Exploring Apple's Freeform App: What's Missing and What's Great
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Chapter 1: Overview of Freeform
My Impressions of Freeform
Apple, I must express my disappointment with the Freeform app. If this were a project in a coding class, I would suggest improvements. While it does offer several appealing features, there are crucial elements that seem to be overlooked.
Freeform does showcase some commendable capabilities. Perhaps a B-minus is warranted?
The drawing tools are well-designed and powerful, complemented by an intuitive shapes and lines feature. Overall, the user experience is quite seamless.
For a deeper understanding of Freeform's functionality and user-friendliness, I highly recommend checking out this video. Despite some criticisms, there’s a lot to appreciate about Freeform.
Section 1.1: Areas for Improvement
While I may not have a business need for Freeform, I thought it could enhance my daily communication with my spouse. I currently send her a message each morning to outline the day’s agenda, interesting news, and other tasks we need to tackle together—essentially a "Spousal Briefing."
However, the issue with using Messages is that important reminders get lost among less relevant texts, which is where I believed Freeform could serve better. Unfortunately, several frustrations arose that could also hinder its effectiveness in professional settings.
Subsection 1.1.1: Timestamp Features
When it comes to collaboration, it seems essential to have timestamps that indicate who contributed what and when. This is particularly vital for business applications!
Apple mentions that:
Freeform leverages new collaboration features in Messages, allowing users to invite others by simply dragging boards into a thread. All participants in that thread can begin collaborating immediately, with activity updates appearing at the top of the conversation.
However, Apple, this is not sufficient! Every edit should be visible and editable. Notifications in Messages are a good start, but they should not be the sole method of tracking changes.
Section 1.2: Link Usability
Freeform does allow for link insertion, but it requires a double tap to follow a link. Users generally expect a single tap to access links. I understand the need for single taps to edit, but is there really no more intuitive way to manage this?
External documents can be previewed in Freeform, which is a great feature—whether it’s a PDF, HTML file, or spreadsheet. You can even link to a Playgrounds file! However, accessing these links also requires a double click, which feels counterproductive.
Chapter 2: The User Experience
This video tutorial thoroughly covers why Freeform is an excellent new app for iPhone users, showcasing its many features and functionalities.
Why the Dual Text Options?
You can input text in objects and also use Sticky Notes and a separate text tool. I fail to see the value in having both when they appear quite similar. I suspect many users might not even know what a Sticky Note entails, raising the question of their purpose within Freeform.
The Grid Functionality
You can toggle a grid for alignment, but on my M1 iPad Pro, the lines are so faint that it’s challenging to tell if it’s activated. Moreover, there doesn’t seem to be a "snap to grid" feature. What’s the purpose of the grid if it doesn’t assist in alignment?
Zoom Options
Users can select zoom levels either through a menu or by pinching the screen. While there is an option to "Zoom to Fit" content, it doesn’t adjust dynamically as you add elements, which can be a bit frustrating.
Undo and Redo Functionality
Freeform includes an Undo feature, but it lacks a Redo option. This is a significant oversight! While the Drawing tool has a Redo function, the app itself should include it as well.
Thanks to Rick Blaiklock for pointing out that holding the Undo button reveals a menu with both options. This is poor UI design, Apple!
Locking Mechanisms
You can lock individual items, but not the entire board. This can be problematic since Freeform encourages frequent changes. Additionally, locking a linked object restricts access to it, requiring a roundabout method to open it.
Final Thoughts
Despite being a devoted Apple user, I would rate this app a C. It passes, but there’s ample room for improvement.
Discovering Useful Applications
After spending more time with the app, I found some practical uses. For instance, it’s an effective tool for organizing website bookmarks visually, allowing easy rearrangement. Although the double-click issue is frustrating, it still proves useful.
However, I encountered another limitation: there’s no smart search feature. You can’t use Command-F to find items in links or within the text they contain; it only locates typed text. A more sophisticated search function would greatly enhance Freeform’s usability. For now, I’ll only utilize it for my most frequent links and unread content.
Perhaps I’ll discover additional uses over time.