This week, we gave our team the same scenario:
If you were stranded on an island by yourself with nothing but a wiped smartphone, a solar smartphone charger (thank goodness) and enough bandwidth to download only three apps from the app store, what apps would you need in order to live out the rest of your days? Explain your choices.
Here's what they had to say…
Kindle: I love to read. You can often get someone’s lifetime’s worth of knowledge and experience in one book.
Crosswords: I enjoy a challenge. I like not getting it perfect the first time through. That process of solving a puzzle is addictive to me. It’s very similar to coding and even design and branding in some respects.
Headspace: Meditation is my way of clearing my head so that there’s room for creativity, empathy, and innovation.
Music, eBooks, and Memo apps!
I would need the music and eBooks to keep me sane while on the island. Then I would rely on my memo app to help me document my journey and to write stories for anyone who might discover me later!
I would need Kindle, because it will keep me from going nutso, a meditation app for the same reason above, and some kind of music app.
Basically, I think I would view a desert island like being in prison... if you have to do it, at least come out on the other side better for it. I would like to come out better read and calmer. 😉
A writer by trade, I'll want an app like Ulysses or Scrivener to record my thoughts, feelings and experiences while I'm on the island. Who knows, I may even finally get around to writing that novel.
Gotta have a game to pass the time! I choose my favorite data-free mobile RPG, Bastion. A masterpiece in visuals, storytelling and UX, Bastion is designed to be played again and again, which will come in handy on a deserted island.
Music is my life! I'd hope that if and when I'm stranded on this island, my music app is still chock-full with my collection. If not, I guess I'll have to resort to humming my favorite tunes from the mainland.
Hmmm… 🤔
I'd make sure my Amazon Kindle app was loaded with books before getting on the plane/boat that left me deserted.
Old Time Radio has hundreds of – you guessed it – old time radio shows. This will be good to listen to at night. Plus, I can learn all the cool cigarette commercials from the olden days.
I would need a notes app so that I can write and brainstorm thoughts while I wait for my rescue. If rescue never comes, then it will be a good log for those who eventually find it.
If there is no data connection, I would choose the ultimate three apps to keep me entertained for all of eternity: iBooks filled with hundreds of books, the Sudoku app for endless puzzles, and the NYT Crosswords app.
An audio recorder app would allow me to verbally communicate my thoughts or plans to survive, since I rarely write notes.
A camera app would let me snap pictures of things I find beauty in, as well as provide a video archive of my adventures.
Finally, a notepad app would help me plan for things such as steps for building shelter, finding food, etc.
If anyone else ever found themself stranded on this island – an unsuspecting colleague, perhaps – my phone containing my three apps would hopefully help others know the things I did to survive.
Well, is there a desert island survival guide app? ‘Cause that would be number one on my list! Maybe an app that would tell you how to catch and cook seafood? And then I’d need a book app, so I'll have plenty to read while I’m there.
Oh my! What apps work without a data connection? Can I just have my Kindle and lose the phone?
Well, I think the first thing I would do is find some sort of survival guide. The App Store has to have one, right? I don't know the first thing about camping or survival, so I might not make it longer than three days, but hopefully a survival guide app could help.
I would need the Stranger Things game, because that's literally all I have been doing with my free time lately. Its entertainment value would probably be what kept me sane for the majority of the rest of my life alone. Yeah, I’d be grateful to have the Stranger Things game!
Other than that, I’m really not an “app” person, so there’s nothing else I couldn’t live without.
Now that you’ve heard from our team, what three apps would you choose to use for the rest of your life if you were stranded on a deserted island without a data connection? Let us know with a comment on Facebook or Twitter! We’re excited to hear what you have to say.