2024-01-12 13:31:30
-
A spectacular design that improves Apple’s native applications is its best letter of introduction
-
From there, without being perfect, it has everything we can ask for from an application like this
-
And also, it does not require a subscription
here it is a paradox: Productivity lovers love few things more than doing something as unproductive as lurching from one productivity app to another. There are honorable exceptions, but it is a constant among this type of profile and I, why not say it, plead guilty.
The thing is that in recent years I have tried a few applications in this category in general and particular task management. And although they all have advantages and disadvantages, there is one that is on my home screen and my dock more than two years: Things.
A differential design and rara avis in the development
First premise: Things is only available for Apple operating systems. To anyone who is not in them or does not want a product only there, I would, without a doubt, recommend Todoist.
With the presentations made, let’s get to the facts. Things shines, above all, for its design. Not a single pixel, every detail is taken care of and you fall in love with its simplicity. Not only is it aligned with Apple’s style for app interfaces, but it takes it two steps further and improves it.
That simplicity not only applies to the design, but also to its user experience. Things is friction-free, any process through it flows. It’s not just how it looks, but the feeling it provokes. No cluttered animations, no duplicate elements, strike the perfect balance.
And a detail about the design: it has two dark mode options. The classic dark gray, which is of little use; and pure black, which is the one that really takes advantage of its advantages in the form of lower energy consumption, especially in OLED panels, and reduction of the brightness emitted in low light scenarios.
Beyond the design, Things has everything an application in its field needs, and very few concessions. In a future version I would ask for the possibility of attaching files to tasks, dating subtasks or having other views for certain projects.
Otherwise, it is very complete: it prioritizes areas and projects, allows you to add headings to separate items from the same project and keeps a small list of our calendar events for the current day in view.
And of course, add the rest of the necessary elements for such an application to be complete enough: inbox in which to quickly enter information, labels, expiration dates, priority indicators…
In addition, Cultured Code, the development studio behind Things, has made some unusual decisions today: it does not charge a subscription or insert ads, it “only” monetizes itself through individual purchases of each version of the app (yes, they are not cheap); They don’t allow you to customize anything beyond dark or light mode, they don’t make noise on networks… Not everything is good, but they are certainly unique.
There are more advanced applications, such as Omnifocus, which has just released its version 4or for which you do not need to pay a single euro and they are already installed, such as the underrated Reminders. Or the aforementioned Todoist, a great application freemium very generous in its free part.
However, An application like this has to make us feel comfortable and at homeand no other has given me that feeling like Things.
It’s not like it’s perfect either (who is?). I would love for its development to be a little faster and to implement the new features that operating systems allow much sooner, as well as the option to attach files to tasks, or for reminders to have geolocation alerts, something that the system has allowed for years. Or, to request, a discreet option to force the development of tasks to be sequential, as Omnifocus does.
Then there are options that are not exactly Things alternatives, because they do not compete with task managers, but rather are project managers with an attractive interface, not a deterrent. I’m talking about Trello, a great tool that can be used alone or in company and goes where Things doesn’t go. But that is perhaps a topic for another day.
In Xataka | Not only meetings kill productivity: notifications eat up half of our day
Featured image | Cultured Code.
1705069690
#Ive #task #apps #settled #reasons