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The reviews section in the app stores is an interesting read for a curious mobile visitor. We are always interested in what is wrong with the product we want to buy: whether it is a mobile device, a mobile application, headphones or whatever. These inconveniences can influence our final decision, whether or not to make this purchase.

The main reasons for negative reviews are pretty obvious: it’s when people get less than they expected: o the app has a bad user interface, it provides a worse experience than the user expected; or it is too complicated and difficult to navigate. Or maybe the app is buggy and crashes on a particular device model (courtesy of Android) or crashes while performing a particular function. Whatever the case, the result can be displayed to everyone on your app’s page in the store.

Negative reviews are those that contain criticism of the app. They may rate your app 4 (or even 5) stars, so to speak, in advance, with expectations of that small change for the better; what’s more, they provide information about what’s wrong with it. Not that this information is always valuable; but there are good reasons to track down and fix these bugs. The other side is suggestions: when users find your app great, but wish it would be better for them.

Let’s take a look at repeat buyers: According to Econsultancy statistics (going back to 2013), for just 4% of consumers a negative review is enough to make them abandon the idea of ​​buying the reviewed product. However, for 24% of them it is 2 reviews and for 39% it is 3 reviews. Is it so bad for software owners that they get bad reviews? Not quite. Feedback from critics helps improve a product from the very beginning: the development/test stage.

Reviewers really care

Here your app is in the app store, receiving ratings and reviews. The praisers will encourage you to go ahead and treat things as they are; Meanwhile, the critical reviews, while initially disturbing, should encourage you to improve the product. And this is the truth: your application will receive negative reviews. All the major apps have received criticism and will receive it in time. We all keep getting updates with the same word ‘bug fixes’ in the ‘What’s New’ section. Now the questions are why they appear and how to deal with them for your benefit and the good reputation of your mobile product.

Constructive criticism in a comment shows a healthy sign: the user really cares about the app and found the time and willingness to write the review. It’s better than losing silent users coming and going, and you don’t find out what’s wrong. Feedback allows you to react with app updates and fixes.

Respond to criticism and profit

Just as software owners must think like future users when designing and developing a product, they must think in the same way when performing post-release maintenance and support, they must know the users’ point of view, consider it and, therefore, building a kind of collaboration. Pay special attention to recurring reasons for criticism, which can help you substantially improve your app. How can you answer? There are several ways:

1. The obvious way to respond to bugs is to fix them with an update. Don’t forget to mention the fixed issues in ‘What’s New’ and perhaps in the description, to reassure readers that the issue is no longer an issue and to thank them for their attention.

2. It is also possible to prevent bad reviews. Some of them refer to hiccups like weak Wi-Fi signal or working in the background, which can cause such a negative response as “app drains battery in a moment”. Just be sure to alert potential users of possible problems in the description. Add troubleshooting forms. Because these are not errors, this is how your application works.

3. Unlike other app stores, Google Play recently allowed developers to respond to reviews directly in the store.

4. To conclude, a review that doesn’t have an ounce of meaning, can simply be ignored. Especially if there are a lot of positive reviews.

The strength of the positive reviews lies in the numbers; the strength of the negatives is in the quality. Feedback can help you keep the app in shape and stay competitive in the market, and this main benefit is in your hands.

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