Larissa Oh

Split view with Today and [mammoth trip] list
Split view with Today and "mammoth trip" list

0% DAU growth from launching split view feature for enhanced efficiency

A cross-platform productivity tool to organize life, write things down, and remember more Twos

Product Designer Collaborated with Founder-Developer
6 weeks Feature add to existing web/desktop app
Freelance UX Product Strategy

Boosting productivity and market edge with split view

Split view feature is expected to significantly improve experience by allowing users to seamlessly view and edit information in two separate panes, boosting efficiency. This isn’t just a cool feature, it positions Twos as a strong contender in the ever-growing PKM and productivity space, while sticking to its pledge to remain free forever.

In the first 3 months of shipping the split view, Twos experienced

30% DAU

40% WAU

20% MAU

First reactions from Twosers from Discord community and release video

"Wowzer! This is terrific...already lovin' it"

"This is another game-changing update…"

"One of the best new features released recently"

"I use it every day. It's easy to understand and navigate"

Addressing Twosers needs for better organization on desktop

Twos App, launched in 2015, leverages the singularity of things, individual pieces of information, to empower users to capture information easily and share it privately or publicly. While Twosers, the app’s users, enjoy capturing things on the go with the mobile app, the current single-list view in the web and desktop app hinders efficient organization. This research identified the need for better organization features to meet Twosers’ needs for deep work and managing their captured information.

Twos single-list view
Twos single-list view

Evolve beyond capture to prioritize efficient organization features

Twos has thrived on primarily building around capture, especially on mobile. However, to truly empower users and unlock the potential of their knowledge, efficient organization features are crucial. Capturing ideas is just the first step. Twos must evolve to become a great tool for not just capture, but also organization.

Key iOS mobile app screens: Today and List
Key iOS mobile app screens: Today and List

User-centric collaboration to design a multi-content view to break the single-list barrier

Single-list view limits the experience. While exploring multi-content options in other tools, I realized a problem: the reliance on parent-child relationships. Twos prioritizes the “singularity of things,” meaning information functions independently, sometimes irrelevant from others. This requires search capability for the split pane.

Close collaboration with the founder-developer streamlined decision-making, allowing us to prioritize user needs while navigating technical limitations. Through research analysis and exploration with mid-fidelity wireframes, we identified a pragmatic solution: a split view feature for dual-content view. This design directly addresses user requirements and paves the way for a smoother workflow.

Opted to use the right-most FAB option with an appear-on-hover card peek and to keep the original sidebar navigation menu allows for faster build and zero disruption to Twosers' workflow
Opted to use the right-most FAB option with an appear-on-hover card peek and to keep the original sidebar navigation menu allows for faster build and zero disruption to Twosers' workflow

Twosers embracing split view with soaring usability scores

All Twosers who participated in an interactive prototype testing rated the split view feature a perfect 5/5 for ease of use, usefulness, and expected use frequency. While feedback included minor UI tweaks, Twosers call for clearer in-app guidance and user education on features.

List Header: before (top) and after (bottom) feedback with clearer icons for quick open and add split view. Split modal: before (left) and after (right) feedback with clearer copy
List Header: before (top) and after (bottom) feedback with clearer icons for quick open and add split view. Split modal: before (left) and after (right) feedback with clearer copy

Twosin’ with split view

With the split view feature, Twosers are now able to work with two content panes side-by-side. Each pane offers independent navigation and search, maximizing screen space and minimizing context switching. Activate split view. Say goodbye to tab juggling and hello to enhanced information management.

Hover to the right the central pane for FAB to open split view
Hover to the right the central pane for FAB to open split view
Split view modal, a variation of the current move modal, prompts Twosers to choose which list to view
Split view modal, a variation of the current move modal, prompts Twosers to choose which list to view
Drag handle to adjust the split panes' width
Drag handle to adjust the split panes' width
Adding split view to the existing quick action buttons for lists and sublists for quick split
Adding split view to the existing quick action buttons for lists and sublists for quick split

Equipping Twosers with feature knowledge to maximize the app’s value

To ensure Twosers discover and understand Two’s full potential, Twos team should prioritize improving update communication within the app as the next step. The more Twosers know, the more they’ll use it, stick around and help Twos grow even bigger. Win-win!

More from Larissa

Simple Metalens