This complete app review showcases Phocus, a beautifully designed productivity application that adds the Pomodoro Technique with exceptional visual polish and user experience. Patrick Bisch opens with a relatable meditation on productivity challenges, immediately connecting with readers who struggle with motivation, distractions, and the temptation to abandon tasks for more entertaining activities like gaming or browsing Reddit.
The review thoroughly explores Phocus's addation of the Pomodoro method, which traditionally uses 25-minute work intervals separated by 5-minute breaks, culminating in longer rest periods. However, Phocus elevated this concept by offering complete customization of work, rest, and reward times down to single-minute increments. The app featured a sophisticated color-coded progress bar that gradually transitions through different hues to provide visual feedback on remaining time, plus the option to hide countdown timers for users who preferred purely visual cues.
What sets this review apart is its attention to design details and user experience considerations. Bisch praises developer Marshall Bock's attention to "carefully-thought-out pixels" that shine on Retina displays, and highlights thoughtful sound design including mechanical drawer sounds for menu transitions and satisfying click sounds for toggle switches. The review notes how Tweetbot fans would appreciate the similar design philosophy, and addresses practical concerns like handling interruptions and phone calls during work sessions.
This review captures the early days of premium productivity apps on iOS, when developers were still experimenting with how to translate traditional time management techniques into mobile experiences. Looking back 14 years later, Phocus represented the kind of craft and attention to detail that characterized the golden age of indie iOS development. While productivity apps have since become ubiquitous, this review documents a time when a well-designed Pomodoro timer with beautiful visuals and sound effects could command genuine excitement and detailed coverage from tech bloggers. The included promotional giveaway and community engagement also reflects how app marketing worked in the pre-social media saturation era.
This summary was created by Dave Rogers. The original post was written by Patrick Bisch and published on November 1, 2011.
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