Breaking down the App Store's new layout
iOS developer Justine Pratt (who's created a series of utility apps for iPhone and iPad) has put together a nice, long analysis from the developer perspective of what the new App Store design can do for apps. Apple recently revamped the App Store on iOS devices, introducing several changes that a lot of developers didn't like, simply because their business was based on either how the apps originally appeared or how the search algorithm (which was revamped as well) listed their apps.
Pratt describes the recent changes and explains how developers can benefit from the current design. For instance, an app's icon and initial screenshot have always been important. The new design makes those elements even more prominent, so devs should take extra care to make their assets as eye-popping as possible. Also in the new design, ratings are given less importance, and an app's last updated date is given more, so Apple is trying to reward devs who update apps frequently. Pratt's analysis reveals how Apple believes customers should search for apps.
There are some other interesting changes as well. There's now an "App Support" button next to the "Write a Review" button, so hopefully that will keep confused customers from complaining in the reviews section about bugs that should really be reported straight to the developer. Pratt runs through quite a few interesting changes. Whether you're an App Store developer, or just interested in what this new design means for them, the post is worth a read.
