Best practices for Calendar design

Summary

The article discusses best practices and common pitfalls in calendar design, with a focus on the user interface and experience, using Apple and Google calendars as practical examples.

Abstract

The article "Best practices for Calendar design — FIX-UX" delves into the complexities of creating an effective and user-friendly calendar interface, emphasizing the importance of good design to prevent confusion and misinformation. It highlights the need for visual balance, avoiding interface overload, and ensuring customization options for users who are visual beings. The piece underscores the importance of performance, noting that a slow calendar can lead to mistrust and frustration. It also stresses the significance of consistent data display for a good user experience. The author contrasts the strengths and weaknesses of Apple and Google calendars, noting Apple's consistency, clear agenda, and easy navigation against its limited customization and higher cost. Google's calendar is praised for its powerful features, integration with other Google services, and free access, but criticized for privacy concerns due to data collection and a less intuitive interface for new users.

Opinions

Interface overload, with excessive text, colors, and unexplained icons, is a common issue, particularly in booking apps.
Limited customization options can detract from the user experience, as users enjoy personalizing their tools.
Performance issues in calendars are unacceptable in 2023, as users rely on the accuracy and speed of their tools.
Inconsistent data display, such as placing a search bar in an unexpected location, leads to a poor user experience and lack of consistency.
Apple Calendar is commended for its consistency, clear agenda presentation, and ease of event creation but is critiqued for its inability to fully customize the main interface and its high price point.
Google Calendar is recognized for its powerful features, extensive customization options, and seamless integration with other Google apps, but raises privacy concerns and is seen as less intuitive for first-time users.

Best practices for Calendar design — FIX-UX

One of the most complex and demanding components for UI/UX designers is definitely the Calendar. With the addition of features, the calendar becomes a table of strange information and misinformation if it is not well designed.

There are many calendar options with different usages on different platforms. For example, Booking.com offers date-picker in form of a calendar, or Skyscanner, and Apple, Google, and Microsoft offer calendars in form of productivity & organizing tools.

I won’t write about do’s, it is just the opposite of don’t do.

Interface overload — too much text, too many colors, too many unexplained icons (mostly issue on the booking apps) note: user can remember ~4 icons on the first sign

Limited customization — we are visual beings, and we like to customize

Performance issue — if the calendar is slow, users cannot rely on the truthness of shown data and it is annoying, and not acceptable for 2023.y

Inconsistent data display — imagine having a calendar in the bottom right, or a searchbar on the left side below the calendar, without context. Users cannot expect it there, it offers a bad user experience and kills constancy.

Let’s see it on some practical examples comparing and looking into Apple & Google calendars.

Apple Calendar

Why is good?

Offers consistency — you can expect the same features ( base features ) as on every other calendar

Clear and visible agenda — personal/work/fam.. part nicely separated not only with the grid but with colors, which is scientifically proven to improve memorization

The current date points clearly

Timeslots are marked with an event name/first word, perfect for the UX because the user is not misled, with this approach user is saved of one additional click to expand the event to read what is about

Noticeable weekends/non-working days

Easy navigation, searching, and filtering

Partial customization — you can customize the calendar by color, grids, visibility, etc. Easy to keep things organized

Letters large enough

Event creation is easy, clear, and understandable, they also support additional notes and links, and even file attachments

The icon for bday is clearly marked and points to the exact thing, user as soon as sees the icon connects event with the bday, the same is with the other apple icons

Why is not so good?

Customization of the main interface is unable same as on the other Apple products

It doesn’t offer many features outside of the standard package

Not clear where the DOWNLOAD calendar option stands, it is an important feature and should be on the first sight visible

Price — same as all Apple products, high and someone cannot use Apple calendar without buying some Apple product

2. Google calendar

Why is good?

Easy manipulating, for example: if you want to delete an event just click on the delete on the keyboard

More powerful than the Apple calendar

Offers a range of customization options, allowing users to change the color, font, and layout/interface of their calendar

Awesome integrated with other Google apps, such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Meet, making it easy to access

Follows standards (for example, date pickers on the left side, current date in the colored circle, marked clearly, navigation on the expected position)

It is free

Why is bad?

Privacy — google is well known for data collecting

All fonts are almost the same and look monotonous

It is supposed to be intuitive but it is difficult for first-time users to know how to navigate

No agenda for the icons in the right navigation

There is much more to write about in the context of calendars(mobile versions, date pickers etc.), I will probably cover that in the next post.

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