I’ve written about my frustration with mobile calendar apps before. The most annoying part of dealing with calendars on a mobile device is context switching between communication apps (chat, email) and calendars (for availability). It’s an experience that could be solved by integrating communication features like chat directly within a calendar app itself. Every event would open to a chat message between attendees.
This would do a number of things:
- Chat and email would be freed of the clutter of coordination messages. The back and forth to coordinate events is a huge reason events don’t happen at all. This friction is bad enough that it prevents real world social interaction.
- It would be easier to refer back to conversations and documents related to the event itself, and create a forum to review/rate event.
- It would give calendars a natural network effect - more people on this app would add value to everyone else on the platform in your social circle.
Calendars are an inherently social product that we are all forced to play in single player mode - just because of lack of options. Hoping this changes soon and Google/Apple fixes this problem.