Must-have apps for every homeowner

Keep up with today’s latest apps for homeowners! They’ll help you keep track of all your property, access user manuals for every appliance, water the plants on time (there’s one for iOS and one for Android), and even hang a picture perfectly!

Encircle

Keep track of it all

With Encircle, it only takes about an hour to inventory the property in all of your rooms, using your device camera to record detailed visual proof of the items. You can add videos, notes, sketches and more, and easily generate PDF and Excel reports for theft and damage insurance, estate planning, moving and decorating. Unlimited pictures and information can be added, making Centriq a leading documentation tool for property managers, inventory and insurance professionals, and homeowners like you. FREE

Centriq

Manuals and troubleshooting for every device

Centriq lets you store the information about every device and gadget in your home in one place. Keep track of your electronics, small and major appliances, heating, air conditioning and security systems, power tools and medical devices, plus details about everything in your home from flooring, countertops and paint colours to plants and landscaping. Just snap a photo of the object and upload it! And you’re automatically connected to relevant user manuals, product safety recalls, how-to videos and troubleshooting guides. Centriq offers one-touch ordering and links for parts, supplies and consumables (like filters), compatible products and accessories for your exact model. Keep all your receipts, service history, warranties and important documents together, so they’re easily accessible when you need them. Named “2016 Platinum Game Changer Award Winner” by the American National Association of Home Builders. FREE

APP LORE: Trends in Mobile App Design

In past issues, APP LORE has looked at technological trends in app development, such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things. This month, we cast a glance over the design trends. How does the user experience look, feel and function?

Every app creator needs to differentiate their product from the overwhelming number of other apps out there. And it has to stand out from the very first encounter, all the way through its cycle of use and up until your game, your work or your transaction is successfully completed.

The look:

First pages are especially important, as consumers must be captivated from the start and feel inspired to use the app regularly. This means the first page must load smoothly and all content should be accessible from there. Full-screen background images are being used increasingly on landing pages, because they’re visually appealing and trigger positive emotions. And we’ll see animation – whether for instructions, interactions or to ease anxiety during loading times – used more and more often.
Bold colours are also a trend today. Apps are distinguishing themselves with bright palettes and experimental combinations – and designers are coming to the task armed with the knowledge of how colour psychology influences a user’s mood, associations, mindset … and decisions!
Custom illustrations are getting more sophisticated, too, including icons, mascots and self-explanatory images that can express certain concepts more efficiently than text-based banners. Original characters are being used to create more human-like interactions, including “hero images” that provide vivid embodiments of the app’s characteristics: sophisticated and cultured, silly and fun, sober and practical …
Larger screens are a design focus these days, as smartphones get bigger, providing more space for functional features, while higher resolution makes pictures, videos and animations more spectacular and life-like. Bigger screens also allow apps to look more like their desktop versions.

The user experience:

Swiping, dragging and tapping are replacing many of the functions of traditional buttons for app interaction. And buttonless UIs allow users to tap anywhere on the screen. These methods are great for notifications, to “gamify” the experience, and to replicate some of the features of a traditional customer journey.
“Linear user flows” build a specific beginning, middle and end into the mobile app interaction. Instead of free-flowing navigation that can cause customers to feel lost in an app’s design, apps are being streamlined to follow a particular journey. And storytelling can provide an exciting way to reveal an app’s features, highlights and purchases.

SOURCES
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-best-app-design-trends-081500602.html
https://www.excellentwebworld.com/mobile-app-design-trends/

Garden Manager: Plant Alarm

Never forget to water the plants again!

This app reminds you when to water and lets you set alarms for fertilizing, spraying pesticide and other custom tasks. You can keep track of sowing and harvesting times, take photos and make notes charting plant growth, and actually graph plants development according to height and width. Then you can easily share the results via Facebook and Twitter. FREE

Happy Plant

Watering reminders and more

Like Garden Manager, Happy Plant sends you notifications when it’s time to water the plants. Unique watering schedules for each plant are adjustable for seasonal or temperature changes. You can track progress with plant selfies that can be turned into a time-lapse video with a click. Alarms can be snoozed, so if you’re busy you’ll be reminded again later. Featured by Apple in their “Start the New Year Organized 2019” list and “Favorites from 2017”. FREE version stores up to 3 plants, unlimited with upgrade

Houzz Interior Design Ideas

Picture your perfect home

Whether you’re designing, building, remodelling, redecorating or just daydreaming, Houzz lets you to browse through over 16 million images of interiors and exteriors, or narrow your search according to style, location or room. With Visual Match, you can shop over 10 million products and materials, including cabinets, lighting, furniture and more. With My Room 3D, you can see how products would look in your space – even drawing and annotating your images with the Sketch feature. Verified product reviews and access to featured sales of up to 75% off mean you can feel secure about what you’re buying and save money. Houzz helps you connect with home improvement professionals and offers articles, home tours, industry news, tips and tricks, and everything related to renovation and remodelling. Named one of the “best apps for home improvement” by The New York Times. FREE

Bubble Level

Line it all up perfectly

For hanging paintings on the wall, making sure the shelves you put up are straight, leveling a billiard or ping pong table, and helping craft perfect pieces of furniture – Bubble Level is a handy and accurate app that no homeowner should be without. You can hold any of your device’s four sides against an object to test it horizontally or vertically, or use it as a 360° level by laying it down on a flat surface. Bubble Level can also be used to measure angle of slope and to detect metal wires inside walls before you drill. FREE