[pedalpete]

I agree with nitingarg. The input at the top is going to be easier for most users to understand. You seem to have a LOT of wasted space at the top, so use that.

I think the problem with the background is that it's messy. You could go with a solid color. Textures are very popular right now and could go well with your design for a clean look. The 'about | team | philosophy' stuff really belongs at the bottom.

As far as login/register. I'd put a login panel (username/password) with a sign-up button on it. Don't make people go to another page to do that.

Congrats, great work. Out of curiousity, how long did you spend learning?

[michelle_]

Thanks, I'll take these suggestions into consideration. One of the hardest parts about putting together the app was finding a balance between power usage and first impressions. Having used it for the past few days while developing it, I've found the add-task at the bottom to be effective, but it's great to hear other opinions from people who aren't as accustomed to the app as I am.

[doubleconfess]

I'm going to disagree with them and say that you should trust your instincts, especially if your instincts led you to such a beautiful and intuitive app. Frankly, there is alot of group-think in UI design these days, and I think we need more people out there that are willing to trust themselves and not go with the principle of "lowest common complaints".

If you are building something to make money, then sure go with lean startup principles and A/B it to death. If you are building something as an act of creation, or as a tool that you want to use, and especially if you are building something that has been done 1000x before, trust your own insights and not those of strangers on a talk board.

Being different (not arbitrarily different mind you, but insightfully different) is a huge and uncommon differentiator, and can led you in amazing directions if you stay true to it.

GO WITH YOUR GUT!