Show HN: Habit List - my first iOS app
habitlistapp.com
habitlistapp.com
btw. for me, week starts on Monday.
Small UI crit:
When adding a Habit, the cancel button is in the top left position on the Add a Habit screen - everywhere else in the app this position is a non-destructive navigation button so I accidentally cancelled events I was in the middle of creating a couple of times.
It would probably be better to make this navigate back to the Today screen & auto-create the event and put the cancel button somewhere else.
Couple of feature requests:
* ability to make the reminder an modal alert view rather than a message - too easy to miss a non-intrusive alert
* ability to snooze a reminder - if I'm busy sometimes I can't do the thing I'm being reminded right now but don't want to forget to do it, if I could 'snooze' the reminder in the alert view that would make me more likely to remember to do it
Do you have a way to export the recorded data? That's something that bothers me about this kind of iOS app: the data might still be useful after you eventually stop using the app or even iOS. It could be as simple as sending XML or CSV via the on-device email.
I think you should change the calendar mockup.
From the Xs on the calendar, I was reminded of Jerry Seinfeld's: "Don't break the chain"[0], an anecedote about how making a chain of Xs on a calendar is the best way to form a productive habit. Someone else mentioned it in the comments as well.
However, the chain on the calendar is broken! Those users with the impression that this app will help them form a habit will be confused. If I'm making a big change in my life, I want to do something every day, not a piddling three times a week.
The calendar mockup should change to at least one week with a full chain of Xs, so users won't get the subconscious impression that this app is incapable of helping them build a habit.
Besides repairing the subliminal messages of failure, adding a full chain of Xs opens another avenue for 'gamification'. What if when you completed a full week of an unbroken chain, you received some type of bonus points or prize? Of course, these prizes would be in the form of a cool UI animation.
Also, it's 2012: have you ever heard of a favicon?
[0]: http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-se...
Now I think this Habit List looks fantastic and could be a great alternative for users that want that functionality. Well done!
The application seems to fit my use cases perfectly.
I know it would work on me.
My only question or suggestion, the reminder setup seems odd. If I choose every 3-5 days with a reminder at 6pm, does it remind me randomly, on the 5th day, on the 3rd? Making that a bit clearer or giving the option for choosing which day the reminder will be on would help there.
Other than that, I hope others see the value in building habits like this as I think it's a well implemented way of helping people like me who are quite forgetful.
Appreciate the the kind words!
One thing I've noticed is that it shows me an alert/reminder even if I've already crossed off that habit for the day - would be nice if it detected that a reminder is no longer needed.
* really liking the app so-far.
Also: What's that font?
Feature suggestion: It would be nice to be able to keep track of things that need doing multiple times per day - the example featured on your website of "drink 8 glasses of water" would be more useful if i could come back into the app and log each one so i don't lose count throughout the day!
Also love the streak tracking, I have my habits logged and look forward to using it :)
> but i still think there could be a use for
> "do this thing X times per day"
Question: What happens if I go through a day without opening the app. Is the activity marked not done automatically?
Suggestion:
Tiny suggestion: Allow swiping in both directions. After using Sparrow I'm used to swipe left for most actions. Doesn't work here though.
I think that you really nailed the "Frequency" settings, especially the "x times per week" section. It makes it so flexible.
I've tried, but I can't think of anything I'd like added or changed. It's also very refreshing to use an app that doesn't have a "Settings" section.
Looking forward to starting to use it!
My only gripe with it is related with responsiveness to touch: if I tap on '+' or on 'View all habits', the button doesn't highlight. This can feel frustrating if the next screen takes a while to load and you don't know if your touch was valid or not. This problem happens with almost every button in the app.
Well done execution on Habit List.
ChainCal has a new version pending review right now for those interested in comparing the two approaches.
I will try this app now!
I actually prefer its cheerful design and it has an iPad version. But the integrated Chain counting might convince me.
Also, great design! Are you tracking conversions?
Wishlist - some habits may require several tasks during the day. For example "Drink 5 glasses of water" - would be great to schedule 5 micro-events during the day with possibility to cross those.
When I make iOS apps they all use the default controls suppled in XCode. I'd like to learn to make nice looking interfaces.
Deleted comment
Edit: Some thoughts:
- Reminder probably doesn't need minute-by-minute granularity... 10 minute increments are probably fine and easier to scroll through.
- How about a "random time during the day" reminder?
I'd really like that. In the past, I've set up manual recurring reminders to go off at the same time during the day. When I got used to the reminder schedule, I started ignoring them.
So far I like everything about it except the font, which makes it harder to read the tasks.
As I use it I'll give you feedback, but for now, I like to be able to color code tasks.
Requires a paid subscription though. -_-
No idea if he did the website though.
Where did you guys meet? Online? Offline?
(price * sales) - (cost * sales)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsmithy....
One suggestion- I'd make a setting for letting you change the "Today" font from the handwriting one to a sans-serif one, like the rest of the app uses. I think the handwriting is very pretty and adds good production value, and so I'd keep it in the app, and certainly in the screenshots, etc, but for day to day use, wanting to turn that off would be an irritant every time I opened the app.
You're kinda mixing skeuomorphism with modernism in your design, which is a natural result of making real world analogs on iPhones, but the one place it hasn't seemed to blend well is that font.
Great looking app, and especially the icon is really well done.
Good luck!
:-)
The large, handwriting typeface works well for the list items as it makes you focus on it, but the "Today" heading should be different if only to clearly separate the middle section as your "list". Overall terrific design though.
Everything else seems really polished, but those were the first things I noticed, and they distracted me enough to post something here.
Other than that, the app and the features look great.
Yes, this affects a lot of people.
In fact it's very disturbing to come to an aisle of clocks and not have them all showing exactly the same [current] time. It feels wrong.
And who'd buy a stopped clock anyway? Even though you know it just needs batteries, it feels somehow dead/broken. Your subconscious tells you not to buy.
The hands are at 10 and 2 because it looks aesthetically pleasing and visually balances the clock face. Calling it a smile is a heck of a stretch. It's more of an OK/checkmark then that a smile (and this is also a stretch).
Why the iPhone is 9:42:
"We design the (product launch) keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation. When the big image of the product appears on screen, we want the time shown to be close to the actual time on the audience’s watches. But we know we won’t hit 40 minutes exactly."
And the iPad is 9:41:
Yeah! And for the iPhone, we made it 42 minutes. It turned out we were pretty accurate with that estimate, so for the iPad, we made it 41 minutes. And there you are – the secret of the magic time.
Source: http://cydiahelp.com/heres-why-apples-iphone-ads-always-show...
Love the handwriting font, calendar view, and streak badges!
To me, seeing something like this gives me the impression that the screenshot is not polished, that this detail was not paid attention to, and makes me wonder what else might have been missed.
*no scientific evidence
Just two things:
1) 1.99$ ? Are you sure a "free app" isn't best ? 2) Post to blog is bad ? Uh ? :P
So I just make the claim that "free on the App Store" is != "free on Google Play".
Part of that might be simple fact that buying stuff on Google Play is different from buying things on the App Store.
1. You need to set up another account (Google checkout)
2. Biggest one: You can only pay via credit card with Google checkout. This plays a major role in European countries where credit cards are less common. I read reviews in Android apps saying "I'd love to buy, but I don't have a credit card". There's no gift card, no coupon code, no wire transfer or anything like that.
Just my little unproven theory.
So, people using the App Store have less problems on spending money on Apps than people on Android. And not only in terms of a more "financial thinking" but accessibility problems of doing the purchase.
Edit: added last sentence.
And I think I gave the impression of "Apple hater", while I don't own any Apple products, I respect Apple and I think their products are great, but I just prefer Linux PCs and Android phones.
Also, I don't have the money :P