Flashes of Panic

I’ve written a few web apps in the last few years, but never have I actually been able to watch users interact with it like I can with the Wish List, especially since I added the RSS feeds. Even before that, though, the principal users have been family, so nobody has been afraid to tell me when something doesn’t work the way they expected.

It didn’t occur to me at the time, but the site has allowed lists to become more fluid; I can watch how they grow and contract. I’ve spotted several different use patterns, both in making lists and buying from them, and in some cases the differences run in families. For example, I tend to create really long lists, like a restaurant menu, figuring everyone can find something that fits them, but I’ve seen others who create shorter lists that are almost entirely consumed by their family. And there’s a small minority who sign up to read others’ lists, but don’t add anything to their own. (Sometimes, “their” lists become clearinghouses of gift ideas other people had for them, so it’s not worth requiring that people put stuff on their lists.)

There are plenty of visual tune-ups it needs; aside from a slightly glossier style, there are some places where I should be using color and typography (to distinguish, for example, when someone added an item to their own list, and when someone else added it.) Also, I’m beginning to realize that there needs to be a capacity to add a series of notes to items, in essence making each list item a topic with theoretically unlimited comments. (I’ve already seen some people working around this missing feature.)

A link I saw on del.icio.us recently suggested there are plenty of people looking for more in their wish lists than Amazon offers. Perhaps after this Christmas is over, I should work out a hit list of features and roll this out as a more public application.

Now Playing: Directing Traffik from Life by Inspiral Carpets