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Ask HN: What do you use to organize your thoughts for a new website or project?

24 points by uptown ↗ HN
I'm in the early stages of planning a website, and for me this means jotting down lots of thoughts and ideas as I work to develop the feature-set, user roles, descriptions of expected model/view/controller structures, and other pieces of information that go along with every project. Previously I've used a basic text editor to organize this information, but given the scale of my new project I'm finding it lacking ... particularly since I have a need to share and collaborate with a business partner on some of these concepts.

I've tried a variety of tools ... both online, and offline ... but my desire to keep the project concept private until it's ready to launch, and my paranoia about how private the online "note-taking/project manageemnt" tools really are have left me going back to a text file for organizing all of my thoughts.

What do others use to organize this type of information? Is there something better out there?

49 comments

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habs
im in a similar situation at the moment. My friend and I are taking a very low-tech approach. A few beers, pad of A4 paper and a couple of pens seems to do us very well.

We model UIs, entity-relationship's and use cases all free hand. I think it's a lot quicker than using something like visio, etc to mock-up ideas.

midnightmonster
For organizing ideas, a very large pad of paper and a delta elite triangle grip ballpoint pen(1).

If it gets to a lot of words, back to the computer I go.

(1)I know the pen is over-specified, but I find writing with most pens/pencils so unpleasant that I even type and print single envelopes to avoid it. The delta (that specific one, not any) makes writing tolerable for me--I carry one in my pocket and use it even to sign receipts.

tjr
Understandable. I almost exclusively use Papermate felt-tip pens, with occasional disposable fountain pens. These require less pressure to write with, and are thus easier on the wrist.

Yeah, it's a little tiny minor thing, but it makes a difference...

tricky
Instead of large sheets of flimsy paper, we are using 4x6 note cards, binder clips, and pencils. At first, the small cards seem like a problem, but they work well because they force you to break your ideas into meaningful chunks.

Make a mistake? Chuck a card. Missed something? Insert a card. Need to reorganize? Lay them all out on a floor and shuffle as necessary.

I'll never go back to notebooks or pads (or pens) again.

IsaacL
I'm the same. I'm a bit of a noob with web dev, but I've recently started work on my second medium-sized web project. Since doing my first one, I've learned a bit about database normalisation, but in some ways it proved a stumbling block: I couldn't get started until I'd made some database tables, but now I knew I should design the database first, yet trying to get everything down in Notepad seemed too much trouble.

When I tried writing each table out on a post-it-note, it was so much easier - even enjoyable - to come up with a normalised schema.

I wonder if/when computer technology will advance to the point where it's as flexible and disposible as pen and paper?

matt1
I created a new project on Github which I use solely for the wiki. I use it to jot down ideas, take notes, etc. I've found it a great way to keep organized.
quellhorst
Pivotal tracker for every possible feature or chore related to the site. Omnigraffle + some wireframe templates for mockups. Then a paper moleskin for jotting down thoughts or drawing (sometimes pen and paper is better than all else)
KWD
Not sure if it will help, but one tool I use at concept stage is FreeMind. I like it for forming a structure to a site.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

mattlarge
Totally agree with KWD. Freemind is the first app I open before starting anything new (project/proposal/article etc). I love mind mapping, Freemind's keyboard controls mean you can quickly produce a complex map without ever having to touch the mouse. Love it.
gjutras
balsamiq is great for ui mockup. Other than that I agree with habs, paper works. Although i have recently started using Microsoft One Note 2007. It makes for great brainstorming / idea throwing / white boarding.
nintendo1889
I'd second onenote for multiple user whiteboarding and brainstorming. It's a great program designed for this purpose, for quickly jotting down your thoughts. Also it has handwriting recognition if you're a table user.

Personally I use Google Sites' wiki for single-person brainstorming because I can access it anywhere. Also Google Sites supports secure https and true 'private' sites.

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davidw
Stuff To Do: http://stufftodo.dedasys.com/ - it's got markdown syntax, and I can rearrange the list of things to do quickly and easily. It probably doesn't scale up to having huge amounts of notes and things you want to show connecting and so on, but I like it for quick notes.
davidw
Uh, he asked what people use, and that's what I use.
bemmu
Blank sheets of paper and a pencil.
alyssumclimbs
Also, my brain. Seriously though, for big projects I literally dedicate a lot of time to just thinking through things until I have it well organized and in my head.
btw0
emacs org-mode
colinplamondon
An absolutely enormous whiteboard- we just rewrite the basic bullet points over and over, then when we have it down to three or so main points we sketch out the layout and the major components we'll need to build. Then we dive into the coding :)
thomanil
I like to use mindmaps for planning and concept work like this.

Freemind is a good open source mindmap editor for the desktop.

Or you could try my online, browser-based mindmap app. http://thoughtmuse.com ;)

cmgarcia
I have a yellow legal pad and a pen on my desk. It's kind of neat to see that it's already down to about 10 sheets left.
carbon8
Redmine. The basic pattern is usually starting with a wiki, jotting down notes, collecting links, brainstorming and dumping information I get from research or talking to people, then start opening tickets as todos start to come up, then add people to the project as needed. I do this or something like this for most tech and non-tech projects. I do have a couple moleskines, but I find using paper to be more cumbersome. Sometimes I'll use them for UI sketches. Whiteboards are great, too.
rrival
Basecamp + glass floor to ceiling windows and dry erase markers.
dflock
I make lots of notes in Tomboy (http://projects.gnome.org/tomboy/features.html) - which is a personal wiki/notetaking desktop app, primarily for Gnome, but has an official Windows port and alpha web sync. It can also be synched to a local folder (I sync to my Dropbox), to a webDav or a SHH destination.

I find it really handy.

Flemlord
If it's just me I do it on the computer. I use Balsamiq for screen mockups, Microsoft Word to write a spec (sometimes just a bullet-point feature list) and Microsoft Project to build a timeline.

If it's a collaborative effort we use a whiteboard and take pictures.

alanthonyc
I'm in the same situation and after experimenting with various tools (basecamp, evernote, things, and more) I'm now down to two major tools:

  - a whiteboard at home
  - a wiki (simple install of dokuwiki)
The whiteboard is for brainstorming and sketching stuff out and for when I need some kind of physical feedback to my thoughts getting laid out.

The wiki is for laying out basic designs, taking notes and logging my development progress. Also for keeping track of a schedule I've set up along with milestones to hit. It's a simple tool, yet very versatile because of the ability to easily create new, linked pages.

Some secondary tools, used sometimes: google calendar, voice recordings on my iphone (for when I'm driving), etc.

bcl
I setup a new Trac instance. The wiki is great for documentation, journals and design details and it integrates with the source repository using svn, git or hg
js3309
I am in a similar stage....

I first started writing my thoughts in a paper notebook. But then i realized, I can't read my handwriting!

I did research for software both online/offline that has the power/flexibility and ease of use.

I settled on 2: basecamp and Zoho Projects.

After trying both out... I am going w/ Zoho Projects.

And you are right, its paranoia on your part about online tools and not based on facts.

Why would anyone go after you and only you?

TweedHeads
Create folder "newIdea"

Notepad2 -> todo.txt

teuobk
A good lab/composition notebook and a Pigma Micron pen. Sharing is a bit difficult, but it can't be beat for flexibility.
synnik
While I agree with the pen, paper, and whiteboard crowd, I also do most of it in my head.

If the idea is too complex to hold its basic design in my mind, or I am not passionate enough about it to put in the thoughts, then it isn't worth the trouble anyway.

stewiecat
I went to Lowes and picked up two pieces of melamine whiteboard (3'x4') for $9/each, some mirror hangers (another $2), and drywall anchors ($1). My home office now has a rather huge, expandable whiteboard for under $25.

I then 'persist' the ideas to a wiki once they're fleshed out.

erlanger
Pen on paper. And a spliff helps.
tybris
I have a pretty good memory. Also, I have a whiteboard in my bedroom.