Beautiful and simple, unlike your busy life
Price: $4.99
Version: 1.0.1
Size: 8.1 MB
Platform: iPhone & iPad
Developer: Ciarlo Software LLC
If your online calendar looks like a game of Tetris that you’re seconds away from losing and you spend more time organizing your work schedule than actually doing work then there may be a better way. The folks behind Doo believe that breaking down your daily chores into individual tasks and presenting them to you one by one is the best plan of attack. Think of it as a to-do list that doesn’t want to panic you. Slowly slowly catchy monkey.
Tasks are added to Doo individually with a title, any notes and the option to add an alert (which then acts as the due date). These tasks are then presented to you in a three dimensional stack in gentle pastel colors with adorning illustrations, because, “create presentation for management regarding record loss in profits” doesn’t seem as daunting when accompanied by a nice image of a picnic in the park.
Doo I have to? Change how your alerts appear in the notification center
How does Doo stack up?
Cards are presented with those due (or overdue) at the front. You can also view your reminders in list form which also gives a view of your completed tasks, always nice for that self-reassurance.
Back on the main screen, swiping up on a card will mark it as completed, while swiping down will snooze the card. If you haven’t set an alert, Doo will assume that there isn’t a due date. This seems odd for an app created for the sole purpose of gettings things done.
Swiping down to snooze does leave you feeling a bit guity
Less is more, unless it’s less…
iCloud integration is included in the form of iPad synching but there aren’t currently any further integrations. At $4.99 the price seems steep for what feels like an isolated if very lovely looking reminders app, leaving the feeling that this may be just the first step in development with substantial updates to follow.
I don’t think any app is going to help with this task
But for now, Doo in its current form feels like it wants to be that notepad that you grab when there’s nothing else to hand to take those quick reminders notes and messages. What Doo isn’t, is an all encompassing project management tool. There are plenty of these around but if you’re using one already, chances are that it also has comprehensive to-do list functionality of its own.
There is also no support for the iWatch which is strange. With a sparse layout and basic swipe commands, Doo feels like it could have been made for your wrist.
I wish my alarm clock snooze had a 1 day setting
Doo however does have its charms. The graphics that accompany each picture are lovely. Depending on the content of your reminder you will be presented with a scene that represents what each card is about. If you are after a very top level to-do list that offers simplicity then Doo could work. For some, the fact that it isn’t connected to your calendar, emails, social networks or other tools could be refreshing. But by the same virtue, the lack of any integration or automation could prove frustrating.
But remember, spoiler alert: No amount of productivity apps or reminders will actually complete your tasks for you.