What makes an Android app a killer app? How do you make your own project scale from a few dozens to millions of users? How do you engage users all over the world? How do you put a spotlight on your app, so anyone can discover it? An Android app is not just what the app does, and it's not just how you developed it. It's about how you build an ecosystem around it. It's about how do you improve your app to accommodate it to users, and how you make users comfortable with your app. It's about how you listen to your customers to make it awesome. It's going the extra-mile and transform an app from cool to magic. In this talk we will discuss some strategies to improve the impact of Android apps, from multiple points of view: from app development to code optimization, from basic graphical assets to awesome eye-candy UI, from catchy features to user deep engagement. We will see how using the latest features compares to backward compatibility regarding user impact, and how monetization and social marketing strategies can help an Android app reach that million-downloads milestone.

2. From Android App to Killer App
How to Reach the Million-Downloads Milestone
Mario Viviani
Android GDE

3. Mario Viviani
Founder & CEO Mariux Apps
Android GDE

4. What is a “Killer App”?

5. A“Killer App” is…
…an App that proves the
core value of some larger technology
and allows the developer to be
the most successful in a particular area.

6. Famous Killer Apps
Angry Birds
Instagram
Whatsapp

7. My Killer App: Super Clock Wallpaper
2 Versions: Free & Pro
8.000.000+ Total Downloads
In Top 100 on Google Play in
various categories for 3 years:
Top 100 Free, Top 100 Paid
and Top Grossing

8. Knowledge of the System

9. Know your Development Skills!
•
•
•
•
•
Be fluent with Android Development
Practice with code samples
Study the official documentation
Learn from other devs
Experiment

10. Multi-Tasking is the key

11. It’s not all about Development
Android App
Killer App
Development Skills

12. It’s not all about Development
Android App
Killer App
Development Skills

13. Multi-Tasking!
Design/UX Skills
Android App
Killer App
Development Skills
Marketing Skills

14. One Skill To Rule Them All? Nope.
Design/UX Skills
Android App
Killer App
Development Skills
Marketing Skills

15. See what’s trending

16. Scratch the Surface of Google Play
•What is trending?
•Are there apps similar to mine?
•How are users reacting to these apps?

17. Analyze Google Play Rankings

18. Third party analytics tools: Web
AppBrain

19. Third party analytics tools: Android App
App Stats (beta)

20. Android Developer Console
•App Stats
•Android versions
•Comments
•Ratings

21. Design of your app:
Clear & Clean

22. Clean & Clear
•Users don’t want to feel dumb
•If users request a feature, provide it
•If users report a feature as useless, or
difficult, change it or delete it
•Spend time improving your app
Design and UX

23. Follow Development & Design guidelines!!!
•Users will already know how to use your app - yay! •Will match Google Play design requirements to be
featured - double yay! -
Happy customers + Happy Google Play team
= getting closer to Killer App!!!

24. Your Main, First and Last Source of Truth:
developer.android.com

25. Design of your app:
Focus on Graphical Assets

26. Apps evolve with Android
2010
2014

27. The most important asset: App Icon
•Lures users to your app
•It’s the first graphical asset users will
see of your app
•If your icon looks bad, or not interesting,
or unprofessional, users will not click on
it: they just won’t.
SPEND TIME
CREATING YOUR ICON!!!

28. Screenshots: multiple displays & versions
Provide screenshots from 3’’ to 10’’ displays (focus on tablets)

29. Provide a video on Google Play
•Video shows in detail the features of your app
•Android 4.4 KitKat has a specific tool for screen recording

30. App Testing & Compatibility

31. Devices evolve… and multiply!
4000+ different
Android Devices

32. Test on real devices (or good Emulators)

33. Do not underestimate the Power of 2.3!

34. Do not underestimate the Power of 2.3!
4.0<
78%
2.3
20%

35. Self Marketing:
Customer Care

36. Ratings on Google Play: Why should I care?
•It’s the best way to measure customer appreciation of your app
•Good ratings induce other customers to download the app
•It helps creating a DIRECT RELATIONSHIP with your customers

37. The Great Macro-Categories of Ratings
ENTHUSIASTS (5-stars ratings)
Who are they: users that are really happy with your app and give it
an amazingly high rating.
What to do with them: answer with gratitude to their good
comments and ratings, and ask how can you furtherly improve
your app.

38. The Great Macro-Categories of Ratings
HAPPY USERS (4-stars ratings)
Who are they: users that appreciate your app, but not enough to
give it a top-notch rating
What to do with them: carefully consider their advices/requests,
because they are usually ready to change their minds and
abandone your app if you don’t improve it

39. The Great Macro-Categories of Ratings
“MEH” USERS (2/3-stars ratings)
Who are they: people who have found serious issues in your app.
What to do with them: A good approach is to get in touch with
them in order to understand better their rating. (Someone gives 3
star ratings because they think it’s a good vote!)

40. The Great Macro-Categories of Ratings
UNHAPPY USERS (1-star ratings)
Who are they: they have found major issues in your app. This is
the category you have to watch more carefully
What to do with them: interaction is a panacea: get in touch with
these users, and try to understand the issues they’re experiencing.
Be careful to separate unhappy users from…

41. The Great Macro-Categories of Ratings
HATERS (1-star ratings with
really bad comments)
Who are they: nonsensical comments, users shouting against your
app claiming it has broken their devices, people saying they can’t
download your app (if so, how can you rate it?!?) and so on.
What to do with them: Haters gonna hate. Deal with it. ;-)

42. The Great Macro-Categories of Ratings
ENTHUSIASTS (5-stars ratings)
HAPPY USERS (4-stars ratings)
“MEH” USERS (2/3-stars ratings)
UNHAPPY USERS (1-star ratings)
HATERS (1-star ratings with
really bad comments)
+

43. Keep Listening, Improving and Updating!
•Keep listening to your users
•Don’t be oversensistive about your app
•Do your best to improve your app according to your
customers suggestions
•Keep up the good work!!!!

44. Self Marketing:
Promote your App!

45. Use Social skills to promote your App!
•Use Google+
•Create Alpha and Beta communities
•Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest…
•Send material to Android-related Press (blogs, forums,
newspapers…)

46. Wrap-up:
The Road to Killer App

47. The Killer App Checklist!
•Knowledge of the System
•Good and consistent Graphical Assets
•Follow the Guidelines (but be creative!)
•App Testing & Compatibility
•Customer Care
•Social Promotion

48. The App Clinic: Suggest your apps!
Board: The App Clinic – Italia on trello.com
tiny.cc/appclinicitalia

49. Q&A
#droidconit
Mario Viviani
Android GDE
email:
mariux01@gmail.com
Google+:
plus.google.com/+MarioViviani
GDE Profile:
developers.google.com/experts/+MarioViviani