The more I think about it the more I see it is a problem of workflow. The current solutions don't suit my needs. In my previous post I write about where the current solutions lack. This is how I would improve them.
The dashboard
It has to give me a quick and comprehensive radiography of what I need to do. Current solutions follow Basecamp's lead and put a lot of accent on what it was done. For me, as a freelancer, that is kind of useless.
I need to know what are my projects, which projects need my attention and whether I am falling behind with my tasks. Also I want to know how much time I have till the deadline and how much time should the tasks take(based on estimates) .
Estimates I want Evidence-Based Scheduling. There is no perfect 8 hour productive day and this is how I can estimate it. I also would like this feature to be closely tight to invoicing
Invoicing
This is simple: one-click create invoice and reports. Just like Freckle and Billings, but maybe with a more detailed description of the individual tasks. Usually clients can't put their mind around all the details of a web project. That is why they constantly argue with price and time.
Calendar
And a smart one. I want to know what is important at a glance. A lot of emphasis on today's tasks and only some for this week, everything else is irrelevant right now.
Overall usability
Keyboard navigation is a must. Also I need a high information density. Right now applications have dozens of application pages which are useless. Take a look at the interface on the iPad and see how it's done.
Other nice features would be a storage for client conversations and a way to link messages to tasks and milestones. Project tags next to system tags would also be sweet.
One may dream, right?