Poll: OmniFocus iPhone Feature Requests
 

OK, at the risk of annoying everyone, I've put up a poll on feature requests for OmniFocus for iPhone. I've done this out of curiosity, no other reason.

I've omitted customising local notifications, location-based alerts and document interchange as these are coming in a future release.

I've chosen the ones I'm most aware of, and I'm more than happy to add additional items if it is possible to edit a poll after posting, however I don't think it is. If, and it's more than likely, I've missed out any obvious or crucial ones, add them to the thread, and if I can't edit the poll I'll start over and ask Brian to kill this one!

Some additions I'd like to see to this list:
• ability to switch from context to project while keeping focus on the selected item. (same thing the switch button does in the toolbar on the desktop)
• ability to add children to an action while in context mode
• hiding non active contexts

I think this poll is a good example of how we don't all have the same wish list! Looking at the list, I only saw one item for which I had even mild interest. Now, the ability to do reviews on the device and sync the info back to the desktop — to me that seems like a universally useful feature. Who doesn't have moments in the day which would otherwise be wasted, but could accommodate the review of a project or two, if only you had the means to see what needed review? Surely no serious practitioner omits reviews! Ah, it makes sense to me now — reviews are such an obvious need, the poll takes them as a given, and seeks to determine what else should be added ;)

Good point whpalmer4.

The thing I struggle with on the most on the iPhone is changing actions. I see an action, try to complete it, and only while working on an action do I find another action that needs to be completed in order to complete the first action. whew. Projects & actions are dynamic. An easy way to change my project while working on an action is what I'm hoping for.

This is especially true for projects that require learning by doing the project. I may not often know how to complete a project, but I at least can create a next action and start working on that action. While working on that action, other actions that need to be completed become clear to me. Currently, there isn't an easy way to switch back into the project with the action selected in order to modify the project.

[QUOTE=whpalmer4;81029]I think this poll is a good example of how we don't all have the same wish list! Looking at the list, I only saw one item for which I had even mild interest.[/QUOTE]

OK, OK, I'll make special accommodation for bloody iPod Touch users! :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=whpalmer4;81029]Now, the ability to do reviews on the device and sync the info back to the desktop — to me that seems like a universally useful feature. Who doesn't have moments in the day which would otherwise be wasted, but could accommodate the review of a project or two, if only you had the means to see what needed review? Surely no serious practitioner omits reviews! Ah, it makes sense to me now — reviews are such an obvious need, the poll takes them as a given, and seeks to determine what else should be added ;)[/QUOTE]

um, what IS a 'review'? :p

[QUOTE=Brian;80214]It looks like the top of the "we need this feature" list (linking to address book contacts in some fashion) has almost 70 votes.[/QUOTE]

As a poll is limited to 10 items, I'm be delighted to add or delete from the choices already listed. I tried to keep the list to previously mentioned additional features rather than changes, so I omitted things, perhaps wrongly, like the editing of text in location contexts, the ability to turn flags on or off in list views, etc. and features that would rely on having the desktop program, ie. multiple users.

I'll leave this existing poll up for a day and then ask Brian if he'd be kind enough to kill this thread so I can start a new one that is more inclusive and better reflects other Member's priorities, which will now include Review (sigh...) and Change Project from Action.

Any others?

[QUOTE=endoftheQ;81058]OK, OK, I'll make special accommodation for bloody iPod Touch users! :rolleyes:
[/quote]No special accommodation necessary — they all appear to make sense for iPod users as well, no? The contacts one is the only one that might be even borderline questionable, and then only if you assume that iPod users never use Skype, never have access to a phone, don't need addresses on errands, etc.
[quote]
um, what IS a 'review'? :p
[/quote]
A wonderful thing, everyone should do them! Not doing them is like driving with your eyes closed. Doing them improves the odds of getting to your destination on time and in one piece :)

[QUOTE=whpalmer4;81062]No special accommodation necessary — they all appear to make sense for iPod users as well, no? The contacts one is the only one that might be even borderline questionable, and then only if you assume that iPod users never use Skype, never have access to a phone, don't need addresses on errands, etc. [/QUOTE]

C'mon then, 'fess up, what's your top 10? That's a list I'd be genuinely interested in!

[QUOTE=whpalmer4;81062]A wonderful thing, everyone should do them! Not doing them is like driving with your eyes closed. Doing them improves the odds of getting to your destination on time and in one piece :)[/QUOTE]

Damn! That's why I crashed the Porsche.... :eek:

Okay, here's a list of some things that annoy me about the iPhone app, in no particular order except for the first item:

First and foremost, no review functionality.

Tapping the next day/week/month button on the date picker screen alters the time instead of leaving it alone and only changing the date. If I'm using those buttons, it is almost always to defer something, and midnight (for start dates) or my default due time (for due dates) are rarely the correct answer unless that was the time already set.

The ability to jump from an action to the containing project would be very helpful. Sort of like double-clicking an action on the desktop.

Various bits of friction having to do with drilling down in lengthy lists, popping back up not returning you to same spot in list. Also, losing spot in lengthy list after updating from sync data.

No ability to grab photos once you start composing feedback message without saving draft, quitting OmniFocus, launching Photo app, copying photo, launching Mail app, loading draft, pasting photo.

Inability to create nested contexts or projects with the "foo : bar" convention

Sluggish performance in perspectives showing many actions

No way to do the equivalent of clipping an email without internet connectivity and a Mac running Mail and OmniFocus, and even that isn't perfect (no link to original message, and links to messages created via clipping on desktop don't work in iPhone Mail app, though that isn't Omni's fault)

Incremental search as I type would be a welcome addition, so long as it isn't too pokey

At one point, I was very interested in getting project-mode perspectives, but I'm concluding it isn't as important to me as previously thought. No doubt that I'll use it once I have it, though.

I rarely use the iPhone app for too long between visits to the mother ship, so I'm not bothered by some things that would be more of a nuisance if I had to use only the iPhone app for a few days. I'm happy to report that the iPad app is an improvement in this regard. Not perfect, but better, and likely to be better still after a dot release or two. YMMV.

mmmmhhhh.... I had expected Social Network integration, facebook, twitter, et al to be top of your list. ;)

OK, I too would like everything you've listed, but IMHO the majority of your requests seem, to me, additions to existing features or bug fixes, not brand new features.

So far, I guess I'm adding 'Review' and 'Access Project from Action' tomorrow, that leaves just two to fill!

Like Bill, I'm not really interested in any of the items in the survey. Of the ones listed, I'd probably find some sort of time-based view most helpful.

To Bill's list, I'd add remembering the collapse state of groups in context mode perspectives. That would allow my Tickler perspective to open to today's items like on the desktop, rather than having to scroll through the pages of items with start dates in the past.