Note Taking
I’ve been pondering this gap between one-shot and incremental information-finding interfaces in the context of knowledge tools recently. Text search boxes are easy to design and easy to add to apps. But I think their ease on developers may be leading us to ignore potential interface ideas that could let us discover better ideas, faster.
thesephist.com • Navigate, don't search
Note-taking apps, simply put, are our best option for “bending” productivity to the ebb and flow of our days, and for managing the work-in-process inventory of ideas that represents our main asset as knowledge workers.
Tiago Forte • Bending the Curves of Productivity
Humans are bad at coming up with search queries. Humans are good at incrementally narrowing down options with a series of filters, and pointing where they want to go next. This seems obvious, but we keep building interfaces for finding information that look more like Google Search and less like a map.
All information tools have to give users some wa... See more
All information tools have to give users some wa... See more
thesephist.com • Navigate, don't search
Traditionally, modern software is designed in a linear structure. Notably known as the “workspace”— a popular file cabinet structure, that reminds the parent-child relationship. Working in this structure conveys a feeling of playing a “pass the parcel” game. Every time you open a folder, the next one is revealed.
All this makes sense, as linearity i... See more
All this makes sense, as linearity i... See more
Itay Dreyfus • #4 Roam Research — What Comes After a Renaissance?
The actual measures of productivity that might be useful range quite a bit:
- I did enough to not get fired.
- I did enough to get promoted.
- I did enough to get hired by a better firm.
- I solved a problem for a customer who was frustrated.
- I changed the system and now my peers are far more productive.
- I invented something that creates new possibilities and ne
PW 5: Measuring the right thing
Over the last decade, we've seen "complex" design patterns evolve. The infinite canvas, chatbot interface, and even the command line have become omnipresent in today’s tools. Compared to bullet points, these patterns are more appealing: sleek, and playful to use. Interacting with an interface through the act of drawing, or chatting might be more sa... See more
Itay Dreyfus • #4 Roam Research — What Comes After a Renaissance?
