Lifehack.org is a website dedicated providing articles detailing how to get things done quickly. As far as their app goes, it does quite the opposite. If you are a follower of Lifehack.org (the Web site) then you will probably want to check out the Lifehack (the app) by Stepcase Limited. Unfortunately, don’t get your hopes up for anything spectacular.

The app in general is very straightforward, providing the user with the same bottom navigation common in many other apps. The menu contains Latest, Featured, Productivity, Technology and More which includes articles on money, communicate, lifestyle and management. If you’re familiar with Lifehack.org’s site you will recognize the categories as the same that exist online. That’s good, no need to confuse users with changing terminology. Each of these categories simply split up the articles posted on the site. The overall design is similar to many basic iPhone and iPod touch newsreader layouts.

I don’t understand why Lifehack.org decided to create a downloadable app over a web app. The form and function could have easily been implemented into a iPhone-friendly site. There are no additional features that make creating the app more beneficial than using a web app version. Once you venture far enough into an article — for example by tapping the button to add a comment — you are brought to Lifehack’s Web site. There is no way to save articles to a favorites folder or even mark articles as “read.”

Companies should ask themselves a one simple question before designing an app. Are we going to implement anything that we can’t do on the web? If the answer is no — which in this case it definitely is — then save time and money and build the app as a web app.

So, without added functionality why use the Lifehack App? Some readers will appreciate a one-button link to the most current Lifehack.org articles. Rather than firing up Safari and typing an address it’s simpler to just open the app and start reading.

Overall Stepcase Limited’s Lifehack app does what it is meant to do. Unfortunately, it could easily have been done better.

Editor’s Note: Although we didn’t experience issues with stability, some users have complained that Lifehack.org crashes unexpectedly. Stepcase says an update is awaiting approval.