A new app called Lately launched on the App Store a few weeks ago, targeting people with ADHD to help them arrive on time and rewarding them for doing so.
The service is designed to help users manage their travel plans by notifying them when it’s time to leave for a trip, sending reminders 30 minutes, 10 minutes, and 5 minutes before departure. It also features Live Activities on iPhone and Apple Watch that display a countdown to leave.
To encourage timely departures, Lately employs a point reward system with four difficulty levels.
The easiest level, “Goldfish,” awards users 3 points for being early, 2 points for being on time, and 0 for being late, while the other levels — “Coffee,” “Grown Up,” and “Yoda” — become progressively less forgiving. Yoda, for instance, deducts 2 points for being late.
As users accumulate points, they level up and unlock various virtual characters within the app that serve as achievement badges. While the reward may appear simple, it may provide users with a sense of progress and accomplishment.
Lately was created by indie developer Erik MacInnis to address challenges faced by individuals with ADHD, particularly related to time management.
“I’ve always been the ‘late one’ in my friend group,” MacInnis told TechCrunch. “For many of us, our toughest challenges to leaving on time are time blindness and poor time estimation. Lately addresses both of these problems by keeping the user constantly aware of when to leave, and it’s gamified, so you get points when you arrive on time, which honestly feels good.”
While other similar apps exist — such as an Android app called Time to Leave — MacInnis believes they’re outdated. ADHD apps like Structured and TickTick are mainly for task management and don’t specifically address time blindness for commuting.
During our testing, we found Lately to be helpful, but we wish it could provide time estimations for commuters in large cities who use public transportation or biking. Currently, the app only offers options for driving or walking.
Despite this small limitation, we believe the app can be successful among its target demographic.
Individuals with ADHD frequently feel unmotivated, and specialists often suggest utilizing a reward system to help with self-discipline. Another gamified app, Finch, has gained attention for its point system. The self-care app encourages users to complete daily chores at home or engage in other healthy habits by rewarding them with points that can be used to customize their virtual pet.
MacInnis revealed future plans for Lately, which include a social feature that automatically notifies friends when users leave, when they are five minutes away, and when they arrive. An Android version is also part of the long-term roadmap.
Lately is available for free, but there is also a premium subscription ($3 per month or $10 per year) that offers features like customizing difficulty levels and scheduling recurring trips.