Roskachestvo gives tips on how to plan your life

Because of the large information load, it can be difficult for a modern person to keep a large number of tasks in mind and remember when and what needs to be done. In such a situation, Task Managers, which are becoming increasingly popular, come to the rescue. Roskachestvo conducted a study of task managers to help consumers choose the best quality application.

The most popular apps in the American segment of Google Play and App Store were selected for the study: 22 for Android and 23 for iOS. Roskachevo experts identified the main requirements for such “helpers”, including the creation of repeating tasks tasks with due dates and reminders projects with deadlines prioritization of different tasks the ability to keep common lists of tasks and projects ease of use Russification security cross-platform versions for different types of devices and synchronization updating the task database on all types of devices used .

The tests were carried out according to 98 criteria, 45 of which refer to the functionality of the. Each criterion was given its own “weight” in the overall score, allowing for the most objective evaluation. During the tests, the experts in the Roskatchestvo test lab planned their lives for months in advance, creating hundreds of tasks and projects.

“When conducting tests, we consulted with experts in the field of personal effectiveness and time management to determine the most important and meaningful requirements for task managers. As a result, about half of the applications passed the mark of 4.0 on a scale of 0.5 to 5.5 and received recommendations from the Roskatche Lab for use. The rest of the applications turned out to be low-functional or did not have versions for a large number of devices,” said Anton Kukanov, deputy head of the testing laboratory of information products of Roskachevo.

Based on the results of Roskatchestvo’s research, the top-rated apps were TickTick, Todoist and 2Do – Todo List for iOS and Todoist, TickTick, MyLifeOrganized for Android.

In addition to high scores for security, cross-platform and performance, the leaders of the rating are distinguished by a variety of functions and features. For example, the TickTick app has the ability to add tasks using voice input and smart date and time input. The Todoist app allows you to keep statistics with the calculation of “karma” the user’s motivational rating, which increases when you actively use the app and complete tasks . 2Do – Todo List users can set passwords to selected folders, sort tasks and attach photos and audio files to them, and MyLifeOrganised users get free access to all features for 45 days.

First of all, the experts checked the functionality of the applications by such criteria as date and time of tasks, reminders, deadlines, place of execution, cyclicality, and others. The study showed that the most functional applications out of all those studied were apps:

* TickTick

* Todoist

* MyLifeOrganized.

In addition to functionality, the security of the apps was analyzed. Specialists from Group-IB, an international company dealing with prevention and investigation of cybercrimes and frauds using high technologies, were invited to take part in the Roskatchestvo research. With the help of specialized software applications were checked for possible vulnerabilities and malware, the redundancy of requested permissions, security of payment processing and data transfer, storage of personal data, the ability to delete an account and set a password were evaluated.

As a result of the study, no serious vulnerabilities in the applications were identified. However, Remember The Milk and Toodledo for Android were found to have in-app purchases on their site rather than through the Google Play store, making them more vulnerable. This is due to the fact that the user’s payment data card data is transmitted to the developers and is stored with the developers, not on Google or Apple servers in such cases the customer’s card is tied to a Google Play or App Store account , which means a higher level of reliability. The safest app was 2Do – Todo List iOS .

In the assessment of usability there were such parameters as “Simplicity and quality of navigation”, “Conformity of design with platform guidelines”, “Promotional materials”, “Help and support”, “Quality of russification”, “Adaptation for people with disabilities” and others. During the study, the experts determined how easy it is to understand when you first encounter the application, how its functionality is implemented, as well as calculate the minimum number of clicks required to run key program scenarios. The simplest were recognized:

* 2Do – Todo List

* Sorted

* OmniFocus 2

* Toodledo

* Swipes

* Time Planner

* Memorigi.

And the most difficult app turned out to be LeaderTask. In addition, the experts evaluated the reliability and performance of mobile applications. Stability and correctness of their work, correctness of interface elements display, downloaded and consumed memory size, launching speed, smoothness and speed of work, resistance to external interruptions the application should be loaded from the same place where it was paused were determined. Applications have the highest performance score:

* Your Time planner

* Apple’s reminders for iOS

* Memorigi

* Splend Apps’ task list for Android.

Wunderlist, Todoist, TickTick iOS , LeaderTask, Chaos Control, Swipes iOS , Nozbe iOS and Google Keep Android scored the highest on the cross-platform criterion. The specialists also paid attention to the informational characteristics of applications the information placed by developers in the app stores , such as the informative description, the lack of advertising statements, screenshots and videos. The Nozbe Android app has the highest score on “App Information”.

It is worth noting that the best Android app is 4 hundredths of a point ahead of the leader iOS in terms of final score, but the average final score for Android apps is slightly lower than that for iOS.

Andrei Vashchenko, lecturer at the Higher School of Economics said: “Task managers are extremely useful in situations where a person is overloaded, and the better the program is integrated into the user’s life, the more effective it is. However, there is a small “but.”. If we trust the program to remind us of an action for example, to buy bread , then we can safely forget about it, but when it comes to recording a thought in the program – we need to be careful. You cannot write down a thought and forget about it, because it must stay in your head and your consciousness must periodically return and work on it. Otherwise, a person’s efficiency and creativity can decrease”.

The Roskatchestvo website presents a summary table of the test results with filters that allow users to focus on any of the parameters of the apps being tested. Thus, the visitor of the Roskatchestvo portal can choose the most suitable application for him. Detailed results of the study can be seen here.