Researchers Share Best Mobile Apps for Productivity

A study revealed that out of the 6.3 billion smartphone users across the globe, 88 percent of usage time is spent on apps. To get a glimpse into the technology that our Bridgeside researchers are using – and perhaps to make others aware of something they should be taking advantage of – we hosted a Coffee Talk to learn more. 

Early morning in early October, we set up shop in the Bridgeside lobby to question community members on the types of mobile apps they use for productivity and/or research in exchange for a hot cup of coffee (or hot chocolate) and mini doughnuts. The following are the responses shared and the number of times the same apps were mentioned:

Outlook - 9

Notability - 7

Google Notes - 6

Good Notes - 5

Complete Anatomy - 3

Google Calendar - 3

Quizlet - 3

Notion - 2

PubMed - 2

TikTok - 2

Notes App - 2

Canvas - 2

Acorns - 2

Pomodoro - 1

LabVIEW - 1

OneNote - 1

Apple Clock App - 1

Slack - 1

Mochi - 1

Basecamp - 1

Habit - 1

Flipclock - 1

PubMed Hub - 1

Forest App - 1

Instagram Notes - 1

Facebook - 1

From work email to entertainment, a variety of applications made the list, with some including really interesting features, especially for research and productivity uses. For instance, some of the apps (like LabVIEW) can control laboratory equipment and experiments remotely, providing convenience and flexibility to researchers conducting experiments. Meanwhile, others (such as PubMed Hub) can provide access to vast databases, scientific literature, and research papers, allowing researchers to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in their fields.

In general, a common theme across the board was that mobile apps for research purposes often included data visualization tools that allow researchers to create graphs, charts, and visual representations of their data directly from their mobile device.  

As community members conversed over the topic, they also shared best practices and innovative ways to work smarter, not harder. And that’s something everyone can benefit from!