Status update request on list of features

PRO

Japhir 01/05/2015 22:29

Platform:All

Hi there!

Over the past year I saw some feature requests come by here that would really make te app/site better in my opinion. I was wondering if you have any more information on if you'll be implementing any of these features and how far you've come in implementing them so far.

So here goes!

1. Backup feature (export to .csv or similar, import from .csv).
This has been requested over and over again, and I think it is really important as well. It would also allow people who are switching from another GTD-app to doit.im to edit their data in excel to match the doit.im format and import all of their tasks in one go.
I saw you mention that maybe someone could write it with your API, has anybody done that already?

2. Hierarchical contexts
Some context belong to each other, and it would be nice to be able to nest them (e.g.: Agendas > Board, Harry, Family; Locations > work, home, parents, city (the last one is probably not that interesting...)).

3. Better labels
I'd like to be able to trust my labels by always being able to see them. I don't want mislabeling something cause me to miss an important todo. This is why currently I don't use labels at all!

4. More ways to edit multiple tasks
For labels and other task attributes, it would be really nice if we could select a lot of tasks and edit their info. Fields that are the same for the selection are displayed in black while fields that differ between the tasks are either blank or show some indication that certain tasks do have values there. Changing one of the attributes (such as time estimated or whatever) changes it for all the selected tasks, while leaving the other attributes untouched. This is how other software (such as Itunes etc.) handle editing multiple tags or other metadata.

5. Interdependent tasks
This one's a bit vague, and possibly too hard to implement. I'd like the status of a task to be dependent on other tasks. For example: make "fix the chairs @home" depend on "buy screws @errands" so that when I've completed "buy screws", "fix chairs" automatically jumps from "inactive" (different from "waiting"!) to next actions. Allowing tasks to depend on multiple other tasks would be even more amazing.

6. Private contacts list
Add the option to label tasks with contacts whom I never send messages through Doit.im. Basically a special kind of label that I can assign tasks to, which are then set to "waiting" until I mark them as completed. I don't want to force my friends to use GTD (or doit.im) and want to choose how I approach them. (If I want to delegate the task "write chapter 4: rainbows for my book @computer" to a friend, I don't want to send such an impersonal message to them, I want to call or email them and then set the task to waiting, while keeping track of who's responsible for the task.

7. A proper "task template" feature
This one isn't really important to me personally, but I've seen people request it quite often and possibly somebody else can explain what it is that they'd like to see. Folke maybe? :)

I hope you understand what features I'm requesting an update of, and that you'll give me some insight in the status of implementation of each feature (never, you're considering it, in a couple of years/months/weeks).

If you need further explanation of the features, or possibly visualisations, I'd be very happy to mock up some sketches in photoshop to show what I mean or explain in more detail.

Kind regards, and thank you again for making such an awesome GTD-app!

Japhir

wendy_only post on 01/06/2015 08:18#2

PRO

This is a private comment.
Japhir post on 01/08/2015 09:44#3

PRO

Thank you very much for the elaborate reply!

Q3: Yes! I'd like to see which labels are applied to a task from the main task view. Just like we see labels in gmail!

Very nice to hear that you are planning to add most of these features! :)

Kind regards,

Ilja
wendy_only post on 01/09/2015 02:12#4

PRO

@Japhir
Hi,

Thank you for your feedback. It may not be done soon. We will take your suggestion into consideration.

Best regards,
Doit.im Team
Folke post on 01/09/2015 14:03#5

PRO

I think those 7 requests are all valid and useful features. They are high on my wish list, too, and I hope they come soon; it would be nice to see a roadmap.

In addition I am acutely aware of several other improvements that I would find highly desirable (which have all been requested before):

8. A regular attention "star" like many other apps have. It is simply wrong to have "schedule for Today" and thereby move the item away from the Next or Waiting list. They should be visible both on the starred hotlist AND on the list where they belong.

9. See the Waiting group (delegated actions) IMMEDIATELY after Next in all lists and menus. The Waiting For tasks are also "next" actions (but not my own) that could be completed any second (by someone). It is very troublesome to have to scroll down so far to see them.

10. "Latest on top" as a general placement rule for new or moved items. (Top or Bottom could be user preference setting.) It is very troublesome, and too easy to forget, to scroll down to the bottom to find the new items. The old items are generally less important, which is why I have not done them. New items can be either important or less so. It saves time and work - and eliminates errors - to have them placed at the top by default.

11. Visible scheduled dates for repeating tasks. It is very troublesome now to figure out when a given task will come up next time.

12. Elimination filtering (NOT filtering) in the tag quick filter (and also in the advanced, saved filters).
And your suggestion 3 above (visible tags) is a necessary prerequisite for even applying any tags at all. As it is now (invisible), they simply cannot be trusted.

13. Filtering by "box" (aka "list" or "focus", e.g. Next, Waiting etc) and by Goal in the advanced filter.

14. Option to group by Goal in all lists

15. Summary view of all tasks in a Goal. When clicking a Goal in the left menu, to see fssrt a list of projects, as we do now, and then see all the tasks grouped by "box" (with the project name beside each task as on other lists).

16. Repeat x days after completion.

17. Better integration of Contexts and Tags. They typically all represent "prerequisites" for doing a task, e.g. a location, tool, mood, person etc. It is unnatural to have these separated and uncoordinated as two separate features. But it is important to retain the capability to use some of these "prerequisites" for list grouping and quick drag assignment (like the Context feature works now), and the capability to assign more than one "prerequisite" (like the Tags feature works now, and a bit enhanced). It think the implementation of this integration could be elegantly fused with your suggestion 2 above (hierarchical contexts) (and quite likely with your suggestion 6 also).

18. A mix of priority based default task placement AND subsequent manual adjustment on all main lists. In other words, harmonize the convenient automation of the Someday and Waiting lists with the manual capabilities of the Next list.

19. Manual adjustment possible on the Today list (or on a "Starred" list / "Attention" list, if you implement that).
Folke post on 01/13/2015 09:17#6

PRO

@wendy_only

Are any of these things planned for 2015?
wendy_only post on 01/14/2015 07:37#7

PRO

@Folke
Hi,

Thank you for your suggestions.

Q: 8. A regular attention "star" like many other apps have. It is simply wrong to have "schedule for Today" and thereby move the item away from the Next or Waiting list. They should be visible both on the starred hotlist AND on the list where they belong.
A: It is not in our developing plan yet.

Q: 9. See the Waiting group (delegated actions) IMMEDIATELY after Next in all lists and menus. The Waiting For tasks are also "next" actions (but not my own) that could be completed any second (by someone). It is very troublesome to have to scroll down so far to see them.
A: We have the plan to make it possible to manual sort the box order.

Q:10. "Latest on top" as a general placement rule for new or moved items. (Top or Bottom could be user preference setting.) It is very troublesome, and too easy to forget, to scroll down to the bottom to find the new items. The old items are generally less important, which is why I have not done them. New items can be either important or less so. It saves time and work - and eliminates errors - to have them placed at the top by default.
A: It is not in our developing plan yet. We will take it into consideration.

Q:11. Visible scheduled dates for repeating tasks. It is very troublesome now to figure out when a given task will come up next time.
A: Now you could see the dates for repeat task in the calendar viewing page. We plan to improve the calendar feature.

Q: 12. Elimination filtering (NOT filtering) in the tag quick filter (and also in the advanced, saved filters).
And your suggestion 3 above (visible tags) is a necessary prerequisite for even applying any tags at all. As it is now (invisible), they simply cannot be trusted.
A: Sorry that I could not understand you well.

Q: 13. Filtering by "box" (aka "list" or "focus", e.g. Next, Waiting etc) and by Goal in the advanced filter.
A: It has been in our developing plan.

Q: 14. Option to group by Goal in all lists
A: It has been in our developing plan.

Q:15. Summary view of all tasks in a Goal. When clicking a Goal in the left menu, to see fssrt a list of projects, as we do now, and then see all the tasks grouped by "box" (with the project name beside each task as on other lists).
A: It is not in our developing plan yet. We will take it into consideration.

Q:16. Repeat x days after completion.
A: It has been in our developing plan.

Q: 17. Better integration of Contexts and Tags. They typically all represent "prerequisites" for doing a task, e.g. a location, tool, mood, person etc. It is unnatural to have these separated and uncoordinated as two separate features. But it is important to retain the capability to use some of these "prerequisites" for list grouping and quick drag assignment (like the Context feature works now), and the capability to assign more than one "prerequisite" (like the Tags feature works now, and a bit enhanced). It think the implementation of this integration could be elegantly fused with your suggestion 2 above (hierarchical contexts) (and quite likely with your suggestion 6 also).
A: We will do a research on this issue. We will improve the Context feature.

Q: 18. A mix of priority based default task placement AND subsequent manual adjustment on all main lists. In other words, harmonize the convenient automation of the Someday and Waiting lists with the manual capabilities of the Next list.
A: Sorry that it is not in our developing plan yet as it is not an easy issue for us to make it. We will take it into consideration.

Q: 19. Manual adjustment possible on the Today list (or on a "Starred" list / "Attention" list, if you implement that).
A: It is not in our developing plan yet. We will take it into consideration.

Shall you need any help or have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me back.

Thank you for your support!

Best regards,
Doit.im Team
Folke post on 01/14/2015 08:50#8

PRO

@wendy_only

Thanks for a quick and clear response, and I am very glad to see that many of these are in your development plan :-)

I am equally sorry to see that some important ones are not planned, e.g.
- Q 8 (a normal "starred" today list which does not remove things from where they actually live)
- Q 10 ("latest on top" default placement; at least as a preference option)
- Q 15 (a complete, focused view of a particular goal; if we cannot "see" what is in the goal, what good is it to even have it?)

As for Q 15 (visible scheduled dates in the Scheduled list) it is probably good that you will improve the calendar view, but I think it is even more important to see the date clearly in the list view. It is very troublesome to find a task it in the calendar, especially if you do not know when it is supposed to happen. (I actually never ever use the calendar view; and I use a separate calendar for appointments etc.) I would like to improve the list view.

Apparently I had written Q 12 unclearly:

Q: 12. Elimination filtering (NOT filtering) in the tag quick filter (and also in the advanced, saved filters).
And your suggestion 3 above (visible tags) is a necessary prerequisite for even applying any tags at all. As it is now (invisible), they simply cannot be trusted.
A: Sorry that I could not understand you well.

What I mean is:
- elimination filtering (NOT filtering) would mean the ability to hide certain tags or contexts from the list in order to narrow it down to what I want to see right now. Elimination saves tagging work. Example: Instead of having both an Indoors and an Outdoors tag I could have just an Outdoors tag and apply this only to Outdoors tasks. When I want to see Indoors tasks I filter for NOT Outdoors. And for three-level tags, such as High, Normal, Low (Effort, Energy, Time, Temperature, whatever), I could use the default (no tag) to mean Normal and only have to tag when a task requires either High or Low.
- tags must be visible in the list in order for me to be able to trust my own tagging. I might have forgotten to apply the tags and do not want to have to open every task to check. You could make "visible tags" the standard setting or you could make it a preference option (perhaps two separate options for desktop and mobile) and/or you could make it a toggle (switch) at he top to switch between "Brief" and "Detailed" display mode.
Japhir post on 01/16/2015 15:31#9

PRO

I'd just like to pop in to underline the importance of rewriting the "today" list to a "focus" or "starred" list as we see in other applications (or maybe not even that thorough, just show actions for today or earlier in Next actions as well).
I have missed important todos recently because I was watching the "next action" list for something to do in the half-hour I had left, and didn't come across the important to-do in my today list because of this.
Folke post on 01/24/2015 11:18#10

PRO

@Japhir and @wendy_only

Yes, I agree. This is probably the single most important shortcoming in Doit as it is now. The tasks need to remain intact in Next or Waiting etc even if we "mark" them for our convenient attention.

This attention marking (e.g. a star) needs to be visible on the respective GTD list itself (Next, Waiting etc) but preferably also in a special "today"/"focus"/"starred" view just like in other todo apps and in Gmail and many other kinds of apps.