MLO for Android V2 in action. Watch the first video tutorial!

[Marina Afanasenko (MLO Team, PR Manager)]

Hi everyone! 

The release of MyLifeOrganized for Android V2 is very close. And you can already evaluate the new UI in our video tutorial: http://blog.mylifeorganized.net/2015/10/mylifeorganized-for-android-v2-video.html

Enjoy! 

Sincerely yours,

Marina

On behalf of the MyLifeOrganized Team

[J Smith]

Hello

Overall this video is really excellent!   :^)

MLO for Android v2 is a big improvement and this explainer video does a pretty good job of explaining what is an extremely poweful, complex system.

Have various constructive suggestions however:

1. Outline
I have now watched the whole through twice and although I thought the first half was IMO, absolutely flawlesss... at about half way through I felt you would start to lose/confuse any newbies in your audience, particularly if they are mainstream / non-technical users.

The first problem is that a lot of your audience (and I would guess the vast majority of mainstream users) simply will not know what the heck an "outline" is. In this context, it is technical jargon!

You won't want to hear this, but my suggestion is that you change all instances of the word from "outline" to "hierarchy". (Yes, I would do the same thing to your entire system including the user-guide, btw!)

In this context both words really mean the same thing and every native English speaker knows what a hierarchy is. Yes, I know that "outline" is the more correct technical term, but frankly it is computer jargon. (Aside: MLO is great but it has never been as accessible to mainstream users as it deserves to be!)

To get clear - in normal use, "outline" means the shape of something. i.e. a line or set of lines that enclose the boundary or indicate the shape of something.
But does the shape of a couple of tasks change if the letters change - well in normal usage... if this were a for example photograph speaking ... YES. But in this context no - the "hierachy" i.e. the relationships between then task would stay the same.

If you can't change "outline" to "hierarchy", maybe call it "hierachical outline"

OR take the time to explain the jargon
"The overall hierarchy of tasks, and the way they are indented is called an outline in computing."

But you have a lot of information to get over and personally I think it's just a distraction. Why not use words everyone already understands?


2. At 3:49
"In conclusion we have demonstrated MLO helps you to create to-dos and group them forming simple lists."
TBH, it's not immediately obvious EXACTLY what is meant by "to-dos".
Try "In conclusion we have demonstrated MLO helps you to enter your to-do tasks and then group them into simple lists."


3.
"We can subdivide our tasks into sub-tasks if we need to and get a plan of action."
Even this is slightly confusing. What precisely is mean by "plan of action" - is this a special bit of jargon - a special for more view/output/report or meant 'generically'. As Steve Krug woud say "Don't make me think!"

Try:"We can subdivide our tasks into sub-tasks so we can get a good overview of our plans."
Or leave it out completely. The user can already see that there's a heirarchy you're not telling them any thing new.

If you think you can tell them about how this heirachy can be used to produce sophisticated views that show the first next action in every project, then sure, go for it, but you need to take the time to do so explicitly, otherwise all you will create is confusion.


4.
"Views automatically choose only your to-dos from the whole task list."
Yes, I know what you're saying and yes, it's a key aspect of MLO, however I predict precisely 0% of new/virgin users will understand what you mean.

For one thing it sounds like some other user's tasks have suddenly arrived ("WTF?" !)
Try: "If you put a start date or dependency information into your tasks, then MLO has views that will only show you those tasks that you should do right now, rather than the whole list."


In summary, I think you should either take time to explain things properly or keep things simple. And all I am suggesting is that if budgets allow, I would recommend re-recording some of the sound track along these lines.

Anyhow, overall MLO Android is great. And the explainer video is great.

Trying to help

J


P.S. It may just be me, but personally I have always had a slight problem with the word "view". Part of the problem is that view can mean "opinion". I know it's less probably technically accurate, but I find "report" far easier to understand!  (So much so that if I find something in the MLO instructions with the word "view" it in, I repeat it to myself using the word "report" instead of "view" and usually it suddenly makes sense!





















or "hierarchical outline"




I was with it

[Dwight Arthur]

I haven't had a chance to see the video yet but I want to comment on John's discussion on the words "view" and "outline".

To me, a report is a print-formatted snapshot of some data, suitable for printing and distribution or for storing away on archival media. If you call something a report, I expect it to fit on one or several paper-sized pages, and to show data as of the time that the report was pulled. While there may be live hyperlinks in a report i would not expect functioning controls, like dropdown boxes or calendars. To me, screen-formatted display of current data with active controls would be a view.

Similar issue with outline. I am familiar with the meaning of outline to mean lines that enclose the broad shape of an object. But I'm also familiar with another meaning, a hierarchical list of brief, numbered statements that convey the essence of a subject, particularly where the numbering follows the  "outline numbering" format. Outline numbering uses roman numerals for the highest level,  uppercase alphabetics of the alphabet used for the document text at the second level, arabic numerals for the third,  and lowercase alphabetics for the fourth, with the sequence repeating at lower levels, roman numerals at the fifth and so on. I was taught outlining as a way to organize subject matter when preparing to write an essay when i was in middle school and there were a few dozen computers in the world, so I don't think it is computer jargon.

John's apparent unfamiliarity with this meaning of the word led me to question if it might be a Canadian or Americn usage, but it turns out that the concept was significantly popularized in 1974 when the Encyclopedia Britannica produced the Outline of Knowledge, which later became the basis for the structure of Wikipedia.

I found it interesting that John states that "hierarchical list" would be an easier concept for novices than "outline" - it seems that Wikipedia had advocates for a "hierarchical list of knowledge" but decided for the "outline of knowledge" because it's easier to understand and takes up less space.

The digital age has changed outlining, it is now a thing in itself as opposed to a preparation for an essay (nobody writes essays anymore) and numbering and particularly the outline numbering format have pretty much faded away. But i agree with Wikipedia that outline is more novice-friendly than hierarchical list.

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[Todd Gleason]

I agree with what Dwight said. My only concern with the video was that it didn't highlight some basics. For example, how was the menu brought up? Was it slid into view using a swipe gesture, or done by tapping the hamburger menu icon? And what about getting into task move mode?

Also, I assume the existing move/scroll interference bug is fixed? This goes for starring tasks as well.

By watching a second time through and paying close attention I could confirm that it was a swipe from left for the menu, and tapping the 4-arrows button in the top right for move mode. But calling particular attention to these might help keep some users from getting lost.

[Saumil Vyas]

IMO, 

1. Feels like the viewer already knows ways around using the app, no definition of MLO specific terms, i.e. Oultline, Project, etc.

2. If this is the first video, it should be the sales pitch. Entering and grouping the tasks, and magically things will appear is not the promise people are looking for.

3. Looks like more focus mentioning how good is this as compared to other apps (Just show what MLO can do first)

4. So much repetition of "next video", "better than other", sounds desperation.

5. No mention of clear use of GTD.

6. too much time spent typing the tasks

Saumil

[John Smith]

"View" I'm slightly less sure - it may well just be me. I am used to software producing on-screen "reports" diced, sliced and filtered accordingly. Whereas "view" to me speaks of seeing all the contents... Like I say this could just be me. 

"Outline" I believe myself to be on firmer ground.  I even had googled it to try to find a formal definition in the sense intended but failed. Maybe it is partly US (Dwight) - UK (John) divide... but I'm not so sure. 

Try this dictionary
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/outline

> 1. the line by which a figure or object is defined or bounded; contour. 

Nope it's not a line.

> 2. a drawing or sketch restricted to line without shading or modeling
> of form. 
Nope it not a drawing or sketch

> 3. a general sketch, account, or report, indicating only the main features,
> as of a book, subject, or project: 
e.g. an outline of medieval history; an outline of a speech.
Again no - not really. The point here is that ALL of my content - every single one of my tasks is what the hierarchy is. i.e. An Outline in the MLO sense includes ALL my tasks, not just some of them.

On reflection if my main pages of content where held in the Notes area, and if then I would concede that the hierarchy would be acting as a summary of only the main features. But the way I (an I was assuming most other MLO users) use MLO, most of the actual content is in the task titles. i.e. in MLO all the details go into the "outline".

To get clear on this, an "outline" in the English literature sense meant by this definition on reference.com might well be the summary of a plot, written as a block of prose. In no way is it required to be indented with parents and children in multiple layering of relationships.

The point is that who MLO means by outline is a hierarchical tree with parent and child and peer relationships, which is normally represented in 2D space with indentations, a forked tree shape of multiple lines etc.

> 4. "outlines, the essential features or main aspects of something 

> under discussion:
> e.g. At the first meeting, we gave her only the outlines of the project."
No - again this definition talks of free text.


> 5. Printing an ornamented type in which the outside contours of

>  each character  appear in black, with the inside left white. 

No

> 6. to draw the outline of, or draw in outline, as a figure or object. 
No it's not a drawing.

> 7. to give an outline of; sketch the main features of: 
> e.g. On the first day, the professor just outlined the course for us.
Free text. 

In fact nowhere can I even find a definition for "Outline" which talks of relative rankings between items... nor "often represented with indentations"...  nor anything that describes the actual relationship between items, nor of multiple levels or layering / degrees of separation / generations  nor relative prioritsations... Nowhere can I find a definition of "outline" that talks of ranking using numbered statements.

Whereas "hierarchy" nails it: 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hierarchy?s=t
"any system of persons or things ranked one above another."

To get clear I am not claiming that "Outline" is in anyway an incorrect term. As Dwight points out this meaning has crept into word processing software.

What I claim is that to average mainstream (read non-geek) punter hierarchy is a much more familiar, unambiguous word to use. 

Time's up. I rest my case me lord.

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[Nick Clark]

I think that many people's exposure to Outline will be in word processing or report preparation, and this is exactly analogous to the use in MLO. See here https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-Outline-View-to-manage-headings-and-arrange-text-5e4c6831-b495-4aec-a7b8-7899b0ffda04 for the finite on in Word.

I see the headings and indentations as directly relatable to Tasks and sub tasks. Other task management software such as GTDNext also use Outline to describe the arrangement of projects and tasks http://blog.gtdnext.com/task-management-outline-view/.

So I support the current use of Outline.

Nick

[J Smith]

Further re Outline, I think what's really going on is that the English language is evolving. 

Word processing software needed a single word for "hierarchical summary" Hierarchy wasnt a very good word because a hierarchy tends to look like an org chart, which necessarily emphasises the layers. Whereas a word was needed for the same concept rotated by 90 degrees, emphasising points and sub points.

So they chose to use the word "outline", which previously really meant something very similar to summary, but covering the major movements of the plot just using words. Due to the word processors, as time goes on more an more people will start to understand that an Outline view is a list of points with sub-points.  In my experience, even though they may have seeen the word,  a LOT of people have no idea about what the word really means in the  WP sense

Moreover the problem with using "outline" is that: 

A) You tend to expect it to be the summary of something more complicated rather than the full gory details. 

For example if I say "let me tell you the outline of the plot" you do not expect me to go through then entire contents - which is what MLO is doing.

B) You can have an outline in the summary sense as a simple list of bullet points i.e. without involving any hierarchical structure at all. 

Whereas you cannot have a hierarchy of one!

So if you say "this software can store tasks as an outline" a lot people will be a bit hazy about what that really means.

Whereas if you say "this software can store tasks as a hierarchy" that's pretty clear. 

But don't believe me - get the primary customer research done!

Try this next time you are out to dinner, wait until they've had few of drinks and so not capable of being too clever, and then ask them which of the above is clearer.

J