Great functionality, could use work.
Love the app, thank you for the tool.
Would like to see some changes as I find the UI frustrating. These are only my experiences though, I hope none of you take offense, as I said earlier love the function of this app.
Here are my suggestions and some ideas:
Tagging/Organizing:
- When adding from a web browser extension, the tag container should already be selected so that I do not have go to the upper corner, click into the box and then start typing my tag. I would like that whole step of having to move my cursor up there to be eliminated. If a user does not want to tag, they can just press enter, or click into the screen. If they do want to tag, suggested tags based on previous entries should be available in a drop down that I can use my arrow keys to highlight, then the enter key to select the desired tag (like Google’s search bar). Once I click enter, “saved!” should come up and then the box should disappear.
- If it’s clear that I have been tagging the same tag for a while, I would appreciate it if that tag remained within the tag section so that I wouldn’t have to do any of the stuff above. This is good for when I am writing a research paper.
- An extra container that allows me to jot quick notes about the article to summarize why I find it important would be highly beneficial for me.
- Most recently used tags should show up first when you’re in the app searching for articles. Looking through a long list of tagged words to get to my tag that I just used creates a mild dificulty. Not a big deal but other apps (like evernote) are doing it this way and I enjoy that, just like how I enjoy google remembering where I’ve been so I don’t have to type everything out.
- Colored markers to help organize might be nice. I’m very visual.
- A way to visually group / link articles to one another? Like editing within the article would be awesome. If I could click and drag a highlight box and then link it to another article that supports that statement (kind of like a real website, but WYSIWYG style).
- An option to add comments too would be amazing. Like when you’re taking notes in a text book.
- Then a place where you can see all of the comments that you made about a specific article, and all the comments you’ve made about a specific tag. A way to add colors to the comments. A way to view comments marked with a certain color.
Viewing:
- I would appreciate a tiled/grid option for viewing my articles within the app. An image (or non if there is no image on the web page) to give me a quick visual reference to identify the article with would be nice. I see that you have this on web already though. I suppose I will just use the web version then. If I may suggest something about this though, I’d love to see an option to hover over and view my summarized notes about the article, and expand it. Again, good for research papers.
- I would also appreciate a similar layout for the tags themselves. Kind of like “notebooks”. For whatever reason, this layout is just quicker and easier to understand. I can find things faster this way than by looking through a long list of words. It would be nice if we could add our own photos to the “covers” of these tags(“notebooks”).
Imagine that youre writing a research paper on global warming (huge topic), except it’s not for school so it’s not like you have an end date or a cap for how many pages— you’re just doing research until you can prove that something is so undeniably true that people are forced into a corner where they have no other option than to acknowledge it. But before you can get there, you must compile a binder for all of your information, and you must be able to organize it it such a way that will allow you to easily back up your arguments. But it’s not JUST all about scientific facts. You also have to apply rules of psychology and advertising to your argument. So while you’re gathering information about melting icecaps, you’re also gathering information about which people care about melting ice caps— which is related, but it’s not. So like, notebooks, and color markers. Maybe even shapes. Various outlets to link things together to stay organized. This is the structural idea that I’m trying to explain.
I love the app. But I hardly use it because I don’t like the user interface.
However I am embarking on a huge research study and I need something that does this.
Everything I stated above would make my current task (researching to write a convincing argument) much easier.
I also understand that I may not be your target audience. I am a heavy computer user. My primary job is graphic design and I honestly exist more in digital reality for most people than I do in physical reality. My preferences for short cut keys (staying on the keyboard) and visual layouts may not apply to everyone. Just my suggestions.
Again though, thank you for the tool :) I appreciate all of you for your work and I am grateful to be able to use what you guys have made.
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