How this task app is all you need to get Sorted

A group of Hong Kong-based developers has released a to-do list app using a patented swipe-and-select gesture that it hopes will be a breakthrough for task management apps.

Sorted was created by five developers at Mind Fund Studio, which is backed by Hong Kong venture capital firm Mind Fund. The group of five developers work on several projects in the studio, and Sorted is its most polished app so far.

The innovative time-management app aims to make scheduling tasks easier by allowing users to reschedule multiple tasks at once rather than moving around items individually.

Leo Tumwattana, chief technology officer for the studio, originally started Sorted as a personal solution to the problem when he couldn’t find a task management app that allowed him to plan his own schedule simply and quickly.

“Many task management apps let you have a task list … but when you want to reorganise it, you have to go through each item and change it one at a time and that hinders you from planning quickly,” he said.

Sorted solves that problem by letting users select a range of tasks in a day with its patented swipe gesture. Users can select multiple tasks at once by swiping left on the first task and then scrolling down. Subsequently, a pinching motion allows users to reschedule the times for all the tasks easily on the timeline.

Users can also schedule tasks for another date by selecting them and tapping on a specific date after drawing up the calendar at the bottom of the screen.

However, the team admits that Sorted has a learning curve, since there are a multitude of features outlined in the app’s video tutorial section.

“There are many different functions to learn but the more time you invest to learn them, the greater value you will get out of it,” said Charlie Morris, Mind Fund Studio’s chief marketing officer.

While Sorted is currently iOS only, Tumwattana and Morris do not rule out a possible Android version in the future. A beta app version for Mac is also coming soon.

“When some of our beta users tested the app, they really liked it … and wanted us to create a Mac app for Sorted so that they can have a complete workflow [across platforms],” Tumwattana said.

The app is priced at US$1.99 until this Thursday on Apple’s app store, after which it will cost US$3.99. Within two days of its launch late last week, the app shot up to within the top five paid productivity apps in Hong Kong and the US.

Despite Sorted’s success so far, Mind Fund Studio will not rest on its laurels and will continue working on its other projects.

Other ventures include StoryAppy, a collaborative writing tool for teachers to use in the classroom, and Bat Call, an app to organise last-minute meet-ups among friends.

StoryAppy is currently used by the American International School in Hong Kong and is approved for use in schools by the district in Florida, US, said Mind Fund Studio CEO Mark Cheng.