You know that sinking feeling you get after greeting your new professional happy hour pal Jason only to find out oops, their name is really James? Awkward. Remembering names is crucial to networking, and not everyone is gifted with facial recall. In fact, most aren’t.
Working a new person’s name into a conversation three times allegedly helps you remember, but it’s also uncomfortable if the name use is unnatural to the conversation flow. Plus, since that trick is common knowledge, it can come off as a bit obvious. And salesy. Thus, smarmy.
But now there’s an app for that. With Name Shark, you can create and play personalized quizzes to finally nail that whole name and face association thing.
Developed by Utah-based company Awesome Geekness, Name Shark features a variety of quizzes to increase your memory skills. In the app, you can create multiple groups, separating out important business contacts from the kids you’re coaching in Little League.
Groups can be shared publicly or privately with other users or devices through an in-app purchase of $3.99 for a one year subscription. With the subscription, you can even password protect groups, or enable access only through code sharing to keep client information secure.
The uses are truly endless, from remembering Game of Thrones characters to impress your fantasy nerd friends, quickly learning new co-workers names, identifying vendors for upcoming tradeshows, or brushing up on sports players.
Name Shark is easy enough to use. Simply create a group, add contacts, and get started. Once you’ve uploaded a picture, you just add a first and last name and any important details. From there, you can take four different quizzes.
Self Practice features flip-style flashcards and isn’t scored, and is a great place to start building your memory self-esteem without being judged by a score or timer.
The Faces Quiz displays nine pictures Brady Bunch style, and you’re prompted to select the pic that matches the name. With the Names Quiz, a single picture is displayed with a variety of name options to choose.
If you really want to up your game, the Details Quiz has you select which name matches provided information. Track your own high scores and completion time to see improvement over time.
Sure, you might look like a serial killer if someone looks over your shoulder as you’re studying faces in a coffee shop, but you do you. Gotta remember all those names and faces somehow, might as well use your spare time on the app. Name Shark is currently available in the App Store for free.
