10 ms·

Sqwiggle Makes Working Remotely Less Lonely, More Awesome

63 points by ceeK 14y ago

pm 14y ago
I was secretly hoping there was a Chatroulette-like component where you got to hang out with other crazy freelancers so you had some kind of human contact. Oh well.
thecosas 14y ago
Interesting take. It sounds like they've sniffed out a few features that will go from pipeline to production quickly (fingers crossed).
sergiotapia 14y ago
Having a camera pointed on your 8 hours a day? Yuck. I can't imagine being concious of that all day long. You can't even scratch your nose!
- ericbieller 14y ago
  Legit concerns! We use it ourselves though and we actually don't look at the app too often, mainly when we want to see if the other is there or are in a conversation.. We'll also be building in some privacy options very soon that will make using the app a bit more comfortable :)
  - yaddayadda 14y ago
    From the sounds of it, if you're in a group conversation, anybody can join. Is there a notification? For example, in face-to-face work conversations, there are "quiet" conversations (e.g., I heard xyz, is it true?) that are done in public, but where participants can see other people approaching and choose to change the topic or continue. Is there a comparable capability in sqwiggle?
    - ericbieller 14y ago
      We've actually had many conversations surrounding this exact thing. Currently users can join any open conversation but we have plans to add some very simple privacy options so that some conversations won't be intruded on.
  - mnicole 14y ago
    Since you can use their last key click to determine if they're AFK, idle or active the way many chat/IRC apps work today, is it feasible (assuming they're using a smart phone), to use an app to determine if the user is using the phone capacity of that device and relay that via an icon in the chat? That way you're able to use the existing technology to figure out if they're there without needing to visually prying on them.
- crazygringo 14y ago
  Well, a real-life office is like that anyways, at least with open layout. But I REALLY like their idea of having occasional snapshots of workers not involved in chats, instead of constant video -- first, it's less distracting. But secondly, if they chose the "keyframes" to be ones when you're still, then you can assume they'll never grab you scratching your nose, etc., except for when you're conscious of already being in a chat.
  - ericbieller 14y ago
    very cool idea.. yep, you definitely catch people in awkward positions sometimes hah but we use Sqwiggle every day and it certainly becomes a non-issue very quickly, you just become alright with it.. Naturally we will be building in some extra privacy features but, as-is, it really isn't as intrusive as one might think! Love the idea of picking more flattering stills, thanks for the input!
    - dsowers 14y ago
      I disagree. I think the only people who back this idea are the startup CEO's trying to keep tabs on their remote employees. I get more done from home because I can avoid this exact kind of distraction. This is another idea developed by extroverts who don't understand introverts at all. How is this even a main HN article?
  - sdfjkl 14y ago
    No, a real-life office is _not_ like that. The difference is that if someone is creepily staring up your nose for any length of time, you'll notice and ask why. The camera adds nothing here except distraction. I'll stick to IRC (and video/voice when actually needed).
- hkmurakami 14y ago
  On the other hand, I can see this kind of thing becoming a requirement for offshore contracting offices, whether it be support centers or dev houses (say, in India)
  - scottkduncan 14y ago
    oDesk offers periodic screenshots of what your contractor is working on. To me this is enough - a sign that they are on task, but no possibility of catching them mid-nose pick.
    - sergiotapia 14y ago
      Exactly! I work on oDesk and this is more than enough. You, as my employer, don't need to see me working.
    - cpursley 14y ago
      Agreed. The periodic screenshots are perfectly sufficient.
knes 14y ago
I like the whole video thing. Clever way to not have the video "always on" with their black and white picture every x seconds. However why re invent the wheel with their "streamer"? Can't we just have a normal chat + a "link/media' history that we can browser and search like on jaconda or other group chat tool?
- ericbieller 14y ago
  Great feedback, thanks! Our stream is actually more geared towards media. We found out that, during a conversation, it was always necessary to share links, code, images, etc. Using a separate app for greatly interrupted the flow so we felt the stream was a very valuable addition. Thanks again.. Very open to any other thoughts you have!
yaddayadda 14y ago
No joke - years ago I had a rodent friend named Sqwiggle (named by my girlfriend). Thanks for the inadvertent trip down memory lane. :)
- tommoor 14y ago
  Well, we're still looking for a mascot... ;-)
  - yaddayadda 14y ago
    Sadly I have no photos. :( He was an overly-endowed, seemingly happy, albino rat. I can't think of him without feeling sorry for his over-endowment, but I also wouldn't include that in a mascot image ;) Frequently, he would sit on my shoulder, with his tail hanging down while I worked, which seems a rather appropriate image for your sqwiggle. So maybe a happy, albino rat would be an appropriate mascot. :-)
cwilson 14y ago
This look awesome and I can't wait to try it out. Hell, I think we'd even use it in our office (a large open room with 8+ people working, meaning we are all often wearing headphones to stay focused). Feature suggestion: Have an "away" feature. I hit a button to say I'm going away, type a message (brb, out for lunch, etc), and that's what is displayed in my window while I'm gone. Adding a time stamp + optional field for when you'll be back would be nifty as well. This feature could just be an extension of "privacy mode" as well.
- ericbieller 14y ago
  nice, glad you like the idea. We are actually trying to build the product for teams which work together in a physical office as well, definitely some benefits there :) Regarding away status, in the future Sqwiggle will automatically know when you are away or at your computer by monitoring input... good point about the status message though.. I bet there's a cool way to work that in ;)
- tommoor 14y ago
  Wow, if typing "brb" put you in away mode automatically that could be really neat - great idea! Love that kind of frictionless interface
- JoeAltmaier 14y ago
  There are apps that work something like that. I work on Sococ Teamspace and its that and a lot more.
sliverstorm 14y ago
Hm. Maybe that's why I don't particularly enjoy working remotely as much as some people. I don't feel like I'm a part of any kind of team, just a guy hiding in his room clicking his keyboard.
kintamanimatt 14y ago
I wouldn't use this. One of the secret joys of working from home is being able to work in my boxers (or less) and not get in trouble. Some days I jump out of the shower and just don't bother to do my hair until I need to go out of the house, and if I don't style it I almost look like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber. I move around, I nap, I eat like the 7 Habits of Highly Obese People is my bible, and I swear liberally; even if you can't hear it, you'd know it's happening. However, when I'm around other people, you'd never guess. Using this app would take out the best part of working by myself: no judgement! (This comment's gonna come back to haunt me one day.)
- ericbieller 14y ago
  Hah definitely valid concerns. I actually prefer working in my underwear as well ;) We are actually working on some really intuitive privacy features which will hopefully make Sqwiggle an even better option for remote workers like us. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
- JoeAltmaier 14y ago
  Then (shameless plug) try Sococo Teamspace! You can turn camera on/off, and it includes app sharing, group and p2p chat.
  - kintamanimatt 14y ago
    Oh, I really like this concept although I'm a desktop Linux user (one of the few!) and couldn't use this unfortunately.
    - JoeAltmaier 14y ago
      Dang. We have Win32, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android ... but not linux. Well, we do run on linux but only as a 'supernode' for media routing, no GUI there.
- mnicole 14y ago
  Ditto, and even if I had the option of turning my camera off, it would still make me paranoid, no less be sort of awkward that I was able to see everyone but they couldn't see me. Cams are more intrusive than my actual office setup is, which negates why I enjoy working at home in the first place.
tuxidomasx 14y ago
I thought one of the biggest benefits of remote work was NOT having to look at the same people all day, every day. If i'm lonely I'd go hang out with my actual friends. And since I'm remote, those friends can be anywhere I can travel to.
jspiros 14y ago
I'm not sure how I feel about this. One of the biggest problems I had with working in an office was precisely how easy it was for people to bother me for just a quick question, killing my flow. I much prefer having passive indicators and queries, as you get with IM (which you can ignore until you're ready) and a bug tracker (which also forces people to keep their process rigorous and documented, as they have to work through these systems to communicate at all; too easy to let bug trackers and the like get out of sync with reality if people are just quickly verbally telling people about problems). I can see how this would work well for people who work on many short tasks, though, as opposed to work like mine that often benefits from focusing for hours at a time with no interruptions.
- henrik_w 14y ago
  After the first passive indicator (mail, IM, issue tracker), I much prefer phone/face to face over written communication - faster and higher bandwidth. As for interruptions - if somebody else is stuck, and a quick answer from you will let them continue, then you'll be less productive, but the overall productivity may be higher. I wrote more about it here: http://henrikwarne.com/2013/04/02/programmer-productivity-interruptions-meetings-and-working-remotely/ http://henrikwarne.com/2013/04/02/programmer-productivity-in...
- JoeAltmaier 14y ago
  You can lock your door, mark yourself as unavailable, but still get notifications of P2P chat (kind of like "you have a text") so you can decide what to ignore. In my product, Sococo Teamspace. If I sound like a broken record, its because we've been around for 5 years and I still keep seeing announcements of products with a fraction of our features and they get a lot of press. WE Definitely need to work on our marketing I guess.
pointyhatuk 14y ago
Isn't this basically a virtual panopticon? With all the distractions and unnecessary meetings to make certain staff feel functional? This is basically all the disadvantages of working in an office projected on home working. A management dream! EDIT: perhaps I'm just cynical and an isolationist :)
baconhigh 13y ago
I really want to use this. Particularly like the idea of always-on for remote workers.. and the click-to-talk idea.

63 points by ceeK 14y ago

pm 14y ago

I was secretly hoping there was a Chatroulette-like component where you got to hang out with other crazy freelancers so you had some kind of human contact. Oh well.

thecosas 14y ago

Interesting take. It sounds like they've sniffed out a few features that will go from pipeline to production quickly (fingers crossed).

sergiotapia 14y ago

Having a camera pointed on your 8 hours a day? Yuck. I can't imagine being concious of that all day long. You can't even scratch your nose!

ericbieller 14y ago
Legit concerns! We use it ourselves though and we actually don't look at the app too often, mainly when we want to see if the other is there or are in a conversation.. We'll also be building in some privacy options very soon that will make using the app a bit more comfortable :)
- yaddayadda 14y ago
  From the sounds of it, if you're in a group conversation, anybody can join. Is there a notification? For example, in face-to-face work conversations, there are "quiet" conversations (e.g., I heard xyz, is it true?) that are done in public, but where participants can see other people approaching and choose to change the topic or continue. Is there a comparable capability in sqwiggle?
  - ericbieller 14y ago
    We've actually had many conversations surrounding this exact thing. Currently users can join any open conversation but we have plans to add some very simple privacy options so that some conversations won't be intruded on.
- mnicole 14y ago
  Since you can use their last key click to determine if they're AFK, idle or active the way many chat/IRC apps work today, is it feasible (assuming they're using a smart phone), to use an app to determine if the user is using the phone capacity of that device and relay that via an icon in the chat? That way you're able to use the existing technology to figure out if they're there without needing to visually prying on them.
crazygringo 14y ago
Well, a real-life office is like that anyways, at least with open layout. But I REALLY like their idea of having occasional snapshots of workers not involved in chats, instead of constant video -- first, it's less distracting. But secondly, if they chose the "keyframes" to be ones when you're still, then you can assume they'll never grab you scratching your nose, etc., except for when you're conscious of already being in a chat.
- ericbieller 14y ago
  very cool idea.. yep, you definitely catch people in awkward positions sometimes hah but we use Sqwiggle every day and it certainly becomes a non-issue very quickly, you just become alright with it.. Naturally we will be building in some extra privacy features but, as-is, it really isn't as intrusive as one might think! Love the idea of picking more flattering stills, thanks for the input!
  - dsowers 14y ago
    I disagree. I think the only people who back this idea are the startup CEO's trying to keep tabs on their remote employees. I get more done from home because I can avoid this exact kind of distraction. This is another idea developed by extroverts who don't understand introverts at all. How is this even a main HN article?
- sdfjkl 14y ago
  No, a real-life office is _not_ like that. The difference is that if someone is creepily staring up your nose for any length of time, you'll notice and ask why. The camera adds nothing here except distraction. I'll stick to IRC (and video/voice when actually needed).
hkmurakami 14y ago
On the other hand, I can see this kind of thing becoming a requirement for offshore contracting offices, whether it be support centers or dev houses (say, in India)
- scottkduncan 14y ago
  oDesk offers periodic screenshots of what your contractor is working on. To me this is enough - a sign that they are on task, but no possibility of catching them mid-nose pick.
  - sergiotapia 14y ago
    Exactly! I work on oDesk and this is more than enough. You, as my employer, don't need to see me working.
  - cpursley 14y ago
    Agreed. The periodic screenshots are perfectly sufficient.

knes 14y ago

I like the whole video thing. Clever way to not have the video "always on" with their black and white picture every x seconds. However why re invent the wheel with their "streamer"? Can't we just have a normal chat + a "link/media' history that we can browser and search like on jaconda or other group chat tool?

ericbieller 14y ago
Great feedback, thanks! Our stream is actually more geared towards media. We found out that, during a conversation, it was always necessary to share links, code, images, etc. Using a separate app for greatly interrupted the flow so we felt the stream was a very valuable addition. Thanks again.. Very open to any other thoughts you have!

yaddayadda 14y ago

No joke - years ago I had a rodent friend named Sqwiggle (named by my girlfriend). Thanks for the inadvertent trip down memory lane. :)

tommoor 14y ago
Well, we're still looking for a mascot... ;-)
- yaddayadda 14y ago
  Sadly I have no photos. :( He was an overly-endowed, seemingly happy, albino rat. I can't think of him without feeling sorry for his over-endowment, but I also wouldn't include that in a mascot image ;) Frequently, he would sit on my shoulder, with his tail hanging down while I worked, which seems a rather appropriate image for your sqwiggle. So maybe a happy, albino rat would be an appropriate mascot. :-)

cwilson 14y ago

This look awesome and I can't wait to try it out. Hell, I think we'd even use it in our office (a large open room with 8+ people working, meaning we are all often wearing headphones to stay focused). Feature suggestion: Have an "away" feature. I hit a button to say I'm going away, type a message (brb, out for lunch, etc), and that's what is displayed in my window while I'm gone. Adding a time stamp + optional field for when you'll be back would be nifty as well. This feature could just be an extension of "privacy mode" as well.

ericbieller 14y ago
nice, glad you like the idea. We are actually trying to build the product for teams which work together in a physical office as well, definitely some benefits there :) Regarding away status, in the future Sqwiggle will automatically know when you are away or at your computer by monitoring input... good point about the status message though.. I bet there's a cool way to work that in ;)
tommoor 14y ago
Wow, if typing "brb" put you in away mode automatically that could be really neat - great idea! Love that kind of frictionless interface
JoeAltmaier 14y ago
There are apps that work something like that. I work on Sococ Teamspace and its that and a lot more.

sliverstorm 14y ago

Hm. Maybe that's why I don't particularly enjoy working remotely as much as some people. I don't feel like I'm a part of any kind of team, just a guy hiding in his room clicking his keyboard.

kintamanimatt 14y ago

I wouldn't use this. One of the secret joys of working from home is being able to work in my boxers (or less) and not get in trouble. Some days I jump out of the shower and just don't bother to do my hair until I need to go out of the house, and if I don't style it I almost look like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber. I move around, I nap, I eat like the 7 Habits of Highly Obese People is my bible, and I swear liberally; even if you can't hear it, you'd know it's happening. However, when I'm around other people, you'd never guess. Using this app would take out the best part of working by myself: no judgement! (This comment's gonna come back to haunt me one day.)

ericbieller 14y ago
Hah definitely valid concerns. I actually prefer working in my underwear as well ;) We are actually working on some really intuitive privacy features which will hopefully make Sqwiggle an even better option for remote workers like us. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
JoeAltmaier 14y ago
Then (shameless plug) try Sococo Teamspace! You can turn camera on/off, and it includes app sharing, group and p2p chat.
- kintamanimatt 14y ago
  Oh, I really like this concept although I'm a desktop Linux user (one of the few!) and couldn't use this unfortunately.
  - JoeAltmaier 14y ago
    Dang. We have Win32, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android ... but not linux. Well, we do run on linux but only as a 'supernode' for media routing, no GUI there.
mnicole 14y ago
Ditto, and even if I had the option of turning my camera off, it would still make me paranoid, no less be sort of awkward that I was able to see everyone but they couldn't see me. Cams are more intrusive than my actual office setup is, which negates why I enjoy working at home in the first place.

tuxidomasx 14y ago

I thought one of the biggest benefits of remote work was NOT having to look at the same people all day, every day. If i'm lonely I'd go hang out with my actual friends. And since I'm remote, those friends can be anywhere I can travel to.

jspiros 14y ago

I'm not sure how I feel about this. One of the biggest problems I had with working in an office was precisely how easy it was for people to bother me for just a quick question, killing my flow. I much prefer having passive indicators and queries, as you get with IM (which you can ignore until you're ready) and a bug tracker (which also forces people to keep their process rigorous and documented, as they have to work through these systems to communicate at all; too easy to let bug trackers and the like get out of sync with reality if people are just quickly verbally telling people about problems). I can see how this would work well for people who work on many short tasks, though, as opposed to work like mine that often benefits from focusing for hours at a time with no interruptions.

henrik_w 14y ago
After the first passive indicator (mail, IM, issue tracker), I much prefer phone/face to face over written communication - faster and higher bandwidth. As for interruptions - if somebody else is stuck, and a quick answer from you will let them continue, then you'll be less productive, but the overall productivity may be higher. I wrote more about it here: http://henrikwarne.com/2013/04/02/programmer-productivity-interruptions-meetings-and-working-remotely/ http://henrikwarne.com/2013/04/02/programmer-productivity-in...
JoeAltmaier 14y ago
You can lock your door, mark yourself as unavailable, but still get notifications of P2P chat (kind of like "you have a text") so you can decide what to ignore. In my product, Sococo Teamspace. If I sound like a broken record, its because we've been around for 5 years and I still keep seeing announcements of products with a fraction of our features and they get a lot of press. WE Definitely need to work on our marketing I guess.

pointyhatuk 14y ago

Isn't this basically a virtual panopticon? With all the distractions and unnecessary meetings to make certain staff feel functional? This is basically all the disadvantages of working in an office projected on home working. A management dream! EDIT: perhaps I'm just cynical and an isolationist :)

baconhigh 13y ago

I really want to use this. Particularly like the idea of always-on for remote workers.. and the click-to-talk idea.