Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 38 posts

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#21

Post by jaddison »

moonchuck wrote: post #10

http://chcheck.com You can create checklists, create and track changes between instances, diff changes between the master and instances, create iterative checklists, embed checklists in other checklists and set dependencies. Also the interface was built with usability and flexibility in mind. I have also added task, data list, comment, contact and document management since all of those are necessary for a good proces…

Looks sharp, but it looks like it's somewhat more orientated towards businesses - this isn't a bad thing, but inline with the original HN request above, I think you will likely need two workflows: business and 'public'.

The public workflow would need to be super-simple looking (that whole web 2.0-ish look 'n feel) with prominent search. Perhaps something like: chcheck.com/business vs chcheck.com/public and chcheck.com/ would represent the user's path choice.

Just some thoughts - perhaps you're already moving down a similar path. Best of luck!

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#22

Post by dmlorenzetti »

On the power of checklists, see also Atul Gawande's article in the New Yorker (10 December 2007) (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_...).

The article describes how medical checklists, especially when nurses are empowered to force doctors to follow them, can improve patient outcomes.

The article also mentions an interesting example of checklists in aviation history.

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#23

Post by moonchuck »

jaddison wrote: post #21
moonchuck wrote: post #10

http://chcheck.com You can create checklists, create and track changes between instances, diff changes between the master and instances, create iterative checklists, embed checklists in other checklists and set dependencies. Also the interface was built with usability and flexibility in mind. I have also added task, data list, comment, contact and document management since all of those are necessary for a good proces…

Looks sharp, but it looks like it's somewhat more orientated towards businesses - this isn't a bad thing, but inline with the original HN request above, I think you will likely need two workflows: business and 'public'. The public workflow would need to be super-simple looking (that whole web 2.0-ish look 'n feel) with prominent search. Perhaps something like: chcheck.com/business vs chcheck.com/public and chcheck.co…

chcheck is designed first and foremost to be useful for individuals, small teams and small businesses.

The current interface is in the process of being given a more understandable and inviting initial user experience to accomplish that.

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#24

Post by RiderOfGiraffes »

moonchuck wrote: post #10

http://chcheck.com You can create checklists, create and track changes between instances, diff changes between the master and instances, create iterative checklists, embed checklists in other checklists and set dependencies. Also the interface was built with usability and flexibility in mind. I have also added task, data list, comment, contact and document management since all of those are necessary for a good proces…

OK, so I've landed on the login page, logged in, and now I want to say - "I'm getting a new washing machine - what's my checklist."

Alternatively, I've had a bad experience getting a washing machine, and I want to add the item:

"When buying a washing machine, make sure it can accept mains pressure hot water."

I can't see how to do that.

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#25

Post by moonchuck »

RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #24
moonchuck wrote: post #10

http://chcheck.com You can create checklists, create and track changes between instances, diff changes between the master and instances, create iterative checklists, embed checklists in other checklists and set dependencies. Also the interface was built with usability and flexibility in mind. I have also added task, data list, comment, contact and document management since all of those are necessary for a good proces…

OK, so I've landed on the login page, logged in, and now I want to say - "I'm getting a new washing machine - what's my checklist." Alternatively, I've had a bad experience getting a washing machine, and I want to add the item: "When buying a washing machine, make sure it can accept mains pressure hot water." I can't see how to do that.

The app you are logged into is a place to create and share your checklists with a defined group of users, for team and business settings.

What you are looking at also provides the interface you login to when you want to create checklists or work with one of your running checklist instances.

What you are talking about, the directory piece of the puzzle, is in development and almost out the door. It will allow you to find checklists in this manner and clone them into your account so you can edit them and create any number of instances based on them.

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#26

Post by RiderOfGiraffes »

moonchuck wrote: post #25
RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, so I've landed on the login page, logged in, and now I want to say - "I'm getting a new washing machine - what's my checklist." Alternatively, I've had a bad experience getting a washing machine, and I want to add the item: "When buying a washing machine, make sure it can accept mains pressure hot water." I can't see how to do that.

The app you are logged into is a place to create and share your checklists with a defined group of users, for team and business settings. What you are looking at also provides the interface you login to when you want to create checklists or work with one of your running checklist instances. What you are talking about, the directory piece of the puzzle, is in development and almost out the door. It will allow you to f…

OK, based on a very brief splash, I think you need to email me in a week to tell me what I can do, then email me a week after that telling me what more I can do, and what people have already created on it, including you. If you want me to be a beta tester - and I'm happy to play with it for 5 minutes each week and risk getting sucked into more - then I need to know that it's got something I want.

Currently I can't see anything I want. I can't even really understand what it does have. It looks good, it looks like there might be substance, but from the screen I'm on I can't understand what it thinks I'm trying to do.

Does that make sense?

I'll email you separately, and this isn't entirely negative, and I want it to work for me.

And what's a "module"? And what does "Add a new object" mean?

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#27

Post by moonchuck »

moonchuck wrote: post #25
RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, so I've landed on the login page, logged in, and now I want to say - "I'm getting a new washing machine - what's my checklist." Alternatively, I've had a bad experience getting a washing machine, and I want to add the item: "When buying a washing machine, make sure it can accept mains pressure hot water." I can't see how to do that.

The app you are logged into is a place to create and share your checklists with a defined group of users, for team and business settings. What you are looking at also provides the interface you login to when you want to create checklists or work with one of your running checklist instances. What you are talking about, the directory piece of the puzzle, is in development and almost out the door. It will allow you to f…

Rider, thanks for the feedback.

This happened about a month sooner than I was planning so I haven't had a chance to address the learnability of the app yet. Would love to have you check it out when I am a little farther along.

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#28

Post by moonchuck »

RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #26
moonchuck wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The app you are logged into is a place to create and share your checklists with a defined group of users, for team and business settings. What you are looking at also provides the interface you login to when you want to create checklists or work with one of your running checklist instances. What you are talking about, the directory piece of the puzzle, is in development and almost out the door. It will allow you to f…

OK, based on a very brief splash, I think you need to email me in a week to tell me what I can do, then email me a week after that telling me what more I can do, and what people have already created on it, including you. If you want me to be a beta tester - and I'm happy to play with it for 5 minutes each week and risk getting sucked into more - then I need to know that it's got something I want. Currently I can't se…

Again -- a feature that wasn't ready for public consumption.

The system has a few different objects that can be embedded in pages and checklists - todo lists, data lists, docs, files, comments and other checklists. The feature needs some work before its usable.

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#29

Post by RiderOfGiraffes »

moonchuck wrote: post #28
RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, based on a very brief splash, I think you need to email me in a week to tell me what I can do, then email me a week after that telling me what more I can do, and what people have already created on it, including you. If you want me to be a beta tester - and I'm happy to play with it for 5 minutes each week and risk getting sucked into more - then I need to know that it's got something I want. Currently I can't se…

Again -- a feature that wasn't ready for public consumption. The system has a few different objects that can be embedded in pages and checklists - todo lists, data lists, docs, files, comments and other checklists. The feature needs some work before its usable.

> Again -- a feature that wasn't ready for public consumption.

Understood.

I think the underlying problem here is that you have a particular model in your mind of objects and actions, and I, as yet, have no way of discovering what that model is, why it's useful, or how I use it. I think you need to make explicit, either through the interface itself, or with an explanation (big, bold cartoons can be effective) what your underlying model really is.

Whether you should stop coding and do it now, or whether you should finish alpha coding and then do it, is up to you, but without some sort of communication of your model of what happens, I don't think you'll get any useful feedback.

I hope that helps - it's intended to. More via email.

Re: Donate an idea to HN: Checklists

#30

Post by RiderOfGiraffes »

ehedberg wrote: post #19
jacquesm wrote: post #8

None other than that if you or somebody else builds it let me know, I'll be a user for sure. That's an excellent idea. Combine it with a todo list service maybe ?

http://www.enleiten.com went for that approach, but hasn't really gotten over the chicken-egg problem wrt public user lists. Still, might be interesting.

Requires a login, and won't let me contribute something that might be useful without first giving an email address.

That's their chicken-and-egg problem, and it's in their hands. Let people contribute without a login, let them benefit from their contributions, and people will play. Control the quality in the first stages and you have a viable product.

Post reply on HN