Open Radar

 
Summary:

Both App Stores need to provide better discoverability of applications. Listing which applications are most popular or most profitable doesn't match how users actually want to find applications. Customers want to find the app that solves a particular problem for them, or have the Store suggest something based on what they've bought  before, or see what their friends are buying.

Steps to Reproduce:

(Borrowed from Craig Hockenberry's example: http://furbo.org/2009/07/10/year-two/)
1. You're vacationing in Paris and want an app to guide you around and find landmarks.
2. Search for "Paris" in the App Store

Expected Results:

That the App Store search results would find me apps that guide me around Paris and locate interesting things to do.

Actual Results:

Random collection of applications that might or might not have anything to do with the problem I'm solving, but happen to have the word "Paris" in the description or keywords.

Regression:

Notes:

There are different three ways to tackle the discoverability problem:

1. Organize apps by the solution that they provide, like Macworld's App Guide (http://www.macworld.com/appguide/index.html and see App Collections).

2. Mimic Amazon and make suggestions based on buyer's past history.

3. Allow users to follow "friends" and see the apps that they bought.

As a developer it's insanely hard to get "discovered" by potential customers. Unless you write a "hit" that makes it into the popularity polls you just can't be found.