Not sure if you're still answering questions, but if you are, what distinguishes this app from HabitList (http://habitlist.com/)? Is there a reason that I should choose this app over HabitList? It seems like both apps are targeting very similar use cases.
If you look for something similar on Android, I made an app to track daily goals couple years ago. Daily Badge.
The technical challenging thing that I remember was to make a horizontal and vertical scrolling view with fixed headers on top and fixed labels on right, where the headers and labels would scroll along with the content.
Congratulations on shipping! A big step for any project.
Not much useful to say otherwise except... come back in a bit and update us on how your app is doing on the app store and such? Considering 60% of apps never get downloaded, I'm at least curious where your app falls in; if it proves to have been worth the effort or not when everything is hindsight.
"Unfortunately, too many well-intentioned products fail because they feel like “haftas,” things people are obligated to do, as opposed to things they “wanna” do. Schell points to neuroscience research showing “there are different channels in the brain for seeking positive consequences and avoiding negative consequences.”
"When faced with “haftas,” our brains register them as punishments so we take shortcuts, cheat, skip-out, or in the case of many apps or websites, uninstall them or click away in order to escape the discomfort of feeling controlled."
Looks really nice but I've found that apps like this aren't incentivizing enough to be useful in the long term. I use Beeminder, which isn't nearly as nice-looking or user-friendly as Steaks appears to be, but its financial incentives work phenomenally well. If you're serious about keeping (or breaking) a habit, you check them out. And competitors, you should copy some of their features.
1a. I find "Regular" todo apps get overwhelming after a point. I know this because I have about 10 different todo lists that currently aren't being completed
1b. The other apps like Streaks I personally don't think are simple enough. Either they show too much information or they don't compel me to complete tasks enough. There is a real feeling of satisfaction in Streaks simply by having to press-hold for half a second to complete a task.
2. I'm not going to profess to any scientific studies. Simply put, this is what works for me. I've been using it in prototype form since early February to scratch my own itch in relation to the daily tasks I need to complete
Neat! I purchased and spent a few minutes playing with it and I'm impressed with the general attention to detail. Seems like a solid app.
Tangential criticism: the icon is visually unsatisfying. As in, it is graphically and logically correct, but visually it is like a song with the final note missing. Did you consider using a version with the circle closed? I think I understand the reasoning behind the unclosed circle, but I don't think it is worth the visual dissonance.
Thanks - we had discussions about this exact issue. We wanted something that wasn't a checkmark in the icon.
We played with another variation for quite some time but it didn't indicate anything related to tasks/completing something.
I really like what Apple has done with the icon for iOS "Activity" app that accompanies the Apple Watch. That the conveys a similar message to what we're doing.
(I do confess: I've tap-held our app icon from Springboard a few icons, which enables the app wiggle for rearranging apps)
Cool concept! Unfortunately though it seems like you may have chosen a terrible pricing model for it. There's no way I'd pay $5 upfront for something I'm not sure I'd even really need and would just want to try out.
You should think about offering a "lite" version that tracks your streaks for 2 weeks or so, then if someone wants to track them longer they'd have to upgrade.
What negativity? The only pattern of 'complaint' I see in this thread is people who wished it supported Android as well. Isn't that just evidence that people think it's a good idea and would like to use it if they could?
What habit is most often successfully formed? No idea if helps or hurts, but a "68% of people successfully started a <blank> habit" would be an interesting piece of cohort data to a person new to a habit/app.
$1.99 I can see. $4.99 might be a bridge to far for me for an app with myriad free/less expensive competitors and limited complexity and functionality.
[+] [-] qzervaas|10 years ago|reply
Edit:
For those interested, this is my first app written in Swift, and also my first app using HealthKit.
I think HealthKit is pretty awesome and over the next few years, there will be a ton of apps using it in interesting ways.
[+] [-] girvo|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] quanticle|10 years ago|reply
In any case, congratulations on shipping code!
[+] [-] 650REDHAIR|10 years ago|reply
This seems like a good balance of todos. Why 6 instead of 4,5, or 7?
[+] [-] Veratyr|10 years ago|reply
If you could move the App Store button to the top so it's clear it's limited to iOS that would be helpful to some of us I'm sure.
[0] http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/23/kantar-smartphone-sales-and...
[+] [-] qzervaas|10 years ago|reply
1) I'm the sole developer, so it takes a long time to develop (this was about 3-4 months)
2) I really wanted to integrate health data. The step/distance tracking on iPhone and the Health app is perfect for this.
3) The price point lends itself moreso to iPhone users than Android users.
[+] [-] ww520|10 years ago|reply
The technical challenging thing that I remember was to make a horizontal and vertical scrolling view with fixed headers on top and fixed labels on right, where the headers and labels would scroll along with the content.
[+] [-] meesterdude|10 years ago|reply
Not much useful to say otherwise except... come back in a bit and update us on how your app is doing on the app store and such? Considering 60% of apps never get downloaded, I'm at least curious where your app falls in; if it proves to have been worth the effort or not when everything is hindsight.
[+] [-] benrmatthews|10 years ago|reply
"Unfortunately, too many well-intentioned products fail because they feel like “haftas,” things people are obligated to do, as opposed to things they “wanna” do. Schell points to neuroscience research showing “there are different channels in the brain for seeking positive consequences and avoiding negative consequences.”
"When faced with “haftas,” our brains register them as punishments so we take shortcuts, cheat, skip-out, or in the case of many apps or websites, uninstall them or click away in order to escape the discomfort of feeling controlled."
[1] http://www.nirandfar.com/2013/07/why-behavior-change-apps-fa...
[+] [-] adam_albrecht|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chocolateboy|10 years ago|reply
A good keyword for finding these "Don't break the chain" [2] apps on Android is "Seinfeld". [3]
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.lixi.mychai...
[2] http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-se...
[3] https://play.google.com/store/search?q=seinfeld%20chain|habi...
[+] [-] source99|10 years ago|reply
I have 2 questions:
1. How is your app different than the dozens of habit forming apps out there?
2. What scientific research did you base your app on?
[+] [-] qzervaas|10 years ago|reply
1a. I find "Regular" todo apps get overwhelming after a point. I know this because I have about 10 different todo lists that currently aren't being completed
1b. The other apps like Streaks I personally don't think are simple enough. Either they show too much information or they don't compel me to complete tasks enough. There is a real feeling of satisfaction in Streaks simply by having to press-hold for half a second to complete a task.
2. I'm not going to profess to any scientific studies. Simply put, this is what works for me. I've been using it in prototype form since early February to scratch my own itch in relation to the daily tasks I need to complete
[+] [-] ra88it|10 years ago|reply
Tangential criticism: the icon is visually unsatisfying. As in, it is graphically and logically correct, but visually it is like a song with the final note missing. Did you consider using a version with the circle closed? I think I understand the reasoning behind the unclosed circle, but I don't think it is worth the visual dissonance.
[+] [-] qzervaas|10 years ago|reply
We played with another variation for quite some time but it didn't indicate anything related to tasks/completing something.
I really like what Apple has done with the icon for iOS "Activity" app that accompanies the Apple Watch. That the conveys a similar message to what we're doing.
(I do confess: I've tap-held our app icon from Springboard a few icons, which enables the app wiggle for rearranging apps)
[+] [-] kdamken|10 years ago|reply
You should think about offering a "lite" version that tracks your streaks for 2 weeks or so, then if someone wants to track them longer they'd have to upgrade.
[+] [-] dantiberian|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] JshWright|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] therobot24|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bijoutop|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] placeybordeaux|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gorn|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] actualdc1|10 years ago|reply
That said, I love the idea.
[+] [-] baradoy|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] qzervaas|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shakeel_mohamed|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] qzervaas|10 years ago|reply
Their example says "Get fit", whereas in Streaks you would have a task "Walk 5,000 Steps"
[+] [-] rickdale|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fierycatnet|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] grhmc|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] MichaelGlass|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] exabrial|10 years ago|reply