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OmniFocus Lite? or just simplified Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Has there ever been any thought toward creating a cheaper, simplified version of Omnifocus?

I would recommend it to several people, but frankly the interface is quite daunting. I'm pretty tech-oriented, and I had quite a bit of a learning curve (and frankly, I still find myself a little confused by the interface from time to time). For a more novice Mac user, someone who's comfortable using iTunes, word processing, web browsing and the Finder and not a lot of other stuff -- I'd have to say OF might feel like a bit of a leap.

This is probably a really huge thing to bring up in a simple forum post, but if OmniFocus Lite existed, for say $30 or less, with a simplified interface -- I think that would be a great intro to GTD for people. The version we all have now feels like a "pro" version to me, for advanced users.

Last edited by avandelay; 2010-11-14 at 08:06 AM..
 
I'd buy a lite version! :-)

I have OF on iPad as well and that feels to me to fit the bill... In fact I wish that Omni would have the same UI across all the different platforms, that would really simplify things as well...

I dither all the time between OF and THings for this very reason... I'm currently back with OF.. At least I will be until I lose some task or other (again) and get exasperated..

I guess this sounds like complaining, but I just had to say to you ' you're not alone'...

Last edited by Fiona; 2010-11-29 at 01:29 PM..
 
OmniFocus light already exists. It's called Things.

I've gone back and forth between these two apps more times than I want to remember.
 
Oh God... Me too.. :-/ and I was just speaking to another person in exactly that position...

I feel like a 'task managerial Jekyll and Hyde'... Having flipped regularly all year from from one to the other, I'm running both consecutively just now... Hardly good GTD... No time to do any work!

There are so many of us... Do you think we should start some Things/OF multiple personality forum!? :-)
 
Wow, I'm glad to hear there is somebody else doing the GTD app shuffle. Right now I'm using Things and have been for about 2 weeks, but I could bring my OmniFocus data up to date in about 20 minutes and switch back (and I probably will over the Holidays because that's just what I do). I wish I could combine my favorite features of both apps. Tags, or someway to have more than one context for an item would help keep me in the OF camp.
 
We just need a support group for us. Man, the things I love about Things and the things I love about OmniFocus...why oh why, can't someone just design that app which is both beautiful, fluid and a trusted joy to use. :)
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay6821 View Post
OmniFocus light already exists. It's called Things.

I've gone back and forth between these two apps more times than I want to remember.
Hmm. Haven't tried Things, but I seem to remember reading complaints about bugs and unfulfilled features.

I guess what I'm saying is, I'd rather use something made by Omni, who has an awesome track record as far as development goes.
 
the only 'thing' I miss about Things at this point is the tags.. being able to assign more than one tag was useful.

I've always strayed away from OF in the past because it did seem overly complex for my needs.. But since getting ipad as well as iphone and Mac, not having OTA sync with Things really did become a serious drag.. more than I would ever have realised till I tried to work a three way system - especially if I'm travelling for weeks away from my mac and Things won't sync my phone with my ipad. :-(

So this time I've been persevering with perspectives etc.. I was cross-eyed for a while, but ( and I am saying this with bated breath) it seems finally to be paying off.

So - for now I'm here with OF
 
I'm with you guys! Back and forth, back and forth!

Truth is, OF is way more powerful than Things in many aspects. I especially like the sequential task feature. Unfortunately, Things requires too many steps for everything. Once a task is finished you must go back to the project to see what's next. That alone defeats the whole purpose in my opinion.

On the other hand, the search feature in Things both desk and iPhone is amazing! It finds everything quickly.

OF's UI is a nightmare. It's really ugly and boring. Omni needs a good UI designer immediately! That's what I do.(hint, hint)
I have read more complaints online about the user interface in OF than any other complaint.

I've often compared both apps to a relationship between a man and a woman. OF is the diligent, efficient yet cold partner who does everything right but doesn't turn you on no matter how much you want to convince yourself that he/she is the one. It just doesn't happen. Things is that gorgeous partner that you know is not good for you yet turns you on so badly you can't keep your hand off! You must have it all the time. Then, commons sense prevails and you convince yourself that it is not good for you. That you need a reliable partner even of not so attractive. But then, after a few days, you find yourself wanting another roll in the hay with Things.

Now, we can't turn a gorgeous, sexy, yet limited partner into an effective, responsive partner but we could take the efficient one to a plastic surgeon (UI expert) and work on it, couldn't we?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mango Himself View Post
OF's UI is a nightmare. It's really ugly and boring. Omni needs a good UI designer immediately! That's what I do.(hint, hint)
I have read more complaints online about the user interface in OF than any other complaint.
I don't so much find it "ugly" as bewilderingly complicated. I think right now it's trying to be all things to all people, with endless view options to fiddle with.

At this point, I'm reasonably comfortable with OF's desktop interface, but like I said originally, I'd have a hard time recommending it to someone who has less patience with tweaking and re-tweaking, or who might just be overwhelmed and confused by everything it does now.

I don't have an iPad, but I do use OF an iPod Touch and I find the interface there A LOT easier to deal with. Less flexible, but more consistent. Windows don't change size and lose their buttons when you change views. There aren't weird view modes it's hard to figure out how to exit, and so on. It's clean and mostly I'm just seeing my projects, contexts and tasks.

I do expect that we're not hearing here from a big base of "power users" who love feature X or feature Y in the full desktop version OmniFocus, who have tweaked it to their liking over the years and who would be sorely disappointed to see those options go away with a simpler interface.

Hence my suggestion of OmniFocus Lite -- cheaper, simpler and easier to master. And I dare say a more palatable price -- $30 or so? -- might induce a lot more people to try it and maybe upgrade to the Pro version later.

Last edited by avandelay; 2010-12-07 at 10:28 AM..
 
 


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