Why I'm excited for Clear
Zach Waugh •
Everyone has probably already watched the video and read about the yet to be released to do app Clear. There has been a lot of buzz for the app because of the innovative and well-considered interaction design. If you haven’t seen it already, I’ve embedded it below:
Now, I’m really interested in this app as a designer and developer of software, and I’ll write more about that in another post. But, I’m equally as intrigued as someone who has never managed to use a to do list for any length of time, and I’m hoping Clear changes that. There are few reasons for that.
No checkboxes
The one thing I’ve always hated about to do apps is also the thing that is most synonymous with a “to do” app — the checkbox. It has never made sense to me. To do lists are literally about things to be done. Once it’s done, it should no longer exist in the realm of my to do list. I don’t want to see a list of my to do items with checked box and striked through text. From the video, it looks like Clear does away with this notion. There are only tasks, and tasks can be deleted or completed. I’ll be sincerely disappointed if there is a way to see completed items or mark an item as “undone”.
Fun
To do lists are fucking boring. All work and no play. Clear adds a sense of delight to the tedium, and I think that’s what people are really responding to. How do you add a task? With a pinch, and a satisfying pop. To complete? Swipe right with a nice animation, and a friendly chime. It actually looks fun to add and remove items from your to do list.
Clear is now “Waiting for Review”, so I guess we’ll know soon enough whether or not it lives up to expectations.