Levi Figueira's dashboard

What apps is this feature working with? Just InDesign alone? Illustrator? Photoshop? Fireworks? :)

Thanks, Pieter! ;) – Levi Figueira, on October 29, 2009 16:58

Your suggesting something that doesn't fit the concept of "payees"... If that's the way I should use it, then call it something else, not payees! That's why it doesn't feel right... – Levi Figueira, on September 10, 2009 00:11

Mike, I'm arguing that the way you're using payees (and probably many others) doesn't fit the description "payees"... My whole point is that adding payees for every purchase is not only slow but unnecessary! :) – Levi Figueira, on September 09, 2009 22:59

haha Love how GS closes my tags... haha :D

Mike,

Thanks for the cool ideas, but you have to understand that the majority of the world's population lives in urban centers! :) Also, setting up "general payees" goes against the exact concept of payees in real life. I understand we can "hack" around the system or call it whatever we want, but doesn't that defeat the concept of calling them payees to start with?

That's my main argument... :) – Levi Figueira, on September 09, 2009 22:28

payee => (noun) a *person* to whom money is paid or is to be paid, esp. the person to whom a check is made payable.

Yes, there are a lot of times I spend money in places I'll doubtfully visit again. Not only do I travel quite often, but I also already explained that having 200 payees doesn't seem feasible nor *quick* (the main argument in this conversation IMO). I didn't say the workflow was broken *because* of the "small coffee shops"... I just gave that as an example. Multiple Locations will help *a lot* with that though.

As to the "where" vs "what", I did say that I feel that Notes work well for the "where" and the emphasis is tracking "what". If it's important to note the specific restaurant I ate at airport A, then I can put that on the notes. Most of the times, doesn't matter... All I need to track usually sounds like this: <amount> for <activity> on <date> (<place>, if needed).

I'm not saying your approach is wrong... I'm just saying that for most of your potential users' approach to spending, it doesn't seem right... On the other hand, I could be deadly wrong and you're the most popular personal finance app out there and your approach is the best, and I'm just not getting it, unlike the majority of your other, happy, customers.

Bottom line: call this brainstorming if you will. I'm trying to help you guys out, by bringing some usability and UX issues to the table that I, an interested customer, feel should be dealt with and polished. I'm still giving CC a run for its money *and* I'm still trying to give you plenty of, polished, feedback! Besides, that's all I can do... If I wasn't interested in CC and helping you guys, I wouldn't waste time and just pick one of the many, and striving, alternatives out there. :)

Again, just trying to help... :)</place></date></activity></amount>

That truly doesn't feel "right"... The whole "geo-location" of payees breaks, not to mention the way that they're set up... :(

My comment was a lot broader then the suggested screen designs showed/suggested in this thread. The topic felt appropriate but I'm not talking about UI as much as I'm talking about UX!

Your biggest argument against change is the constraints of iPhone app design (such as the "hit boxes" needing to be at least 44x44). My main point is aimed at the current work flow design, aka UX! The payee-oriented flow is the main flaw I find in your system and it is also the reason why so many other great UI choices you've taken still don't improve the overall speed or satisfaction.

If I can be given one take at what you can do to improve the current app, I'd definitly say: don't make its work-flow payee-oriented!! We don't use your app to track *who* we pay, but *what* and *when* we pay! Who gets paid can easily be a note, or an optional field (that can even track used payees, just like tags).

So, yes: that's my suggestion. :) – Levi Figueira, on September 07, 2009 21:34

I'm beginning to get frustrated with Cha-Ching, not only because of what's been mentioned above but because I'm starting to believe the "payee-oriented" tracking is flawed and failed for users other than business (which will doubtfully use this app).

The fact that I have to create Payees for everywhere I go is unpleasant!!! And if I don't create a Payee for everywhere I got, then why use that approach? If I go get coffee somewhere (remember that in most European countries there are multiple small coffee shops *everywhere* -- very hard to track) I have to create a Payee so I can just track a 50¢ coffee? Ugh...

Besides, I believe most of users are more interested in *tracking expenses* than knowing exactly who got the payment (if I need to know that, I can always keep track via the notes or, ideally, an optional Payee field).

Basically, this would not only streamline your application but it would actually make it more accessible and more... exciting to use! Right now, you're turning a previously "addicting" app into a royal "PITA", where I dread even opening the app when I'm not tracking a major purchase (which are not the ones we want to track the most). I will most likely dump Cha-Ching altogether and do so sadly because I truly believe that CC is still the most attractive personal finance app with both OSX and iPhone versions!!! :(

Also, like Griff said, the way you shut Zkaka down was not only too rude but also proving the lack of actual user feedback you take into the design of the app. I'm all for opinionated software but when your 2.0 app has been announced and in-the-making for over 1 year, I can't really think too much of your true desire to serve your customers.

Don't take this personally, because it's not meant to be taken like that. I'm just opening up and letting you guys know that I'm not very approving of the current direction you've taken an app I love, giving more importance to features *you* deem important when feature (like multiple currencies) have been constantly asked for by your *user base* and you've kept delaying in favor of other, very dubious, design decisions.

Best of luck with your app guys! I hope I can eventually come back to what I believe is a great app, with a really talented group of developers behind it. :)

I'd like what Elio mentioned a lot better than bit.ly support...
I think that considering a tumblr subdomain/custom domain, the shortened URL could even be shorter eg. http://custom.tumblr.com/u45Xs <->http://rad.st for example ;))

Any solution, directly in the app as an option or an external app (like DockDodger) is a workaround a known OSX limitation!

If you remove the dock icon, OSX doesn't treat it like a "real" app: you lose the menus, you lose the cmd+tab AND expose, etc...

:/ – Levi Figueira, on April 20, 2009 12:15