Rob Sanchez
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Which apps are ​loved at launch?

Short app design reviews of Apple's App of the Day
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App ux Review #23: Allset - order ahead

2/23/2018

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Possibly the best on boarding yet in addition to a beautifully simple app. Will you try it?
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LOVED
  • Allows you to get to the value of the app (browse restaurants and make a call ahead order) ASAP. I’m curious how many people actually diverge at this point to the “Sign Up” flow. If it’s not high, I would make an argument that they skip this screen and go straight to asking for location permission.
  • Primes us for why they need location permission before just asking for it.
  • Very clean and simple. Everything works as expected and the app isn’t filled with unnecessary features.
  • Well designed empty state screens in the Recent Orders tab as well as in the Profile. If the user doesn’t have any data saved, make sure to explain that and give them a way to fix it!
  • The notification permission primer page actually has an example of what the potential value could be, so it allows the user to visualize how it could make their lives better by enabling it.
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NOT A FAN
  • The only nitpick I have is that they could have delayed requesting notification permission. At the point they ask, there’s nothing that they could notify me about that is super valuable, so my guess is these notifications may be of the “remember to use us!” variety. If they could wait until after the user places an order or at least when they add something to their car, that would be the perfect time.
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App review #22: Poshmark

2/22/2018

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LOVED
- Allowed me to skip the account setup on first launch (although it was hard to see the "X" and hard to tap).
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NOT A FAN
- The app redirected me into a "party" that was not relevant for me at all. If you are going to to divert a new users attention, you have to be sure that it's going to be relevant for them.
- I would have loved to see some way early on for me to give my preferences (shoe size, brands, etc) to help eliminate some of the options in the app that just aren't relevant for me.
- The walkthrough guide was not very useful, it didn't really sell the benefits to me and it didn't help me use the app. Since I had already downloaded the app, there's no need for this to be here.
- Asked for notifications permission without promising any value.
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app review #21: laugh.ly comedy radio

2/21/2018

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Do you get frustrated when you have to sign up for an account before you’ve used an app? Let me know below.
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LOVED
  • The concept. I’m a huge stand-up comedy fan and spend lots of time in my car…I’m the ideal user of this app.
  • Got me to buy-in by selecting my favorite comic. I got excited and was primed to get my laugh on!
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NOT A FAN
  • But…that didn’t happen. I was forced into a funnel of either signing up for a free trial or creating an account just in order to hear my first.
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RANT
  • There’s no good reason that I shouldn’t be able to try almost any service, especially content service, before I buy. Creating an account is a commitment. We take it for granted now because it’s so easy to click the Facebook/Google login button and be magically transported to an app. But every time we do that, we give away data about us and opening us up to more and more spam from all of these businesses who just want you to engage with them so bad.
  • INSTEAD: what if every business put as much effort into making your first experience so incredibly delightful that they actually feel compelled to come back to your app and pay for it, without being pressured three times a week to do it?
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app review #20: forest - Stay Focused

2/20/2018

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​Have you ever wanted to be more productive AND help the planet? Well here's your chance! This app uses a pomodoro-style productivity tool with cute animations and game mechanics to keep you focused. When you earn enough points, you can cash those in to help plant a real tree in the real world. What do you think of this app?
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LOVED
- The concept of this app is great, I'd love a pomodoro-style app that can encourage me to be more focused.
- The animations and graphics are fun and playful.
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NOT A FAN
- However...for an app that's all about focusing and being productive, this app sure does have a lot of fluff. I'd personally rather it be simpler so I don't feel overwhelmed learning all the features!
- A lot of their icons (including their menu) don't have text labels and they aren't clear what their behavior will be.
- The app prompts the user to explore various focus times as well as types of "trees" but almost any of the options are locked and direct the to the "store" which is just unnecessary info for the user at this point. Simplify this and show them the value they were promised sooner!
- Could have done a better job at priming me for the notification permission by stating that it's important for me to be notified when my time is up, etc.
- Their onboarding guide graphics and colors started changing towards the end in an unexpected way.
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App review #19: moment screen time

2/19/2018

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How much do you really use your smart phone in a day? The results may surprise you. Today I take a look at the Moment screen time tracker to see if their app can woo me enough to make me a user. What do you think? Leave your comments below!
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LOVED:
- Permission priming. The app lets me know why it will ask for permission it actually prompts me to allow it, that way I can see the value it will provide.
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NOT A FAN:
- The requirement to select "Always Allow" for location permission wasn't clear to me. It's hidden in tiny text on a notification prompt. Moment had an entire screen dedicated to why it needed my location info...seems like the perfect chance to explicitly say the option I need to choose.
- Not a whole lot of data in here once you get set up. It's one of those apps where you'll need to come back in to see how it's going. This is a challenge because the user can easily leave the app without seeing any value. This is likely the reason they asked for notification permission at the start. I do think that they could think more on what value they could provide to a user right away. Perhaps it's stats on their users or tips to decrease your usage. They seem to have something similar in their "Coach" section, but it's too detailed for me. Strip that section to the bones and present it right after the user allows the required permission.
- As I think about it, if they are going to insist on a permission flow at the outset, I'd prefer it was full screen and better designed so that they can get all of the necessary information in without it looking so cluttered. It's not like the app that's hiding in the background is very pretty anyway, so it's not much of a tease to leave it sitting there with an opaque filter.
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episode 18: pacifica app review

2/18/2018

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A therapist in your pocket. Use Pacifica to track your mood and get insights into your feelings. Get tips on how to increase your wellbeing as well. Have you used any digital therapy tools?
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LOVED:
- Notification permission priming: Pacifica asked me what times of day would be best for checkins on a separate, dedicated screen before they popped up the permission request.
- Purchase preview: Allows you to preview the paid functionality before committing to it.
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NOT A FAN:
- The mood checkin screen was very poorly designed. The circular selector was not intuitive and neither was the journaling at the bottom. Plus I received an error when trying to tag my emotions.
- Account required without value provided. Pacifica asks me to choose a theme before I create an account which seems silly. However, right afterwards it has me take a short quiz to gauge my preferences. I'd love to see the quiz before the account.
- Initial onboarding feature tour didn't focus enough on the benefits I would receive, just what the features were.
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Episode 17: HelloFresh app review

2/17/2018

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Loads of usable features without having to pay or sign up! Have you tried these meal delivery services?
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LOVED:
  • Only prompts you to create an account at the right time.
  • Allows you to browse for recipes and use this functionality without needing an account.
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NOT A FAN:
  • Honestly the app itself is very nice. It’s simple and doesn’t have a lot of fluff. My only issue with the service in general is that I just wish the portion sizes were bigger. There needed to be about 25% more food for the same price. If that was the case, I definitely would’ve kept using them.
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Episode 16: Duolingo app review

2/16/2018

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episode 15: Between app review

2/15/2018

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episode 14: lasting marriage app review

2/14/2018

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How do you feel about this on boarding process? Would you answer 35 questions without a way to exit the quiz? Leave your comments below!
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LOVED:
  • Very nice design.
  • Made by The Knot who has a lot of credibility in the marriage space.
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NOT A FAN:
  • Asked for account on opening the app
  • Then prompted me with paywall that I was able to skip, but I’d prefer it wasn’t there at all. The bottom of this screen has info about the benefits/value you would get from upgrading, but the issue is that I haven’t seen the value from a free version, so why would I pay to upgrade?
  • The first daily session had 35 questions!! Not only is that way too long, but there was no option to exit the quiz! The back button only took you to the previous question. Most users would simply leave the app if they felt stuck in the middle. It would be so simple to fix this.
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    ​Daily mobile app design reviews featuring Apple’s App of the Day. Sharing my initial experience of an app in real-time, will it be love at first launch?

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  • About Me
  • Portfolio
    • App Design
    • Products
    • Marketing
    • Social Good
  • Launch Your App
  • App Reviews