
Ask HN: What do you use to organize your thoughts for a new website or project? - uptown
I'm in the early stages of planning a website, and for me this means jotting down lots of thoughts and ideas as I work to develop the feature-set, user roles, descriptions of expected model/view/controller structures, and other pieces of information that go along with every project.  Previously I've used a basic text editor to organize this information, but given the scale of my new project I'm finding it lacking ... particularly since I have a need to share and collaborate with a business partner on some of these concepts.<p>I've tried a variety of tools ... both online, and offline ... but my desire to keep the project concept private until it's ready to launch, and  my paranoia about how private the online "note-taking/project manageemnt" tools really are have left me going back to a text file for organizing all of my thoughts.<p>What do others use to organize this type of information?  Is there something better out there?
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habs
im in a similar situation at the moment. My friend and I are taking a very
low-tech approach. A few beers, pad of A4 paper and a couple of pens seems to
do us very well.

We model UIs, entity-relationship's and use cases all free hand. I think it's
a lot quicker than using something like visio, etc to mock-up ideas.

~~~
midnightmonster
For organizing ideas, a very large pad of paper and a delta elite triangle
grip ballpoint pen(1).

If it gets to a lot of words, back to the computer I go.

(1)I know the pen is over-specified, but I find writing with most pens/pencils
so unpleasant that I even type and print single envelopes to avoid it. The
delta (that specific one, not any) makes writing tolerable for me--I carry one
in my pocket and use it even to sign receipts.

~~~
tjr
Understandable. I almost exclusively use Papermate felt-tip pens, with
occasional disposable fountain pens. These require less pressure to write
with, and are thus easier on the wrist.

Yeah, it's a little tiny minor thing, but it makes a difference...

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KWD
Not sure if it will help, but one tool I use at concept stage is FreeMind. I
like it for forming a structure to a site.

<http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page>

~~~
mattlarge
Totally agree with KWD. Freemind is the first app I open before starting
anything new (project/proposal/article etc). I love mind mapping, Freemind's
keyboard controls mean you can quickly produce a complex map without ever
having to touch the mouse. Love it.

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stewiecat
I went to Lowes and picked up two pieces of melamine whiteboard (3'x4') for
$9/each, some mirror hangers (another $2), and drywall anchors ($1). My home
office now has a rather huge, expandable whiteboard for under $25.

I then 'persist' the ideas to a wiki once they're fleshed out.

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fabiandesimone
I'm currently on my second project and for both (and everything else) I use
two tools:

Xmind Mind Mapping: I paid like 120 bucks for it, now they decided to open
source it (that I did not like much, but now you can get it for free!) Their
software is amazing. <http://www.xmind.net/>

MacJournal: Quick notes, texts, transcripts, voice notes, video notes, etc I
have in there. They have full screen writing which is amazing.
<http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=85>

First stage UIs: Balsamiq. <http://www.balsamiq.com/>

Final UIs and documentation: Axure Pro (Windows only :( ) (VMWare anyone :) )
<http://www.axure.com/>

Creating manuals, customer support and FAQ: ScreenSteps. (I cannot recommend
this software enough! AMAZING) <http://www.bluemangolearning.com/screensteps/>

Project Management: Merlin. Fantastic software.
<http://www.projectwizards.net/en/>

Sales and CRM: Daylite. Just started using it. Very powerful, but the learning
curve is steep. <http://marketcircle.com/>

Remote team work: Basecamp and Campfire. www.37signals.com

If everything else fails: a pen and paper :)

Hope this helps

~~~
Ann2009
I think you can try ForeUI (<http://www.foreui.com>), it can create runnable
UIs like Axure, and it can run under Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris.

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thomanil
I like to use mindmaps for planning and concept work like this.

Freemind is a good open source mindmap editor for the desktop.

Or you could try my online, browser-based mindmap app.
<http://thoughtmuse.com> ;)

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dflock
I make lots of notes in Tomboy
(<http://projects.gnome.org/tomboy/features.html>) - which is a personal
wiki/notetaking desktop app, primarily for Gnome, but has an official Windows
port and alpha web sync. It can also be synched to a local folder (I sync to
my Dropbox), to a webDav or a SHH destination.

I find it really handy.

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gjutras
balsamiq is great for ui mockup. Other than that I agree with habs, paper
works. Although i have recently started using Microsoft One Note 2007. It
makes for great brainstorming / idea throwing / white boarding.

~~~
nintendo1889
I'd second onenote for multiple user whiteboarding and brainstorming. It's a
great program designed for this purpose, for quickly jotting down your
thoughts. Also it has handwriting recognition if you're a table user.

Personally I use Google Sites' wiki for single-person brainstorming because I
can access it anywhere. Also Google Sites supports secure https and true
'private' sites.

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TrevorJ
Paper, pen, napkins, the voice recorder on my phone, Google docs, my friend's
listening ears, long walks and taking a shower.

Point being, don't fall into the trap of trying to get your info to live in
one, unified, perfect system right from the start. Chaos is ok, just work in
whatever format your brain needs you to at the moment and focus on reigning it
in at a later date.

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bemmu
Blank sheets of paper and a pencil.

~~~
alyssumclimbs
Also, my brain. Seriously though, for big projects I literally dedicate a lot
of time to just thinking through things until I have it well organized and in
my head.

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rrival
Basecamp + glass floor to ceiling windows and dry erase markers.

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alanthonyc
I'm in the same situation and after experimenting with various tools
(basecamp, evernote, things, and more) I'm now down to two major tools:

    
    
      - a whiteboard at home
      - a wiki (simple install of dokuwiki)
    

The whiteboard is for brainstorming and sketching stuff out and for when I
need some kind of physical feedback to my thoughts getting laid out.

The wiki is for laying out basic designs, taking notes and logging my
development progress. Also for keeping track of a schedule I've set up along
with milestones to hit. It's a simple tool, yet very versatile because of the
ability to easily create new, linked pages.

Some secondary tools, used sometimes: google calendar, voice recordings on my
iphone (for when I'm driving), etc.

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dannielo
If you would like a tool to manage your small business activities and
Projects, you can use this web aplication:

<http://www.Gtdagenda.com>

You can use it to manage and prioritize your Goals (for business but also in
other areas of your life), Projects and Tasks. It has a Checklists section,
for the routines and repetitive activities that any business has to do. Also,
it features a Schedules section and a Calendar, for scheduling you time and
activities.

Some features from GTD are also present, like Contexts and Next Actions.

And it’s available on the mobile phone too, so you can access it from
anywhere.

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chops
My bread and butter is a legal pad and pen. I'll mock-up designs, doodle
possible logos (I know, superficial, but it's _fun_ ), write pseudocode, and
tinker with the database schema.

Most pages get forgotten, but the act of working through the problems on paper
helps to solidify the thoughts and designs in my mind (much like how they say
that writing notes while studying will improve your overall retention).

Then the whiteboard for the quick stuff (like little notes I need to remember
for the next few minute, but wouldn't).

Every few years I buy a pile of legal pads - cheaper in bulk :)

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aschobel
11"x14" artist sketchbook and a pencil to play with the idea

long walks / showers to help focus

dead simple

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carbon8
Redmine. The basic pattern is usually starting with a wiki, jotting down
notes, collecting links, brainstorming and dumping information I get from
research or talking to people, then start opening tickets as todos start to
come up, then add people to the project as needed. I do this or something like
this for most tech and non-tech projects. I do have a couple moleskines, but I
find using paper to be more cumbersome. Sometimes I'll use them for UI
sketches. Whiteboards are great, too.

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s-phi-nl
A common theme here (which I agree with) is to use paper (whiteboard, sketch
book). Paper allows two-dimensional organization of text, whereas computers
force text to be one-dimensional. This linearity, which allows only two
branches on a single idea, is too constraining for my creative thinking,
during which two ideas branching out from a single original idea. You can of
course use lines to implement two dimensions in plaintext, but I find this
clumsy.

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bcl
I setup a new Trac instance. The wiki is great for documentation, journals and
design details and it integrates with the source repository using svn, git or
hg

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matt1
I created a new project on Github which I use solely for the wiki. I use it to
jot down ideas, take notes, etc. I've found it a great way to keep organized.

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richesh
My first order of business is to come up with a pretty good draft of my data
model. I use OmniGraffle, but you can use any data modeling tool. Once I have
a solid understanding of my data model, I generate a scaffolding.

Once I can see the data, interact with it, and tweak it to my heart's content.
Then I turn to tools like Balsamiq, or just a large pad and pen to generate
the views.

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js3309
I am in a similar stage....

I first started writing my thoughts in a paper notebook. But then i realized,
I can't read my handwriting!

I did research for software both online/offline that has the power/flexibility
and ease of use.

I settled on 2: basecamp and Zoho Projects.

After trying both out... I am going w/ Zoho Projects.

And you are right, its paranoia on your part about online tools and not based
on facts.

Why would anyone go after you and only you?

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IoanLucian
For simple things I use Efigio Organizer: <http://www.efigioorganizer.com> But
for a project like yours I would suggest that you use a project management
software. One recommendation is RationalPlan: <http://www.rationalplan.com>

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davidw
Stuff To Do: <http://stufftodo.dedasys.com/> \- it's got markdown syntax, and
I can rearrange the list of things to do quickly and easily. It probably
doesn't scale up to having huge amounts of notes and things you want to show
connecting and so on, but I like it for quick notes.

~~~
davidw
Uh, he asked what people use, and that's what I use.

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btw0
emacs org-mode

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imp
A lot of blank sheets of paper and a sharpie. I keep them in a manila folder
to look at later, but usually there's only one or two important pages that are
worth keeping because the ideas change a lot as I write.

Use what comes natural and helps get your thoughts out as fast as possible.

------
Flemlord
If it's just me I do it on the computer. I use Balsamiq for screen mockups,
Microsoft Word to write a spec (sometimes just a bullet-point feature list)
and Microsoft Project to build a timeline.

If it's a collaborative effort we use a whiteboard and take pictures.

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colinplamondon
An absolutely enormous whiteboard- we just rewrite the basic bullet points
over and over, then when we have it down to three or so main points we sketch
out the layout and the major components we'll need to build. Then we dive into
the coding :)

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synnik
While I agree with the pen, paper, and whiteboard crowd, I also do most of it
in my head.

If the idea is too complex to hold its basic design in my mind, or I am not
passionate enough about it to put in the thoughts, then it isn't worth the
trouble anyway.

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quellhorst
Pivotal tracker for every possible feature or chore related to the site.
Omnigraffle + some wireframe templates for mockups. Then a paper moleskin for
jotting down thoughts or drawing (sometimes pen and paper is better than all
else)

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AaronJ
I've been playing with EverNote now (first project) and it seems to be working
pretty well - scan in (or photograph) sketches, type out notes, whatever, and
it keeps everything together, organized by category, searchable, etc.

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alexferrer
I use freemind (mindmap) , to a person used to think logical (programers?)
mindmaps are a great way to collect,associate brainstorming generated
materials

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teuobk
A good lab/composition notebook and a Pigma Micron pen. Sharing is a bit
difficult, but it can't be beat for flexibility.

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jayarmstrong
+1 for xmind > freemind. Evernote may also be a good choice if you need to
collaborate online more securely/privately

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cmgarcia
I have a yellow legal pad and a pen on my desk. It's kind of neat to see that
it's already down to about 10 sheets left.

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tybris
I have a pretty good memory. Also, I have a whiteboard in my bedroom.

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endlessvoid94
a huge whiteboard with plenty of high quality different colored markers.

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erlanger
Pen on paper. And a spliff helps.

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TweedHeads
Create folder "newIdea"

Notepad2 -> todo.txt

