[Grail]

Originally Posted by bjolly

I agree here. I love the interface and overall look and feel of the iPad version, especially, and also the iPhone app as well. I wished the interface of Omnifocus for Mac could be change to look like the iPad app. The Mac version seems old and outdated compared to these newer iOS versions.

+1

The Mac version of OmniFocus feels like a visit to the dentist.

Sure, there are all these great keyboard shortcuts. Sure, once you invest the time all those drop down menus cluttering the window start to make sense. It's scary, because the interface is so busy. Twiddling the controls results in disaster too: I have managed to "delete" every task by accidentally setting a filter (I dropped a book on the keyboard/mouse, when I looked back to the screen, all my tasks were gone). After a while I realised that the tasks were still there on the iPad, so they must still be on the Mac, at which point I just started exploring the UI to figure out what the heck I had happened.

The iPad app is exceptionally well done. The Mac version just feels like I'm using Windows again. The typical "designed for Windows" feeling is when I start feeling threatened by the number of controls on the screen. I have the view bar hidden most of the time these days (the view bar being the black bar full of land mines that I prefer to avoid touching).

The biggest difference between the iPad and Mac apps now that I have the toolbar and view bar hidden is that the iPad version is full of friendly curves and white space. Other differences are the lack of "badge" numbers in the iPad context list, and the hierarchical context list that show up all the time on the Mac version versus the iPad "hidden hierarchy" where higher levels of the hierarchy are hidden "off screen to the left".

The iPad conveniently hides unnecessary clutter. I have contexts for things like the games I play. On the iPad version, if I have "Office" context selected, noone looking at my iPad can see the list of games. On the Mac version, all my games are visible. This causes my colleagues some consternation since they figure that if the name of a game is visible on screen, I am probably slacking off (but then, they're the ones shoulder surfing every 10 minutes … what are they doing with their time? not my problem).

So then I get to the point of hiding the context list altogether, and saving that window as a perspective: "Office friendly". It's now just a hierarchical to-do list :)

Oh, and another thing: I can't define a new context while entering tasks in a context view on the Mac version. Using Quick Entry I can define a new context, but while typing in the OmniFocus window I can only select from the list of already-defined contexts.

iPad version: soft, rounded, and friendly.

Mac version: harsh, sharp, cruel.

Apologies for the off-topic rant.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by Grail

Sure, there are all these great keyboard shortcuts. Sure, once you invest the time all those drop down menus cluttering the window start to make sense. It's scary, because the interface is so busy. Twiddling the controls results in disaster too: I have managed to "delete" every task by accidentally setting a filter (I dropped a book on the keyboard/mouse, when I looked back to the screen, all my tasks were gone). After a while I realised that the tasks were still there on the iPad, so they must still be on the Mac, at which point I just started exploring the UI to figure out what the heck I had happened.

It's completely possible to make your actions "disappear" on the iPad app, too, though you're guaranteed to see at least next actions. I see more forum posts from people who don't know how to adjust the view on the iPad. Of course, if you only want to see completed actions, you need a Mac to build a perspective! It's nice to have that perspective showing completed actions, because the Undo command on the iPad doesn't give you any clue as to what it might undo (not that the Mac app is perfect in this regard, but it makes an effort in some cases).

The biggest difference between the iPad and Mac apps now that I have the toolbar and view bar hidden is that the iPad version is full of friendly curves and white space. Other differences are the lack of "badge" numbers in the iPad context list, and the hierarchical context list that show up all the time on the Mac version versus the iPad "hidden hierarchy" where higher levels of the hierarchy are hidden "off screen to the left".

Can't do much about adding curves (it defaults to having the rounding option on). Nor can you get the hierarchy peeled off as you are forced to do on the iPad (on the flip side, the iPad won't show it when you want it except by pretending that you're going to move something). Badge counts are configurable, and you can have your choice of counts with color coding of status, a color coded dot, or nothing at all. Tough luck if you want any such indication on the iPad. If you want more whitespace, see the Styles preferences. Hope you didn't want to be able to change the styling of anything on the iPad! Don't like their font choices? Want the text bigger to aid aging eyes, or smaller to get more data on the screen? Sorry! It's good that they did a reasonably presentable job, because you cannot customize it.

The iPad conveniently hides unnecessary clutter. I have contexts for things like the games I play. On the iPad version, if I have "Office" context selected, noone looking at my iPad can see the list of games. On the Mac version, all my games are visible.

Close the sidebar if you don't want it visible. Perspectives will preserve that setting if you tick the Restore Layout box when you save them. The context sidebar isn't hidden on the iPad, either, if you're in landscape orientation, which is how you'll be if you're using Apple's Smart Cover as a stand.

Some of the iPad's hiding of "unnecessary" clutter is distinctly unhelpful. Make a perspective grouping by date and try to use it on the iPad and you'll find that you can't view the context of those actions unless you tap on each one in turn to bring up and dismiss the editor. At other times, the iPad forces clutter on you. Want to hide some clutter by viewing only actions from projects in your Work folder? Can't do it, unless you used the Mac to build a perspective first. Guess you'll have to look at all of those home fix-it tasks while you are tackling work-related errands.

So then I get to the point of hiding the context list altogether, and saving that window as a perspective: "Office friendly". It's now just a hierarchical to-do list :)

A characterization that also would fit the iPad well.

Oh, and another thing: I can't define a new context while entering tasks in a context view on the Mac version. Using Quick Entry I can define a new context, but while typing in the OmniFocus window I can only select from the list of already-defined contexts.

Sure you can, if you display the context column. Use the gear menu at upper right.

Shall we examine some of the UI deficiencies of the iPad app? Want to change whether a project or action group auto-completes? Sorry, can't do it. But it looks nice! Want to change the date on multiple actions at once? Sorry, can't do it. But at least you can enjoy the way it looks as you tap away! Want to construct a perspective? Yeah, maybe someday. Hope you have a Mac to build the perspective. Macs have nice curves, too, btw. Did you want any of those perspectives to be project mode perspectives, so you could just look at your work-related projects, but still see them in project form? Oops, can't do that either. Want some really nicely-styled text in your notes? Need a Mac for that, although you can view the plain text version on the iPad — just don't make any changes or you'll lose all of the formatting. That quick entry box isn't anything to look at, but then the iPad app doesn't have one that you can use while actually looking at something else. That's Apple's fault, really, so we won't speak of clipping, or links to mail messages, because their absence on the iPad is also Apple's doing. Want to drag an action from one spot to another? Sometimes you can do that! Want to make projects you create default to sequential? The UI for that is quite pretty on the iPad; launch Safari and type in this URL: omnifocus:///change-setting?OFMTaskDefaultSequential=1 and trust that you should tap the OK button when an incomprehensible dialog pops up.

No question about it, the iPad app has some specific advantages over the Mac app (and vice versa, in larger numbers). Omni has made it clear they are planning to revamp the UI of the Mac application; hopefully they won't dumb it down too much in the process! Don't get me wrong — I use the iPad app more than the Mac app (partly because my 10" iPad is considerably more portable than my 27" iMac!) but I wouldn't want to do without either, and often use them simultaneously! Both also offer substantial opportunity for improvement :-)

Out of curiosity, have you used any of the other Omni iPad apps and the corresponding Mac applications?

[Grail]

No, I haven't used any of the other OmniGroup iPad apps.

We obviously differ in opinions about some facets of OmniFocus for iPad being "too simple", and about whether the aesthetics of OmniFocus for iPad are appealing. I select the tool that helps me do the stuff I want to do, without being required to work the way the tool wants me to work, or add extra effort to my life in order to maintain the tools. That's why I use a Mac instead of a Windows PC: there is less day-to-day maintenance required for a Mac.

For checklists I have simplist. OmniOutliner is far to complex for anything I do.

I don't run projects that require the sophistication of OmniPlan.

I have OmniGraffle on the Mac, it gets used about once in a blue moon. For sketching on the iPad I have Bamboo.

I started my OF experience with OmniFocus for iPad, then tried out the desktop version. The initial impression I had of OF on the Mac was, "what an ugly son of a gun!" Even simple things like opening up the Inspector are hidden: normally you use ⌘I to open up an inspector, but OmniFocus styles itself as a text editor, so ⌘I converts text to italic (in the instance that you have text selected).

Now that I'm starting to use OF for Mac a little more, I'll no doubt get used to all the fancy features and start putting more atomic tasks into the application. Then I, too, can start complaining about the inability to separate projects while in context views :)

[whpalmer4]

Oh, I like the look of OF on the iPad, but it is easy for me to imagine scenarios in which I would prefer it to be different (and indeed, if you look back in the forum archives, you'll find plenty of complaints about those very choices you applaud, though not from me).

The reason I asked about other Omni apps is that to me, they seem to have less competition on the Mac side, and I think maybe don't measure up as well on the iPad side (both relative to OmniFocus). Curious if you felt the same way.