As the middle of the semester approached, I came across a dilemma: how can I possibly remember to do everything? Usually I’m good with remembering my to-do list, but as midterms approached and my responsibilities increased, I just lost track of things. I knew that I needed to get an agenda, but the Reminders app included with iOS 5 just wasn’t cutting it for me. Sure, it’s great to be reminded at a certain time to study or do an assignment, but the app itself wasn’t the best for creating to-do lists. There are just too many steps involved to set up a reminder.
Enter Clear, which describes itself as “an app for list-keeping that is unbelievably simple, quick and satisfying to use.” Does it fulfill these three claims? Read on to find out.
Is it simple?
The first thing you’ll notice about Clear is the beautiful user interface. You’ll be prompted to create a new list immediately after installing the app, and you do so by gently pulling down on the screen. To create a new item, softly pull down the list itself and a new box will pop up. You can put any number of things on it. Each item has a colored background that signifies its importance. In the standard theme, Heat Map, red holds the highest priority, moving down to shades of orange and yellow to denote less important items.
You’ll also navigate the menus by pulling down on the screen. Because this action can also create a new list or item if you pull down too softly, sometimes going through the menus can be annoying. Even after using the app for a week, I’ve still accidentally created new items when switching menus.
Despite this, Clear does a good job of remaining simple. I love how the interface managed to avoid using buttons to switch menus and the colors do a great job of indicating which item on my to-do list I should be doing. Clear lives up to its promise of simplicity.
Is it quick?
Definitely. There’s not so much to say about this, only that I created a list and added 10 items to it in under a minute. That’s really fast. Also worth noting is that navigating the menus (sans accidentally making a new item) is fast and responsive.
Is it satisfying to use?
As soon as you’re done with a task, you can just tug it to the right, and Clear will check it off by turing the task green and greeting you with a chiming “complete” sound. This just makes completing your tasks that much more rewarding. Other sounds throughout the app involve stringed chords playing as you move through the menus. Along with the sleek interface, the sounds make using your to-do list, which is more than what you’d expect from a list app. Clear is satisfying to use.
Conclusion
Clear is great for to-do lists. Though it isn’t as functional as the Reminders app, it does what it set out to do well, and I’ve found a way to use both. I use the Reminders app for important actions, like printing out papers, and Clear for my regular to-do list, like reminding me to write this review. If anything, aspiring designers should take a minute to look at Clear’s beautiful UI. Seriously, it’s that amazing.
Clear (iOS) – $1.99 on iTunes Store
App Website
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