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Meet LifeBoard!

Meet LifeBoard!

8/17/2020

 
Notes applications are nothing new. However, LifeBoard, Tectra’s latest and greatest Android app, despite having many of the core fundamentals of a notes app, is truly unique!

When I was creating LifeBoard, I realized that I would have to do a few things differently if I wanted my app to stand out. As a result, I shifted gears and decided to make LifeBoard less of a notes application, and more of a digital bulletin board.
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Limitations

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In order to make this idea work, I knew I'd have to set some limitations for the app. However, I wanted to be sure that they made sense.
  • No editing: With a  real bulletin board, you don't usually take a piece of paper or note down just to make a quick edit. LifeBoard is the same way. LifeBoard is supposed to be a place where you jot stuff down, not write your next story. As a result, I decided that not having the option to edit existing stickies, though controversial, could be a great way to make it clear that LifeBoard was not your typical notes app.
  • No rearranging: I feel that most people don't really bother with rearranging everything on their bulletin board in real life whenever they add a new thing to it. If anything, they probably replace something. LifeBoard is no different. You can't rearrange stickies. New stickies get added to the top of the list, and if something isn't important anymore, you can just delete it.
These features allow LifeBoard to be more realistic, while still making the app unique. By removing these features, I was able to introduce new features that you won't find in your everyday notes app, like the ability to assign a link to a sticky. Put simply, LifeBoard has quite a few limitations, but that was by design. By not including the ability to edit or rearrange, I was able to display notes in a more effective way.
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Gestures

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When creating LifeBoard, I wanted to keep clutter at a minimum. As a result, being able to replace buttons with gestures made a lot of sense. These include:
  • Swipe Left: Delete a sticky
  • Tap: Open a sticky's link if it has been set
  • Hold: Share a sticky
Overall, I'm really happy with how gestures have turned out! They truly do simplify the user experience once you get the hang of them.
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Price

LifeBoard is the first app that I'm charging for, coming in at $0.99. After using it myself, I must say, it's genuinely a really handy tool! It's a new take on an old idea.
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The Conclusion

I'm really happy with how LifeBoard has turned out! I could go on for a long time about every little thing, but I think I've covered most of the basics.

I have a lot of exciting things planned for LifeBoard. In fact, I'm already working on a new update for it! If things go as planned, you should be able to not only set links, but also phone numbers, email addresses, and maybe even more!

Even if you don't understand LifeBoard after this post, I'd encourage you to check it out! After all, the best way to understand something is to experience it.

Overall, writing LifeBoard has been a really fun challenge, and I look forward to working on it some more soon!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy LifeBoard!
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