Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#21

Post by michelle_ » Sat, May 19, 2012, 7:40 PM UTC

blatherard wrote: post #13

One thing that confused me was the "Team" link at the top. Having it placed between "Philosophy" and "Contact" made me expect that it was going to be a page about the people that made the site, not a signup page about a future featureset. Anyway, you might want to make the "team" thing stand out in a different way, if you're hoping to capture people interested in group features.

Hah, I hadn't thought of that. I agree though, it needs to be much more obvious if I'm expecting people to actually find it! I'll play around with it, thanks :)

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#22

Post by doubleconfess » Sat, May 19, 2012, 7:43 PM UTC

michelle_ wrote: post #19

pedalpete wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with nitingarg. The input at the top is going to be easier for most users to understand. You seem to have a LOT of wasted space at the top, so use that. I think the problem with the background is that it's messy. You could go with a solid color. Textures are very popular right now and could go well with your design for a clean look. The 'about | team | philosophy' stuff really belongs at the bottom. As far as…

Thanks, I'll take these suggestions into consideration. One of the hardest parts about putting together the app was finding a balance between power usage and first impressions. Having used it for the past few days while developing it, I've found the add-task at the bottom to be effective, but it's great to hear other opinions from people who aren't as accustomed to the app as I am.

I'm going to disagree with them and say that you should trust your instincts, especially if your instincts led you to such a beautiful and intuitive app. Frankly, there is alot of group-think in UI design these days, and I think we need more people out there that are willing to trust themselves and not go with the principle of "lowest common complaints".

If you are building something to make money, then sure go with lean startup principles and A/B it to death. If you are building something as an act of creation, or as a tool that you want to use, and especially if you are building something that has been done 1000x before, trust your own insights and not those of strangers on a talk board.

Being different (not arbitrarily different mind you, but insightfully different) is a huge and uncommon differentiator, and can led you in amazing directions if you stay true to it.

GO WITH YOUR GUT!

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#23

Post by dlf » Sat, May 19, 2012, 7:43 PM UTC

nitingarg wrote: post #8

Few suggestions from Interface point of view. 1.Firstly i would suggest move the task-input field to top instead of bottom. It would be much more intuitive . 2.Take the logo out of whole task window if possible. It's kind of distracting as of now. 3.Kill color from background and make it neutral. Give attention to task area as much as possible.

I really like it and can see myself using it (future notes is a killer feature), but I'm not a fan of the background either. I'd use one of these: subtlepatterns.com

Maybe fix the logo and navigation to the top of the page.

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#24

Post by sundeep_b » Sat, May 19, 2012, 7:43 PM UTC

You made the dot in the logo jump! It doesn't jump for monthly and future though. It's amazing how much you have learnt and put to use in such less time. I'm jealous too! Plus the design is simple and gives a pleasant experience.

I have used many to-do lists and liked the way you stated that this is not a to-do list, but a do-it list. This gives a feel that the task won't remain undone. And of all the to-do apps I used, I realized later that the ones I have stayed with for longer times are comparatively better looking than the ones I never cared to give a second visit. So, good looking site is a definite plus.

Good luck.

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#25

Post by michelle_ » Sat, May 19, 2012, 7:53 PM UTC

billpatrianakos wrote: post #14

I don't care how overdone to-do lists are, I never get sick of them. Putting this together in 3 weeks is impressive considering your background. The UI is really what makes it. Todo lists are really straightforward from an under-the-hood perspective which is probably why everyone makes them (myself included). That's why I think the design is really the most important part of it and you nailed it. I've been developing…

I am at a loss for words. Thanks so much for your kind comment; it is inspiring and motivating. When I posted this on HN I really wasn't expecting such overwhelmingly positive feedback from so many great people! In a few short weeks I've found that the internet can be a very rewarding place. I'm not sure where I'll end up at this point, but for now I'm enjoying web development very much. Thanks again! :)

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#26

Post by underwater » Sat, May 19, 2012, 7:53 PM UTC

Nice work. There are a few things I find strange, but other commenters have covered most of them.

I love being able to drag around the notes on the "future" tab, it makes it easy to cluster tasks without lots of UI overhead. However I don't see why I can't do the same thing with today's tasks. I also can't send a task to the future tab and vice versa.

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#27

Post by michelle_ » Sat, May 19, 2012, 8:00 PM UTC

sundeep_b wrote: post #24

You made the dot in the logo jump! It doesn't jump for monthly and future though. It's amazing how much you have learnt and put to use in such less time. I'm jealous too! Plus the design is simple and gives a pleasant experience. I have used many to-do lists and liked the way you stated that this is not a to-do list, but a do-it list. This gives a feel that the task won't remain undone. And of all the to-do apps I us…

Haha I originally added that as a joke but it grew on me. I'm glad you liked it! I appreciate your kind comment, and I've always felt the same way about to-do lists: they never get done. I hope that my app can help people be productive. :)

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#28

Post by jacquesm » Sat, May 19, 2012, 8:09 PM UTC

I think you can safely drop the 'aspiring' from your bio, you've made more progress in three weeks on this than many have made in much longer time-spans.

Impressive, to put it mildly.

What you've made is interesting, but what is even more interesting is how you managed to do all this in such a terribly short time, I think there will be plenty of people interested in the 'making of' of this neat little website.

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#29

Post by rhizome31 » Sat, May 19, 2012, 8:12 PM UTC

billpatrianakos wrote: post #14

I don't care how overdone to-do lists are, I never get sick of them. Putting this together in 3 weeks is impressive considering your background. The UI is really what makes it. Todo lists are really straightforward from an under-the-hood perspective which is probably why everyone makes them (myself included). That's why I think the design is really the most important part of it and you nailed it. I've been developing…

I'm jealous too :) I've got about ~10 years experience in software, half of it working on web projects. I posted my app yesterday hoping for feedback and got exactly zero upvotes and zero comments. The lessons I'm taking from this:

1) get people to interact with the app straight away (aka. lazy registration)

2) keep words away from the homepage, they can go in the /about page

3) get a design

Re: Show HN: My first web app, DailyDo.it

#30

Post by ZanderEarth32 » Sat, May 19, 2012, 8:38 PM UTC

So, going from zero programming knowledge or experience to this in 3 weeks? If that is the case, it's pretty amazing. I would never have pegged this as a 'first app'. Great job.