Workflowy Explained

WorkFlowy
Logo Alt:	WorkFlowy logo
Logo Caption:	WorkFlowy logo (June 2018)
Developer:	WorkFlowy, Inc.
Released:	August 2, 2010
Operating System:	iOS, Android, Web, Cross-platform
Genre:	Productivity software

WorkFlowy is a web-based outliner created by Mike Turitzin and Jesse Patel at a Y Combinator startup camp. The idea for Workflowy arose from Patel’s prior work experience in project management and his frustration with the lack of useful tools.^[1]

The central feature of the app is a text-based nested list. Writing in The Guardian, novelist Emma Donoghue noted that this aspect of the software allows her to capture and organise "stray idea[s]".^[2]

The app operates on a freemium business model and its straightforward list-like interface has been described as "uncluttered."^[3] by PC World in 2013 and "minimalistically elegant" by The Atlantic in 2016.^[4] Since its launch Workflowy has developed what the Geek Wire describe as "a cult-like following."^[5]

See also

• Org-mode
• Outliner

Notes and References

1. News: Everything Is a List . Slate . August 2, 2012 . April 25, 2016 . Manjoo, Farhad.
2. Web site: On my radar: Emma Donoghue’s cultural highlights . The Guardian . October 6, 2019 . January 24, 2020 . Donoghue, Emma.
3. Web site: 5 free Web tools to organize your thoughts . PC World . September 30, 2013 . April 25, 2016 . Zukerman, Erez.
4. Web site: Tech Tips for the New Year: CloudMagic, Workflowy, ‘Low Light’ Filter on iPad . The Atlantic . January 6, 2016 . November 22, 2016 . Fallows, James.
5. Web site: At top of WorkFlowy founder’s to-do list: Keeping his app’s cult-like following happy . Geek Wire . May 5, 2018 . May 18, 2018 . Lystra, Tony.