter of 'grey circle with arrow' in every task by making checkbox one click for selecting (with popup for actions) and two clicks for marking done and strike through. 11. Optional : Ticking off a task could show a motivating sound / animation 12. Silver / Gold subscription could show relevant colored medallion. 13.Complete redesign of Calendar section with Visual Calendar displaying Tasks like a diary/Google calendar - with Month, Week, Day, Agenda views "They only win, who have the courage to dream" :) |
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Bridget K |
Thank you all for the warm welcome! I look forward to getting to know everyone.
Posted by Salgud: Am I mistaken, or are others? I read the introduction of Bridget to be about a facelift, in stages, for TD, but not about adding new features, such as being able to attach files or search task notes (which, by the way, we have been able to do for years). Did I misinterpret Bridget's role at TD? Good question. My job is not directly related to adding new features, but rather the implementation of both upcoming and existing features. Put simply, I will making it easier, and more enjoyable, for you to get from point A to point B. That said, your suggestions are still valuable. All feedback helps me to better understand your needs and goals within Toodledo, so no need to limit your input! Here are some guidelines to help me make the most of your suggestion: - Include your reasoning i.e. I'd like to see more of this feature because it will help me accomplish this specific goal - Include context i.e. I have trouble using this feature when I'm trying to do this specific behavior under these circumstances - Include frequency i.e. I experience difficulty with this feature which I use several times per week - Include specific emotions When this particular behavior occurs I feel slightly confused The post below is a great example. M provided me with context (is using a PC), frequency (using it since 1985) and reasoning (has become accustomed to working from the keyboard). Bridget, that some of us are "old-timers" (I've been using PCs since 1985, before the existence of the computer mouse) and are highly reliant on keyboards and shortcuts. Reaching for a mouse slows me down, big-time. I want to do as much entry/editing/menu access via the keyboard as I can. That’s all for now, enjoy the weekend :) BK This message was edited Sep 12, 2014. |
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rbendett |
Great to hear the interface is going to be worked on. This may not be the place but hope to see collaboration/sharing added to the Android, iPhone & iPad apps. I think this is the other important item missing when compared to other Todo apps.
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Lgraps |
Welcome, Bridget. Thanks for your guidance on how to give you good feedback! I like the way due dates in the past turn red. But upcoming due dates are also red (maybe a different shade, but not different enough). When I'm looking at my Hotlist, which I do at least weekly when I'm doing a GTD Weekly Review, and it has both past due dates and future due dates and they're all red, I can't easily distinguish between them. This means I can't easily distinguish the tasks that need attention immediately (past due) from the ones I have time to work on (future due). I do like how the future due dates change color as they get closer, because it signifies urgency; it should just be a completely different color from past due. Thanks, Lori
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Chris_45 |
Hi Bridget,
I’m overjoyed to hear Toodledo is finally having a bit of an overhaul - it’s such a great site but it does look a little aged! I have tried others to see what they’re like and none come close to the reliability and functionality of Toodledo. My own suggestions are below: 1) The overall look: it seems superficial, but as I look at Toodledo pretty much all day it would be nice for it to look a little more modern. At the very least, I would expect to be able to customize the colour scheme - an extension is available for this but it can mess up the positioning of elements. Something to make it prettier would be wonderful. 2) Specific formatting issues - I continually get a “warning” on the page, saying that one of my extensions is messing with the site. I believe it’s Evernote’s web clipper. It is very annoying to continually see that there, and would like the option of dismissing it permanently. - To make the side menu “hide” I have to go through the settings menu which is tedious. I would like a button to make it appear - appear when mouseover, hide the rest of the time - hide permanently - Calendar view: I’ve never been a fan of the small calendars on the left, a big calendar showing more detail for the month would be excellent (this used to be on the site) - Column widths: the widths of the columns (folder, task, priority etc) can be changed a little, but there still seems to be some restrictions in place which mean even with a very wide screen monitor I can’t stretch the task title out so I can see everything. I have to put the mouseover if the title is long to see it - not very good! I’d like more freedom to change the widths however I like - Colour coding for priorities: just using different shades of red doesn’t make the priorities very distinct. Different colours, or being able to choose colours would be great. - Visibility of tasks: At the moment, if you remove filters to show all tasks you have to then manually go through and check everything back to make things invisible again. A toggle between filtered view and “all” view would be useful. 2) Entering tasks: I would like to see the “quick add” feature updated to use the add-task-by-email syntax. That would mean I could get tasks where I want them much much faster 3) File management: Adding files is a pain at the moment, you have click the file icon, then choose upload, then choose the files etc etc. A simple drag and drop of a file onto a task would speed things up. Being able to view files without having to download them would also be good, if this is possible from a technical standpoint (Dropbox does it) 4) Equivalence between website and apps: If a feature isn’t available on the website AND my mobile device, I won’t use it. I would like features to be available on all platforms before new ones are added. I personally haven’t used any of the new features added recently (e.g. outlines, lists) because of this. I would stress that for me, Toodledo’s functionality is pretty much perfect - none of the issues I’ve mentioned above a deadlbreakers for me. I wouldn’t want to see anything removed or changed drastically for the sake of aesthetics. I look forward to seeing what changes come in the future! |
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kerrinhardy |
Posted by Chris:
2) Entering tasks: I would like to see the “quick add” feature updated to use the add-task-by-email syntax. That would mean I could get tasks where I want them much much faster This is a fantastic idea! I would love to see this too |
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Purveyor |
And the idea is exactly six years old today:
One-line Quick Add feature that works like e-mail. Interesting that almost all the suggestions are for "Phase 4: Tasks section facelift." Anyway, here are some more suggestions: A better alternative to the spreadsheet format. Something like the Multi-Line format but with more than two fields when viewing the list. Remove the connection between selecting which fields are available and making the corresponding View available. For example, if I make the Priority field available, the Priority View automatically becomes available in the left menu, but maybe I don't want it to be visible. Likewise with Status and Goal. Maybe I just want to be able to sort by that field or use it in a Search. Having those extra Views on the left just clutters the screen. Edit multiple tasks without having to use Search and Multi-Edit. Move a subtask from one task to another without having to drag it Ability to specify colors for various Folders and Contexts. Hierarchical Contexts, i.e. a context that includes other contexts. The related contexts share the same color or have variations of the same color. Combine or link Context and Location. Better implementation of Goals. See Sorting goals intelligently. Choose different fields for various Views. Ability to move Tasks to Notes and vice versa. Ability to link Notes to Tasks. View shared tasks along with non-shared tasks. And then there's the iOS app ... This message was edited Sep 16, 2014. |
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tim_layton |
The thing I would most welcome is a way of exporting the contents of a folder/results of a search, so that I can share them with non-toodledo users. Either an export button that generated some kind of csv or a view that can be cut and pasted to excel/another app, or similar.
Include your reasoning I'd like to be able to extract subsets of my task list for printing or sharing (shopping list, thinks I need to do today, email a list of outstanding tasks to a colleague etc.) - Include context Cut and paste into excel requires a lot of cleaning up. No current facility to export subset of the data. - Include frequency This would probably be used at least weekly by me. - Include specific emotions Not being able to do this is frustrating. |
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tim_layton |
Some other things:-
When entering Folder names etc. you can't type the name and of the folder you have to select from the drop down. If you have more that one folder with the same initial letter then that doesn't help. Would be useful to be able to type in and have it match the folders that exist. Include your reasoning Findign the right folder to add would speed up processing your no folder queue. - Include context Hard to find the right folder from the current drop down list - Include frequency Daily - Include specific emotions Not being able to do this is frustrating. This message was edited Sep 17, 2014. |
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tim_layton |
When creating a search you can't use wildcard matches on folder names you have to select an exact match. Makes it harder for me to group projects by name, as with all my folders starting with "Work..."
Include your reasoning Adding and removing folders from stored searches is complicated and easy to forget to do. Can't use tags as no one of setting default tags for a folder. - Include context Maintaining stored searches to find the tasks you want to focus on. - Include frequency Daily - Include specific emotions Not being able to do this is frustrating. |
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