Source: Facebook

OVERSING UPDATE

The problem with the Slack (and IRC) UI is that channels do not provide sufficient context for the development of metrics about a subject or context, whereas the facebook page-model does.

Oversing allows you to create public (# hashtag) channels, fb/VK style chats, and private channels (filters of your activity stream), but Oversing retains context at all times – you are always collaborating in some context or other.

Our search will be a little weaker for the first version due only to resource constraints. But once we implement better search, we will provide both the ease of public channels and the insight into subjects by context.

It’s an interesting merger. We struggled with the UI a bit. But we’re pretty happy with it now.

Just a few things are left for beta. (a) reports, (b) Peer360 and (c) some usability issues we feel we need to fix to make it easier on the user. Some of the usability issues we know about are:

(a) allowing choices (buttons) to apply to multiple objects on the workflow, so the user needn’t duplicate them. (b) reducing the tasks panel options by adding multi-selection and moving the resourcing filters to the top of the panel. (c) adding the subtasks page to the Program profile. (d) creating personal projects for each new user by default. (e) and making it easier to know whether you can schedule something or not.

Oversing is a little bit “all things to everyone”, in that we made sure that there were many ways of working with the product depending upon the complexity of the needs of the user, and the power of his device. The side effect is that we need to instruct users in the use of the product in increasing levels of complexity.

I think it’s one of those products that you continually ‘discover’ functionality over a long period of time.