The Task Editor
I was going to write a long post describing the new Task Editor. But I figured a picture, or maybe two and a half thousand brief pictures, would make it all a whole lot easier. So, I put together some screencasts instead.
Screencast 1 : Editing a Task
We'll the start the 'casts by looking at tasks, and in particular, editing. With the new layout, our goal was that after getting to the task screen, you shouldn't be forced to leave task screen. So you get all of the information that you might need, but when you want to change something you simply do it right there, in place, and not on a separate edit screen.
We didn't want to have a lot of clutter either. So when you hit 'Edit', the things that should be edited get bigger and things that shouldn't be edited, disappear. Just as it should be really.
We followed that up by allowing attributes of the task such as dates, priority and assignment, to be set not just with the normal tap, but also by swiping left or right. Now, a gesture like swipe is one of those things that you're better off seeing rather than reading - so take a look at the screencast to better understand just how quick it is to move the due date on a few days, or assign the task to yourself. Try it a few times and you'll soon find the new gestures becoming second nature.
Screencast 2 : Creating a Task
All of the goodies from the Task Editor screen have been brought over to the Task Creator screen as well. So when you're hit by inspiration and you want to give yourself a task to complete today it becomes as simple as:
- Enter the title,
- Swipe once on "Assigned To"
- Swipe once on "Due Date"
- … and 4? there is no Step 4! :)
Also in the second screencast you'll notice that the new layout displays any comments attached to the task. New comments can be added and individuals in the company notified. Judging by the feedback we've had, this alone is something that will make quite a few of you happy!
That's it, hope you like it, and as usual let us know what you think about the changes.
Mike.