appto.us – The Apps API Company

16 thoughts on “appto.us – The Apps API Company”

1. 1)   I like the bright colors, bold text and the site looks very exciting.  The only problem I have with the site is what is the site about.  Maybe move the “How Does Open Discovery Work?”  I would move it to the top of the screen.  The bold text at the top of the screen wants to make me check out the site even more.  
    
   2)    I believe the site is designed for people and developers.  I think the description on the left side of the main page needs more description of what the site is about and what can a person get out of the service.
    
   3)   I’m not really that encouraged to sign up for the free trial because I don’t really know what I can use the website for.  I believe someone that has experience in this would love this site and would register for the service.  But for a normal person like me, the site seems too confusing for me to sign up for the free trail or to register for the service.
    
   4)    ‘Signing up and publishing my app (even though I don’t have a phone or how to do an app) is very simple and easy.  I like how the “feedback & Support” button is always on the bottom of the screen no matter how much you scroll up or down on the site.
    
   5)     I tried the site out on Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome\, and Internet Explorer and I didn’t see any problems or bugs that needs to be fixed or anything.  The only thing that I would suggest to change on the site is move  the “How Does Open Discovery Work?”  to the top part of the page.  Other than that, I think the site is great.
    
    

2. 1. I can immediately see that this is a site for app developers. It has a bit of a “beta” feel, but that’s ok since part of its attraction is that it’s a growing database for growing developers.

   Since there didn’t appear to be much else I could do, I initially felt drawn to either go ahead and sign up or click on the red arrow next to the little cartoon app developer, which I assumed would take me to a page with more info. (By the way, is he wearing a big letter “D” because it stands for “developer”? I wasn’t quite sure on that.) However, I soon found that the arrow isn’t clickable; it’s a sign to scroll down.
    
   2. Is this a trick question? 🙂 I didn’t get the sense that this site was geared toward any specific kind of app developer. Are you referring to the fact that you offer two programming API options–REST API and Javascript?  Or maybe you’re referring to the fact that your site is marketed toward both app developers and discovery services?
    
   3. I’m not an app developer or a discovery service, so the site wouldn’t be appropriate for me, but if i was, I could see myself joining. Why not? It’s free. I would think that any new chance to get my app discovered would be a good thing.
    
   4. The sign-up process wasn’t hard. I got the confirmation email right away. I would’ve preferred it if I could’ve used the link in the email to sign in automatically, but ok. After I landed on the “Welcome” page, I saw that I would have to fill out a pretty long, mandatory “Developer Identity” page. The length of it was a little off-putting, but I’m guessing I wouldn’t mind if I was a developer because I’d be very motivated to get started, and I’d know that more complete information would help me get discovered. (Please note that while I was looking around, I got automatically signed out and had to sign back in. I guess my session expired. You might want to increase the length of time that users can remain signed in.)

   It’s a little bit difficult for me to judge how easy it would be to publish an app since I’m not an app creator, but I clicked “Your First App” from the “Welcome” page to take a look at the publication process. At first, I was surprised to see how many forms there were to fill out–six pages of them! Looked like a lot of work! But, again, this might not bother me if I was a developer because I’d probably be quite motivated to provide the most complete description possible of my app and take whatever steps were necessary to make sure it was properly identified. Also, I can say that your forms are structured very nicely. There’s no confusion about what goes in what field, and you have suitable options for updating apps as they go through different stages of development.
    
   5. I’m going to makes some comments on the layout and design of each page:
   
   
   Home Page
   I like that you immediately communicate what your site does through a simple tagline and a couple of selling points. You don’t have to wander around the page to figure out what appto.us is about.

   However, I only scrolled down by chance when I clicked on the red down arrow and it didn’t work. If I wasn’t carefully reviewing this site, I might have missed everything below the fold. Since you have a lot of white space above the fold, I’d suggest that you move your current content upwards and make the headline, sign-up field, and image a little smaller. Then you’d have room to move your subhead up above the fold so that visitors could immediately see there’s more content to be viewed. 

   Another option would be to relocate all the information below the fold to a separate page. There actually is quite a bit of info here, so it could stand to have its own “Why appto.us?” page. If you chose this option, you could make the red arrow clickable and have it link to that page. It could also get its own tab up top.

   In terms of the home page content itself, your copy is easy to understand, and it’s broken up with some cute visuals. However, I noticed that the text tends to be “dense.” For instance, look at “Three Easy Steps.” The text there is small and tightly single-spaced, which makes it unappealing to read. I’d suggest making text bigger and using more generous spacing throughout the page. Also, as much as I like the screenshots you included, they’re a bit much for a home page. Again, this would be more appropriate on a “Why appto.us?” or “How It Works” page.

   One small “glitchy” thing: I notice when I’m on the home page, the “My App” tab is highlighted on the navbar. It appears that the home page and the “My App” page are one and the same. This isn’t necessary. Either create two separate pages, or remove the “My App” page from the navbar if there isn’t one.

   Finally, I should mention that the little floating “feedback & support” button was kind of annoying. But I don’t like floating buttons in general. They get in the way when you don’t want them and get lost when you do. I’d suggest just adding a “Contact” tab to the navbar instead.
    
   Open Discovery
   Again, this page is pretty well written, but it tends toward small, dense text. Compare “The Apps Economy – Factsheet,” which squeezes several points into a tiny space, to “How to Create an Apps Discovery Service in Five Steps,” which makes use of numbering, bolding, larger text, and more liberal spacing to create copy that is more eye-catching and readable. 

   I have to say that after reading this page, I felt a little confused. Obviously, you’re marketing to two different audiences here–app developers and app discovery services. But what I don’t understand is what role you want the discovery services to take at appto.us. Maybe my confusion stems from the fact that I’m not part of the programming community, but I don’t quite get it. Are you saying that you want different companies or individuals to submit ideas for an app discovery service and you’ll choose one to integrate with your site? Are you saying that you’ll choose several to integrate with your site (which wouldn’t really make sense)? Are you saying that you’re just offering a platform for existing app discovery services to recruit app developers to their own sites? It’s not clear to me.
    
   API Console
   Looks like a well-organized dashboard. But watch out for the text in the blue box at the top. It runs together without appropriate spacing. I would also have preferred to see little help icons with pop-up bubbles to explain each call group rather than permanent bulleted points in the margin, which take up unnecessary room for regular users who already know how the call groups work.
    
   Welcome
   This is a prime example of a page with copy that’s too long and dense. It’s not that I can’t understand it, but I feel like I have to really slog through it to read it all. This page needs larger text and more paragraph breaks to make it visually appealing.
    
   I already covered “My Apps” and “Developer Identity,” so on to…
    
   Connect
   Nice way to organize apps. Looks easy to use.
    
   Organization
   This is kind of like an account page. In fact, maybe you should rename it “Account.” I’m confused by the tab called “Billing.” I thought this was free. On the other hand, I really like that you have a “Permissions” tab to control what different account users can do on appto.us. I’m sure that will be attractive to businesses with developer teams to manage.
    
   One more thing: It took me a long time to realize that you have an almost invisible navbar with a Twitter feed, blog, and FAQs. I suggest you scrap this because lots of people will overlook it. Instead, get a nice, bold Twitter button for your margin and give the blog and FAQ page main navbar tabs. As for the pages themselves, I notice that they’re very plain, and the FAQ page in particular is subject to the small, dense text again. Think about adding some graphics, as you do on other pages, enlarging text, and breaking up long paragraphs.
    
   In conclusion, I think you have the beginnings of a good site for app developers. You have a lot of nice organizational features to make it easy for them to create and modify apps, manage them, and list them on your site. However, right now, I don’t totally understand what role you want app discovery services to play. Also, I think you need to work a little on your presentation. In particular, you have a lot of small, dense text that’s hard to read (and also some typos). If you can address those issues, I think your site will be ready to launch. Good luck!
    

3.  
   1) Visit https://appto.us/ . What is your initial impression of what you see? Are you immediately drawn to click any of the buttons? Why or why not?

    My initial impression for the site is that it is a site that provide a publishing apps and promoting our own apps services. I scroll down on your site and the content is clearer about what the site actually do. It’s getting interesting as i scrolled down, so, I clicked the Open Discovery button to understand more about the service. The homepage is simple and straightforward, which I can immediately get what I need to know about your site on it. I get a clear explanation on how it works and also the screenshot in the slides of how does the feature looks like. 
    
   2) What kind of developers this service fits and whom it does not?

   For me, it fits all the programmer that developing new apps. Especially for those who developing android and iPhone apps. Every new apps needs a place in a market. A place that everyone can found the apps and suit the searcher needs for the app. 
   3) Are you encouraged to sign up for a free trial/free account? If not, why?
   Yes, it’s not because I am developing an app or owning an app right now. But in future i might develop apps, so I would like to sign up for my future use. Mostly people would signup is because they having an app or apps developers. 
    
   4) Does sign up and publishing your apps seems easy or difficult?

   The sign up process is very easy. I notice that you used a popup to notify the user that an activation email has send my email and also after the activation success. I would prefer to see a page telling me I have successfully signed up and I have to verify my account from my email instead of a popup. It would be better than a popup. 

   After I logged in, I saw the get started highlighted so i read through it and follow the step. I click on ‘your developer identity’. I found that, the service look so professional that i can put in my logo, copyright and privacy. This is what a user need. I notice some spelling error in the content of the ‘tips’ area, which is ‘discovery serices’. Something small might make the user feel that the site is unreal or unprofessional. I do not know how to use the API console, so i skipped it.

   After i saved and publish it, I proceed with ‘Your first app’ I continue with all the steps. I like that I can manage the licensing option, languages option, target market and the target platforms. It is definitely a professional service that could provide all these options. The entire process is easy and straightforward, I do not face any difficulties during these process, besides the API console. I know what it does, but I do not know how to use it. 
    
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.

     I would suggest that you can create a video to guide the users on how to use it. Some of the new user might need some help on it. I understand that your service is for apps developers that already familiar with all the features. But, for a new app developer they might not familiar with it. To increase the users of your site, a video might helps. You can create a short video explaining the step of how to publish an apps. It is more like a tutorial. It would be more useful and it could help out some beginners. So that not only professional developers can use your service. 

   I notice that when I am in the support page, i couldn’t go back to the homepage. I clicked the logo of your site and it present me the same support page. I would need to click on back button on my browser to go back to the homepage. Overall the site looks professional and it would be very useful for the developers.

    
    

4. 1)      Visit https://appto.us/ . What is your initial impression of what you see? Are you immediately drawn to click any of the buttons? Why or why not?
   Upon entering the sight two things immediately caught my attention. The first was the little character that you have featured on your page. I was wondering how it tied into your site and what does the “D” stand for on its chest. Second, I thought your site was too light with not contrasting colors or highlights. I am very happy to see that you have a site description that is eye level and easy to read. I also like the large sign up box but I wish that the already member area was either moved or large to see it better. I like the how it how it works section but I think that the account highlights needs to be moved to its own section. I think if you’re going to have highlights on the homepage then bullet them and then have a more visual array on another page for people to browse. I don’t mean to nitpick but I think the text under connecting with open discovery sites needs to be extended a little further out. It seems to cut too short making the page look imbalanced. I also don’t understand the appto.us boxes at the bottom of the previous mentioned text. I got the impression that I could click on them and I could not. I was drawn to click on the scrolling screen that you have at the bottom because that was the only place that really gave a visual description of your product. 
   2)      What kind of developers this service fits and whom it does not?
   I think that this site is geared to anyone who needs this type of service. From the look and feel of the site it doesn’t seem to have a specific target audience so it’s for any user.
   3)      Are you encouraged to sign up for a free trial/free account? If not, why?
   At this time signing up for this site would not be for me. I think that if I ever were to start developing then this would a site that I would consider and being that’s free is a big plus.
   4)      Does sign up and publishing your apps seems easy or difficult?
   The sign up process was quick as a snap and I like that you put a message letting the user know exactly what he or she is to do next. I found the process to be a little lengthy but I think that with this type of service a developer would appreciate the process.
   5)      Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
   As I stated before I think that the scrolling info on the homepage needs to be moved to another area where you can give a description about each page. I think that is site doesn’t lend itself to tutorial directions or even a video to assist users who need support. I’m not a fan of the color choices on this site being that things seem to light and it doesn’t offer a contrast to abundance of white throughout the site. I would take out the flowers that are beneath your description text, they are a distraction and seem to be very out of place.
   I really enjoyed reading the faqs page. It really gave me critical insight into what your site can do. Unfortunately I think that most users will not take the time to venture to this page which will give them an easy to follow overview of your site. Perhaps changing the title of this page will incline users who don’t quite understand what your entails a push to visit this page. Visually this page is boring with an only a thin grayish line separating the information. I think that a nice border bringing in the orange, red or blue that is features on your site.
   Under the app economy fact sheet your first sentence doesn’t have a period on it like the rest of the sentences under it.
   Under the app feedback section the text about signing is way too small. If you want users to sign in then make it easier for them to see. With no other text on that side of the page making the text larger would not compete with info close to it.
   Under the how to create section I find it off that the four is orange and the rest of number are not. I am not big on shading text gray unless you are going to use a rich gray because it just looks to light especially against a white background. It actually would have been nice to see all of the number a different orange adding a visual layer of depth to your site.
   Your about us page was awesome. I really liked the colors at the top of the page and the text was rich. This is the only place on the site where I got the feeling I was dealing with real people who were ready for change in the app world. After reading the text I could see that your company is passionate about what you and I think users will certainly miss out on that. I think that your service is great but I think you need to draw users into how great your service is. I don’t really feel that from looking at your homepage. A video explaining what you do with the same heart from the about us page and with tutorials would be awesome for your site.
    

    

5. 1) Visit https://appto.us/ . What is your initial impression of what you see? Are you immediately drawn to click any of the buttons? Why or why not?
   My initial impression is that I don’t know what an apps distribution hub is. I know what apps are, but I don’t know what you are offering.
    
   Even after reading your opening sentences, it says something about market reach, and connecting to distribution channels. It is not very clear why anyone needs an apps distribution hub and have no clue what it has to do with marketing.
    
   After a hard read, I see it has to do with mobile app developers. Keep in mind that most visitors will only skim your page. If you want mobile app developers then you need to make these words stand out with bold font, or get rid of sentences and just have key words and phrases. Nobody reads paragraphs on a new website.
    
   2) What kind of developers this service fits and whom it does not?
    
   I’m sorry but you have not made it clear to the general audience who your target market is and why anyone needs your service. This needs to be crystal clear on your homepage.
   3) Are you encouraged to sign up for a free trial/free account? If not, why?
    
   No. You currently have brand confusion going on and it needs to be fixed with clearer selling points, get rid of paragraphs and the wordiness.
   4) Does sign up and publishing your apps seems easy or difficult?
    
   I am not an app developer, so I’m not sure.
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
    
   Your website looks professional and neat, but it doesn’t feel like there is a clear plan for the eyes. My eyes simply don’t know what to look at first, and this is a problem. You need to have a plan of what you want people to see first, second, third, etc.
    
   And your product tour is below the fold. I think many people will not even get to this part because of too many words, and a lack of direction for the eyes.

6. My initial impression is that appto.us is a twitter service because of the blue character logo with the hair that looks like feathers. I was immediately drawn to click the “App Developers”, App Distributors”, and “API Console” to learn more about the service. This service will greatly benefit any app developer that doesn’t create 100’s of apps, because of limitations outlined in the FAQ this service may not be for app developing companies that produce 100’s of apps a day. I am definitely interested in signing up for a free account and learning about the full features of appto.us and how i can benefit from developing apps and having them listed in the app directory. The sign up and publishing on the site is very clean, energetic, and simple to use. 

   Addtional comments: I quickly discovered the service offered is very extensive for an app developer to create, update, manage, and promote apps for free and the website is clean, simple, and easy to navigate. Appto.us looks like the authority on apps for developers.

7. Hello,

   If I was an app designer I would be attracted to this site for sure. I especially like the free trial prompt. It seemed very easy to get around this site. I think my favorite part though is the easy as 1 2 3. I’ve always lived by this motto…everything is a three step process, not to short not to long just enough to get it done.
   It is also helpful that you are connected with all the social networks out there that makes people very happy when they don’t have to do it all themselves. So in a nutshell this is a great place for app development maybe some day i’ll want to create an app and if I do I will definitely keep appto.us in mind.

   Faith Hope Love
   God is Love 

    

8. Hello,

   If I was an app designer I would be attracted to this site for sure. I especially like the free trial prompt. It seemed very easy to get around this site. I think my favorite part though is the easy as 1 2 3. I’ve always lived by this motto…everything is a three step process, not to short not to long just enough to get it done.
   It is also helpful that you are connected with all the social networks out there that makes people very happy when they don’t have to do it all themselves. So in a nutshell this is a great place for app development maybe some day i’ll want to create an app and if I do I will definitely keep appto.us in min

   God is Love 

    

9. 1) Visit https://appto.us/ . What is your initial impression of what you see? Are you immediately drawn to click any of the buttons? Why or why not?

   From the link provided, I’m immediately drawn to the Register/Signup panel; which is only a minor issue for me, as it comes off in a ‘Sign up now, ask questions later’ type of manner. Of course, browsing through the rest of the page provided does illuminate the service your website is providing. 
     
   2) What kind of developers this service fits and whom it does not?

   This service looks wonderful for novice app designers; people looking to get their product into the real world but might not otherwise know how to get there. I can certainly imagine a scenario where someone creates a well thought up application, and then has no idea what to do with it. This service seems to fill in the blanks for people that know how to code, but don’t know how to market.   

     
   3) Are you encouraged to sign up for a free trial/free account? If not, why?

   After looking over the website, I certainly see the appeal in signing up for a free/trial account. 

     
   4) Does sign up and publishing your apps seems easy or difficult?

   Sign up was quite easy; and while I’m not an app designer myself, the process described sounds quite easy to navigate.

     
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.

   Wonderful idea; a hub where ‘indie’ app developers can come and put their products on the market. Professional organizations would probably not be using this website to publish their apps (as I can only assume they have their own marketing divisions); but people just getting into application development would certainly benefit from this website.
    
    That being said, an ‘indie’ developer might not fully understand how the marketing process works, and a bit more detail might be adviseable.  Of course, since I don’t have an application to market just yet, I can’t say for certain.    

10. 1) Visit https://appto.us/ . What is your initial impression of what you see? Are you immediately drawn to click any of the buttons? Why or why not?

    My initial impression was that the website is designed in such a way that makes a person want to stay and explore it further. It has the cute creature/icon, and it features different colors, making it eyecatching.  
    2) What kind of developers this service fits and whom it does not?

    I think this would best serve entrepreneurs and those who have brand new kinds of companies. Companies or agencies that work “on the go” or “on call” like medical facillties, taxis, restaurants… any sort of company or agency that doesn’t have a stationery location.
    3) Are you encouraged to sign up for a free trial/free account? If not, why?

    I am not, only because I am not a businesswoman. However, I do see the appeal of recommending this site to friends.
      
    4) Does sign up and publishing your apps seems easy or difficult?

    I’ve never designed or published an app, but the process as explained on the website made it seem very elementary and user-friendly.  
    5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.

    Style comments: More colors should be used, titles and headlines should be centered… nothing major  though. This is a very well-done and useful site.  

11. 1.  What is your initial impression of what you see?  Are you immediately drawn to click any of the buttons?  Why or why not?
     
    My initial impression of what I seen is that the website is very organized.  You can clearly see all the text and words clearly written.  I love the little blue guy icon with the flower!  I was also very interested in clicking on the sign up free tab.  Who doesn’t like free stuff?!  The homepage is very understandable for most audiences. 
    

    
    2. What kind of developers this service fits and whom it does not?
     
    My first impression of the site tells me that there is no direct fit for a specific category or group of people.  It looks made for anyone who is interested in the service.
     
    3.  Are you encouraged to sign up for a free trial/ account?  If not, why?
     
    I personally do not have a need to sign up for the site.  I am however, recommending it to some of my friends who strictly deal with this type of business.
     
    4.  Does sign up and publishing your apps seem easy or difficult?
     
    Sign up seems fairly easy and the bonus of it is being free!  Publishing apps can be easy or difficult depending on the type of person trying to do it.  Some people do not catch onto detail and some do.  If I were to publish an app on your website it would be easy for me to do! 
     
    5.  Please share and additional feedback or comments you may have:
     
    I think that you should include more color on your website, maybe even a video of how to join for those people who are not tech savvy.  Also, try not to include everything on one page!  The first page should not be able to scroll.  Give links for the information so that if the site visitor wants to read that specific information, they can at their own time.  Otherwise, I liked the site very  much!

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