Win or lose in the app economy

Posted by Jaan on November 9th, 2009 | Add your comment

Apps rule the web and our devices: web apps, Facebook apps, iPhone apps, Android apps, …

Many agree with Zynga CEO Mark Pincus that the app economy is in fact “web 3.0“ .

Be that as it may, apps are part of our digital eco system and to avoid being eaten companies must understand how to communicate around their apps. Or to quote BusinessWeek “Apps will help determine technology’s next big winners“.

And as usual, it is all in the details.

Updating ones apps is an important part of the app economy; to increase the stability of apps or get new features occasional updates are needed. Nothing wrong in that. For app publishers this is also an excellent opportunity to communicate with us – you and me – the people that allow these applications to populate our lifelines, aka our smartphones and laptops.

Below are update screens for three iPhone apps. Two of them are in my opinion at the top of the app eco system and do a good job in communicating, and the third has room for improvement.

First up, The NYTimes app.
Here is an app publisher who, unsurprisingly, knows how to communicate.

The good:

Clear version number.

Bullet pointed features list for the current and previous update.

Two ways to contact the app team.

The bad:

Nothing really, just a minor detail. The update screen would have been even clearer if the 2.3.1 version info had been displayed above the 2.3 info.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Next up, Units.
A transparent app publisher.

The good:

They get straight to the point and apologize for issues with an earlier update.

While they don’t go in to detail, it’s nice that they acknowledge their inability to quickly isolate the issue.

A request for continued feedback.

Version details.

The bad:

“Bug fixes” is too vague.

The lack of an email address, contact URL or Twitter ID.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

And thirdly, Madden NFL 10.
Here is, in my opinion, a missed opportunity. And it pains me because I am a huge Madden and EA fan and I expected more from Electronic Arts. (Disclosure: I have a friend who works for EA.)

The good:

The actual update, the iTunes feature. Not sure however why it is not listed at the top.

The bad:

No version number.

Vague copy: “IMPROVED GAME EXPERIENCE Our goal is to polish & deliver…”. If the update provides an improved game experience please tell us how. The generic “our goal is to…” doesn’t contribute anything.

Advertising on the update screen of a paid app feels wrong. Plus promoting a different app as users are about to update the one they own may cause them to skip the update and go looking for Tiger Woods. And if that’s ok maybe this update wasn’t worth our time in the first place.

Rating: 1 out of 5.

In conclusion then, being upfront, clear and concise, offering ways to contact the publisher, and generally being respectful of user’s time are all imperative for success in the app economy.

Or in other words, what we have learned about interacting on the web of today is equally true for apps. Luckily, there is always the next update to improve with.