A toolbox on remote 2.0
A toolbox on remote 2.0
#tools #productivity #mobile #desktop #use #cases #UI #UX #10min #read
Hi! I am Olga and I am extremely curious on collective ideas exchange and development, how it influences collaborative work, and how well various tools fit into that.
The tools are made for humans, not the other way around: they should clarify, simplify, enhance, and accelerate everything you have in mind. When that is so, they empower you to create together effortlessly.
Hint: if you read it on mobile, click on the first card below 👇 to see the full content, and simply keep swiping 👉 from there on. It’s a 10-minute read.
As it happened, I have been working as a remote entrepreneur for about 15 years. I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with highly skilled professionals across 20+ industries over a wild array of cross-discipline projects. Curiosity is a bitch, but a lovely one.
I figured, it might be of help to share some field notes - some personal use cases - as so many people around the world are getting used to a distant work environment, restructure to an online-offline mix, need to be even leaner as a company or preparing to launch one - and who likely doesn’t have extra or any money. These tools are either free or free to the point.
I have prioritized my list based on the level of information & communication complexity these tools manage - and the difference of my user scenarios on mobile and desktop. I limited it to the toolbox we would use for early stages of a startup, a place, a project or a gig. Meaning: before hardcore coding, building, engineering, producing (debatable thouth; some things are simpler than they seem).
Set aside the utility purpose, this list is a thank you note to all these awesome companies. You have made life so much easier for me and the people I was and am fortunate enough to work with.
It’s a personal experience, so take it with a grain of salt. Common sense still works miracles last time I checked.
Quick technical notes:
My tools and how I use them
Self-chat functionality
Use cases: Making quick notes, recording audio ideas, attaching files. Plus hashtags for easy search, and pinning messages for the stuff I use frequently.
Functionality: There is a shared media tab which is essentially a library of your pictures, audio, links accessible via the profile link.
Field notes:
Use cases: Edit notes, move bits to other documents or apps, open links from the desktop and such. Ping pong ideas between devices.
Flaws: One major limitation is that audio file is in *.ogg, so you can`t easily integrate it into other apps or platforms (as in: available to listen directly). I have not found any good solutions to that issue.
Field notes:
Group communications
Use cases: Rather a tool to catch on the news, exchange ideas, make a call or schedule a meeting, send links and such, to my taste. I usually check in what`s up on mobile, and unless it`s a simple question, I revert to continue working from the desktop.
Use cases: Basically, to write anything bigger than an abstract, but be still suitable for a messenger to read it in, plus edit or move notes and links and materials to other apps, or to go between chats, browsers and apps. When applicable, we screenshot bits of conversations to insert those into a project or research outline to keep the context and cut down the time to collect it all around.
Functionaity: Set aside a shared media tab, there is folders tab to filter groups by labels that you see fit. Each folder allows up to 5 pinned conversations at a time, which helps to easily find comms that are alligned with my current business focus.
Field notes:
Voice meeting notes
Use cases: Recognizes English speech into a transcript. I record on mobile + send a link for everyone to listen and edit.
Field notes:
(if the consent for the record was given, surely)
Use cases: The auto-transcript is easily convertable to idea notes, CRM notes and early to-do lists.
Functionality: You can only edit it in a desktop version of Otter, but it’s actually more comfortable to sit down with the record and think on it on a slower lane.
Field notes:
Personal check list
Wunderlist was recently bought out by Microsoft, the new name is ToDo, and its nearly as good as it was before. Nearly. Oh, well. The pain of a loss is still fresh though.
Use cases: Personal or business, you can setup a reminder for each list or a task within the app, integrate to a calendar, or share / assign tasks. Intuitive and minimalistic interface design, one love.
Field notes:
Field notes: Wunderlist`s been my personal go-to planner for years, and I used to switch between mobile and desktop versions depending if I need to type a lot or not.
Flaws: ToDo for desktop is so not great, that I dropped using one. I mean: sub-task tree is shifted to the left part of the screen, so editing is highly uncomfortable. I mean: why? Why did they fuck up a Wunderlist perfectly neat interface design fitting a user scenario logic & editing usability? I am in pain!
Collaborative docs
Use cases: Reading & sharing & commenting materials only.
Use cases: It's nice to use Paper for early drafts and collective idea generation, writing down meeting notes
Field notes:
Team checklist
Use cases:
Use cases:
Group communications
Use cases: For a business team, with multiple chats separated by topics. Well, you know.
Flaws: its capacity is extremely limited if you have way too many people chatting in the same workplace.
Use cases: I usually use on desktop when I need to send a file from the computer; plus it`s easier to read across multiple sub-chats.
Field notes: To be honest, I have been in Slack only when the team desires to use it for about a few years by now. Team’s comfort is the priority. That being said, Telegram with folders tab casually beats it.
Research:
Video conferences
Use cases: I honestly do not do calendars unless I must. I accept what other people send me, or send invitations through a Zoom integration.
Testing: I tried a few appointment scheduling integrations ( and
to name a few) many times, but sensations-based reality suggests that my most frequent user scenario is this one described above. It’s been in use for several years and it sticked. Use cases: I use them on desktop most of the time, so I can also type notes, or share screens, or send links easily.
Flaws: Chat sucks. It`s useless and uncomfortable during the call (specially if it`s a group call or a conference - it`s a cascade of messages and - brrr - notifications). And you cant import any of it afterwards. We either exchange notes in messengers or via email.
Field notes: I loved them since forever. And I am in awe with how they handle 16 figure growth, during the lockdown, fixing bugs and rolling out updates on the go. It’s incredibly difficult IT-wise!
Mobile reading app
Use cases:
Nothing can beat kindle mobile to read PDFs on the go. And books, but workwise: PDFs (pitch decks, research, analytics or similar).
Field notes:
Use cases: I could read some infographics or a heavily loaded research or literature from the desktop or from the tablet part of my notebook
Use cases:
Architecture: Coda’s and Notion’s method of organization is based on an information unit.
Website constructor
Use cases: Browsing to check if the design looks fine on mobile.
Use cases: Register a domain, with SSL or not, make landing pages with CTAs, add analytics to measure it all; cross-wire to SMM.
Field notes:
Design and interface tool
Use cases: Browsing; either to see what’s in the works or to check if the design looks fine on mobile.
Field notes:
Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity, and I thank you for yours.
Please, feel free to leave comments, questions, links and ideas, and do share around, if you found this article usefull. Drop us a line if you are intesrested in collaborative tools as much as we do:
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