CMU School of Drama


Monday, September 23, 2013

A Collaborative To-Do List App That You Might Actually Want To Use

gizmodo.com: Here are two facts about me. Number 1: I have a roommate. Number 2: Sometimes I notice that there's no more dish soap in the hall closet. If my roommate and I used a collaborative to-do list app we could stay coordinated for the communal shopping, but we prefer different systems that can't sync to each other. That's why I really feel the motivation behind List Weaver.

6 comments:

Jess Bertollo said...

I fail to see the advantage to using this app as compared to any other app. I'm an old-fashioned person, and no matter how much I love my MacBook Pro and my iPhone, I still use good old pen and paper to keeps to-do lists, shopping lists, assignment lists, etc. Does this app really make life easier when sharing a shopping list with a roommate? What happened to putting a post-it note on the fridge and writing down what you run out of throughout the week? Seems to me like if you're already using another system, the only thing this app allows you to do is to share it with non-users. Seems to me like you can easily do this by sharing it via dropbox or by simply emailing the text of the list. Those things can also be accessed via phone. Google Drive is another similar way to share lists and such with other people.

Unknown said...

Jess, this is great for people who may not prefer the post-it note on the fridge method. Realistically, people who are always on-the-go seem to benefit from apps and other electronic methods that help to keep them organized. I know that my boyfriend and I haven't been successful with the post-it note on the fridge method because we never seem to remember the post-it when we are going shopping, or, more often, we will not plan on going shopping on a certain day and then will not have the post-it with us because we didn't think we'd need it when we left the house. With this app, not only can we have a shared list that we both can add to, but we also have a portable list that either of us can access when we have the chance to get some shopping done. I already downloaded this app and plan to start using it immediately. I love that the creators of this app are not pushing it too much, and are not requiring everyone who views a list on their app to register for their app if they don't want to. I bet that word will get around about this app, through word-of-mouth and through articles such as this one, and that will pay-off for the app creators in the end.

Jess Bergson said...

After reading this article and downloading the app, I have to say that I agree with Shannon. The List Weaver application is extremely simple and easy to use, and I believe that it serves as a great alternative to the "post-its on fridge" method. So far this year, my roommates and I have been trying to put post-its on the fridge in order to remind each other of certain bills, chores, and grocery food items. However, in our very busy lives, we often miss the notes, or sometimes they even fall off the fridge. The List Weaver app would be really great for my roommates and I to keep track of our shared responsibilities, and it is an effective way of communication since we all have iPhones and use them regularly. While, like Jess, I am also a sucker for putting a pen to the paper to make lists and take notes, I find that I have slowly been using technology more and more in this regard. I try to keep a lot of my to do lists on my phone simply because I will very rarely not have my phone on me, and by compiling my lists into one place and by having those lists with me and accessible at all times, I find that I am more prepared and have one less piece of paper to remember in the morning.

Unknown said...

Although this seems like just another productivity app in a world filled with them, this is the first time I've seen one executed this way. I like the design focus on collaboration. It definitely seems like a clean and easy way to keep track of simple communal tasks. After downloading it, I too agree that it is simple and easy to use.

Unknown said...

Since the App Store came into existence, I have experimented with at least 10 of these collaborate list apps. I downloaded this and played around with it this morning. It was definitely simple and easy to use. I’m not entirely sure how useful it would be to an organization such as Carnegie Scenic, but I came up with a few applications. One would be shopping. If there were three shows on the floor, and all of them maintained a shopping list, when one show ordered from a given vendor, they could place all outstanding orders for the other shows. Would this require a new system of recordkeeping and be totally more trouble than it’s worth? Probably, but it is definitely something to think about.

Unknown said...

I've been searching for an app like this that I don't despise, but it's been difficult. I used Remember the Milk for a bit, because it boasted a similar connectivity but I never really liked it. Since downloading and using it for yesterdays grocery list, it seems pretty easy to work with and I don't quite hate it. However there seem to be some simple functionality features that are lacking (or I just haven't figured out yet), mostly the ability to delete an item or list rather than hide it once completed. I don't know yet, the jury's still out overall, but it is at least useful for joint lists.