App review – Evernote

The Evernote app provides business people with a one-stop shop for effective note taking, says Yannis Marcou, creative and user experience director at Skyron

Developed by Evernote
Supporting devices: Android, iPhone, Windows mobiles, BlackBerry

Note taking is a very basic, if not unglamorous, function of smartphones, yet one that can be of extreme importance to anyone using their phones for business purposes. Evernote has been a popular desktop/cloud-based note-taking application for a few years now. The mobile application arrived recently and is available on multiple operating systems and devices. The application’s long list of useful features has ensured it repeatedly tops the note-taking app charts.

Functionality


Note creation: Evernote’s note creation comes with some great features: you can take and add photos, record and add audio files, create task lists, insert links, add tags, format text and add locations.

Note filing: Evernote files notes in notebooks that you can assign, create, delete or edit. Notebooks can be about any subjects relevant to your business such as projects, market research, campaigns, account management, prospects, business functions, product design or anything that requires note taking, information capturing or media creation (photos, video, audio).

The notebook management functionality could be improved in a couple of ways: Firstly, Evernote only allows a single level of notebook nesting, a far cry from the multi-layered folder structure that comes with Microsoft’s OneNote (Evernote’s nemesis). Secondly, the application does not allow drag-and-drop editing of the notebooks, making editing a bit more labour intensive.

Sharing: You can share each note via Facebook, Twitter or email. Sharing a note creates a unique URL that your audience can use to access your note.

Access and collaboration: Evernote is a great collaboration tool. You can set the access settings for each notebook, which allows others to not only to view it, but also edit it and add new content. A team  working on a proposal together but split between different locations can use a notebook as a whiteboard to collaborate and comment on ideas.     

Flexible viewing: You can view notes as lists or thumbnails and isolate photos, attachments, audio files or locations that can also be viewed on a map.

Search and tag management: The application not only has a search facility, but also adds an extra layer of taxonomy in note management by giving you the option to create and add tags to notes.

The Evernote ecosystem: Evernote has created an extensive catalogue of both native and third-party tools that greatly increases the value you get from the app. The list includes a desktop application that allows you to work locally and when not dependant on an internet connection; browser extensions for saving web pages; cloud storage for remote access and back-up, as well as an array of extensions that further stretch Evernote’s capabilities. 

Design


Visually, the application is fairly well designed but it could do with more personality. The uninspired design language makes you think you are using your phone’s generic operating system and not immersed in a branded environment.  Evernote could do with a fresh lick of paint – even the flawed Microsoft OneNote mobile application looks a lot better.

From a usability point-of-view the interface takes some getting used to, not because it has been badly designed, but because there are a lot of features and only a small screen to accommodate them. Repeat use, however, will ensure you quickly become familiar with the interface’s intricacies.

Overall opinion


Traditionally, Evernote’s great visual-asset capturing features have made it a big hit with the creative industries. The latest versions, however, feature new functionality, such as handy text editing tools and even telephone call audio recording, which render Evernote a business tool of a much broader appeal.

As there are thousands of mobile productivity applications out there, the key question is whether Evernote can be the only note-taking and information capturing business tool you will ever need. Despite its small number of shortcomings, the answer is yes.

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