May 10, 2019

According to Statista, mobile app downloads each year have been steadily increasing. In 2017, there were 178 billion app downloads, and that number is projected to grow to 205 billion this year and progress to 258 billion in 2022 – a 45 percent increase over a five-year period.

With so many apps available, it can be difficult to narrow down those that will best benefit design professionals. Apps like Pinterest and Houzz are a given for creating palettes and gathering inspiration, but financial, organizational and communicative apps should also be in a designer’s smart device. Game changers for both large and small companies, these apps allow designers to focus less on the daily grind of business and more on the creative side of their job.

HOOTSUITE

What It Does: Social media can take up a lot of valuable time. Hootsuite helps users get back some of that time by organizing and schedule blogs, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other social media posts all in one place.

Cost: Free for up to three social media platforms, with in-app purchases

Benefits: The app saves time by keeping you informed on trending topics, notifications and more in one place, rather than having to switch between platforms.

WUNDERLIST

What It Does: WunderList is an organization app that makes interactive, categorical lists.

Cost: Free

Benefits: This app can help you rank tasks by priority and degree of completion and add sub-tasks to break down projects into smaller assignments. Photos and notes can be added to any task and shared with another user, like an assistant, contractor or client. This app will help you to set and manage install dates and rank tasks by priority and degree of completion.

TSHEETS

What It Does: TSheets is a cloud-based, time-tracking and scheduling app that allows your employees to clock in and out from the job site with their phone.

Cost: Free

Benefits: This electronic time data app replaces paper timesheets and makes payroll and invoicing faster and less costly. TSheets also accurately tracks time and GPS points (even without cell or internet service) then automatically syncs when back in service, making it a better alternative to geo-fencing. TSheets also features in-app scheduling that allows you to drag and drop shifts, assign jobs, see who’s working at a glance and send alerts if employees haven’t clocked in for a job or shift as scheduled.

EVERNOTE

What It Does: EverNote is a project management program and app.

Cost: Free for a Basic Plan, $14.99 per month for a Business Plan

Benefits: Evernote is used to handle day-to-day tasks while letting you keep an eye on the overall project. With the Business Plan, all your team members can work in the application simultaneously and updates are shared instantly. This app allows you to create continual, yet non-intrusive communication with a team by dividing up the tasks through reminders, checklists, photos, texts and more.

ZOOM

What It Does: With Zoom, you can start or join a meeting with video, audio, instant screen sharing and cross-platform instant messaging from an iPhone, iPad or Android phone.

Cost: Free, with in-app purchases

Benefits: Especially beneficial for designers working remotely or for large team conferences, with Zoom you can work from almost anywhere while staying connected with multiple teams across multiple projects. During the meeting, you can assign breakout groups for discussions among specific teams, create a whiteboard effect for making collective lists and share screens, photos and Dropbox files without having to leave the conference.

QUICKBOOKS ACCOUNTING

What It Does: Now in an app, QuickBooks helps you create invoices, manage expenses and cash flow and view your profit and loss.

Cost: Included with a QuickBooks subscription

Benefits: This app helps you track project budgets, log in your hours and set deadlines to make sure payments are going out and coming in on time. Additional features include creating invoices, tracking sales and customizing sales invoices.