Let's Get Going Today

Every once in a while, Pokémon Go updates a small part of its interface with a new feature, but the update can be a very good one. Such is the case for one of the more recent updates, which added something called the Today View. This little feature is accessed by tapping the binoculars icon - the same one to access Research - and it will be the first thing that appears after restarting the game and going there, as an additional tab to the Field and Special Research tabs. As stated, it's a little update, but it's a good one because of what it contains.

First and foremost, the Today View contains a summary of the event(s) that are occurring at the moment in the game, along with their officially designated titles and the perks that occur with them. When the Today View first became live, this sub-feature wasn't live, but with a recent event (more on this later on), the sub-feature became live. The great thing about this is that it allows one to quickly and succinctly refer to events as they occur, especially if one hasn't read the related news bulletin and/or blog post, though the event cards still refer to both (the former containing the latter) when tapped. This obviously also helps me write my event rollups, so it is a good thing all around.

Below the event boxes, the Today View contains an overview of all Pokémon that are currently present in Gyms, along with their motivation state and the length of time they have been there. This information is not new and can be accessed by going to the profile and to the "More Gyms" section, but it is not succinct and has to be browsed through Gym by Gym. With this overview, one is able to see everything at once and even go directly to the Gym where each resides to feed them remotely if a raid is not occurring. Like the event cards above, it is a neat aggregate of information that already exists for what may be an instance of informed decision-making.

After the overview of Pokémon in Gyms, there is the overview of the Daily Streaks, for both capturing Pokémon and spinning PokéStops. By my experience, this is a quickly-forgotten piece of information since it is shown only once during the respective circumstances in one day and is not immediately evident until those circumstances. By having them included here, they are immediately evident at any time and can be acted upon if needed, which is almost certainly the point of their inclusion. With this information on hand, there is certainly the possibility that fewer streaks will be broken and more streaks will be achievable to the ultimate peak of seven days.

The blog post for this feature also bills the inclusion of an "Upcoming" section, but it is currently not visible; it will likely be visible later on once an event is definitely in the pipeline. Additionally, the blog post bills that there will be more things added to Today View, and that is intriguing. The card-based design of this feature is likely fully intended to accommodate such a possibility, and that is totally welcome. Given the tendency of the cards to aggregate information such as the above, newly added cards in the future will be likely to do the same, presenting information that were once invisible or isolated in a form that can be quickly processed.

This little update for Pokémon Go truly delivers, especially regarding its benefits. Today View attempts to provide good information that may be easily missed or hard to find to make sure that they aren't as such, and from the looks of the current state of the feature, that seems to be achieved. What will be certain is the improvement of the feature at later times in order to present more and better information. It would be enough to get anyone in Pokémon Go going, even on a day like today.

One year ago: Expecting the Detective
Two years ago: Bandai Pokémon Sun & Moon Pokémon Lover Mascot 6 - Wobbuffet
Three years ago: Evolution Revolutions?