
Show HN: Habit List - my first iOS app - ggualberto
http://habitlistapp.com
======
tommi
I have been using <https://chains.cc/> which is as far as I know the best web
UI for "Don't break the chain" idea. However the lack of mobile app makes it
harder to use and therefore I'm giving Habit List a try. Looks great!

btw. for me, week starts on Monday.

~~~
radikalus
It slightly terrifies me that all the most popular groups are variants of "No
fap"

~~~
clone1018
<http://www.reddit.com/r/nofap>

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shadesandcolour
You've done an awesome job with this. The UI is gorgeous and it looks like you
didn't lose any functionality with it. I really can't think of anything to
critique you on. It seems like most of the criticism on this thread is very
minor nitpick-y things. Especially this business about the battery percentage
and the alarm icon and not having a favicon for your website... Seriously
guys, he's asking for some comments on the app, not the way that it's mocked
up on the website. Keep on hacking kid.

~~~
followben
He's hardly a kid: <http://receivebacon.org/resume.html>

~~~
shadesandcolour
I didn't actually mean kid, it was just colloquial

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betageek
This is very nearly exactly what I was looking for, couple of things:

Small UI crit:

When adding a Habit, the cancel button is in the top left position on the Add
a Habit screen - everywhere else in the app this position is a non-destructive
navigation button so I accidentally cancelled events I was in the middle of
creating a couple of times.

It would probably be better to make this navigate back to the Today screen &
auto-create the event and put the cancel button somewhere else.

Couple of feature requests:

* ability to make the reminder an modal alert view rather than a message - too easy to miss a non-intrusive alert

* ability to snooze a reminder - if I'm busy sometimes I can't do the thing I'm being reminded right now but don't want to forget to do it, if I could 'snooze' the reminder in the alert view that would make me more likely to remember to do it

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Rudism
I've actually been using this for several days now. I tried several similar
apps before it and think this is by far the most usable. I like it a lot, but
have one suggestion: there should be a way to go to a previous day's list
view. I often don't get into the app until I'm in bed, which is sometimes
after midnight, meaning I've now lost the current day's list and am actually
looking at "tomorrow's" list instead. It's then a bit of a pain to go to the
calendar view for each item I wanted to cross off an put an x for the previous
day.

~~~
otisfunkmeyer
I completely agree with this. This is essential for us night owls who consider
2AM today! I think the easiest way to fix this would be to give the ability to
set the te when the day begins. For me, it's not 12 midnight, it's 10AM.

------
frou_dh
The visual design looks great. I'm a fan of such "streak" based tracking (aka
Seinfeld Calendar). Looking at it can mentally transport you back to the last
time things went wrong and remind you that it wasn't worth it (because you
went back on track).

Do you have a way to export the recorded data? That's something that bothers
me about this kind of iOS app: the data might still be useful after you
eventually stop using the app or even iOS. It could be as simple as sending
XML or CSV via the on-device email.

~~~
parley
This! Offering data export functionality (API or otherwise) is what allows
data portability nuts like me to use things like Read It
later/Evernote/whatever without cringing a bit in fear of losing the data for
any number of reasons. The probability of needing it doesn't factor into my
gut feelings, just the (miniscule?) risk of it. ;o) Have already started using
your app though, it looks very nice!

------
gee_totes
There are enough comment on here, so I'm going to give some critiques.

I think you should change the calendar mockup.

From the Xs on the calendar, I was reminded of Jerry Seinfeld's: "Don't break
the chain"[0], an anecedote about how making a chain of Xs on a calendar is
the best way to form a productive habit. Someone else mentioned it in the
comments as well.

However, the chain on the calendar is broken! Those users with the impression
that this app will help them form a habit will be confused. If I'm making a
big change in my life, I want to do something _every day_ , not a piddling
three times a week.

The calendar mockup should change to at least one week with a full chain of
Xs, so users won't get the subconscious impression that this app is incapable
of helping them build a habit.

Besides repairing the subliminal messages of failure, adding a full chain of
Xs opens another avenue for 'gamification'. What if when you completed a full
week of an unbroken chain, you received some type of bonus points or prize? Of
course, these prizes would be in the form of a cool UI animation.

Also, it's 2012: have you ever heard of a favicon?

[0]: [http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-
se...](http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-secret)

~~~
nathanbarry
I wrote an app called Commit (<http://thinklegend.com/commit>) that is based
around the "don't break the chain idea". It only allows you to do things on a
daily basis (rather than M W F or something similar). This is probably the
most common request I get from users, though in keeping with the original
methodology I don't plan to add the feature.

Now I think this Habit List looks fantastic and could be a great alternative
for users that want that functionality. Well done!

------
wattjustin
Great app! There's far too many to do list apps that I've used for something
like this and Streaks was just okay. This is what I've been wanting. Great job
on a great 1.0!

My only question or suggestion, the reminder setup seems odd. If I choose
every 3-5 days with a reminder at 6pm, does it remind me randomly, on the 5th
day, on the 3rd? Making that a bit clearer or giving the option for choosing
which day the reminder will be on would help there.

Other than that, I hope others see the value in building habits like this as I
think it's a well implemented way of helping people like me who are quite
forgetful.

~~~
scottdunlap
If a habit shows up on your today list, it will send a reminder. So for a 3-5
frequency, it will send it on the third day (and fourth/fifth if you don't
complete it). I think that's the most intuitive approach, but maybe we'll find
a spot on the website to make it more apparent.

Appreciate the the kind words!

------
callmevlad
Very useful (and beautiful) app!

One thing I've noticed is that it shows me an alert/reminder even if I've
already crossed off that habit for the day - would be nice if it detected that
a reminder is no longer needed.

~~~
noinput
+1, I have a daily habit that I do in the morning, and the alarm is set for
later than I usually finish it incase I forget, however after complete for the
day I still get the alarm.

* really liking the app so-far.

------
freshfey
Beautiful. May I ask what resources you used to learn iOS hacking?

Also: What's that font?

~~~
chrisa
For learning iOS I'd definitely recommend the free Stanford lectures on iTunes
U: [http://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/ipad-iphone-application-
dev...](http://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/ipad-iphone-application-
development/id473757255)

------
rcknight
Really like the app, when i searched in the app store i noticed there was
another similar - "Habits pro" i think? Luckily for you that one is pretty
ugly and more expensive!

Feature suggestion: It would be nice to be able to keep track of things that
need doing multiple times per day - the example featured on your website of
"drink 8 glasses of water" would be more useful if i could come back into the
app and log each one so i don't lose count throughout the day!

Also love the streak tracking, I have my habits logged and look forward to
using it :)

~~~
rimantas
Well… <http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp>

~~~
rcknight
Well ok maybe that was a bad example (taken from the product site), but i
still think there could be a use for "do this thing X times per day"

~~~
rimantas

      > but i still think there could be a use for
      > "do this thing X times per day"
    

Absolutely. I am not arguing with this point.

------
cignext
Bought. Love the interface! It fixes most of the issues I had with Wonderful
Day App (Review: [http://woikr.com/iphone/wonderful-day-for-iphone-stay-
motiva...](http://woikr.com/iphone/wonderful-day-for-iphone-stay-motivated-
every-single-day-review/)).

Question: What happens if I go through a day without opening the app. Is the
activity marked not done automatically?

Suggestion:

Tiny suggestion: Allow swiping in both directions. After using Sparrow I'm
used to swipe left for most actions. Doesn't work here though.

------
brackin
Genius. I've been looking for something like this so will buy shortly! Make it
universal so that I can use it on my iPad, the device that I use for apps like
this.

------
michaelmartin
Just bought the app and I really like it. The interface is gorgeous, it's as
plain and minimal as you could hope for, but with enough style to make it
enjoyable to use.

I think that you really nailed the "Frequency" settings, especially the "x
times per week" section. It makes it so flexible.

I've tried, but I can't think of anything I'd like added or changed. It's also
very refreshing to use an app that doesn't have a "Settings" section.

Looking forward to starting to use it!

------
sambe
Liking it a lot so far - but one suggestion: frequency options are good, but
there is nothing available for >daily. Workaround is multiple items, I guess.

------
lmarinho
Love the app, congrats! I will start using it this week and see how it goes.

My only gripe with it is related with responsiveness to touch: if I tap on '+'
or on 'View all habits', the button doesn't highlight. This can feel
frustrating if the next screen takes a while to load and you don't know if
your touch was valid or not. This problem happens with almost every button in
the app.

------
jdoody
Hey I bought the app and I really like it. One suggestion would be some way to
track daily partials of a habit. For example the drink 8 glasses of water a
day. I would like to be able to click somewhere on the app each time i drink a
glass of water and have it increase so I can track that and see that on
tuesday i met 75% of the particular goal.

------
pipecork
Wish it were on Android! This is a great idea that I already use on my
physical calendar (a la Seinfeld). I can only see screenshots, but it looks
like the font you chose wasn't meant to show statistics, evident in the
"Completion Rate" percentage. The relative heights of the numbers and % sign
don't parse very well, just a nitpick on my part.

------
lostoptimist
I just began using this today and I really enjoy. I wonder if you've
considered the negation of a habit? i.e. I love eating donuts but need to cut
back on them so I would only like to eat one a week. I've set this up as
"Didn't eat a donut today" with this repeating 6 times a week. What about
keeping track of "bad habits" and set maximums?

------
dmotz
Very similar to the first app I released for iOS called ChainCal (
<http://chaincalapp.com> ). That said, competition is healthy and important to
keeping an ecosystem moving.

Well done execution on Habit List.

ChainCal has a new version pending review right now for those interested in
comparing the two approaches.

~~~
wam
I've been using ChainCal for a few weeks and it's great. Beautiful and
intuitive interface.

------
nyrb
Congrats! I have been using this Streaks (iOS) for a while since I like the
functionality of this and it has options where you can skip weekends:
[http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/streaks-motivational-
calendar...](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/streaks-motivational-
calendar/id345184462?mt=8)

I will try this app now!

------
gurkendoktor
Lots of gold in this thread. The Chain app I use is not worth mentioning, but
for habits I use this:

<http://www.homeroutines.com/>

I actually prefer its cheerful design and it has an iPad version. But the
integrated Chain counting might convince me.

------
mtraven
Here's an Android app that looks kind of similar (but not half as pretty):
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.amimetic.ha...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.amimetic.habitspro&hl=en)

------
ZanderEarth32
Very nice looking app dude. One question, what sets this apart from the
Reminders app that comes with iOS already? Not trying to put you out,
genuinely interested to see the advantage of your app so that maybe I can
switch.

------
Whitespace
I've used streaks before, but I never liked how the interface didn't tell me
what I had to do /today/ to maintain my streaks. Your app seems to solve this,
so you've got a customer.

Also, great design! Are you tracking conversions?

------
ralphb
The app seems to have lost my data, all my streaks reset to zero. Now that's a
bit of motivational catastrophe - something I don't think you EVER want to
have happen. Anybody else experience something similar?

~~~
quadrant
Not quite, just negative numbers when the task is set to 3 or 5 days as week.

------
daemon13
Bought it, use it, enjoy it.

Wishlist - some habits may require several tasks during the day. For example
"Drink 5 glasses of water" - would be great to schedule 5 micro-events during
the day with possibility to cross those.

------
malloreon
Beautiful interface design - how do you go about designing and implementing a
look like that?

When I make iOS apps they all use the default controls suppled in XCode. I'd
like to learn to make nice looking interfaces.

------
swombat
Bought. Looking forward to using it.

Edit: Some thoughts:

\- Reminder probably doesn't need minute-by-minute granularity... 10 minute
increments are probably fine and easier to scroll through.

\- How about a "random time during the day" reminder?

~~~
8ig8
> How about a "random time during the day" reminder?

I'd really like that. In the past, I've set up manual recurring reminders to
go off at the same time during the day. When I got used to the reminder
schedule, I started ignoring them.

~~~
swombat
I'd also like it to start giving stronger and more annoying reminders the
longer I've ignored a "habit".

------
ya3r
I was searching for something like this app.

So far I like everything about it except the font, which makes it harder to
read the tasks.

As I use it I'll give you feedback, but for now, I like to be able to color
code tasks.

~~~
ya3r
Also my week starts at Saturday. I don't like it this way with no options.

------
quadrant
Loving the app, but all of a sudden today one of my streaks went to -4 and
another -2 even though I've only been using it for 48 hours... I'll send in an
email with details.

------
rbxbx
Does Habit List use iCloud to sync it's data across my devices?

~~~
ggualberto
Not yet, but we're looking into that.

------
gumpieza
Very nice.. Well done. Any tips on the best ways to get into the market? For
example could you discuss your design and development process

------
superamit
Slick. Been using <http://bud.ge/> a lot lately and this looks like a nice
complement. Purchased!

------
awolf
Very nice start, I might start using this over my Streaks calendar app. One
suggestion would be to add a passcode lock like Streaks has.

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brevityness
A similar app iDoneThis (<https://idonethis.com/>).

Requires a paid subscription though. -_-

~~~
jonknee
No subscription needed for personal use:

<https://idonethis.com/accounts/register/personal/>

------
antoinevg
Bought. This is something I've been wanting since electronic personal
organizers became a product category. Thank you!

------
rvid
I wish I could enter a value along with a tick.. to record how much I did
something (say to track how much I slept).

~~~
jonmb
I think there's a free app called GoalMaster that will let you enter a value.
It's pretty slick too.

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dave1619
Love the website design. Who designed it?

~~~
followben
Looks like this fella designed the app: <http://dribbble.com/scottdunlap>

No idea if he did the website though.

~~~
ggualberto
Scott and I worked on all of this together. He designed the site too.

~~~
aymeric
What sort of agreement did you have with him? Did you pay him or are you guys
sharing profits?

~~~
scottdunlap
We are partners in crime. You could say he handles code and I handle design,
but that's simplifying things. We worked closely throughout the whole process.

~~~
aymeric
You guys are lucky. I wish I could be working with an entrepreneurial
designer. It would step up the quality of my apps (ex: <http://weekplan.net>).

Where did you guys meet? Online? Offline?

------
jonmb
Great job! I typically use JoesGoals.com, but it doesn't have an iPhone app.
Your app looks perfect for this.

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imaan988
Android next? I'd love an app like this.

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rmb177
Very nice! I have a similar app for the iPhone and your UX/UI is much nicer
and more intuitive.

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pud
Brilliant. Thanks for making this app. Downloading now and I will tell my
friends about it.

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kral
I can't try it, 'cause I'm on Android but it's a really nice idea! Good work
and good luck!

------
sgaither
This looks great. I'd buy it if I weren't so already tied to workflowy though.

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socceruci
I love the design factor and simplicity to get 1 thing done right. Good job!

------
delosfuegos
Congrats! Very sleek design and intuitive interface. However, I do think that
$2 is a bit on the expensive side for a simple app like this. I would suggest
that you find some way to figure out where the ideal price point would be for
your customers.

(price * sales) - (cost * sales)

------
donniezazen
I like your website and pictures of your app but I have Android.

------
iamben
This is a great idea. Would love to see it on Android.

~~~
enan
I made something similar for android for my needs - although it is not as
pretty :)

[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsmithy....](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsmithy.activitylog&hl=en)

------
mrblues
Looks great. I was seeking for something like this

------
duhh1234
the icon looks a lot like visual studio's if fact I thought it was a link to
the windows phone marketplace or something :-p

------
chadk
Great concept and execution. Love the icon!

------
jasonwilk
Nice work. Very cool Product

------
bretthopper
Love the logo/app icon.

------
nirvana
Congrats! Building this has long been on my list of "rainy day projects".
You've done a much better job of it, though, than I intended.

One suggestion- I'd make a setting for letting you change the "Today" font
from the handwriting one to a sans-serif one, like the rest of the app uses. I
think the handwriting is very pretty and adds good production value, and so
I'd keep it in the app, and certainly in the screenshots, etc, but for day to
day use, wanting to turn that off would be an irritant every time I opened the
app.

You're kinda mixing skeuomorphism with modernism in your design, which is a
natural result of making real world analogs on iPhones, but the one place it
hasn't seemed to blend well is that font.

Great looking app, and especially the icon is really well done.

Good luck!

~~~
maximegarcia
I'd love to know what is this handwriting font. Anyone knows ?

~~~
iamben
dearJoe 2 - <http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/joebob/dear-joe-2/regular/>

:-)

~~~
maximegarcia
Thx :)

------
benihana
Minor thing: The iPhone on the site with the app shown on the screen - the low
battery percentage, the alarm icon, the odd time and the AT&T icon are all
kind of distracting to me. I know it has nothing to do with the actual app,
but 11:53 is not a pretty number to look at, nor is 23%. The battery icon is
over 3/4 empty which instantly causes me a little bit of anxiety - I'm worried
that my phone is dying, not looking at the pretty app interface.

Everything else seems really polished, but those were the first things I
noticed, and they distracted me enough to post something here.

Other than that, the app and the features look great.

~~~
nanijoe
Serious question..do those factors affect your buying decision?

~~~
eddieroger
Have you ever noticed when you buy a new analog clock or are walking down an
aisle that sells clocks, that the hands point to 10 and 2? It's because the
clock is smiling at you.

Yes, this affects a lot of people.

~~~
k-mcgrady
In all of Apple's iPhone promotional images the time is always set to around
9:40 (sometimes I've seen 9:41/42). I'm not sure the reason behind it, but
obviously in this case it doesn't look like it's smiling. Does anyone know the
explanation for this?

~~~
drewcrawford
The explanation I've heard is that they were trying to hit the time the iPhone
was introduced on the Keynote screenshots. Not sure if they still do that or
if it's mostly tradition now.

~~~
k-mcgrady
Thanks, that's right. I did a bit of searching a found an explanation from
Scott Forstall.

Why the iPhone is 9:42:

"We design the (product launch) keynotes so that the big reveal of the product
happens around 40 minutes into the presentation. When the big image of the
product appears on screen, we want the time shown to be close to the actual
time on the audience’s watches. But we know we won’t hit 40 minutes exactly."

And the iPad is 9:41:

Yeah! And for the iPhone, we made it 42 minutes. It turned out we were pretty
accurate with that estimate, so for the iPad, we made it 41 minutes. And there
you are – the secret of the magic time.

Source: [http://cydiahelp.com/heres-why-apples-iphone-ads-always-
show...](http://cydiahelp.com/heres-why-apples-iphone-ads-always-show-the-
time-set-to-942/)

------
dysoco
Looks really nice, the website looks awesome, and the App also does. Though, I
can't try it because I'm an Android guy.

Just two things:

1) 1.99$ ? Are you sure a "free app" isn't best ? 2) Post to blog is bad ? Uh
? :P

~~~
swombat
How would he make money from a free app?

~~~
AngryParsley
Volume, man! Volume!

~~~
cannibal
0 * 1,000,000,000 is still 0

~~~
swombat
I think he knows that.

