6
2
This wasn't built on formal interviews — this is a pattern pulled from reviewing how people commonly describe friction with existing task tools.
GOALS
"Why does checking status take three different apps?"
"How do you scan priority without reading every line?"
"Can one system hold both light and dark themes from day one?"
APPROACH
01
Group by time, not just list everything
A flat list solved nothing; grouping by today/upcoming made priority scannable, though it meant deciding what counted as "urgent enough."
02
Keep the dashboard to the numbers that matter
Early explorations packed in more metrics; most were pulled back out, keeping only what someone needs the moment they open the app.
03
Attach comments and files to the task itself
Instead of routing discussion elsewhere, task detail carries its own comments and attachments.
04
Design dark mode alongside light mode, not after
Building both from the start meant tags and progress bars had to hold up in both, not retrofitted later.
The New ToDoza
Priority at a Glance
Low, Medium, and Urgent tags sit next to every task and project, color-coded consistently across the whole system.
Why this matters. Status shouldn't require reading — it should register in a glance.
Connected Task Detail
Comments, attachments, and description live directly inside the task view instead of a separate thread elsewhere.
Why this matters. Task tools scatter context across chat apps and drives — keeping it attached removes the need to rebuild it every time someone reopens the work.
Calendar that Zooms
A single calendar view supports day, 3-day, week, and month, so planning a sprint or a single day uses the same interface.
The decision. Most tools force an all-or-nothing choice between a day view and a month view — planning granularity became a toggle, not a tradeoff.
The Design System
Designed with consistency at its core, this system includes reusable UI components, semantic colors, typography, and design standards that streamline product development.
Outcome
As a personal project, ToDoza wasn't rolled out to real users — its value is in fully working through a connected system end to end.
10+ connected screens spanning dashboard, tasks, calendar, and projects.
2 complete theme systems, designed in parallel from day one.
1 consistent priority language applied system-wide.
Reflections & Learnings
02
Consistent tags and indicators do more for scannability than well-written copy ever could.
03
Designing both themes from day one forces better contrast decisions than retrofitting later.
04
A connected system reveals its weak points once every screen has to agree with every other screen.