Taiga.io – beautifully designed project management platform

I originally discovered Taiga.io while browsing the web for open-source project management software. I had found a site called GetBadges.io that attempted to use gamification to improve bug fixing, unfortunately it provided no functionality without linking to a pre-existing bug tracker. It did support connection with a piece of software called Taiga, originally drawn in simply by their logo I discovered the splash page above and immediately was captivated.

First project management software, especially open-source and free platforms is typically a space not populated by aesthetically pleasing user interface. It is typically ugly, cluttered and painful to use. Taiga on the other-hand has been built with a focus on crisp design, color and interactivity.

Often web-based software will include a demo instance that someone can login into and get a feel for how it works. Typically these are barren landscapes of random data and noise that give you very little information other than the options that are available once you install it. Taiga.io on the other hand invites you to explore taiga. They provide free hosting in perpetuity to anyone who hosts a public project and you are able to browse various active projects currently using Taiga.io, including the development of taiga itself.

Immediately one is able to gain a reasonable understanding of what is going on with the project. The inclusion of profile thumbnails in a grid under team works via the picture superiority affect to show that real people are using this software. The chronological timeline of events displayed also allows one to sense how active the project it. On the left a number of flat icons are provided that hint at additional functionality without overwhelming the user with a wall of text. While hovering over them displays a pop-up that explains what they do. This simplifies the user interface while encouraging further exploration by users attempting to understand the software.

There are a number of features included in the Taiga platform but the fundamental usage is by teams that are utilizing the agile philosophy to develop software. They provide specific configurations for new projects. One is the konban board and the other is scrumm. These are two popular strategies agile teams use to coordinate their work. Rather than providing infinite customization options the designers recognized that people work best with simple choices.

The platform also includes a little bit of gamification in terms of a leaderboard accompanying the team listing. The utilization of cute titles and cartoon iconography associates fun with what might otherwise be considered work. They also include a reference to the Princess Bride in terms of Iocaine, a fictional deadly poison that a user can assign to themselves to indicate that they are pushing themselves beyond their comfort level. While they also provide something of a total score to rank the participants they keep the default sort order alphabetical rather than focusing the team page on competition between members.

Taiga.io definitely utilizes the notion that beautiful things work better to give itself an advantage over many other open-source tools but at the same time they also take great effort to provide a tool that has high learnability and memorability. In addition the software provides a number of options that increase its utility and efficiency through providing an API for developers to interact directly with the underlying software vs. requiring them to manually click everything. This increases the flexibility of the software without complicating the user experience for every user. For instance in their FAQ they provide an example of how you can use a 3rd party service to add time tracking functionality, a feature they intentionally left out because they felt it didn’t agree with their philosophy.

The software also takes advantage of affect and anthromorphism to deal with errors and sticky issues such as cookies. They explain their cookie policy by suggesting they have Oompa Loompas who need to eat cookies to keep the site running. Their 404 page is a stunning view of pristine wilderness. These small design choices can positively affect the emotions of the users and help avoid some of the negative emotional reactions associated with highly technical explanations.

Overall I would definitely recommend Taiga.io to anyone engaged in a complex multi-stake holder project that requires collaborative task management and planning. It looks nice enough that the more graphically inclined won’t want to tear their eye balls out while using it. It also is built upon a open-source and collaboratively developed platform that will appeal to the more technically inclined. Overall it is feature rich without being overly complicated and is able to integrate with other tools that teams might already be using. For software developers this combination of traits makes it stand out and highly appealing.