Multitasking/Organization Apps - Cole's Results Using Symphonical
Today was suppose to be a review of Springpad for our multitasking/organization app study. Unfortunately due to glitches with Springpad’s new update Cole was unable to properly test it out. After searching for a replacement she came across Symphonical in the Google Chrome Store. Symphonical is a task and project management website (and google chrome extension) consisting of digital sticky notes on a virtual wall.
What made Cole select Symphonical over other options like Google Keep (which appeared to be pretty much exactly like Evernote) was the ability for contacts to set up a profile so that tasks and projects could be assigned to them. But really that was only where the good news began.
While Cole was trying Symphonical out she added me as a member. This was because she had put a task up that was going to be assigned to me. I could see the task but needed to set up a profile in order to fully access the site. Setting up a profile took only a few minutes. My first thought once in my account was how incredibly organized it looked. It not only lists tasks but it is color coded in order of the task’s priority (High, medium, low, uncategorized). In addition to the color coding option, you can create columns and file more tasks under each column.
Here are some of the stand out features Symphonical offers...
Can share a wall with other Symphonical users.
Type in email of user you would like to share your wall with.
Can assign tasks to other Symphonical users.
Fun fact! The users icon will show up next to the task they are assigned to.
Double clicking a task will open task to see more details about that certain task.
You can insert thorough information for the person who is assigned the task. Both of you can keep updated notes in there.
There is also a section on the right hand side where you can leave comments for each other, it’s basically like a “chat session” within the task.
You can also upload files to attach to the task.
Shortcuts are enabled when you single click a task.
Open Details of Task
Color Code Task
Mark as Finished
Delete Task
Assign Task
Move or Copy to Another Wall
Set a Due Date
You have the option of keeping walls private or public
If you chose private, you can still share with selected users.
Has an activity wall.
Keeps track of new tasks added or finished.
Will let you know which user did what with each individual task.
Calendar View or Virtual Wall View option.
Can print walls.
One of the coolest features is the ability to start a Google Hangout with members of your team while working on project management or even having a meeting and being able to add or delete things off the task lists.
Symphonical is not just a place to list tasks; it also comes with many different options such as a weekly planner, monthly overview, monthly agendas, board meetings, swot analysis (helps with decision making, i.e. compare strengths to weaknesses), scrum board (review daily progress of your team), and develop games for the office.
Symphonical is technically not an app just yet, however you can access it via the Google Chrome Extension or the website itself. Although it’s not technically available for tablets or smartphones, the site is easily accessible by just going to the website and logging in rather than an app. Just think, you don’t have to worry about pesky updates.
Symphonical has an easy to use mobile web browser. It is very clean and views great online. A downside to this program is not being able to view a task in it’s entirety without opening it. Besides that, we definitely love this app in our office. It is a great way to stay organized and work on projects together as a team.
We are one step closer to deciding which app we believe best suits us here at Hey Cole. Check back next week as we weigh the pros and cons of all three apps!
