I ditched Google Docs for this app, and I do not feel sorry about it

I believe I did it. I believe I in the end discovered a gadget that works for my mind. A gadget that brings my paintings and private lives in combination below one roof and lets in me to stick arranged throughout duties, paperwork, and initiatives — and it’s in the end to be had on Android. This is, in any case, the holy grail of productiveness apps, proper?

Productivity apps are a dime a dozen at the present time, and I’ve attempted approach too many looking for one thing that works for me. But after constantly the usage of it for some time now, I believe assured pronouncing that the app Craft is if truth be told creating a distinction in my existence.

I assumed I had it found out

I believe like I’ve attempted the whole thing. Notion, Todoist, Trello, TickTick…. I may move on, however the entire article would encompass naming apps, each giant and small, that I’ve given a possibility. Many excel in a selected house, however none caught for me.

My most up-to-date strive at discovering a productiveness resolution was once switching the whole thing to Google’s suite of goods. Calendar, Docs, Tasks, and Keep are all nice equipment, and I particularly admire Google’s efforts to interconnect them lately. Tasks is relatively actually constructed into Calendar now, for instance. Keep reminders display up in Tasks. It’s an ecosystem this is beginning to really feel extra cohesive, however these types of merchandise have been first of all constructed as standalone equipment, and it nonetheless feels that approach in too some ways.

One of the most important problems I confronted when making an attempt to make use of Google’s suite is the loss of transparent group. Everything is in its personal position, without a approach to convey all of it into one succinct house view. That manner, with a view to set up a challenge, you’re running throughout no less than Docs, Calendar, and Tasks.

Docs was once intended to be my house base. In my thoughts, this is able to give me the versatility of a report with the group of a to-do record. I created a report that was once intended to function the house throughout all my initiatives, after which I’d use duties to trace the trivialities for each and every challenge.

Why can’t I create a role immediately in Google Docs that may then seem on my Tasks record and in my Google Calendar? Sure, the Tasks app is tacked directly to the suitable facet of the display, nevertheless it doesn’t immediately engage with my report as one may be expecting. To be transparent, you if truth be told can do what I’m describing here with a piece or college account, however I’ve neither of the ones, and after seeing the implementation in action, it’s a little clunky for my tastes. This is simply one of the such examples.

Craft, alternatively, does have what I might imagine a house base. I paintings throughout a number of various paperwork, relying on which challenge I’m running on. To get a chook’s eye view of the whole thing, I best want to transfer to the Tasks view. Here, your entire duties throughout your entire doctors are introduced into one position, in keeping with due date and arranged by way of document. This has in reality helped me keep on best of the numerous various things I want to do in an afternoon, and nonetheless seeing the duties organized by way of report is helping me prioritize what I want to do subsequent.

Perhaps extra importantly for me, Google Docs feels stale. The toolbar design has been quite up to date over time, however the document itself simply doesn’t really feel trendy to make use of and take a look at. We’ll dive into some design and UX components I really like in Craft, and the variation may be very transparent.

Craft is known as Craft for a reason why. This app is a murals in an another way dull international of productiveness. When coated up facet by way of facet subsequent to Google Docs, opening up Craft looks like a step into the long run, with the exception of the long run is now and Google Docs is simply outdated. Every pixel of Craft feels sparsely positioned, all the way down to the smallest of main points. If Google Docs looks like a chore to make use of, Craft looks like house.

Documents are on the core of Craft, and growing an attractive report is a central function of the revel in. Like Google Docs, the standard black textual content on a white background is the default in Craft (even though come what may even the usual document seems to be higher to my eyes than what you get in Google Docs), however with a couple of clicks, you’ll be able to convey your report to existence.

Both report editors have the standard, baseline options — trade the background colour, the report colour, the textual content colour, give the report a header symbol — however even with those elementary options, Craft simply seems to be higher to my eyes.

Let’s take it up a notch. In Craft, you’ll be able to insert all kinds of what Craft dubs wealthy blocks, together with a whiteboard, a spreadsheet-like assortment desk, a sensible hyperlink with a wealthy preview, a report, or a card, which is basically a hyperlink to a similar report inside of your report, however with distinctive designs that in reality trade the texture of the report you’re running in. Another nice instance: as an alternative of the usage of an ordinary line separator, you’ll be able to choose between other Washi Tape designs or create your individual. I by no means concept I’d be so thinking about a report; if best I had had this when I used to be at school!

Sound design, in a report app?

Believe it or no longer, considered one of my favourite main points of Craft is its sound design. There are sound results tastefully sprinkled all through the app, and so they upload a shockingly delightful contact to the revel in. Here are a couple of of my favorites.

A pencil on paper while you mark a role entire:

The sound of paper ruffling while you create a brand new report:

My non-public favourite is the sound that performs while you input or go out center of attention mode, a function I exploit relatively regularly when writing for this web page:

In my analysis for this text, I got here throughout a weblog publish from the Craft staff, which main points the method of arising with the easiest sounds for what the staff envisioned. It’s worth a read.

An overly lively group

I in reality respect an organization that obviously values its courting with its consumers. Craft has extraordinarily lively communities on Reddit and Slack, full of a few of its maximum devoted customers who’re repeatedly giving comments. The founders and staff individuals may also be noticed replying to many of the posts, too.

With that precious comments, Craft iterates briefly. I will be able to’t recall to mind too many firms that send updates and considerable new options as briefly and successfully as Craft does. Just check out the release log.

One of the explanations I haven’t written about Craft till now could be as a result of, up till just lately, it wasn’t to be had on Android. Craft began out on this planet of Apple, however overdue final yr, it unleashed its app within the Google Play Store. However, Craft for Android continues to be in beta, and I’m hopeful of a few enhancements for long run updates.

While I’m thankful to in the end be capable to use Craft on my Pixel, the app is missing in some spaces. For a primary liberate, on the other hand, the extent of function parity with its Apple counterpart is spectacular. That mentioned, in its present shape, the Android app appears to be an adaptation of the cellular internet app Craft offered in a while prior to the Play Store model. The internet app is technically spectacular with how practical it feels, nevertheless it doesn’t function the similar easy animations discovered within the iOS and Mac apps. I’d like to peer enhancements in this entrance someday.

Additionally, Craft as a complete does no longer fortify end-to-end encryption. While your information is encrypted in transit and at rest, I want Craft would fortify complete encryption. Craft makes use of identical safety practices you’d in finding in lots of the equipment we use each day, so this isn’t one thing that will prevent me from the usage of it for paintings, however I might in finding extra convenience in realizing that my information is absolutely encrypted. I might additionally imagine the usage of Craft for different spaces of existence, like a spot to retailer clinical information or different non-public information that I another way would no longer retailer in an app with out end-to-end encryption.

Lastly, I’d like to peer Craft upload fortify for Gemini. As it stands at the moment, you’ll be able to use Craft Assistant with LLMs from Apple, OpenAI, or Meta. For now, I’ll most likely persist with the native type choices. Admittedly, I haven’t applied Craft Assistant a lot but, so this hasn’t been an enormous factor for me.

I believe like I’ve slightly scratched the skin of what Craft has to supply. We haven’t even mentioned collaboration in Craft, publishing choices for sharing paperwork, or extra concerning the AI-powered Craft Assistant.

Different equipment paintings for various other people. In Craft, I’ve discovered a device so malleable that it really works throughout more than one sides of my existence and so well-designed that I if truth be told revel in the usage of it. Whether I’m writing my subsequent article for Android Authority or making plans a birthday shuttle with my brother, Craft is the place all of it occurs.