We’re busy working away on Done 2.0 at the moment (a major update to our popular iPhone To Do list app) and thought we’d ask your opinion on a couple of little things…
Should we change the Done icon or is it just change for the sake of it? In the App Store reviews a few people have said they don’t like it and it looks amateur 
The idea behind the design was that it should look very simple to:
a) reflect Done’s philosophy of keeping things simple and
b) look like one of Apple’s own icons – look at the Phone, iPod & Text icons and you’ll see where we were coming from…
Should we drop the splash screen? This is another controversial are with some people. I think the main problem is that people think it’s there as an intrusive ad that keeps them from getting to their list ie. it slows things down. The truth is that it’s there to disguise the loading time. Would you prefer to look at a blank screen instead? Or should we make it optional?
Please post comments and let us know what you think.
May 21, 2009 at 9:47 pm |
On the icon… it’s good. Looks good, fits in. Maybe color it to another color if you want it to be distinct.
As for the splash screen… take a hint from Tweetie or Mail.app. Make it an image that looks like the blank Done screen.
If you want to overhaul some graphics… could you give the “saving” pop-up a bit prettier? Rounded corners, a bit of variable transparency… sort of like Tweetie. It doesn’t need an entrance animation at all.
FInally, a feature request. Have a bare-bones desktop app to sync it with. Please.
May 22, 2009 at 7:48 am |
Hi Josh
thanks for the feedback – the problem with the splash screen is that Done doesn’t have a default blank screen that we could use as a splash screen, because it remembers which view you were in when you quit.
The ‘saving’ pop up is definitely going to be looked at though
May 23, 2009 at 6:23 am |
The icon is a brand, stay with it. For the splash screen, maybe use it with several quotes of ZEN
Looking forward to 2.0, do you need some beta testing?
May 23, 2009 at 12:10 pm |
My vote would be to not have a splash screen, and perhaps use thecexisting art as an About screen, or ‘dress up’ the settings screen a little, to strengthen the branding.
The icon is fine; it’s distinctive, easy to see on the Home screen, so serves its function.
As for other features (although you didn’t ask!) it would be handy to search the lists, a la the Contacts list for instance. Hopefully on OS 3 the Done lists will show up in Home screen Spotlight searches.
Also, if possible it would be good if font settings were configurable, or simply increased in size; IMHO they’re just a little too fine for the iPhone screen.
Thanks
May 25, 2009 at 6:08 pm |
Hi! The icon is perfect! It’s a fresh style according to the app philosophie! On the other hand I should drop the splash screen! I vote for managing diferent size fonts like someone said.
Saludos
May 25, 2009 at 9:33 pm |
Definitely keep the icon. I think the splash screen is fine, ESPECIALLY if it’s in place of a blank screen. Also, I’d love an option to take the “take wallpaper picture” option away if we don’t use that feature. Thanks.
May 28, 2009 at 11:23 am |
I think the icon is fine and I love the new black background but is their anyway you can make it so that tasks due today can be shown as a “badge” and nothing else? Have that as an option I mean? I currently have 37 tasks showing up, but only 6 are due today, it was be useful to have a way to separate this. Thanks!
May 28, 2009 at 11:34 am |
Hi Rachel
thanks for the feedback – we’ll be adding that feature in Done 2.0 which we’re working on now – hope you can wait
May 28, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Fantastic news! thanks!
May 28, 2009 at 1:24 pm |
Excuse! I’got made a mistake I wanted to say: I should NOT drop the Splash screen! (is a part of brand done) Sorry
May 28, 2009 at 5:33 pm |
I like very much the icon !
I like very much this app too !!! this is very useful for me.
Just on thing is laking for me is an alphabetical order.
I used to keep track of things to do for customers. And it would be great to have them sorted from A to Z on the main screen.
Is that possible in version 2.0 ?
Thanks a lot for all !
May 29, 2009 at 1:18 pm |
Hi Carine
Thanks for the feedback – I’m afraid we haven’t got any plans for an alphabetical sort at the moment but you can arrange your customers manually. Just click the ‘Edit’ button in the top left of the main screen and you can then use the little handles that appear to the right of each list to drag them into order – hope this helps!
May 29, 2009 at 8:29 pm
thanks so much ! I can wait with this method. I didn’t know…;-)
Surely, there are other “trucs” I have to find !
May 28, 2009 at 9:24 pm |
I like the icon as it is. Maybe, just maybe, for more proffessional look you can concider a app store like shining icon backround.
May 31, 2009 at 5:13 pm |
Nice idea, Voo – we’ll try that!
May 31, 2009 at 12:41 am |
As the guys from ChilliX know, I love this application! I really do!
The Icon:
I like it the way it is. Although, I kind of like the idea “Voo” said about adding a shinny effect on it like the App store icon… but its not a deal breaker… and I can’t really imagine what it would look like.
Splash Screen:
I like the current method. A blank screen would seem very amatureish to me. Someone suggested that adding some brief information and use it like an “About” screen.
Features (you didn’t ask, but here they are anyway):
SYNC! Some form or another, iCal, Google, anything, something. I think the Google option would be great… if only we could get Google to publish a “Google Task API” … cuz that would be all WIN.
May 31, 2009 at 5:15 pm |
Hi Jerry
as always, thanks for the feedback/suggestions.
The icon -I think we’ll work up a few variations on the icon and post them on the blog to see what you guys think…
Splash screen – we’ve got a couple of ideas for v2.0 that we’re going to try out that might be a bit more interesting.
May 31, 2009 at 5:23 am |
Done
Lovely simple application – I have stopped writing to do lists in a book for the first time in over 25 years!
Logo – fine
Splash screen – fine but happy with suggestions above
Other – big issue for me is back up. If I lose my phone my contacts, emails, music etc. are all saved elsewhere. Back up of Done doesn’t need to be to too complicated – if I could just email my list to myself every so often then I have it stored on the pc or I can just print it out. If you have already built in a back up function please let me know.
Tony
May 31, 2009 at 5:17 pm |
Hi Tony
thanks for the feedback. Regarding you concern about back up – we’re working on it. Keep an eye open for version 2.0.
June 3, 2009 at 10:32 pm |
One more thing from me. Would be very nice to see some automatic deleted todo’s list (recycle bin?). I like very much to delete all done things from main lists, but still i like to see what all i have done in past.
June 5, 2009 at 9:09 pm |
Great app! Icon could have more of a 3d look, maybe the checkmark a different color. Please allow option of not using the landscape delete, too easy to delete items you still want if you get distracted while using the app.
June 12, 2009 at 10:21 pm |
Logo is fine. I like how it really stands out from the rest of the apps on my iphone.
Now about the splash screen, it really bothered me since it first started using the app. I want to get right into adding/viewing/editing my tasks. I think the solution should be speeding up the loading process of the app, if that is at all possible. If not possible maybe just the image of the icon fading in and out, some other illusion of it loading faster.
a feature request is you are taking any would be sub-tasks.
June 12, 2009 at 11:52 pm |
I would also like to add these feature requests:
1. syncing tasks with due dates to the built-in Calendar app on the iPhone to provide alerts for tasks.
2. a way to backup and restore data.
June 14, 2009 at 9:42 am |
Hi RV
thanks for all the feedback/suggestions…
re. sub-tasks – there’s no plans for these as yet (we’re trying to keep Done really simple) but you could try what I do: create a list for that task and break the component elements of the task down into items on the list…
re. synching tasks with the built in Calendar app – Apple don’t allow direct access to this so you’d have to get in an out of it another way (like using Google Calendar or some Mac 3rd party apps). It all adds a level of complexity beyond our ‘keep it simple’ goal…
re. backup of data – we’re working on it
June 15, 2009 at 12:48 am |
- Should we change the Done icon -
I understand the ideas behind the icon’s design, but I think some small tweaks are required to make it look more like something designed-by-Apple:
The current Done icon closely resembles the iTunes and App Store icon, except for:
* Done’s icon shows a filled white circle, instead of a circle with just a white border.
* Likewise, the checkmark symbol in Done’s icon is cut out of the filled white circle, which isn’t the case in the iTunes and App Store icons.
* Not really necessary, but you could add those fancy sun rays too.
Also, you mentioned that you’ve modeled the icon after the Phone, SMS and iPod icons… I’ve just noticed that those are exactly the ones that aren’t present on an iPod Touch, which is why the Done icon feels a little out-of-place. (In fact, I think the Phone, SMS and iPod themselves don’t really fit with the rest. All other icons also are easily recognizable, but they’re much more detailed…)
- Should we drop the splash screen? -
In short, heck yes.
I don’t think splash screens are good practice in building user interfaces. While it’s meant to keep you occupied whilst the app is loading, it actually puts extra stress on the fact that you have to wait before you get what you want. (kind of like sitting through an ad before your tv show starts…)
It’s better to show something the user is expecting, which is a list of todo items. Whilst the app can’t do that yet, you could already show parts of the interface: An empty menu bar in the top, an empty list in the middle and the toolbar at the bottom. That way, the user has a second to get accustomed to the app’s interface. By using a splash screen, the user still needs to take an additional bit of time after the splash screen to figure out the interface (Of course, if you’ve already used the app before, this only takes a fraction of a second, but it still matters). That’s why it actually feels like the application is a little faster if you show that near-empty interface instead of a splash screen. (For example, just take a look at any Apple app, like Clock or Contacts)
- Other suggestions -
Would the iPhone 3.0 OS make it possible to make the “Save as wallpaper”-feature a little more transparent? By that I mean: Done should (, if desired,) automatically make sure that your wallpaper is set to the current version of your to-do list, instead of having to update the wallpaper manually each time the to-do list changes.
Perhaps add a forum to chillix’s website where people can make suggestions / report bugs? I’m guessing that’d be a little tidier for you to keep track of feedback.
Would also be better for people to see which suggestions have already been made, such that you don’t need to read the same things twice…
June 15, 2009 at 8:32 am |
Hi nferno
Thanks for the longest feedback ever
Icon – we’ve got a few ideas for a new icon but it will be evolution rather than revolution. We’ll post them soon and see what you guys think…
Splash screen – you can only have one splash screen in the app and because Done doesn’t have one standard screen (it could be black or white, have an options bar or not) so it’s difficult to include a blank screen an fill it with info as a lot of other apps do. However we’ve got an idea we’re going to try out…
Wallpaper – unfortunately OS 3.0 doesn’t make handling the wallpaper any easier – we were really hoping it would! In fact, early tests seem to suggest it makes the wallpaper look worse by compressing the quality even further…
June 15, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Heh oops, that comment turned out to be a little longer than I was hoping for; guess I was on a roll :p Anyhow, thanks for the quick reply and keep up the good work!
June 24, 2009 at 10:34 pm |
I love your App. and would not change very little. Please resist the temptation to modify details unless they are critically needed. Simplicity is by far your best attribute.
- The Icon is clean and simple with a touch of whimsy. Very nice!
- The color is bright and solid and un-complex.
- The visual language and how the App graphic presents is clean and simple.
I prefer the black mode and use WriteRoom for that same reason and wish File Magnet was still black.
The splash screen… make it even shorter, loose the gray gradient – go black, pull the logo down about 20% and make your website text small clean and high contrast.
Love the sound and the ability to check and un-check items so I can recycle lists over and over using the shake to reprioritize.
Great App. – Please don’t muddy it up!
July 19, 2009 at 12:35 am |
I just purchased Done a few days ago and am still in the throes of new love, so take my comments with that grain of salt.
• Do not change the icon. It’s beautiful the way it is. Please keep it… Please!!!
• In my opinion, the splash screen accomplishes its purpose. How much time does the load take? Admittedly my lists aren’t very long yet,… but really!
Prior to purchasing Done, I was looking at Things and OmniFocus. When I found your fantastic product, it felt like I had come home. Keep up the great work.
July 19, 2009 at 8:13 am |
Hi Mel
thanks for the enthusiastic feedback – it’s great to know people appreciate how hard it is to keep Done simple
May 2, 2010 at 7:33 am |
Hi
- ICON – no change, I love it’s simplicity. It’s your branding. So I would leverage it more v change. Eg miniature done btn in app if there is a place
- SPLASH SCREEN – yes this annoyed me as a newbie iPhone user. But now, I have acclimatized. Prefer if it booted up with your “wall paper” saved lists.
I am with others comment re wall paper.i have emailedbut no response yet….. With wallpaper sometimes I get battry recharge and sometimes by beautiful done list. Not sure why. I always want my done list to show.
Plus all the other feature requests listed in the review. It’s like at chilleX things have gone quiet. No responses,no update…
And apple continues to expand… 4.0… Ipad…
Is everything cooking???
May 7, 2010 at 1:47 pm |
Thanks again for the feedback and suggestions…
re. the splash screen – it would be great to boot up with the wallpaper but I don’t think it’s possible…
as far as seeing the battery recharge screen instead on the Done wallpaper – that must only happen when the phone is on charge? Unfortunately there’s no way we can override this behaviour of the phone although one possible solution we’re looking into is to give Done an ‘always on’ option. That way you could launch Done and leave it running while the phone is on charge and it would stay onscreen until you quit out of the app. I’d personally find this quite useful as well so that I could just quickly glance up at my to do list while I’m working on the computer with the phone on charge next to me…
we’ll try and get that into the next update
I mentioned the reasons for our lack of recent activity in my previous reply – we’ll try and get things cooking again asap