Option to move challenges down in mobile app

[SherwoodL]

I recently updated to the new dashboard, and there isn’t one change that I like.  Really dislike the horizontal bars for heart rate and activity.  I frequently challenge a friend for steps and the new challenge always pops up right under the steps.  I have moved them down using “edit”, but each new one goes right back to the top of the bars pushing my stats out of view.  Please put the challenges back on a separate tab.  Setting alarms is more of a hassle than the old dashboard.   Couldn’t even find it on my own, I had to search the forum.  I’m with a lot of other users, this new look is a deal breaker for me.  I’ll wait for updates, but thought about getting an updated tracker for Christmas and may think about changing.  Blah!

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity

[djcesarp]

This new layout.

Can there Please be an option to leave my stats at the top of the new app layout??? or is there an option I am not finding? I don’t know who thought it was a smart idea to have my challenges move to the top:reset of my display screen everyday.

Moderator Edition: Updated title for clarity 

[AlexandraFitbit]

Hello @djcesarp! Thanks for sharing this suggestion, please note that you can already reorder the tiles by clicking on Modify on the today screen and then pressing and holding the tile to the location that you need them to be. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @SherwoodL! Thanks for sharing those ideas. We wanted to let you know that one of the ideas you recently posted already exist on the Feature Suggestions Board. You can see it here:
Add Easy Way to Set Silent Alarms on New App Dashboard

You also had shared a unique suggestion about the challenges tile going up in the new dashboard, so we have retitled and relabelled your original post here to reflect that idea. Please try to make sure you only post one idea per suggestion, so we can keep the board organized, easily searchable and see which idea other members are voting for.

Thanks for participating in Feature Suggestions!

[Cowboyspals]

Hi Fitbit,

Not a fan of the new layout, but I'm trying to get on board.  It just hit my Android phone this morning.  The order of the items makes no sense.  Why on earth do I need to see my sleep stats as the first and primary view?  Then I have to keep scrolling to the information that updates periodically during the day?  

I read your note above, there is no "modify" on my screen only an EDIT.  That just allows me to remove items, I see no ability to sort.  Please help.

[Moccasin]

Please move challenges to their own section at the bottom of the dashboard. I find myself continuously having to edit the dashboard because challenges always appear above my activity. So far it appears that when you are invited or accept challenges they are moved to the top of the dashboard above the activity. 

This setup is not user friendly and prevents the user from easily viewing the data they want to see because they have to scroll through so much data. Especially if a user is in the maximum 10 challenges. The dashboard is too cluttered and does not help enhance the user experience. It complicates it.

[LasLo1]

Hello, my App updated last week. Unfortunately there is quite a big issue. On the main page, most of the items I want to look at were at the bottom of the daily activities. I can scroll down to them but can't see them at a glance. Not an issue I thought. I can edit the layout in "edit daily activities". Perfect. Moved daily challenges to the bottom and now my key stats are near the top... Unfortunately in a list with no way of adding them to a grid but at least at the top of the list. All challenges at the bottom (such a pain challenges are not on a separate tab)..... Anyway. The list is now good. Then I get added to a new challenge and I have to go back into edit and move that activity back to the bottom of the list. All ok again. New daily challenge comes in. It's back at the top of the list. Move it to the bottom. Moving challenges to the same tab/list was an interesting choice. Not one I've seen people like. Perhaps I'll get use to it. But the bug of how challenges always go back to the top for each new challenge is really frustrating. Has this bug been recorded and if yes which release date is a fix targeted for. Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @LasLo1. Thanks for sharing your idea about having an option to have the challenges in a separate tab without going at the top! I've moved it into a similar request. You can also check this other suggestion, post a comment or click on the thumbs-up to show your support.

[MarkInCentralTx]

WAS: iOS App Today tab item order and management improvements

Edit: 9/25/2019 ... Changed Subject/question title, to "iOS App "Today" screen ", for clarity and searching tags

Edit: 9/26/2019 .. Added additional description to Bullet 2 on “Manage Challenges Items”

Edit: 10/08/2019 .. Added Summary for “clarity of feature request” 

Summary:  I would like to see all “Health and Fitness” items in one impenetrable table or list, call it “Activity”, with inclusion and order options as currently permitted; Followed by all “Challenges”, in either an auto sort method similar to pre iOS version 3.x app, or in a user specified sort order as described below in bullet 2.

=== original post verbiage ===

I am beginning to like the layout and look of the combined "Activity", “Health & Fitness Stats” and “Challenges” found in the new “Today” tab, however, with that said, I have the same observation of poor space utilization. More importantly, screen space on mobile devices is precious real estate, and this new "Today" screen layout can make more efficient us of that space.  

In addition, I have a growing dislike for the constant item reordering, specifically after the auto insertion of new challenge invitations, between the “Activity” and first “Health & Fitness Stats” item. This auto insert method now requires constant user edits each time a new challenge appears... and in my case, to reorder the “Health & Fitness Stats” above all “Challenges”.   

The “MANAGE ACTIVITY ITEMS” table is an example which supports adding/removing and reordering of list items, and creates a single “Activity” item in the “MANAGE TODAY ITEMS” list, which can be reordered as a static item, on the “Today” screen.   All eight “Health & Fitness Stats” are separate items on the “MANAGE TODAY ITEMS” list, and are then pushed down in the list as new challenge invites appear.   This dynamic listing style requires constant and unnecessary scrolling to find the particular item.  In addition, the user is returned to the top of the "Today" screen after viewing an item, again requiring unnecessary scrolling to find the "last window" position before tapping that item.

=== specific details ===

The following suggestions may help to alleviate some of these issues.

1. Move all eight of the “Health & Fitness Stats” in to the “MANAGE ACTIVITY ITEMS” table, maintaining the adding/removing and reordering choice as currently exists.  

  a) Leave the ‘primary’ circle icon size and text placement unchanged;

  b) Make the ‘secondary’ circle icons slightly larger with text inside circle, in 3 rows of 4 icons, if all “Activity” and “Health & Fitness Stats” are chosen.  

2. Create a new “MANAGE CHALLENGES ITEMS” table, with “Auto-Sort” = ‘on’ or ‘off’ options, with that table being called “CHALLENGES” in the “MANAGE TODAY ITEMS” list and:

  a) if "Auto-sort" = ‘on’, then use the restored challenge auto-sorting functionality, as used in the legacy “Challenges” tab; or

  b) if "Auto-sort" = ‘off’, then enable and present user specified subcategories of “Pending”, “Active” and “Completed”,  providing the same adding/removing and reorder user options (as in the “MANAGE ACTIVITY ITEMS” table).

  c) The icon size for these is appropriate at one challenge per line ... although, can me made slightly shorter height, allowing 5 challenges to be visible on one screen.

3) Restore "Return to last screen position" functionality upon exiting from "Activity" or "Challenge" item to "Today" home screen, to reduce constant and unnecessary scrolling. 

Finally, I am offering my experience in beta test services to aide in testing updates and new releases prior to release ...  

[EdsonFitbit]

@MarkInCentralTx Thank you for your suggestion to improve the iOS App "Today" screen.

We'll see what other Community members think.

[MarkInCentralTx]

Thanks @EdsonFitbit ...   How does one ensure a “Feature Suggestion’”gets viewed by others community members ?

[EdsonFitbit]

@MarkInCentralTx This will depend on the users interested in the same suggestion.

If we receive requests related to the topic, we encourage users to visit and vote the idea and provide them the link.

In addition, when a user makes a suggestion in this board the system automatically suggests the existing related ideas to avoid them to get duplicated.

In order to find out how Fitbit decides what Feature Suggestions are released, please visit this article.

[MarkInCentralTx]

The following suggestions may help to alleviate some of these “Today” tab order and item issues.

1. Move all eight of the “Health & Fitness Stats” in to the “MANAGE ACTIVITY ITEMS” table, maintaining the adding/removing and reordering choice as currently exists.  

  a) Leave the ‘primary’ circle icon size and text placement unchanged;

  b) Make the ‘secondary’ circle icons slightly larger with text inside circle, in 3 rows of 4 icons, if all “Activity” and “Health & Fitness Stats” are chosen.  

2. Create a new “MANAGE CHALLENGES ITEMS” table, with “Auto-Sort” = ‘on’ or ‘off’ options, with that table being called “CHALLENGES” in the “MANAGE TODAY ITEMS” list and:

  a) if "Auto-sort" = ‘on’, then use the restored challenge auto-sorting functionality, as used in the legacy “Challenges” tab; or

  b) if "Auto-sort" = ‘off’, then enable and present user specified subcategories of “Pending”, “Active” and“Completed”,  providing the same adding/removing and reorder user options (as in the “MANAGE ACTIVITY ITEMS” table).

  c) The icon size for these is appropriate at one challenge per line ... although, can me made slightly shorter height, allowing 5 challenges to be visible on one screen.

3) Restore "Return to last screen position" functionality upon exiting from "Activity" or "Challenge" item to "Today"home screen, to reduce constant and unnecessary scrolling. 

Finally, I am offering my experience in beta test services to aide in testing updates and new releases prior to release ...  

[LostEchoes]

I'm deeply disappointed that this is just one more of those cases where our detailed presentation and explanation of an obvious wrong and inconvenient behaviour of the app is "escalated" and degraded to a common and simple .... "Feature suggestion".

How on earth is a virtual challenge called "Valley Loop" or "Daily Showdown" game more important than our Resting Heart rate, our weight, our Sleep info ?

Let me try to explain this issue with some screenshots.
First of all let's name the three sections we have on the android app dashboard (see the screenshots):

- Section 1 (colored dark red): The main Activity panel with steps, cals, min, distance
- Section 2 (colored dark blue): HR, Exercise, Hourly steps, Weight, Sleep 
- Section 3 (colored light brown): Challenges, Daily step goals, adventures, etc.

Now, if we set up the above order, after some of the Section 3 items (e.g. Workweek Hustle, Goal day, Challenges) get updated in some way (for example if I get notices that someone has passed me on the Workweek hustle, or if someone invites me on a new Goal Day challenge, etc), then the order gets messed up and Section 3 (*or parts / items / some challenges of Section 3 - the one that are updated) go on top of the Section 2. See screenshot below:



So we end up having the very important Section 2 at the very bottom - and below Section 3 (*or parts / items / challenges of it - the ones that get updated). Now imagine, if we participate in a lot of challenges that frequently get updated, we have to scroll down too much to see the important info of Section 2 !
So it seems that everything below Section 1 does not stick to the position we have set up in the beginning. 

Now, I guess (correct me if I'm wrong) that most people would agree that the most important sections of the android app dashboard are Section 1 and Section 2, right ? They contain info (actually a great summary) related to our daily activity and related to our health ! So one would assume that these two sectors would stay on top. 
If we agree on these assumptions (about the importance of the sections' info), then there is only ONE way to keep Section 1 and Section 2 on top of Section 3.
And that way (which I find ugly and inconvenient) would be to set the order by ourselves as follows:

Section 2
Section 1
Section 3.

This way (and only this way) Section 2 and Section 1 remain "sticky", and the various items of Section 3 change order as they are updated - BUT always within the area of Section 3. But I'm pretty sure NO one really wants to have Section 2 above of Section 1, right ? So then we get this:



Which as I said, is not to my liking. 

BUT, let's say that I'm the weird one (and the only one) that does not like Section 1 below Section 2.

Even with that hypothesis, we SHOULD have the option for sticky sections.
So, if I want to have this order....

Section 1
Section 2
Section 3

I should be able to have it like that, without any changes, right ? I don't mind the Challenges, Adventures to move / change order, AS LONG as they do it WITHIN Section 3, and without the whole Section 3 (*or some items / parts / challenges of it - the ones that get updated) moving and going on top of other Sections.

Right now I do NOT have the option for such STICKY order, and the only way for me to have Section 1 and Section 2 on top, is to put Section 2 above Section 1, which as I said is also inconvenient !

[LostEchoes]

@EdsonFitbit  & @MarkInCentralTx 
May I suggest something ?
There are two Feature Suggestions Topics that seem to describe mostly (like 99%) the same issue. An issue that is NOT OS-specific. The problem with the Today Screen is the same on both iOS and Android.
So, shouldn't this topic be merged with this one?

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Suggestions/Option-to-move-the-new-Challenge-tile-App-Dashbo...

If we have two different suggestion topics for the same issue, and furthermore if people think that the issue is OS-specific (in reality it is NOT), then people will get confused and the votes will also be less in total, because they will be split in two (topics).

Just my 2 cents.

[SuzySteps]

I did vote. I double checked just know.  

[MarkInCentralTx]

Greetings sir ..  You bring up a valid point, and upon which I completely agree...  it is not OS specific.  I perhaps should have added the caveat of “on my hardware ... iPhone SE ... “ etc. to my original post, but, I believe FitBit developers understand the need for platform independent app’s. ..  which may be part of the problem here.    I can’t help but think back to the early days of consumer products (i.e. home computers) and the race to dominate between DOS and APPLE, and Unix based OS’s.   Cross platform coding is/was a nightmare, and may still be for 3rd party app developers ...  Example: Fitbit data is still not directly transferable to Apple Health without use of a 3rd party app ...  I don’t think it because Apple database access, protocols or formats is unknown or inaccessible to developers... as there are plenty of apps that do ‘sync’ with Apple ...  ah, but this issue extends well beyond the scope of this Feature Suggestion issue.

[EdsonFitbit]

@LostEchoes @MarkInCentralTx Thanks for your comments.

I merged the idea with this one.

[MarkInCentralTx]

@EdsonFitbit 

Sir ... thanks for the effort in combining similar suggestions, I'm sure it helps to refocus the app developers.  However, my posted suggestion is now meaningless as it is buried under a topic of which is only vaguely similar in that it discusses challenges.   My suggestion is not to move the 'challenges' data/items back to the pre 2.7-3.8 app releases 'tab' format, but rather to allow for better user/data management, screen layout, data structure, navigation and significantly less user scrolling required to find specific items ...    

If you would review the suggestions specifics more thoroughly, you'd find this to be the case.   Please either return my suggestion, thread and votes back to the original suggestion topic iOS app "Today" screen, or rename this thread to something more appropriate.   Like "User Optimizations of "Today" screen, tab or what ever you prefer call it.

Regards,

Mark

[LostEchoes]

@MarkInCentralTx 

As I have written on that other post of yours (iOS forum):

Allow me to say that I don't think that our opinions / proposals are "only vaguely similar".
If you read my post on this now merged feature suggestion topic, you may see that we are both frustrated by the same issues which can be described as you have written by this:

"In addition, I have a growing dislike for the constant item reordering, specifically the auto insertion of new challenge invitations, between the “Activity” and first “Health & Fitness Stats” item.  This auto insert now requires constant user edits each time a new challenge appears... and in my case, to reorder all the “Health & Fitness Stats” above all “Challenges”.  "

Now your proposal (stated below) is also not at all far from what I have proposed. It might actually even be better than mine:

In Summary:  I would like to see all “Health and Fitness” items included in one impenetrable table or list, call it “Activity”, with inclusion and order options as currently permitted; Followed by all “Challenges”, in either an auto sort method similar to pre iOS version 3.x app, or in a user specified sort order as described in bullet 2 in the Feature Suggestion post linked above. 

In any case, I think that developers need to primarily understand what the issue is here (and we are both describing the same issue), and then we can all discuss solutions that would help us. And doing so in two different feature suggestions topics would not help. Don't you agree on that ?
Just my 2 cents.
Regards.

p.s. I do agree with " renaming this thread to something more appropriate.   Like "User Optimizations of "Today" screen, tab or what ever you prefer call it." @EdsonFitbit could you please do this ? Thanks in advance!

[MarkInCentralTx]

@LostEchoes  ...  

Oh my .. sorry for any confusion here, but my last response was directed to @EdsonFitbit and the merging of my original feature suggestion into a “dissimilar topic” thread ...   I concur your suggestion (posted within my thread and described differently), and mine are indeed very similar... and was referring to our mutually similar descriptions of ‘enhancements’ of and to the new “Today” tab through better data organization and management (through coding, albeit similar in some ways to the old style Challenge tab), VS that of the original authors suggestion of returning Challenges to a separate tab.   Not that that would be bad .. but would require reverting back to old code .. which FitBot is adamant about NOT doing ...  

Look, @EdsonFitbit ... I mean no disrespect .. you have a heck of a job, reading peoples words and trying to decider what they actually are saying, and trying to find commonality with what others are saying ...   From a high level, the topics in the thread will result in a better more user friendly Today screen ... and it may in fact get a higher attention level that two separate threads ...   It is imperative that the average user be able to determine if a topic is actually close to what they’d like to see change ... and IMHO, the current topic doesn’t match the concept of all the suggestions being made.    

I hope this helps ..  Oh, @LostEchoes send me a friend request in the morning ... 

Regards,  Mark

[MarkInCentralTx]

@EdsonFitbit @LizzyFitbit 

can you provide us with a status update on this ?   It seems that the community suggestions fall on deaf ears, as there has been no movement to address this or any other suggestions.   

Thank you in advance.

Mark

[Odyssey13]

Would be nice to move the challenges.

[Heather-S]

I'm in so many challenges, that they clog up my Today screen and it requires SO much scrolling.  

Honestly, I'd rather have challenges in a completely different tab like it was before.  

I love the new dashboard, but absolutely hate how the challenges were changed to the Today screen.  They should've been kept separate.

[SunsetRunner]

I host at least 10 challenges daily. Having the challenges stand alone on a separate tab would be awesome and make the app user function easier and effective.

[NellyG]

Yes PLEASE. I find it really annoying to have a whole bunch of challenges above all the stats. I have a Fitbit for the stats. For me challenges are secondary and Ill go to look at them when I am ready to. Having to scroll past them every time I want to see stats is irritating. Yes I can move them, but come on - every single one? Cant I just move the challenge tile to where I want it?