Show Settings->Apps on desktop as a distinct icon? Sometimes I want to kill a buggy application (ANR) I've deployed to my LG G3. This seems to be done on Lollipop via Settings->General->Apps. I find it quite tedious to get there, every time I have to kill something that isn't responding. Sadly, the Settings app resets the tabs each time, so once I enter Settings, I must change tab to General, scroll down, hit Apps, scroll down to find the app, enter its screen, and then finally kill it - tedious if you value a fast workflow.

On my old Samsung Galaxy S (Gingerbread), I could get to "Apps" much more easily.

What I'd really like is to have a desktop icon that takes me straight to the "Apps" part of Settings.

Is that even possible? Better yet, are there any nice shortcuts for killing the focused application?
Simple enough without installing apps. Lollipop (at least my G3's build) lets you to go the activities carousel by pressing Square. In that view, you can close any app down using the X in the top right.