UX issues in Things 3 for iOS
and how to fix them
This is an experimental project.
It’s not a showcase but is rather a short UX article in graphical form.
Any thoughts and comments on the topic are welcome.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Issue #1: Empty todos
In Things you can add a task without actually adding anything in it. My guess is an empty todo is supposed to mean something (maybe serve as a reminder to add a todo?) The problem is an empty task doesn’t help me to recall what I wanted to add.
I refuse to believe it’s just a silly bug.
How it works currently
How to fix
We only keep todos that have description, or/and subtasks
Issue #2: Short previews
Task previews are shrinked to one line. Sure, this way the list looks clean and neat but there’s a but. Sometimes (esp. when a todo is made through share sheet) you can’t really tell what’s there until you open a task.
How it works currently
Why?
I guess the main reason in to make it just look nice. I can’t recall any UX theory or a study on why it may be better to make your UI less readable, although I’m sure it can be acceptable in some cases.
Not in this one.
How to fix
We expand previews to 2 lines
Sure, it’s not that minimal now, the list is a bit longer (which takes no effort to scroll through anyway), and checkboxes now have these uneven gaps between them. But instead we gained some readability and made it more clear to check what’s going on in your todo list.
Sometimes you gotta make things uglier to make them more usable.
Issue #3: Adding a reminder
This one is a bit tough (please bear with me).
At first adding a reminder made my brain glitch for a second but now I’ve got used to it... kinda.
1. Add new task for tomorrow
Tap on the calendar icon → Tap on a date. Just two actions. So far so good.
2. Add new task for tomorrow and add a reminder (say, at 9am)
Tap on the calendar icon → Tap on the date → (task view closes now so you) Tap on the calendar icon again → Tap “Add Reminder” (keep in mind you don’t change the date here or you’ll go back to step 1) → Select time → Tap “Set” → Tap “Done”
What a ride.
All the steps
How to fix
It’s a case when you have to make an interface a little more complex to make it a little less clumsy.
We add some buttons and slightly alter wording.
Before/After
Issue #4: Smart date input
This one is about wording in UX.
Spoiler: it’s important.
Spoiler: it’s important.
How it works currently
You just type, say, “monday” and Things will guess what date you mean and also give you few options for upcoming “modays”. A useful feature indeed.
Now, the UX. The input is called “Search” which makes zero sense semantically:
— I'm searching for Tuesday...
— Where did you see it last time?
How to fix
Replace the icon and add a meaningful placeholder
Issue #4: Smart date input
How it works currently
I wanna hit that “Clear” button simply because it’s so bright and shiny. I know it’s destructive. I don’t care.
How to fix
We simply switch accents
Short summary
Thanks!
