Quick Tools Collection

New year new apps.. the new IOS mobile apps – Quick Tools Collection is now available on Apple AppStore.

3 Quick Tools in one apps:

Quick Percentage – quickest way to get all possible result for percentage in one go with real-time update on any input changes, save your valuable time.

Quick Day – Fastest way to date calculation with month/week/days. Calculate forward or backward and real-time changes on any input changes.

Quick Count – simple yet useful for counting task, equip with minus and reset feature.

Head over to the apps product & privacy webpage for details.

A bit story behinds the creation of the Quick Tools Collection apps.

I always admire good design and simplicity.

Calculating discount for item makes me open up a calculator apps, enter the amount then multiply with the percentage, for example $275.15 x 15%, then the apps will give me the figure for the 15% off the amount value, but I needed to know the price I will have to pay, so I enter the amount again and minus the value of the 15%, only then I will get the amount I have to pay.

So, how about an apps that will give me all the results in one go ? I will only have to enter the amount and the percentage value to get firstly the discounted value – the 15% off the amount, secondly the discounted price that I have to pay – the amount minus the 15%, and while I’m at it why not added another possible result, the mark-up value – for the sales person, so they don’t have to add again the 15% value to the amount to get the mark-up price.

Then it came to the input style, if I were to use the standard pop-up keyboard and user will type in the amount, let say for the amount of 20,000.00. The key stroke involved to enter the 20,000.00 using the standard keyboard is around 7-9 tap. First tap to get the keyboard pop-up, then next taps to enter the 20000, and lastly to tap the “ok” button. It must be a way to simplify the data entry method although it’s a simple thing but if we could find a simpler and better way to enter data then why not ?

Using the scrolling picker, and makes it represent each of the digits in numbers is one of the better way to enter the data. For the 20,000.00 data input example, the user only need to specifically put the finger on the tenth thousand scroller and scroll up to number 2 to get to the 20000 and to eliminate further key tapping, same goes to the input for the percentage value. Any changes on any input, the apps should automatically re-calculate. This will make the apps responsive to any input changes and present the results immediately to the user.

This is the origin of the Quick Percentage in the Quick Tools Collection apps.

Made one date calculation apps before, calculating days between two given date. User scroll the first date and then the second date, the apps will give how many days between the two date. Got a response from one user, how about you make an apps to calculate days instead, because the user is interested in calculating the customer contract which is in days figure and he wanted to know from one date to let say 132 days, what is the date ?

Since it will involve the calendar, why not instead of showing a scroll picker of date which user only see one date, we will use the standard monthly calendar as the date view, so user can actually see a standard monthly calendar and easier to pick the date from there. For the amount input, why not use the percentage input method – no pop-up keyboard, and instead of calculate for days, let give user calculation for month and week too. In this case it will benefit more category, let say HR wanted to calculate the last date of an employee with resignation notice of 8 weeks – they can select the date and scroll to 8 and select week.

Hopefully it will comes handy to people like project planner in planning projects, daily usage planning ahead or etc. While we are at it, why not add one more feature to it ? – add a + or – selection before the amount to indicate forward/future and backward/past calculation. This way the user can calculate both way.

This is the origin of the Quick Day in the Quick Tools Collection apps.

The counting apps is just an added value to the collection. Since it’s not that hard to do, why not ? Then add a minus feature into it just in case accidentally double tapping, you can always minus it back. And in the case you need to restart – use the reset button to go back to zero and start new counting.

Hope the Quick Tools Collection will be a useful tools.