Chad Phillips is the Creative Director of Kwambio, an on-demand e-commerce platform that features customizable designs created with heirloom quality 3D printing technology. Before Kwambio, Chad was the Director of Retail at Cooper-Hewitt, the National Design Museum. AMT Lab Contributor Stephanie Sun recently talked to Chad about his favorite apps.

Stephanie Sun: What are the apps you use every day and why do you like them? 

Chad Phillips: My phone is in many ways my personal zone, so the apps are really only for my daily needs. I keep my main screen down to one page, and keep non-Apple (and less used) apps in one folder that is only 4 pages deep. 

Every day I start with Instagram, and I check it way too often and get into deep holes looking at "memes". Then I check the Apple Weather app. I also use Spotify a lot. My commute is really short, but when driving or playing music in the office, it is usually from my phone.

We use Slack at work, so I am on that a lot, and it enables me to keep in touch with our team in Odessa and local. I also drive in NYC, daily, so I use WAZE a lot, and Best Parking if I need a garage, but I have been in NYC long enough to know some tricks.

SS: Is there an app that surprised you with its usefulness?

CP: I just got Like That Garden, which helps identify flowers—I am "flower dumb" but want to learn more, it seems to be helpful when I use it. I also find Shazam insanely useful, though sometimes I know songs it doesn't.

SS: Is there an app you think developers should be working on?

CP: If there was a cleaner way to really see what bands or art events were happening near you, it would be great. Maybe it exists already, but a way to Instagram-follow venues or things you would want to see and you can check in as needed, or get push notifications, etc.

SS: If you could recommend one app to arts managers, what would it be? 

CP: Slack is de rigueur in the startup community along with Trello, they really help trim the email blasts, and keep projects moving forward in an easy way (nicer than a Basecamp I think).