Basecamp integration is implemented now. Basically how it works is that you look Recurse up to your Basecamp account and then select which Basecamp project each Recurse project pushes too. When projects are created, pages added, revised, or commented/annotated a Basecamp message is updated with a comment containing a link to the new activity. This way you can work Recurse into your existing project management flow. More specifically so you can make annotations on designs–as there’s not a big reason to ‘present’ your design internally in that manner.
Switching from the most recent version of one page to another just got that much easier.
This is a screenshot of the new project index page, which you can customize on your settings page. You can change the company name, logo, and page colors.
Now along with subdomains there are a few more business specific options. You can upload your business’ logo and change the theme colors for the project index page.
A bunch of the form pages were somewhat “floaty” and boring, so I’ve updated them and center aligned them/added a filler background. Hopefully that helps UX :)
One of the features that quite a few users have requested is basecamp-esq subdomains.
Now when you sign up for Recurse it will ask you for a business name and a subdomain. Users who registered before this will have to go to their settings page and change the information.
Next on my list of features is custom project index styling as well as presets (so it’s not white-blank-page-y for everyone). After that comes the ability to edit the emails that are sent to update clients when you create a project or a new page. You’ll also be able to add client contacts on the fly.
Feedback!
A feedback button has been added and is ready to go. Hopefully the suggestions will begin rolling in.
Features and Situation
Okay, back to the blog. The last post was simply an attempt to get something out quick-like, and in that sense it was successful.
As I said before, the Recurse launch went fantastically well, but it suffered from a few things. Things I wish I’d have thought about beforehand, but have no means of correcting now that it’s happened.
- I wish I’d asked users upon sign-up if sending them an emails would be okay. As it is now, I’m going to end up sending a preliminary email to ask if sending more emails would be okay. Not the end of the world, but not great.
- A big button saying “Leave Feedback” or something along those lines would have been infinitely useful. I’ve used them before with app launches (Togethr), and people use them a ton. I can’t believe I blanked on adding one to Recurse and it’s the first thing on my list of to-do’s.
I thought that list was going to be longer, so it seems as though things are in good shape. Regardless, I think the major thing Recurse is suffering from is something I’ll call a “readiness” factor.
When a beta users stumbles onto the site they don’t necessarily have the files they need to upload on hand. They may not have any client work right that minute, and they may forget to return to the site when they do get the work. Also consider that webdesigners aren’t going to be super keen to beta test Recurse with their clients while trying come across as professional (there may be bugs, etc).
Aside from that, there are a list of featured that I need to implement and things should keep rolling along. I’m going to figure out this feature list and then update the blog as I implement them.
The Bipedal Mechanics of an Infant
Hey guys, so this is to be the blog for Recurse. It’s been about a month since the site launched, and in that time some really great things have happened. About 400 users have signed up to test out the website–I’d probably say about 5-10% of them were actual webdesigners who uploaded mockups of websites. So I’m still dealing with super low numbers.
But this is a good thing really. I can really one-on-one with these users to make Recurse the best app for them. I’m going to make this post brief, but I’ll be getting back to write more later. Expect more movement on the webapp in general.
