Reviews (quick, long) Post Here

[BwanaZulia]

Ok... I am a long time OF user (back since Kinkless was around).

Loves:
- Synching. Yes, I know it is in all of them, but it is a killer feature, still.
- Quick entry box. Nice and big and next to my finger.
- Forecast. Great way of viewing what is on tap.

Likes:
- Review. A good start, but only goes through projects needing review which is 1/10th of my review
- Map. Like the function, just never use it much.
- Sidebar settings. You can change the order.
- Look and feel. Most of it is pretty good. Animations are nice.
- Folder view on the side bar.

Meh:
- Speed. It is a little pokey. Clicking a task takes 1-2 seconds to disappear. Some views take longer.
- Crashes. 2 in first 20 minutes. Hope 1.01 is on the way.
- Look and feel 2. Seems like a lot of wasted "black" space.
- Price. Knew it would be $40 but still think it is $10 high.

Dislikes:
- Views. Not sure why OG still consider a "PENDING" project as "REMAINING" I don't want to see pending projects until they are active. (same thing in iPhone).
- Look and feel 3. Folders just look strange.

That is my first 30 minutes with it. :)

BZ

[pmdf]

Well, after 30 minutes poking about myself I'm quite pleased. I agree with other users who've found everything a bit "too big" in the list view, but hopefully there'll be an option to customise font sizes in a future release.

I wasn't sure about the sidebar first of all, but that's grown on me already. I love the forecast and review features. I'm a bit lazy when it comes to reviews, but I've just done my first on the iPad and it was a positive pleasure! Will be doing my reviews on here rather than the desktop in future.

No crashes at all for me so far.

One thing I'm missing, but it may be just me not seeing it... I make regular use of the Due Soon and Overdue views in the iPhone version. I can't find a good way of just viewing my tasks that are "Due Soon" on the iPad version. Is there any way to do that?

Overall, a thumbs up from me so far!

[RiK]

Very quick first impressions:

Way too much wasted space, the nested tree views could have much narrower rows and fit twice as much info on screen easily. Makes it feel a bit like an app designed for kids.

In context view, collapse-all doesn't fully collapse nested contexts. Each separate sub-context shows up at the top level as a flat list and that's quite annoying.

[ifonline]

- Crashes. 2 in first 20 minutes. Hope 1.01 is on the way.

What you have should already be the 1.0.1 version, at least according to iTunes, just so you know.

[boris.baesler]

One thing I'm missing, but it may be just me not seeing it... I make regular use of the Due Soon and Overdue views in the iPhone version. I can't find a good way of just viewing my tasks that are "Due Soon" on the iPad version. Is there any way to do that?



For me, the way to do that is the forecast view. You can see a complete week in the top bar, including overdue tasks.

Overall, I'm too very happy with the iPad version. But I'm not yet used to tasks being not aligned with the project/folder. On one hand, it saves room for the description of the task. On the other hand, it feels "wrong". But that's only graphics...

Great work, guys!

[IceWind]

I posted the following in another thread but sticking it in here seems like the right place...

The UI is a mess (IMO) Makes my iPad look like a Fisher-Price Toy.

My list of Moans:
1) Why is everything MASSIVE?
2) I hate dark themes (always look like something a 1st year Uni student would create for some web-design assignment)
3) Why so much wasted space?
4) Fonts on left navigation panel are about 4 sizes smaller than the actions etc on right???

But like I said... functionality seems good.

Overall... happy to have it on my iPad (but I think OG guys need to look for some new U.I. designers ;)

[pmdf]

For me, the way to do that is the forecast view. You can see a complete week in the top bar, including overdue tasks.

Thanks for that... I'm unusually up-to-date at the moment so didn't have an overdue task to view in there, but having set one up to test I can now see how that will work in forecast view.

[jspruance]

I haven't ponied up the money yet. I use Omnifocus on my Mac and iPhone and the iPad with the iPhone app. But the problem is the price.

In the cloud sync is the killer function of Omnifocus but it forces me to have a Webdav server or Mobile Me. No support for DropBox or SugarSync is available, at least none that I have found on the iPhone side. So last year when I made the switch to Omnifocus, I spent $79 for the Mac version, $20 for the iPhone version, and $99 for a year of MobileMe (and I pretty much only use Mobile Me for Omnifocus). $200 total to manage my tasks on two different platforms.

So now the iPad client comes out and it is $40??? Come on, I know you guys have to eat, but it couldn't be a little cheaper. I love the product, but I can get ToDo for the iPad right now for $5, and it is georgeous. I know it doesn't sync, but I pretty much always have my iPad with me, so maybe I stop using the desktop version.

People who have tested, is it worth it for me to spend $40 for yet another different version of the same program, or should I just continue to use the iPhone version? Does it look like the iPad version is worth $40? By the reviews here, it looks like people aren't in love with the interface.

[RiK]

1) Why is everything MASSIVE?

Hmm, I've only been playing with it for an hour but I've got to say, the 'Mr Magoo' interface is starting to really grate already. It makes it feel like a kids first reading book rather than a grown-up productivity app.

Damn, hope the Omni guys will do something about that as for an app like this information is key. This definitely needs an option to get rid of all the extraneous space as that totally negates the benefits of the iPad screen size.

[al_f]

I like it: I do think the UI could be nicer, though (I still think the mockup one that was posted by a user on here ages ago looks nicer than the shipping one). The functionality is there, however, which is the main thing (though I agree with BZ about the pending projects being remaining: why there can't be a similar set of project views to the desktop app with "active", "on hold" etc. in both the iPhone and iPad apps escapes me). I'm sure it will improve with time.

To those spotting bugs: don't complain here, report to the ninjas! :)

[BwanaZulia]

I think the size is meant so you can hit it with your fingers. Not sure I agree it needs to be THIS big, but I get why they had something be big.

BZ

[pmdf]

People who have tested, is it worth it for me to spend $40 for yet another different version of the same program, or should I just continue to use the iPhone version? Does it look like the iPad version is worth $40? By the reviews here, it looks like people aren't in love with the interface.

I've owned the desktop version and iPhone version since each were released, but prior to the release of this iPad version I did consider switching, as the cost is hard for me to justify.

I downloaded a handful of the top-selling task managers on the iPad and realised that none of them were going to come close to meeting my expectations (multi-level hierarchies and syncing are particularly in short supply), so I've bit the bullet and stumped up for the iPad version. And as I've stated above, UI concerns aside, I'm glad that I did.

[Eye_Doc]

I am really pleased with the "Fisher Price" sized interface.

I am inherently lazy and I need OF to be quick and accessible and friendly looking.

The iPad version does that. On the desktop, I have small font sizes and tons of data on-screen. I don't want that for the iPad version.

[jspruance]

I downloaded a handful of the top-selling task managers on the iPad and realised that none of them were going to come close to meeting my expectations (multi-level hierarchies and syncing are particularly in short supply), so I've bit the bullet and stumped up for the iPad version. And as I've stated above, UI concerns aside, I'm glad that I did.

Thanks for the input pmdf. I figured all the other apps fell short. I'll keep watching and the consensus on the UI. I am in love with OF so I will probably end up buying it. It's just hard to cough up that kind of money these days.

[RiK]

I think the size is meant so you can hit it with your fingers. Not sure I agree it needs to be THIS big, but I get why they had something be big.

Have you ever hit the wrong item accidentally in the iPhone version? Those are plenty big enough.

[BwanaZulia]

Have you ever hit the wrong item accidentally in the iPhone version? Those are plenty big enough.

I have not, but after just taking the ipad on the road and using it on the in the subway, I get why the icons are bigger.

I agree they are a little big and there is some spacing issues, but OG will listen to us and I am sure will make changes.

BZ

[atreinke]

I would prefer the ability to reduce the font and the size of the boxes, but I understand that is a personal preference. It seems a little odd to be talking about the next release so soon since it came out but I will hope that the option will be there soon.

In the meantime, I still love this app. For anyone hesitating to purchase this - do it now. This app (as expected since it is from OG) is by far the best task management / GTD / To Do list out there. I have probably purchased and installed almost every one out there in iTunes, and I have only been using this for a few hours, but it is the best, IMHO.

[IceWind]

I have not, but after just taking the ipad on the road and using it on the in the subway, I get why the icons are bigger.

I agree they are a little big and there is some spacing issues, but OG will listen to us and I am sure will make changes.

BZ

I would be too embarrassed to be seen using this app on the subway. The UI is an absolute mess for starters. in addition to that... I really don't want the guy in the next carriage to know that that I need to change my underpants (with font size 34, this is easily accomplished)

I honestly don't know what the Omni guys have been doing? I mean, they had like 90% of the code they could have reused from the iPhone app. They simply needed to hook up the back end code to new iPad interface objects. They could have used the default iPad split view controller and default table views and buttons... And would have accomplished this in about 2 weeks from starting the project!

In fact, I would actually have preferred a universal "fat client" upgrade to the existing iPhone app. It would have cost us customers nothing and could be used on both iPhone and iPad while retaining the same familiar interface that we have all been used to for the past couple of years.

IDK.... **sighs** Did these guys even read Apple's iPad HIG???

[ksrhee]

This is strictly personal choice, but I think you will see that the sizing of each item might be a good compromise. In my use, I found the sizing to be perfect in tapping, holding and release, and other things when I don't have the iPad held right next to me.

Unlike iPhone where I have the device close to me pretty much all the time, my iPad at times sits on my desk, propped on the stand, etc.

So, the small sizing might not work well in those situations.

However, perhaps Omni can make this optional so that everyone can have their own cake and eat it.

[ksrhee]

I would be too embarrassed to be seen using this app on the subway. The UI is an absolute mess for starters. in addition to that... I really don't want the guy in the next carriage to know that that I need to change my underpants (with font size 34, this is easily accomplished)

I honestly don't know what the Omni guys have been doing? I mean, they had like 90% of the code they could have reused from the iPhone app. They simply needed to hook up the back end code to new iPad interface objects. They could have used the default iPad split view controller and default table views and buttons... And would have accomplished this in about 2 weeks from starting the project!

In fact, I would actually have preferred a universal "fat client" upgrade to the existing iPhone app. It would have cost us customers nothing and could be used on both iPhone and iPad while retaining the same familiar interface that we have all been used to for the past couple of years.

IDK.... **sighs** Did these guys even read Apple's iPad HIG???

I'm sorry, but your comments makes me think you haven't tried the iPad application. It's nothing like the iPhone application, and it pretty much has the power of the Mac program (except creating perspectives) and some new and interesting features.

[steven]

I like it. I don't interpret some of the design decisions (spacing, high-contrast backgrounds, rounded recs) as not so much a "flavor" decision, but a utility decision.

There's a lot about the more standard iPad gui (mail) that I think is too smooth & subdued for use representing "blocks of things that relate to other things" - the Mail interface is only describing simple buckets of email items.

There's room for improvement, yeah, but I like the risk they took.

Or maybe I'm just giggly about not using the pix-doubled iPhone app. :)

[IceWind]

I'm sorry, but your comments makes me think you haven't tried the iPad application. It's nothing like the iPhone application, and it pretty much has the power of the Mac program (except creating perspectives) and some new and interesting features.

I bought it before the iPad was even able to find it in the UK store! I managed to get it by clicking the app store link on the OmniFocus iPad marketing page!

I've been using it for the past couple of hours... And this UI is really, really annoying me.

Sorry... Just my opinion.

[whpalmer4]

I would be too embarrassed to be seen using this app on the subway. The UI is an absolute mess for starters. in addition to that... I really don't want the guy in the next carriage to know that that I need to change my underpants (with font size 34, this is easily accomplished)
Sounds like you should take advantage of their generous 30-day-money-back guarantee and go back to using your iPhone. You might also cultivate the habit of looking at the screen shots in the App Store before pushing the Buy button, for all the other vendors who don't offer such a guarantee...

[ksrhee]

I bought it before the iPad was even able to find it in the UK store! I managed to get it by clicking the app store link on the OmniFocus iPad marketing page!

I've been using it for the past couple of hours... And this UI is really, really annoying me.

Sorry... Just my opinion.

That's OK. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Some people love certain cars, but others think they are not great looking.

Perhaps if you communicate to Omni what aspects of UI you find annoying, then perhaps they can do something about it in future versions.

[imlad]

[snip.

In the cloud sync is the killer function of Omnifocus but it forces me to have a Webdav server or Mobile Me. No support for DropBox or SugarSync is available, at least none that I have found on the iPhone side. So last year when I made the switch to Omnifocus, I spent $79 for the Mac version, $20 for the iPhone version, and $99 for a year of MobileMe (and I pretty much only use Mobile Me for Omnifocus). $200 total to manage my tasks on two different platforms.

snip
.[/QUOTE]

You can get a much cheaper synchronization solution through the spootnik dude - http://www.spootnik.net/ You also get access to a very scaled down version of OF with your data through a browser. The charge is $3 a month - much cheaper than MobileMe (if, like myself, you don't use MobileMe for anything by sync OF). This way you can view, edit and create new tasks on the web (though in a very limited way).

[ksrhee]

[snip.

In the cloud sync is the killer function of Omnifocus but it forces me to have a Webdav server or Mobile Me. No support for DropBox or SugarSync is available, at least none that I have found on the iPhone side. So last year when I made the switch to Omnifocus, I spent $79 for the Mac version, $20 for the iPhone version, and $99 for a year of MobileMe (and I pretty much only use Mobile Me for Omnifocus). $200 total to manage my tasks on two different platforms.

snip
.


You can apply for the Omni Sync Server which is currently in beta. I've switched over from MobileMe to this several weeks ago, and it works fine.

You can go to here: http://www.omnigroup.com/sync/ and request a beta invitation.

[BwanaZulia]

One thing that is lacking the ability to quickly add tasks to a project.

It would be nice, if in the project view, below (or on) the project bar there was an + button, so it would pull the project context and project into the task.

Having that up on the bar, only if you are focused in, just isn't helpful.

BZ

[ksrhee]

One thing that is lacking the ability to quickly add tasks to a project.

It would be nice, if in the project view, below (or on) the project bar there was an + button, so it would pull the project context and project into the task.

Having that up on the bar, only if you are focused in, just isn't helpful.

BZ

Did you try to tap and hold the project item? It should pop up a list of options, one of which is to add new action.

There are other options as well such as focus, delete, review, etc.

[BwanaZulia]

Did you try to tap and hold the project item? It should pop up a list of options, one of which is to add new action.

There are other options as well such as focus, delete, review, etc.

Thought I did, but will try again.

If that works, it is still 2 taps away. I should be able to add actions to a project very quickly which is something the desktop has, the iPhone does not I am looking for in the iPad version.

BZ

[rrklever]

Like many, I have been waiting anxiously for the release of this app. I dont have a technical background, but have been thorougly enjoying the status updates provided by the Omni Group (thanks guys!) concerning the making of this app. The updates were understandable to me and gave me some insight in the process of making such a program, which was fun by itself. That it was about the program I have been most excited about for the last years, is an extra bonus!

I have to say that the iPad-app looks great! It provides good overviews of your lists in the different viewing options (context, perspectives), something that was missing in the iPhone app when compared to the desktop-app. And I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the forecast-view. This is really fantastic guys! I use the "Due soon" perspective a lot but this is just so much better. It fits very well in my workflow, that is mainly focusing on things that need to get done in a time-frame of a week. This is truly a very nice feature!

I dont think I can add a lot to the UI-discussions, except for the fact that I personally think it works, therefore it is fine by me. I dont care much for the looks, but to be honest I dont dislike the look at all. I actually like that icons etc are rather big. And I like the font that was used.

Also, about the price, and I think most people generally agree on this; Omnifocus is a class different from many of the other productivity-apps and the price is consistent with this. I expected $40 and Im willing to pay it. Thats a personal choice anyway. But I dont think the Omni Group is out of line with this.

[ksrhee]

Thought I did, but will try again.

If that works, it is still 2 taps away. I should be able to add actions to a project very quickly which is something the desktop has, the iPhone does not I am looking for in the iPad version.

BZ

Now, that's really being picky . . .

Believe me it doesn't take much time to add a new action item to a project from a project view or context view for that matter.

[Sandi]

Have you ever hit the wrong item accidentally in the iPhone version? Those are plenty big enough.

I have been using the iPad version for some hours now and, although the font, spacing and interface is on the large size, I have realised that I hold the iPad differently to my iPhone.

On the phone I hold it in my left hand and use my RH index finger to scroll, type and check off tasks. With the iPad, with this interface I can hold it in both hands and often check tasks as done using my thumb. The larger check boxes are then perfectly appropriate for accurately hitting with the thumb.

When reading on the iPad, a smaller font size is fine, although I am more comfortable with the automatic enlargement in landscape orientation. But when I need to go to the following page (on this forum for example), then I have to zoom in to ensure that I hit the right next page number. Too often I miss hit entirely if I leave it at the 'normal' size. And in typing this on my iPad, the larger landscape keyboard is much pleasanter to use than portrait. Omnifocus UI does not look out of place when used in conjunction with the design decisions Apple have taken for content input themselves.

[HiramvdG]

Someone mentioned having to pay for MobileMe or another WebDAV service.
Swissdisk is free and works fine for OF synchronization.

[whpalmer4]

Or sign up for Omni's service, which is currently free. Works great. http://sync.omnigroup.com

[elrjax]

Well. I am very much enjoying the new version on the iPad. I love the forecast view and I love how the day and date are headings for the due view. The only issue I am going to have to work around is to build some sort of focus perspectives since I make a distinction between personal and company projects and contexts, and the finger scrolling takes a long time to get to one or the other (especially in meetings where I prefer not to scroll past my personal stuff :-).

Great job!

-Ed

[WillisWasabi]

Like it. Especially reviews.

My slightly longer thoughts:

http://blog.smargiassi.us/post/881163174/omnifocus-for-ipad-review

[BwanaZulia]

Now, that's really being picky . . .

Believe me it doesn't take much time to add a new action item to a project from a project view or context view for that matter.

Not sure it is...

I am on a project, it has a task I think of a few more tasks, I want to add them quickly. Double tapping to get the pop up, gets me no where.

There is a + button the top, but it isn't under the project.

Think about how easy it is to add a task to a project on the desktop app, it shouldn't be harder than that.

That bottom bar (the wasted one that is just rounded right now) should be tap-able. You tap it, and down pops another task.

BZ

[ksrhee]

Not sure it is...

I am on a project, it has a task I think of a few more tasks, I want to add them quickly. Double tapping to get the pop up, gets me no where.

There is a + button the top, but it isn't under the project.

Think about how easy it is to add a task to a project on the desktop app, it shouldn't be harder than that.

That bottom bar (the wasted one that is just rounded right now) should be tap-able. You tap it, and down pops another task.

BZ

I guess we have to agree to disagree. I found the current feature to add a new task by tap/hold and release very convenient since I'm look at the project heading anyway, and I don't have to shift my attention to anywhere else to add a new task. Besides, other commands in the pop-up list of commands (e.g., review, focus, etc.) to be very helpful.

[atreinke]

I love the fact that it shows the beginning of a note in the first line of the action. I used to put a "@" after an action if I had a note embedded in it so that when I was using the iPhone app on my iPad I knew there was a note. Otherwise there was no indication it was there without going into the task info.

Now we need to get some kind of small icon to show that there is an audio note or picture embedded into a task and project so that you know it when looking at the basic task/project display.

[iannarino]

Not sure it is...

I am on a project, it has a task I think of a few more tasks, I want to add them quickly. Double tapping to get the pop up, gets me no where.

There is a + button the top, but it isn't under the project.

Think about how easy it is to add a task to a project on the desktop app, it shouldn't be harder than that.

That bottom bar (the wasted one that is just rounded right now) should be tap-able. You tap it, and down pops another task.

BZ

Agreed. This is cumbersome. Should be an easy fix.

[gcrump]

Super quick review. I love it. I think I would rather use this almost as much as the desktop app. Forecast is great, jump to the project (need to drop the dialog to confirm) very well done. No crashes thus far

[Jon C]

I agree. After seeing some of the moaning about the UI upon installing it I was surprised how close to perfect it was, and how CAPABLE. Makes the iphone app look handicapped. Couldnt get the bookmarklet to work but otherwise 9.5/10. Inspiring, straight on my favourites on the dock.

[Jon C]

oh, and I LOVE the font size. My eyes arent the best so please no smaller!

[tonycspc]

Maybe I am missing something but it seems incredibly awkward when trying to indent items or add items to a list. And moving items around is no easy task either. Am I missing am easier step? Why is it so hard to make am outline under a project ?

[GTD]

I agree. After seeing some of the moaning about the UI upon installing it I was surprised how close to perfect it was, and how CAPABLE. Makes the iphone app look handicapped. Couldnt get the bookmarklet to work but otherwise 9.5/10. Inspiring, straight on my favourites on the dock.Regarding the bookmarklet (from another thread): If you had OmniFocus for iPhone installed on your iPad, delete the iPhone version from your iPad, and then reboot your iPad. That will probably fix your bookmarklet issue. It worked for me.

[Jon C]

thanks, will give it a shot.

[curt.clifton]

Maybe I am missing something but it seems incredibly awkward when trying to indent items or add items to a list. And moving items around is no easy task either. Am I missing am easier step? Why is it so hard to make am outline under a project ?

For adding items, I focus on the project (tap and hold on the project header, then select Focus in the popup menu). Then I use the plus button in the top right corner to add items. Tap and hold an action to get into rearrange mode. That mode was the last thing added during initial development and they didn't have time to add full support for indenting there. So for now, you have to use the Move button to indent the first task under a parent action. Once you have a child, you can drag another item between a parent and child and the dragged item will become a child also.

That's a bit (a lot?) cumbersome. Use Contact Omni in the gear menu to submit your vote for drag-and-drop indenting.

[HiramvdG]

I agree. After seeing some of the moaning about the UI upon installing it I was surprised how close to perfect it was, and how CAPABLE. Makes the iphone app look handicapped.
In fact, I like the iPad UI (not just the looks, but the workflow) better than the OmniFocus for Mac UI.

[bnz]

Unfortunately, I don't like it, but maybe I am using it wrongly. It is slow, and most of the time, it displays too much at once. A "Focus" mode like in Appigo's Todo is missing where you can configure a view with the tasks that are due in the next 7 days or so. The forecast mode in Omnifocus is similar, but I would have to go through each day to see the items instead of everything at once ordered by day. This is just not practical for me. You display all projects and the next item while the next item is some project might be due in the next few months and leave out the tasks that might be due tomorrow if there is some other task before it. I rather want to have displayed the next view items that are due at once. And something else - why do you even waste my precious display space with empty project entries where there are no next actions. This is completely useless!

[chris101]

Overall, i'm very impressed with the look and feel of the app.

My only issue is with the handling of notes. While i see that it includes a brief preview of the note on the same line as a task, i also notice that if a task takes more than the single line there's no indication that there's a note attached.

Perhaps a small note icon after the ellipses?

[pmdf]

A "Focus" mode like in Appigo's Todo is missing where you can configure a view with the tasks that are due in the next 7 days or so. The forecast mode in Omnifocus is similar, but I would have to go through each day to see the items instead of everything at once ordered by day. This is just not practical for me. You display all projects and the next item while the next item is some project might be due in the next few months and leave out the tasks that might be due tomorrow if there is some other task before it. I rather want to have displayed the next view items that are due at once.

If you click on Perspectives in the sidebar, there's a Due view (which you can add to your sidebar by clicking on the star) which should let you see exactly that.

If you have the desktop version of OF then you can further customise this view by creating your own perspective, and then sync it to the iPad.

[IceWind]

There also needs to be some indication that there is an attachment included in the project/action. If I add an attachment, there is no way of telling this unless I physically open a task and move to the attachments tab.

The usual little paperclip icon is needed here.

[BwanaZulia]

Ok, I have had a chance to go back to use the iPhone and desktop version and have more thoughts.

- Yes the UI needs help. It is a little over designed, too much wasted space and it has lost a lot of the Omni Grouo core which is simplicity. Things pop and move.

- Tapping and hold is not a good user interface for something you want to do quickly like adding a new item to a project. Tap and hold is good for settings and things you don't do a lot. Easy capture needs to be added back. Even the quick entry box pops, than moves up. Too much animation.

- it has performance issues. Screens stall while loading, and it can't keep up with my tapping. It takes 11 seconds to load on iPad. 7 secons on iPhone 4. It takes 3 seconds to load forecast mode.

- the views are still off. I should be able to filter out pending projects withough filtering out all of my actual tasks.


Overall it is a good product but I feel like they went a little too much back to the drawing board and didn't keep enough of the core principles of GTD in that the program should get out of your way and let you capture and do.

Hoping for some updates and fixes (which I trust Omni Group will do)

BZ

[ksrhee]

Not sure it is...

I am on a project, it has a task I think of a few more tasks, I want to add them quickly. Double tapping to get the pop up, gets me no where.

There is a + button the top, but it isn't under the project.

Think about how easy it is to add a task to a project on the desktop app, it shouldn't be harder than that.

That bottom bar (the wasted one that is just rounded right now) should be tap-able. You tap it, and down pops another task.

BZ

If you really want to add multiple tasks to the project, then you can focus on the project and click the + button, and you will see the option to add a new task in the project.

I know it's still more taps than what you are asking, but I found this to be helpful in adding multiple tasks at the same time to a project.

[ksrhee]

Ok, I have had a chance to go back to use the iPhone and desktop version and have more thoughts.

- Yes the UI needs help. It is a little over designed, too much wasted space and it has lost a lot of the Omni Grouo core which is simplicity. Things pop and move.

- Tapping and hold is not a good user interface for something you want to do quickly like adding a new item to a project. Tap and hold is good for settings and things you don't do a lot. Easy capture needs to be added back. Even the quick entry box pops, than moves up. Too much animation.

- it has performance issues. Screens stall while loading, and it can't keep up with my tapping. It takes 11 seconds to load on iPad. 7 secons on iPhone 4. It takes 3 seconds to load forecast mode.

BZ

Again, we have to agree to disagree.

I love the UI. It's the best of three in my book.
The multi-touch interface offers a lot of interesting options and different feel than the traditional PC with mouse interface. I love the way I can move and do things in my iPad versus my Mac. Then again, it might be personal preference.
I don't know how many projects/tasks you have, but I don't experience the delays you describe.

Thanks.

[whpalmer4]

BZ,

There were lots of cosmetic issues reported during the beta (such as the annoying trait of the editor to slide out from under where you were trying to tap) that were (rightfully, IMO) deferred until the 1.1 release in the interests of getting the product out into the hands of a wider audience. Omnigraffle got a big tune-up with its follow-up revision and OmniFocus should be the same. There won't be the same worries about last minute tuning potentially destabilizing the release, etc. You've been a long-time OmniFocus user and have seen how much extra work is done in subsequent (free) updates. I don't see any reason to think it will be otherwise here, do you?

[bnz]

If you click on Perspectives in the sidebar, there's a Due view (which you can add to your sidebar by clicking on the star) which should let you see exactly that.

If you have the desktop version of OF then you can further customise this view by creating your own perspective, and then sync it to the iPad.

There is no "perspectives" in my side bar.

[bhamss]

How are people integrating all of their tasks that are generated from email into the new OF? This is one of my most used functions on the MAC version and one of the main reasons I continue to use it.

I assume bc of the limitations of the Ipad OS that it is not possible to do this but I cannot be alone in the need to correlate action from email to OF. Any work arounds?

[whpalmer4]

If you have the desktop app, and can leave your Mac running its Mail application, you can use OmniFocus for Mac's ability to convert emails to actions. See the help for "process mail" for details. You don't get a link to the original message in Mail as you would if you used the Clip-o-torn, but those links don't work with the iPad Mail app, so perhaps it won't matter.

[BwanaZulia]

@ksrhee Tasks that are done all the time, that are repetitive and are the essence of the program (adding, editing, moving tasks on a project) should not be taps away. They should be easy, fast and intuitive.

The UI is ok, it has a lot to like and they focused on really making it iPad friendly, but they threw out some of what makes the desktop version so good, that it is very sparse and is all about the data. Not backgrounds, colors, icons. It is about projects, folders, tasks.

@whpalmer4 Trust me that I know they will make changes, but some of these things seem like they intentionally didn't do them, which is worrisome, since it means they think it was a good idea (UI, adding tasks, etc). I rather see a missing feature than a feature that is badly implemented.

BZ

[whpalmer4]

but some of these things seem like they intentionally didn't do them

Specifically, which things?

[BwanaZulia]

Specifically, which things?

- The UI is intentional, not a missing feature.

- Adding tasks via a tap and hold is a feature poorly implemented. 90% of what you do with OmniFocus is add/edit tasks to projects. Tapping a holding, or drilling down to focus on something in order to do that, isn't good design.

- The Views are the same as iPhone, meaning not powerful enough. I need a view (like desktop) that shows me all Active projects (not pending) and ANY task associated to them (sequential/parallel projects). Right now Available just gives the active projects, but only next task and Remaining shows all projects/tasks but also pending projects, which is clutter. The reason they are pending is because I don't want to see them yet.

BTW: I did find another nice feature, you can STAR any perspective and have it show up in your side bar. NICE. Now just a way to edit those.

Also it hangs WAY too much. From tap to tap can take 2-3 seconds to render. No good.

And just to let everyone know, yes I have sent this all to the mailing list (and Ken).

BZ

[BwanaZulia]

Here is my very quick (and no, I am no pro) at cleaning up the UI a little.

I think 95% of the problem is the floating projects on that wasted black background.

BZ

[ksrhee]

@ksrhee Tasks that are done all the time, that are repetitive and are the essence of the program (adding, editing, moving tasks on a project) should not be taps away. They should be easy, fast and intuitive.

The UI is ok, it has a lot to like and they focused on really making it iPad friendly, but they threw out some of what makes the desktop version so good, that it is very sparse and is all about the data. Not backgrounds, colors, icons. It is about projects, folders, tasks.

BZ

I'm all for making things easy for entries. If Omni can make things easier, then I'm all for it. The current way doesn't bother me as much - that's all.

Omni can't win in this one. The Mac version gets criticized so much for not "great looking" compared to Things for a long time.

So, I'm sure if Omni followed your suggestion, others will criticize Omni for not making it "pretty."

Perhaps Omni can provide options for differnt fonts, font sizes, background color, etc.

Then it will make most people happy.

[ksrhee]

Here is my very quick (and no, I am no pro) at cleaning up the UI a little.

I think 95% of the problem is the floating projects on that wasted black background.

BZ

Sorry, but I like the current way. This looks too busy for me.

Again, personal choice.

[BwanaZulia]

Sorry, but I like the current way. This looks too busy for me.

Again, personal choice.

Funny, because it is exactly the same view, just less black space. Not sure how that makes it busier.

I don't know about you, but I want my GTD software to keep me busy. :)

BZ

[BwanaZulia]

I'm all for making things easy for entries. If Omni can make things easier, then I'm all for it. The current way doesn't bother me as much - that's all.

Omni can't win in this one. The Mac version gets criticized so much for not "great looking" compared to Things for a long time.

So, I'm sure if Omni followed your suggestion, others will criticize Omni for not making it "pretty."

Perhaps Omni can provide options for differnt fonts, font sizes, background color, etc.

Then it will make most people happy.

Right, so they always focused on function over form and that is why we use Omni products (I own all of them) because for us they are tools, not pictures.

I just think they got a little too "designy" in this last round and need to go back to the roots of "functiony" because that is their strength and what has made them successful.

If people want pretty, someone is always going to out-pretty Omni Group, but they have always won with function and features, ease of use and cutting to the core of the task and leaving out the bells and whistles.

BZ

[ksrhee]

Right, so they always focused on function over form and that is why we use Omni products (I own all of them) because for us they are tools, not pictures.

I just think they got a little too "designy" in this last round and need to go back to the roots of "functiony" because that is their strength and what has made them successful.

If people want pretty, someone is always going to out-pretty Omni Group, but they have always won with function and features, ease of use and cutting to the core of the task and leaving out the bells and whistles.

BZ

I think Omni can do both . . .

[whpalmer4]

Here is my very quick (and no, I am no pro) at cleaning up the UI a little.

I think 95% of the problem is the floating projects on that wasted black background.

Honestly, I prefer it with the separation. It is similar to the layout the desktop has in a project view, albeit with a different background. I do not claim it is a design that is indisputably The One, but I think tiling the elements with no separation as you did is not an improvement to my eyes.

[endoftheQ]

I just think they got a little too "designy" in this last round and need to go back to the roots of "functiony" because that is their strength and what has made them successful. BZ

I agree BZ, however what I do want is consistency, across all three versions. For what it's worth, see my comments in this link (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=17017).

[ksrhee]

Funny, because it is exactly the same view, just less black space. Not sure how that makes it busier.

I don't know about you, but I want my GTD software to keep me busy. :)

BZ

Yes, that's what happened to me. Without those empty spaces, the screen looks too busy. With the empty spaces, I can quickly identify different groups visually and make sense of the screen quicker.

I'm a visual person, and those empty spaces do play a role in the way I look at the screen (for me).

[whpalmer4]

BTW: I did find another nice feature, you can STAR any perspective and have it show up in your side bar. NICE. Now just a way to edit those.
What do you want to edit? The arrangement of the items in the sidebar? Tap the gear menu, select Edit Sidebar. This is all on the Using the Sidebar page in the help...

[masoric]

I really have no complaints. This version works great and looks great. I own the Mac and iPhone versions too, but this version is by far my favorite. I especially like the review process.

I really can't understand those who are fussing about wasted screen space...

[BwanaZulia]

What do you want to edit? The arrangement of the items in the sidebar? Tap the gear menu, select Edit Sidebar. This is all on the Using the Sidebar page in the help...

I want to edit perspectives.

More than that, I want better views, editable views or at least views I can push from the desktop version via sync.

BZ

[BwanaZulia]

I agree BZ, however what I do want is consistency, across all three versions. For what it's worth, see my comments in this link (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=17017).

You know, that is a really good point. Consistency should rule and the iPad version just jumps outs "One of these things is not like the others".

It is also making me really question why they didn't build a universal app. Wouldn't that have take less time, been more consistent and could have added new features to two platforms at the same time?

BZ

[rrkpl]

Right, so they always focused on function over form and that is why we use Omni products (I own all of them) because for us they are tools, not pictures.

I just think they got a little too "designy" in this last round and need to go back to the roots of "functiony" because that is their strength and what has made them successful.

If people want pretty, someone is always going to out-pretty Omni Group, but they have always won with function and features, ease of use and cutting to the core of the task and leaving out the bells and whistles.

BZ

Looking more at the big picture.

I work as a marketing strategist and have for some years focused on the evolution of computing to mobile devices. As a company goal Omni needs to:

A. Create a product that functionally provides the best user experience

B. Develop a UI that best fits the computing medium and user expectations

The iPad is the first generation of an entirely new computing paradigm though admitably a baby step. One of the user expectations of this new medium is user interaction with the computing device. The goal here is to make the computer fade further into the background than it does in traditional computers thus providing a more human based experience. To combine this with function is a tricky balancing act with no large knowledge base of previously valid experiences to reference. Some attempts are pretty cool others are horrible. To see this clearly just download the various publishers first try at magazines to your iPad.

Having had all versions of omnifocus since very early on I think omni is on the right track with their approach of iPad UI verses functionality considering the whole thing is in it's infancy. Time and evolution will tell for sure but I do believe in the great importance of paying close attention to developing software to cater to this new environment as opposed to cramming the environment into traditional software.

As an example I personally have owned tablet devices since they appeared some years ago and fully understand why they never took off till now.

[whpalmer4]

I want to edit perspectives.

I agree, that'd be nice, especially for the iPad-only contingent. I don't think it is a "must have to ship" feature, though, and apparently I'm not alone in that opinion ;)

More than that, I want better views, editable views or at least views I can push from the desktop version via sync.

Describe these views you want...are you talking about something other than perspectives? Is this a new feature on the desktop as well?

[amorya]

Funny, because it is exactly the same view, just less black space. Not sure how that makes it busier.

Less space around stuff makes a layout look busier. That's almost a design axiom!


It is also making me really question why they didn't build a universal app. Wouldn't that have take less time, been more consistent and could have added new features to two platforms at the same time?

I would wager they're sharing the low-level data model code between the iPad and iPhone. With that done, there's no time advantage to building a universal app: you'd still have to code a separate GUI for iPad and for iPhone. And of course, it would bring in less money to do it that way :)

[tonycspc]

Thank you for your help and your explanation on the release decisions. It a great bit of info to know they are aware and it will be improved.

[Brian]

It is also making me really question why they didn't build a universal app. Wouldn't that have take less time, been more consistent and could have added new features to two platforms at the same time?

Standard disclaimer: I am not an engineer. One may step in and politely tell you I got this all wrong. :-)

From my conversations with them, though, they didn't believe this to be the case.

The iPhone and iPad programming interfaces don't match up competely. In a universal app, you have to do more work to make sure you never call an API that doesn't exist on the device you're currently running on. That slows you down and means that you have less time to add features. More complex code also means that you generally end up with more bugs.

Code is still shared between the two projects when it's appropriate, but by keeping each project focused on a particular platform, it simplifies the work, which should pay off in the long run. Simpler code, fewer bugs, more features added per unit of time.

[zao]

After one weekend ... I like it. I am still not quite sure whether the iPad edition replaces majority of the work I do now on the desktop - but I believe I will have my opinion within a week of life with the iPad.
When the 4sec video preview was posted, I had serious doubts about the UI. Looked way too huge, lots of wasted space. I changed my opinion today, when I was actually able to do my review on the tram (productivity dream for me). As soon as you are in a moving vehicle, the size is just fine :)
I love the forecast view and hope it will find its way to the desktop (at least).
The current feature set is well implemented, I am sure I will have some more thoughts in the coming working days ...

My first review and some screens from my demo database: http://bit.ly/aZHPn7

[niels]

People who have tested, is it worth it for me to spend $40 for yet another different version of the same program, or should I just continue to use the iPhone version? Does it look like the iPad version is worth $40? By the reviews here, it looks like people aren't in love with the interface.

I have every version of OmniFocus & can clearly say the iPad version is worth the money. The interface is definitely different than the iPhone version. It feels much less crowded than the iPhone, but some of the section headers could be shrunk 10-15%. Overall though, it does what is the goal of any good task manager, it adds white space to make your list feel less overwhelming.

I actually have OF for iPad running in my iPad next to my Mac & I'm mostly using the iPad version now... it's that good.

[doodiebrad]

I bought Ommnifocus for iPad a few days ago, and it is growing on me. I think with a few tweaks, this app could be as solid as the desktop and iPhone versions. A few notes:

1) Why did they choose to go with that dark black brickish wallpaper. Replace that with Apples standard silver "woven" looking background ASAP.
2) the functionality is all there. Thanks!
3) the "Inbox" and "new item" yellowish icons are very generic looking. They don't look polished, I despise them.
4) I love that we can review on the iPad.
5) font is loo large and indented. I like small font and thus more info on the screen.

Overall, I'm more pleased with my $40 purchase than i thought I'd be. I love my iPad (scratch that, I'm obsessed with my iPad), and it is now complete!

Omnigroup, could you respond and just let me know why you didn't go with the standard grayish woven looking Apple background (like in safari, pages, keynotes, etc.) I'm just curious?? I think it would look way better.

-Brad

[denrael]

I am just starting to use the OmniFocus for iPad, and my initial impressions are that I like the interface. I think the extra space is valuable in making things visually stand out. I also like the fact that the interface is big enough that it's easy to select things. My opinion may change over time, but right now, it feels right.

[Crimguy]

Just chiming in on the interface. I've had it for a day and think the basic look is just fine. A lot better than many of the detractors would have you think. They had me very nervous about plunking down $40 but I'm happy I did.

I am hopeful that a lot of the usability features mentioned in other threads are added, such as drag and drop, easier input, larger inspector for adding text, and others.