Examples of interface design-Research

As its name suggests, Grid is built around a satisfyingly simple grid-based UI design that brings order to potentially chaotic information. The app's primary purpose is to organise all the different component parts of your projects - notes, pictures, people and places - in a personalised, easy-to-understand way.

Grid has a bespoke user interface called Maestro, which uses a selection of gestures to create a grid structure for any given task, and organise it as you see fit. It's also fully collaborative, so users can share joint plans and contact each other from within the app.

• Always on your smartphone rather than on a written calendar.
• Alerts so you do not miss important things
• Connect to friends, and discover what they have planned
• Very similar to google calendars, although presents information more clearly. 

On his Behance page, German-born, New York-based designer Tobias van Schneider outlines his reasons for creating yet another weather app - with tongue firmly in cheek. The most important reason is to "get to the point", and Authentic Weather certainly does.

Combined with a simple line-drawing icon, the app delivers such charming insights as "it's fucking raining now" and "freezing cold like a fucking fridge", set large in Akzidenz-Grotesk - fulfilling another of van Schneider's goals, to show off the classic "more beautiful than Helvetica" typeface. Swipe up to share; swipe down to look at tomorrow or the day after; and pinch to show the temperature. And that's it.

• Weather projected in a fun format-takes the boring everyday to a new level
• Doesn't feel as reliable as a bbc forecast
• Share aspect-targeted at a younger demographic. 

A multi-award-winning app designed to help users be creative in a more intuitive, natural way, Paper lets you draw with your fingertips with a surprising level of detail - although it also works with a stylus if more precision is required.

Designed exclusively for touch, Paper's UI design has no buttons or settings to worry about - just a series of specialised tools.

• Better than a sketchpad as both hands/stylish may be used.
• Environmentally friendly
• Doesn't feel the same as physically drawing something
• Good for children

Part of the Globe family of apps - which also includes travel guide GlobeMaster and tips calculator GlobeTipping - GlobeConvert Pro makes the perennial challenge of switching between currencies and standard units of measurement much simpler as you travel the world.

The UI design is surprisingly clean and uncluttered, considering the range of options available: over 190 currencies, with dynamically updating exchange rates, and over 80 units of measurement in 10 different categories. It's as straightforward as selecting what you need on the left-hand menu, and entering the necessary values.

• Saves having to google exchange rates
• Simple website
• Easy to use both professionally and leisurely.