For crossword and puzzle lovers, there’s nothing quite like the New York Times Crossword. As a daily crossword, which starts out easy on Monday and gets progressively more difficult as the week goes on, the NYTimes crossword is legendary. With the New York Times Crossword app, the publication has managed to bring all the fun of the pen and paper version to mobile, plus a whole lot of additional features crossword aficionados will love.
The app operates on a fremium model, so users will have access to a free 7-day trial and thereafter will have to buy a subscription to access all puzzles. But even non-paid subscribers can continue to access free daily “mini” puzzles located on the home screen. In addition to a monthly subscription, users can purchase from a huge variety of puzzle “packs”, organized by theme.
The experience of completing a puzzle in the app is slick -- much slicker than the analog version in fact. Each clue appears along the bottom of the screen and the user taps a forward or back arrow to advance or return. The associated clue is automatically populated. Users can double tap in any square to toggle back and forth between across and down clues. A timer runs in the top left corner, so the user can track their speed. This timer automatically stops when the user exits a puzzle.
The color palette is a minimalist white and black, as one might expect for a crossword. A light blue is used as an accent color throughout, and pops of color used for iconography keeps the interface visually interesting.
New York Times Crossword is a minimal app design in the Arts & Recreation and Entertainment industries.
