Header of Review

• Your name and affiliation or expertise.
• App name: Check the app stores for official name, spelling, and capitalization.
• App version.
• Developer, with link to the developer’s webpage about the app.
• Links to app stores (optional—because the developers’ websites will have links to the app stores).
• Platforms (iOS, Android, other).
• If the platform is iOS, state whether the app is a universal app, iPad only, or whether there are separate versions for iPhone and iPad.
• Price: Is there a free version available? Are in-app purchases available?

Body of Review

• Basic functionality: What is it designed to do?
• Audience: Who is the app designed for? What age groups (if appropriate)? Who else might like to use it, and why?
• Simplicity and ease of use: Can you figure out how to use it quickly? Can you use it in short bursts between other tasks (a reality of mobile app usage)?
• Playfulness: Does it delight the user? Is it fun to use?
• Visual design: Is it visually appealing? Is the icon distinctive and eye-catching?
• Sound design: If sound is included, do the sounds help you use the app? Are they of good quality? Are they customizable?
• How does the app work for users with disabilities? Does it have features that help those with low vision, hearing impairments, or other disabilities? If not, does the operating system provide for this? Apple’s iOS is particularly good for accessibility features.³
• Examples: Give specific examples of how this app might be used.
• Related and similar apps: How does this app compare to other apps that do the same thing?

If appropriate, depending on the type of app, discuss the following:

• Does it work with bookmarking and cloud storage services (Instapaper, Pocket, Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive)?
• Can you sync information in the app between different devices (smartphone, tablet, web version, desktop version)?
• Can you easily share information from it on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+)?
• Can you export to a variety of formats (text, PDF, other)?
• Can you import from a variety of media types (text, videos, images, audio)?
• Can selected material be copied and pasted elsewhere?
• Does it keep a history? (Example: Wikipedia apps often contain a useful history of items you’ve searched for.)
• Does it have a wish list or favorites list so you can get back to your favorite items?
• Does it provide for collaboration?
• Does it allow you to do something you were unable to do before you got the app?
• Does it allow you to do something that can’t be done (or easily done) on a laptop or desktop computer? Specifically, how does it take advantage of the features of the mobile device, such as geolocation, camera, or accelerometer?
• Does it give you feedback on your performance (quizzes, points, levels)?
• Does it allow for personalization?
• Does it allow you to easily connect to information from outside the app (with an in-app browser or other feature)?

Be sure to spell and capitalize the following words correctly:

• iOS
• iPad
• iPhone
• iPod Touch (not iTouch)
• apps (not APPS—It’s not an acronym.)

Watch out for autocorrection that will capitalize the lowercase “i” when you don’t mean to. When referencing the name of the app, check the developer’s website or the app store for the correct capitalization. For example, the app called GoodReader has a capital R, but the app called Goodreads does not.⁴

Images

Since most apps are so visual, it can be useful to include screenshots in your review. If you do, choose a few shots that clearly show what the app does. Include a short caption defining what’s in the image.

Many developers offer “press kits,” which you can download from their site, that contain various images for using in publications with their permission. Most developers are happy to have their app reviewed since it can increase sales. Check with the source you are publishing your review in for guidance on permissions you might need or whether fair use covers the use of a few screenshots.

Example of a Well-Written App Review

For an example of a well-written review, see “Adobe Sketch and Line Master Drafting and Sketching on the iPad,” by Serenity Caldwell in Macworld.⁵ If you would like to apply the checklist above, read the review with the checklist at hand, checking off each item you can find in the review. No review needs to use every item on the list, but Caldwell’s review uses many of them effectively, especially with its discussion of the intended audience, what the app can do that can’t so easily be done on desktop computers, and how it compares to similar apps.

App Stores

For short reviews that will benefit many people, contribute your review directly to the app store where you purchased the app. This document from Apple gives instructions on how to submit your review: “iTunes Store: Writing a Review.”⁶ For Android apps, look up your app on the Google Play store and click the Write a Review button. Your review will be connected to your Google+ profile, and you’ll see reviews written by people in your Google+ circles first.

Professional Journals and Blogs

For more in-depth reviews, consider contributing them to the publications that you usually write for, such as library journals, journals and blogs on your topics of expertise, and mainstream publications, such as your town or university newspapers and newsletters.

Develop Your Own Collaborative App Review Website

Here’s a good example of what librarians can do to offer app reviews to their community. Little eLit is a collaborative site where librarians come together to offer app reviews and other resources to those who work with young people.⁷ See its list of apps for story time, book apps, and apps for other library programs.⁸ It also provides a list of criteria for evaluating apps for kids.⁹

It would be great to see more collaborative sites like this one built for specific audiences or topics.

Finding Quality App Reviews

The following are some sites that do a good job of reviewing apps. There are many more, but these are a great starting point for finding examples of good app reviews and possibly for submitting your guest reviews. See the list of further resources in chapter 4 for more sites.

AppAdvice AppLists, http://appadvice.com/applists: Short guides for apps in very specific categories.

Android Apps Review, www.androidappsreview.com: Full reviews of Android apps in categories such as books, business, education, medical, music, and news.

Beautiful Pixels, http://beautifulpixels.com: In-depth reviews that focus on apps with excellent visual design.

Best Android App series from The Guardian, www.theguardian.com/technology/series/best-android-apps: Weekly roundups of the best Android apps in several categories.

MacStories app reviews, www.macstories.net/category/Reviews: In-depth reviews of iOS apps.

Macworld app reviews, www.macworld.com/category/ios-apps: Intelligent ratings and reviews of iOS apps in many categories.

School Library Journal app reviews, www.slj.com/category/reviews/apps: Reviews of best educational apps for kids in the “Touch and Go” section.

Finding High-Quality Apps

In addition to the review sites mentioned above, there are other sites you can follow regularly in your search for good apps.

For tips and best practices, download my free publication, “10 Tips for Finding the Best Apps,” available when you subscribe to my e-mail newsletter Mobile Apps News, http://nicolehennig.com/mobile-apps-news. It comes out twice a month and will keep you current with new apps, updates to existing apps, and tips for using apps.