Yesterday we launched Paprika. Overall the launch was a success, but we did need to make some adjustments midstream. Mainly to our signup form. Here’s what we launched with:

Clean, simple, easy. As it turns out- not really. We did two things to shorten the form, and make it more aesthetically pleasing.

• We got rid of the password confirmation field. No harm done; if you fat-finger it when you enter it, you can just reset it later.
• We called the last form field “Account Name” and did not explain what this means. To our thinking, it was common terminology and used widely when referring to web apps.

We did a third thing that also hampered the usability of the form… We didn’t make the passwords the last thing on the list.

We had all sorts of people putting the password into the account name field thinking it was the confirmation. More still entered special characters and spaces into the account name only to be greeted by a form error, and forced to go back again.

We quickly worked on a redesigned form:

Much better! Not a single support request or lost user today.

• We added explanations beneath the unobvious form fields.
• Added a cool, absolutely positioned, text example of how the account url will be used in practice.
• Added the password confirmation back in.
• Made a brighter button, and upped the contrast on the text.

It goes back to something we’ve said before- users aren’t stupid, they just want simple things. In our effort to cut the form down to only the essential elements, we went too far. Bumper rails make bowling easier, and we want everything to be easy!

Check the form out online here.

If you’ve written, or are writing an article about Paprika, let us know and we’ll send you a $5 iTunes gift card for your effort and interest.

There are just a few terms:

• Any article written after June 22nd, 2010 is eligible.

• If you live somewhere where iTunes doesn’t exist, no worries- we’ll figure something else out.

• We try really hard to produce quality work, and we know you will, too.

• Please note! We’re not paying for good reviews… We’re paying for publicity. We pay all sorts of major blogs and ad networks for exposure. We love all the sites we advertise on, but we think this is a way to micro-advertise. Say something good, say something bad, just say something!

Thanks again everyone- tell us about your article at support@getpaprika.com!

You guys gave us some really great feedback and suggestions! To say thanks, we’ve put five extra projects in your pocket.

Enjoy your extra projects- and thanks again. Now get busy checking off your todos!

It’s Launch Day for Paprika!

We’ve sent it through testing, testing, and more testing. It’s ready- really ready- right here!

So what’s it all about?

Well, we thought the world needed a PM app that was just that- a box of essentials only, to help you keep your ducks in a row. What’s the point of your task manager- to organize your stuff, right? When you have to sift through settings, drop-downs, permissions and who only knows what else to organize your todos… it can quickly defeat the purpose.

Paprika is the love child of Simplicity and Efficiency. Keep Reading

Very soon, we’ll be launching our new app, Paprika. We’ve had the idea for Paprika floating around in our heads for a while. We even told you about it along the way in our five-part series:

• The Idea.
• The Name.
• One Button.
• Panicky Sweat.
• Beta Testing.

In the spirit of the above mentioned series, we thought we’d add one more piece about the single moment we realized we needed Paprika. Keep Reading

Paprika’s getting some nice buzz on Twitter. Thanks for all the beta comments everyone! Keep ‘em coming.

I was really ready to stop reading this article about halfway through, because it said you should only put present todos on your Project List.

Blasphemy!!

If you’re anything like me, you have a todo list for:

• Right now at work.
• As soon as you get home.
• The future.
• Things you’d really like to do, but know you’ll probably never find the time for.
• Things you need to tell other people to do.

The word “beta” evokes an emotion somewhere between excitement and nervousness- for both the user and creator. From a user standpoint- it’s not the real thing yet; it’s being tested, so you can never be sure what you’re dealing with. From a creator standpoint- we’re finally here! What will the reaction be? You’ve worked so hard up to this point, and of course you want a positive outcome. The actual launch product depends on the quality of this stage…

We recently launched our brand new app into beta testing. Paprika is our third full app, and we’ve managed to learn a few things along the way. Keep Reading

Paprika, Twitter-style: Use Textile to make notes, tag ‘em, date ‘em, assign ‘em, and share ‘em.