Opinion: The Developer Connection

By iphoneblog on Sep 03, 2009 with Comments 0

What makes a great app? Is it the features? The price? The interface? The answer, of course, is all of these. But even when put together, these aspects don’t always add up to be the ideal piece of software. There’s another part that isn’t always available, but when it is, it catapults an app within range of perfection. This final piece of an app is the user’s connection with the developers.

I have received comments on both of my recent software reviews about the responsiveness and friendliness of the two developers involved. One was writing that their manner was just adding to an already wonderful app, and the other was improving on a program that was less than perfect, taking suggestions for fixes and features. And this got me to thinking. When I have loved a product, whether it was a game or a utility, what was it that really drew me into paying money, into supporting the app? And, in most cases, it was my communication with the writer of the program.

There have been many times when I’ve had questions about a program before buying it. And in most of these cases, I’ve emailed the company asking those questions. This of course only works with smaller companies, but in a way that makes it better. I felt so honored when I emailed Delicious Monster, the makers of Delicious Library, and got an answer back not only promptly but also from the Major-domo of the program himself. The personal connection just made me want to buy the program even more. On another occasion I had an issue with a certain backup tool. I emailed the developer, and got a quick, correct response telling me what I should do to resolve the problem. While it was written in a manner that my father describes as “friendly but with an edge of ‘you should know this already,’” it answered my question and made me more dedicated to use the tool—over and instead of the built-in Time Machine.

An argument can be raised, of course, that if an app is truly perfect, a user wouldn’t need to talk to the developer. No problems would ever arise, and so no communication or troubleshooting would ever be necessary. But there are two counter arguments to this. First, a program could hardly ever be this perfect. Second, one might want to contact the developers simply to thank them on delivering such a wonderful product, and encourage them to keep on going. I have done this myself many times. In my opinion, there is never a reason not to contact a developer, and in return, rarely a reason for them not to contact you. Being a friendly person, and even just a person and not a faceless company, is a wonderful way to promote an app, get people’s interest, and keep them coming back.