ListLab, an experiment
A paper checklist is hard to beat. Stack it against any app -- the fancier the app, the farther the app devients from a robust and organic tool. It seems that paper is still the gold standard because there's a poorly bridged gap between modern tech and what actually works.
ListLab fiercely embraces the paper checklist. With extreme scrutiny, it's layered with richer tools, but doing so is an ongoing experiment in intuitive, transparent design that dosn't interfere with the "paper-ness".
These principles guide every detail of the design process.
- Paper is flexible
With paper, you can play with the structure of your productivity system, a freedom no app can earnestly offer. You can also change formatting, colors, highlighting, and scribble in the margins. ListLab should offer the same, especially in regard to flexible structure. - Paper is spacial
Consider the feeling of sketching a whiteboard diagram or organizing a stickynote board. The direct spacial/mental mapping is hard to replicate with an app. ListLab should help you collect, map and organize your thoughts, without being strangled by structure. The visualizations should organically match your mental model. - Paper is quick
Your notepad is always in site, outside the computer, and immediately available to add/strike items from. (As long as you have a pen.) ListLab should aspire to be this quick, especially for adding new tasks. It should remain focused on personal use only to avoid becoming heavy handed. - Paper is transparent
Not literally, but what you see is what you get. The same is true of a .txt file. A app, however, is a complex entanglement of connect data in the cloud, and this doesn't feel good. ListLab should build trust by exposing a transparent, hierarchical task structure that reinforces this mental model. (e.g. through api access, export functionality, and tabular visualization) - Paper is portable
You can simply pick the paper up and move it, copy it, or throw it away. ListLab should provide similar portability that you would typically only expect from a .txt file. (e.g. copy, paste, drag, drop, import, and export) - Paper is immutable
Procrastination is guarneteed. A paper todo list is easy to start, and start again if you leave it for a few weeks. ListLab should politely leave things exactly how you left them. - Paper is tactile
Regarding design, paper sensations should inspire ListLab: The clean feeling of a fresh page. Ticking a checkbox. Orderliness. Scratching a pen along fresh paper. Tearing and crumpling a page.
ListLab is a work in progress. I hope it helps you, and I welcome your feedback.