Simple and minimalistic AI calendar app

Easy to use, simple interface, fully customisable AI calendar.

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Overview

I always tell myself I’ll go to the gym tomorrow, but tomorrow seems to come and go without much change. My mornings are rushed, filled with meetings, emails, and a long list of to-dos. Even when I have a moment of free time, it never feels like enough to attend yoga class or catch up with friends. Sometimes, I even miss their birthdays, forgetting until it’s too late to make it special.

The days blur together, and I feel like I’m constantly scrambling to get everything done. I know something’s got to change—I can’t keep living in this cycle of missed opportunities. I need to understand where my time goes and make space for the things that matter most: my health, my relationships, and the activities that keep me balanced.

That’s when I realized: I need a reliable calendar.

I’ve used calendars before, but they always felt chaotic, difficult to use or incomplete. I’d mark things down, but they didn’t really help me visualize how to use my time effectively. What I really needed was a way to clearly see my day, manage my commitments, and set reminders for the things I tend to forget—like hiking or night out.

A well-organized calendar app could give me back control over my day. It would help me plan ahead, block time for the gym, and never miss a friend’s birthday again. More importantly, it would give me the clarity I need to prioritize what truly matters—without feeling overwhelmed.

I shared how I was feeling with my friends and discovered that they were going through the same thing. We all struggle to balance our busy schedules, and it’s easy to lose track of important moments. They too are looking for a way to manage their time more effectively, to stay connected, and to make time for the things that bring joy. I realized that a better calendar solution could help us all—and that's why I decided to create one.

Research

App store ratings and reviews

To better understand how users feel about calendar apps, I took the time to explore app store ratings and reviews. By reading through user feedback, I was able to identify several common pain points that many people experience. By addressing these pain points I can improve user satisfaction and the overall effectiveness of a calendar app.

Complexity

Many users find calendar apps difficult to navigate and use, especially if the interface is cluttered or unintuitive.

Syncing Issues

Problems with syncing across devices or with other calendars can lead to missed appointments and double bookings.

Notification Overload

Users often receive too many notifications, which can be overwhelming and lead to important reminders being ignored.

Privacy Concerns

Users may worry about the security and privacy of their data, especially when sharing calendars with others.

Competitive analysis

Conducting a UX competitive analysis allowed me to identify the strengths and weaknesses of competitors’ products. These insights helped me strategically design my solutions to provide a superior user experience.

Google calendar

Pros

Seamlessly integrates with other Google services and third-party apps.
Clean and intuitive interface for easy scheduling and event management.
Simplifies setting reminders and recurring events.
Available at no cost.

Cons

Limited functionality when offline.
Insufficient colour options.
Unreliable reminders and notifications.
Buggy performance.
No feature to attach photos.
Updates can disrupt functionality and cause data loss.
Cannot integrate with Outlook.

Notion

Pros

Incorporates AI functionality.
Highly customisable with templates and integrations.
Offers a wide range of features including trackers, lists and notes.
Combines note-taking, task management, and database functionalities.

Cons

Slow performance.
Calendar is prone to crashes.

Can be overwhelming for the first time user due to its extensive features.
Unintuitive user interface.
Poor customer support.

Lacks picture uploading capability.

TickTick

Pros

Simple and user-friendly.
Syncs seamlessly with calendars like Google Calendar.

Allows adding pictures to events.
Offers urgency prioritization for tasks.
Features an intuitive user interface.
Ensures cross-device compatibility.

Cons

Some advanced features are only available in the premium version.
Doesn't sync with iOS watch (requires manual syncing).
Button placement is not user-friendly.
Lacks customer support.
Free version has limited functionality.
Offers insufficient theme options.

After analysing the pros and cons of the most popular apps, I've identified several common issues that users struggle with:

Complex for new users
Unreliable notifications
Slow performance

Interviews

In order to understand the challenges my target audience encounters with using online calendars, I conducted interviews with three young professionals and three new mothers and identified key pain points:

Notification Management: Notifications can be anxiety-inducing. Sometimes users forget to set notifications or swipe them away in a rush, leading to missed events.

Customisation Limitations: Most of calendars lack sufficient customisation options, which makes it less personalised and harder to manage visually.

Visual Clarity: Digital calendars are visually unclear compared to a physical calendar. The need to click and scroll through hours makes it less intuitive.

Device Compatibility: While most of users have the calendar on their phone, some users have it on both phone and laptop. Ensuring seamless synchronisation across devices is crucial.

Offline Functionality: Limited offline functionality is a drawback, as users prefer having access to their schedule at all times.

Data Loss Concerns: There are concerns about losing data due to updates or bugs in the app, which affects trust in the reliability of the calendar.

Assumptions for the new calendar app

Seamless Integration

The new calendar should integrate smoothly with popular services like Google, Outlook, and third-party apps to ensure users can sync their schedules across different platforms.

Notifications

Implement default notification settings to reduce the need for manual adjustments and the anxiety of missing important events. Include features like snoozing reminders and setting urgency levels for tasks.

Simple Interface

The app should have a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy to schedule and manage events. It should be visually appealing and customisable with colour options to enhance user experience.

Performance

The app should be fast, reliable, and free from bugs. It should handle large amounts of data without crashing and provide a smooth user experience.

Robust Features

Include essential features like reminders, event notifications, recurring events, and the ability to share calendars with others. Additionally, it should support attaching photos and documents to events.

Analytics

Incorporate features to track various activities (work, social, fitness) and provide analytics on time spent in different areas. This can help users balance their schedules more effectively.