Google Tasks
Overview
A conceptual redesign of Google Tasks that rethinks how people manage recurring responsibilities. Over 7 weeks at Parsons, this project interrogated why productivity tools so rarely feel empowering — and proposed a system that adapts to how users actually work.
Problem Discovery
The Problem
Google Tasks is functional but forgettable. It lives in the margins of other Google products without a clear identity of its own. Users who actually need a task manager abandon it for more opinionated tools — or default back to sticky notes.
No sense of progress
Checking off a task disappears it entirely. There is no history, no celebration, no momentum built over time.
Weak recurring tasks
Recurring task management is rigid — there is no way to reschedule a missed task without it feeling like failure.
Context-blind
Tasks have no concept of energy, location, or context — everything is equally urgent, which means nothing is prioritised.
Features
Redesign Proposals
Momentum View
A weekly completion strip that visualises streaks and progress — making the invisible work of recurring tasks visible.
Flexible Recurrence
Tasks that missed their window roll forward gracefully, with a "do it now" or "reschedule" prompt instead of silent overdue states.
Context Tags
Tag tasks by energy level or location — "low effort", "at desk", "outside" — and filter your list to what's actually doable right now.
Focus Mode
A distraction-free single-task view that surfaces one item at a time, chosen by the system based on context and priority.
Behind the Idea
Research
Research began with a heuristic evaluation of Google Tasks against Nielsen's 10 usability principles, followed by 6 user interviews. Participants included students, freelancers, and knowledge workers who had tried and abandoned the app. A competitive audit of Todoist, Things 3, and Notion rounded out the landscape.
"I know I should use it. I even set it up. But after a week I just stopped opening it. It just didn't feel like mine."
— User Interview, Participant 5Ideation
Exploring Solutions
Ideation centred on two tension points uncovered in research: the need for structure versus the need for flexibility, and the desire to feel productive without adding more cognitive load. Three concept directions were sketched, critiqued, and merged into a single proposal.
Low-Fidelity
Wireframes
Wireframes mapped the three core flows: adding a task, reviewing the week's momentum, and handling a missed recurring task. Each flow was tested on paper before moving to Figma.
Testing
Usability Testing
4 moderated sessions were run with the mid-fi prototype using participants who had previously abandoned Google Tasks. Tasks tested: create a recurring task, handle an overdue item, and review weekly progress.
Finding 01
"Momentum View" was the most emotionally resonant feature — participants described it as "finally feeling like I'm making progress."
Finding 02
Context tags needed clearer labelling. "Low effort" was misread as "low priority" — renamed to energy-based language.
Finding 03
The overdue handling flow tested well — all 4 participants said it "removed the guilt" of a missed task.
High-Fidelity
Final Designs
The final designs retain Google's Material You language while introducing a warmer, more personalised layer on top. The gold accent signals accomplishment without being distracting.