plan.coffeeWeb Application / 2014-2015

Concept & Brand UI/UX Design HTML,CSS Specs Developer Hiring & Management

An online calendar that keeps your daily schedule aligned with your life goals and priorities.

Demo Account: www.plan.coffee

Why I created plan.coffee

Calendars and to-do lists help us keep track of what we need to do, but they don't keep the larger picture of our life in sight. Most online calendars don't even integrate a task list, and task apps don't help us prioritize. With plan.coffee I aimed to design the ultimate life management system, while also promoting life balance and introducing some unique features.

Context

I'd already created a couple of simpler apps, and now I was ready for a more complex one. I was aiming to develop an MVP and test it in real life. While the product never launched to market, I learned a lot through the experience of being involved in every aspect - from concept and structure to design / front-end coding and collaboration with a back-end developer.

Layout Concept

Drag and drop action items between the two main views - the Calendar (day-to-day scheduling) and the LifeMap (big-picture planning). The two views share the "Current Tasks" list - the user can keep it in sight whether they're planning their day or their life.

Design Priorities

Ease: Making something as complex as "life" feel simple is no easy task! Therefore, I wanted to create an experience that builds on top of familiar concepts, so it feels logical and useful, while its more intricate functionality can be discovered over time.

Sense of Location: More than anything, I aimed to create a sense of space and keep the user from feeling lost within the app. I wanted all features to feel available at all times, with no jarring popups covering the view; good hierarchy, clear action labels, and subtle visual cues.

Highlights (some fun features)
The Life Map: This section helps you organize your life in Life Areas and view them all on one page. You can prioritize your areas and action items via assigning to them different states and an easy drag-and-drop functionality. Details can also be viewed selectively by toggling filters, while each life area gets its own page to collect more details and info. Lastly, you can pick a #1 priority that will show in the sidebar at all times.
The Journal: A calendar shouldn't be just a place to plan the future - it's the ideal tool to double as a journal or a log of the past. This way you can search and review past events along with specific thoughts you've had on that day, or custom details about your life you may want to be tracking.
The Labels: These are like all-day events, except with icons rather than text. They allow the user to mark days visually for various purposes, such as birthdays, trips, health tracking, etc. Then it's easy to view these marked days in the yearly view.
What I'd Improve Now

Visual Design

Design trends, techniques, and technologies have evolved since 2015. I would modernize the design and the code, and remove some visual cues that are no longer necessary in modern design (because of evolving conventions). I'd make some features smarter and create clearer hierarchical distinctions.

Interactivity

I would rework the layout to make it more flexible for feature expansion, and more intuitive. I'd also make the UI more interactive while using more modern cues for certain features. I'd add more interactivity and micro-animations.

Demo Account: www.plan.coffee