I heard about the Due App from a buzz surrounding the Assistive Technology (AT) community. When something trends in our quirky group of professionals, you know it must be good. One trip to the App Store and 4 dollars and 99 cents later I had the app in hand and was eager with anticipation to explore this new(to me) reminder/timer/all around task management tool.
What I Expected vs What I Discovered
- An app similar to Any.Do. In fact, that’s what prompted me to initially download the Due App. I wanted to see what features, if any, set these two apps apart.
- The Due app is like a stripped down version of Any.Do. The Due app really focuses on a simply designed system for creating effective reminders and timers. Features can only be managed within the app, and users cannot sync the app to outside tools like their phone’s contacts, emails, or calendars (like the Any.Do app supports). One app is not better than the other rather, when considering the two apps, or others like them, ask – What features are absolutely necessary for the individual who will be using it? What features do they absolutely need to meet their goals? Will less, like in the case of the Due app, truly be more?
- Ease of use. Over and over I read and heard about how intuitive and easy to manage this app was. The big question was how easy would this app be to use for people with disabilities? Moreover, what type of person could I see benefiting from this app?
- In my opinion, what I heard is true – this app is very easy to learn and use. I think this would be an intelligent app for a young adult or adult with difficulties with memory and/or task management who needs a little prompting throughout the day. I like that its not connected to any other calendar or app because it feels less overwhelming.
- Bang for my buck. $4.99 is on the expensive side for an app that has two primary functions – acting as a reminder and timer. I expected the Due app to deliver those two promises and then some.
- If you watch the tutorial video below, you’ll see the creators of this app did an excellent job thinking of exactly how to optimize their reminder and timer features for ease of use. They delivered their promise. The app does two things, and does them very well. With that said… I think the price tag is fair. The price supports quality tutorial videos, a robust website, and the ability for the developers to provide this app across all iOS devices.
Features That Surprised Me
- Unique Sounds for Each Notification: Users can customize the sound of each individual reminder or timer by choosing from their device’s notification sounds.
- Natural Language Parser: Users can type in a phrase like, “Dinner at 7 pm on December 12th” and the app will create a reminder for dinner, auto-fill the time and date, and then delete it from the reminder title. The video below does this feature better justice than my explanation. Trust me, this feature is cool, and it makes creating reminders and timers that much easier.
- Auto-Snooze aka Nag Feature: If users miss a notification, the app will snooze itself (time based off of user settings) and remind the individual again, and again, and again… and again, until something is done with that reminder.
Overall this app is worth checking out. If you have any questions feel free to give me a call at (701) 365-4728 or check out the Due app website at www.dueapp.com.