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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A checkbox can only say two things about a task: not done, or done. A segmented hexagon, as proposed by developer Sinan in a DEV Community article, is meant to show the space in between. The idea is that a task can visibly start filling before it is finished, and the fill grows as work moves forward. Here is how the design works, what the author actually claims, and where the evidence stops.
What the hexagon replaces
A standard to-do checkbox is a binary control. Its only states are empty and ticked, so a task you started on Monday looks identical to one you never touched until the moment you check it off. Sinan’s proposal swaps that mark for a hexagon divided into sections, with the fill level and opacity indicating how far a task has moved. The author’s line that captures the change is: “Unlike a checkbox, it can show progress before a task is done.”
How the marker is meant to behave
The article describes a sequence rather than a single toggle. The stages below are the author’s described mechanics, not measurements from a usability test.
- Write the task properly. Give the task a clear title and description. The author treats this setup as the first real step of the work, and says the hexagon should reflect it by filling partly once that groundwork exists.
- Add completed steps as sections. Each finished sub-step fills one section of the hexagon, so the marker shows how many parts of the task are finished.
- Use opacity for finer increments. Between full sections, different opacity levels can indicate smaller advances, so progress between two steps is still visible.
- Complete the task by clicking. When the work is done, clicking the hexagon fills it completely and closes the task, replacing the tick.
Checkbox versus hexagon
| Task state | Checkbox | Segmented hexagon (author’s design) |
|---|---|---|
| Written but not started | Empty; no way to tell it apart from an untouched item | Partly filled after the title and description are in place |
| Work in progress | Still empty | Filled sections for completed steps; opacity shows smaller increments |
| Finished | Ticked | Fully filled, and the task closes on click |
The motivation argument, and its limits
The author’s rationale draws on the Endowed Progress Effect, the idea that people who feel they have already advanced toward a goal are more motivated to finish it. The article presents this as the reason visible progress matters. It does not cite a named study, researcher, publication year, or measured result for the claim, so the effect should be read as the author’s rationale rather than established evidence that this interface improves completion rates.
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The source is also a first-person design proposal. It does not include a comparative test against checkboxes or any independent usability evaluation of the hexagon. Its value is as a concrete, reproducible idea: the marker logic is simple enough to try in any task tool that allows custom icons or states.
Trying the idea
The author points to a tool of their own, the VS Code extension Cortex – Working Memory for Developers, as the place to try the system. The article does not state current availability, pricing, or terms, so check the extension’s listing in the VS Code Marketplace before installing. If you prefer not to use an extension, you can approximate the behavior by setting up three states in any list app: a title-and-description stage, one sub-step per section, and a final closed state.
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Where to apply it
The hexagon works best for tasks that have several visible stages, such as writing a feature, preparing a report, or migrating a system. For a single-action item like “send invoice,” a checkbox is still the faster mark, and the added states would be clutter.
The source is dated September 16 on the article page. The year is not printed beside that date, so the 2026 context should be treated as inferred rather than confirmed.
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