Review: Doodle for iPhone

If you have ever tried to gather a group of busy people for a meeting, lunch, or party, it’s pretty messy.  Either busy-searching your co-workers or dredging through loads of Facebook messages, time suggestions get lost in the fray of a multi-platform planning nightmare.  Thankfully, Doodle has the simplistic answer.  Teaming with Doodle.com, Neoos developed “Doodle for iPhone,” the perfect app for your party planning committee… or any other important gathering, of course.

Functionality

First, allow a brief background of Doodle.com for those who have not yet discovered the simplicity of planning.  When trying to define a specific time to meet friends or colleagues, Doodle will create a time-based survey.  The user designates suggested days and times for the Doodle survey then emails a private link to additional participants, who select their available time slots (example).  Doodle then keeps the responses and presents a report of the available times for all respondents to the Doodle administrator.

Until now, the Doodle interface was merely a web-based experience.  Thanks to Neoos, Doodle for iPhone brings complete control to your iDevice – from poll creation to invitation response.  Considering the outlined features, the port from web to app is seamless and perfect.  The features of Doodle for iPhone include:

  • Respond to survey links by tapping participation links (ex. via Mail)
  • Initiate and track meeting requests
  • Utilize iPhone contact list to invite participants
  • See best time to meet from result page
  • Leave participants survey comments
  • Easily manage multiple surveys from Dashboard
  • Connect with MyDoodle account
  • Manage Doodle surveys from the native Calendar app

Design

Doodle for iPhone is minimalistic, which is exactly what one would expect.  Neoos did not try to jazz up a simplistic service with a lot of bells and whistles – for that I am thankful.  The UI is easily navigable, as seen below.

Conclusion [rating: 5/5]

Ultimately, there is not a whole lot to say about Doodle for iPhone except – it is flawlessly executed.  Neoos nailed this app.  Behaving exactly as expected, Doodle for iPhone ($2.99, iTunes Link) is perfect for managing your surveys on a mobile platform and the high-dollar price tag is well-worth the expense for Doodle power users.  Stop guessing when your friends are available.  Send them a Doodle, right from your iPhone!

Pros

  • Exact port from web-version
  • Plan meetings on the go!
  • Respond to other Doodles from iDevice
  • Integrate with iCal and native Calendar app
  • Graphical view of responses
  • View names of respondents

Cons

  • Would prefer the option for push notifications when responses are received or all respondents have completed the survey
Jim Gresham

An avid Macintosh convert, Jim appreciates the fine, detailed, and progressive products Apple designs. He spent his younger years tinkering with computers, reading about technology, and watching Star Wars. Since 2008, he has worked on improving his Apple arsenal and spends his free time researching the latest gadget trends. A native of the Commonwealth of Virginia, he enjoys the stiff crease on a well-ironed dress shirt and dons a bow tie on a regular basis.