One of the key performance indicators for the improvement of a user interaction is very simple: fewer clicks or fewer pages than before. This is what we did with the current update: create a one-page for editing scenes and chapter details and a simpler more intuitive Manuscript Menu for every book/project.
Starting with this January 2022, we all roll into production the changes that we’re making based on our research. The first one is a new release for the Manuscript module – 2.0. New navigation and a new delivery approach for writing books will follow as well as more UI (User Interface) improvements.
The French version of the platform is live. This is an important step in the direction we want to go. While there are features we can add to the platform, we got to the moment when the features necessary to write your book are in place.
When you decide to choose a book writing software, you don’t choose just a tool, you choose a business partner. And this business partner needs to provide you with three things:
Research Notes – You can have the main Notes as world building components – Geography, People, Culture, Economy and others – while detailing each one of them. We also improved on the way the editor is cleaning the content you copy from a website as research. In this one, we used a text from Wikipedia. The images (also ads on the webpage) are automatically removed, leaving the content you need.
Distraction Free Writing and the fine line between being detailed oriented when you create a character profile and getting swallowed by the quick sand of never ending nitpicking.
New writing editor – Froala. The first editor we used for the platform it was simple and functional. We had to decide between developing functionalities for it or use a different one. It was a decision based not only on cost but also based on the wonderful work done by the Froala WYSIWYG HTML Editor team.
What if it’s actually a need for connecting with other writers? I’m certain that the writer asking knows she can find the answer online, but it’s more about connecting with your own community, a conversation opener.
This is the big one. There are tools paid or free that can help you create an eBook. The difference is the integration with the rest of the tools you work with. Once you got to the final draft, you can export your book to ePub with one click. You can upload it to any online store that sells eBooks after that.
I was siting in a Zoom video-call with a client holding my 10 months old daughter in my arms and I had a moment. A “this is it” moment. Our lives are changed for good. It will get better, but it will not get back to anything like before.
Every time you design something and you spend too much time in the system, you forget to explain or show certain things because in your mind they’re clear. That is why we work in improving the user experience every month. The Project Map is a step in this direction.
Time Map. This is one of the most important analytics tools that you’ll use as a writer. It’s structured as a vertical timeline based on the born/dead dates for your characters and the date for every scene.
We have a few improvements to Menu and Manuscript page and a major update for this month – a new page – Chapter List.
I wish I could say the month of January was a quiet one, but I would be lying. It was an exciting month, especially because of the official launch of the platform.
