I launched an iPhone app yesterday, and all I got were some stupid lessons
skrivr.com
[Update] It seems Skrivr has crashed under the HN load. I've thrown up a flat-file version of the article here:
http://samuelfine.com/iphone_lessons_learned.html
skrivr.com
http://samuelfine.com/iphone_lessons_learned.html
1) No screenshots? I don't want to watch a movie. Also, if I have to watch a movie, I want to be able to scrub through it. 2) Wheres the one-liner that describes why your app is so great? 3) No sync'ing? WTF? Its the 21st century, I already have a Calendar app - and I've been using it. If I want to switch to your product, I'm going to need data in/data out.
1) Great points. I'm working on a updated version of the site that will include a better video (scrubbable) and screenshots, amongst other improvements.
2) Working on it, that has been the #1 recommendation so far.
3) Straight-up iCal syncing probably won't happen, for a lot of reasons I mentioned in another comment here. (Import doesn't make a lot of sense logistically, mainly.) But, I'm playing with some import/export possibilities. There will definitely be a way to get data out soon, if for no other purpose than freedom/portability, and some kind of syncing option will surely show up eventually.
Good luck with it!
Thanks for your input and the kind words!
http://samuelfine.com/iphone_lessons_learned.html
[Edit] Looks like Skrivr is entirely down. Not sure it's my fault, but it was working all morning.
I imagine it's a case of being slightly blind to one's own features. There's not a single case in the video where sets multiple colors for an item, so it seems like an oversight, probably due to the underlying implementation. Definitely a problem worth solving.
That pattern of setting background colors for multiple blocks is by far the most embarrassing part of this whole launch experience, and I've already built a fix that'll kill all those ridiculous repetitive actions for 1.0.2.
But, I'm intentionally leaving that door open, simply because I'm willing to at least consider any user requests. Maybe there's a place for it, we'll see how things grow.
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- I'm really surprised Apple's ical doesn't let me create entries like that. You've out appled apple. If I could create todo's and categorize them GTD style I might return to iOS.
- Floating Tasks (where they carry over) to me would be an instant sell. It's an absolute must and few people even know about it. I'd buy it on the spot if there was there.
- My work flow is - create todo's in general, and then the floating todo's get scheduled on a day. Each day, I then assign a time to them (drag them) and I have my schedule for the day. My job is just to create the todo's as they come up, or enter the hard appointments. In the end, todo's become calendar items.
- Allow syncing via wifi to your computer instead of just through icloud or google sync. All three would appeal to everyone
- If you want to connect off line feel free, I have obsessed over the perfect calendar/todo system for about 6 years trying to replicate the productivity nirvana I had on Palm OS with DateBK6. DateBK6 was the one app made me use the Treo years after it was outdated and it was by far the smartest and most productive app I've ever used in my life. All my efforts through Windows Mobile, iOS and now Android have been to replicate that experience.
Pimlical is becoming more intuitive by the day, it's highly gestured workflow is sinking it's teeth into me. I might not be fond of Gingerbread but the tractorbeam of a working calendar/todo is too strong. The app was built by the same company that has built the best calendar/todo I've ever used, DateBK6.
About the site:
- The video was great. The music selection helped express the magicalness of how light and easy it is.
- It might be worthwhile having an interactive demo where people can drag things themselves. Might be a moot point in the beginning but a lack of buttons can be intimidating. Not for me though.
Good luck.
What I like about yours is natively tying in the power of gestures. They're simple, but could become advanced easily for advanced users.
Your description of your work flow is very interesting. The concept of a sort of todo "queue" from which items gets dropped into time slots is a really cool pattern. Only problem is, the closer Faraday comes to handling todo items, the hairier things get. Once general todo items are added, then you need projects and tags and ownership and etc etc etc.
That said, it would be impossible to ignore how well Faraday's UX would work with a todo list. Stay tuned.
I have heard before - quite possibly on HN, and quite possibly from you - that old Palm calendar apps are kind of legendary. I'll do some research in to DateBK6 for sure, I saw a YouTube video demoing the interface and it looks like a productivity machine.
Thanks for such an in-depth response, and for all the kind words.
- Everything on a calendar is a to-do item, ultimately. We want to remember to do something at a certain time, on a certain date. You're already in that business.
- The problem you are solving is hairy. Shaving the problem doesn't make it go away. Things always come up to ruin a schedule.
- Trivializing the issue means it's on it's path to potentially becoming another calendar or to-do list that does neither well, because we always have to manage both, integrated. I've probably tried 30+ apps over the years to handle my workflow, and it's been a tough go.
- Instead of a to-do queue, it's different types of appointments with your time : unscheduled, tentative (floating), and scheduled.
- Appointments for your time ("tasks") come into an inbox (GTDesq but simpler) and end up on a list. The list gets put into categories (nothing more), which are the GTD contexts (Phone, online, email, home, etc). You can then drop the categories on your day into blocks of hours and the list fills itself, according to the ranking you give everything, and any dates you might assign. :)
- Floating task advance notice - One other thign that's critical is having an advance notice for a task or appointment. Sometimes i like 2 days, other times 10 days. I like being able to set that without a separate reminder entry. It just starts showing up in my list early (lower ranked than the rest of my current stuff on an earlier day). I can start thinking about it or start tackling it in advance... it ends my last minute rushes.
- Each task can be bundled to handle other things of a similar context. I can show you what I do. It works like gangbusters.
- Mini Reviews: Omnifocus came close but their calendar view isn't how it needs to be. Any.do has great UI integration but their calendar view sucks. Astrid is a lot better, and has different types of syncs, their calendar view is a bit better. GTasks for android is the diamond in the rough, the calendar/todo list view was perfect, but entering, categorizing and syncing of tasks is still coming along. The Datebk6 calendar view is the best I've ever found.
There is a very good chance I talked about DateBK5 / Palm apps.. check my history, I'm almost sure I have. Pimlical is http://www.pimlicosoftware.com/, and intended to be the next reincarnation of Datebk6 for android. I specifically left iOS to use this app because I knew he gets me. Actually, his app is the one that taught me to be productive, lol. It's not perfect though and I think Faraday has things I really want too.
Why am I sharing all this? I just want to pay $20 for an app that does all this instead of building it and getting distracted from my core business. I've often thought of sinking in my own money but as you know, building a polished, gestured app isn't a $1-5,000 app development effort. :)
I have spent 10+ years being completely and constantly overwhelmed with having too many projects on the go and getting them all done somehow, and that somehow becoming the norm that I can be peaceful with it as much as possible.
What I learnt is more complex solutions don't work as you get busier. They have to be simpler, quicker and easier than scribbling something down. Everything has to go to one inbox, including emails. It has to be even simpler, but help compartmentalize, self organize, self rank, and self generate as much of your daily list as possible.
The last update to the iPod Touch was in October 2011, so that may be the one you're looking for.
Marketing.
You can be the best developer in the world, but you also need to know how to market your creations if you want them to really succeed. Chances are that otherwise, you're either preaching to the choir or an empty audience.
Know who you're targeting, know how to pique their interest. Know similar markets you can expand into. And know how to make people you don't know like what you do.
Even though I should know better, I was surprised how many people asked for our app on Android, especially for the Kindle Fire. I had planned to eventually do an Android port, but I scrambled and got a port done and submitted to Amazon today (Google Play to follow). It really hit me today that if half or more of the work is the marketing and non-development tasks, it makes even more sense to address the top two markets. I just don't know how much Android users will really pay. We're hoping that the education space, again especially on the Kindle Fire, is a little more willing to buy apps rather than just grab the free game of the day.
I up voted you to help your hustle efforts!