Developing an Interface for the Futureof Mass Market Software Distribution

Informa Mobile User Experience Conference: 18, November 2009

presented by Stephanie Rieger

8 ways to improvethe app store user experience(that don’t involve squeezing

more stuff onto a small screen)

what I will not talk about

who has a store

what it looks like

the platforms it supports

the ecosystem around it

its billing mechanisms

revenue models

its politics

or, the number of apps in the store

these things are all (incredibly) important,so important that...

stores that are launched on a whim, have low reach and unpopular tools,

policies or platforms will eventually have to adapt, re-think...or go away

and when the dust clears,it will simply leave

a great big store full of content :-)

so let’s take a closer look a the store

stores have been around a long timeand they all have one thing in common...

products, or if you prefer...inventoryCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidw/1245345652/in/set-72157601682265152

they also share similar concerns...

discoveryCC-BY 2.0, http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracyhunter/101864931/

searchCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidw/1245345652/in/set-72157601682265152

wayfindingCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/slybeck/25847359/

and compete in similar ways...

drawing you inCC BY 20 http://www.flickr.com/photos/roosterfarm/445442722/

by impulseCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetalone/2171035379/

through need or convenienceCC-BY 2.0, http://www.flickr.com/photos/bignavijp/3800631373/

costCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/2899006860/

recommendationCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/glynnis/358502163/

(pointless) differentiationCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/slybeck/25847359/

opportunities for personalizationCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/smith/81109/

...and serviceCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/scornish/1764306516/sizes/l/

...in other words,basic retailing and merchandising

ok, but...the digital stores are different

we have these things called databases

endless shelf-space

contextual advertising

a decade of best-practices,design patterns

algorithms, tagging, microformats...

you can find anything, anytime

intelligently target and profile everyone

recommendation is practically “built-in”

a lot of “real-world”problems just go away...

or do they...?

TIP #1: plan for ‘real people’

app stores see content as inventory(which it is...)

except people don’t actually want inventory

when people make a purchase, they are looking to fulfill a need

they want to explore

play

solve a problemmake friends

communicate

share

feel happy

show off

feel comforted

reciprocate

save face

celebrate

because unlike computers, people arefickle, unpredictable...complicated

1 person 1 phone 1 culture

but app stores, tend to view people like this

+ +

when in fact...

user accounts assume one-region

“not available in the UK store”

few stores consider (or enable)a multi-device experience

real people also shop for other people

gifting apps or content

gifting + out of box experience

+

TIP #2: Prioritize metadata

the more popular your app store is,the less useful categories become

Board games: page 1 of 70

...so then there’s search

but indexing this is not exactly easy

so search has to rely on metadataprovided by app vendors

(which might be fine if these guyswere metadata experts)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/haimediagroup/2402295757/

Case study: iStockphotoonline content marketplace

5+ million items for sale70,000+ artist contributorsdetailed approval process

primary discovery mechanism: search

detailed (curated) and tiered categories

taxonomies & assisted keyword generation

disambiguation

TIP #3: Editorial is your friend

roll up your sleeves and actually look at the content :-)

iStockphoto again...

inventory management:open and closed categories

Needed filesNot needed

(i.e. closed category)

TIP #4: Help them, help you

think of it as a partnership

if vendors look good, you look goodand vice versa

proactively simplify their pain points

iStockphoto again...

training manual

manage vendor expectations

increases approval rate

clarify guidelines(e.g. IP, legal)

another example...Apple

remember these guys?

making an app is easy, making an icon...not so much

http://www.urbanartguide.de/

icons made effortless

automatedcorner radius

and transparency

icon glow can be disabled if

needed

start with this

TIP #5: Make it personal

“staff picks” make things more personal,now take them to the next level

iStockphoto again...

premium content hand-picked by domain experts + higher royalties for vendors

iStockphoto, Vetta collection

premium cost

1% of overall collection

TIP #6: Make it acessible

a lot of purchases just happen

people stumble-upon stuff they wantwhile doing other stuff...

so discovery is hard to architect

if you make it insanely easyto reach your content(from any platform)

you start to see stuff like this....

iPhone apps

movie marketing

Jamie Oliver (TV + web tie-in)

Click to buyfrom the App

Store

TV + desktop

which can then come full-circle...

with stuff like this...

“iPhone Appsfrom TV Ads”

TIP #7: Explore other touchpoints

offline app sales could bea natural extension for certain stores

here’s how they could work...

http://duoguo.cn

mobile content stores and kiosks in China

Duoguo

...and a less formal (and legal) variantin Thailand

and it’s not just an “Asian thing”...

“would you like a Google app with that?”

Best Buy “Walk Out Working” service

+

http://bestbuyinc.com/news_center/11-05-09/best-buy%C2%AE-mobile-announces-partnership-google-co-market-google-mobile-app

now what if...

destination stores...True Urban Park, Bangkok

buy a mobile... some books, or music.... bring your laptop...have a coffee...

and buy some apps...?

Apple stores

Microsoft retail

even better if you can make it an activityCC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/smith/81109/

TIP #8: Consider segmentation

we’re familiar with segmentationin other industries

“iconic style”

“accessible luxury”“great fashion, great prices”

fashion

automotive

Cadillac

GMC

Chevrolet

so far, app stores are selling pretty muchany app that passes the acceptance criteria

but segments are emergingwhich could justify a “store within a store”

the “pass-back” apps for kids

adult

business/enterprise

personal shopping “money--but no time”

and a final tip: if you’re not in it for the long run,

get out while you still can :-)

thank yousteph@yiibu.com