Best User Interface

About Any.do

Any.do is a to-do list application. Its interface is one of the best I have ever used. Before knowing Any.do, I have tried several other time management applications, but all failed either because of complicated operation or poor functionality. Now Any.do is one of my best partners for getting things done (GTD).

Why the Interface is Good

Clean and Simple Appearance

Any.do has a very simple look: large white space, blue title font, and few buttons. Since the ultimate goal of to-do list applications is to help users survive being buried with huge amount of tasks, a simple appearance will definitely reduce users' stress and fear.

Unlike most to-do list applications, Any.do only have four sessions: Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming and Someday. Therefore users only need to focus on today's tasks, and keep an eye on tomorrow's tasks. All other stuff goes to Upcoming (later than tomorrow) and Someday (do not have exact due date). Just like cleaning your desk and only putting frequently used tools within your reach, the category structure of Any.do can ease your mind and make you more productive.

Easy to Use

For a to-do list application, complicated operations would scare users away. Any.do has a very easy-to-use gesture control feature. Here are some examples:

• Create a new task: tap the '+' of one session, and input by typing or speaking.
• Delete a finished task: swipe the task from left to right.
• Clean all done tasks: shake the device.

Good Feedback

Research shows that, giving yourself some rewards after completing one task, will help you build the habit of getting things done, and overcome procrastination. Any.do does a good job on it. After shaking the device to clean those tasks you have done, it will show the number of tasks you have completed and say something like "Awesome!" in a cute tone to praise you...

What Could be Done to Make It Better

Currently, to repeat creating a task, user can only choose Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Yearly. But what if I want to exercise every two days? Or that I have to finish reading two papers before each CHI class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday? Thus I think Any.do needs to offer more flexible choices on repeating date.