Tips for building quality Windows Store apps
Pete Brown | @pete_brown Technical Evangelist Microsoft Client & Devices
DEV-B352
Quality is important
Quality apps have a symbiotic relationship with the Windows Store. Their presence makes the Store better, and the Store provides a way by which the developer can reach distribution and revenue goals. We like to Spotlight high quality apps!
Why quality is important
Quality apps are good for your reputation and, if you choose, your wallet. The Windows Store has good reason to want to see high quality apps bubble to the top, and low quality apps fall off the bottom. Spammy apps, and multiple submissions with little or no change in the app itself, are not considered “quality”
What is quality?
Useful Beautiful High performance A great experience A joy to use
What we’ll cover
Creating useful, durable, and original apps Beauty: Moving beyond two rows of boxes Embracing the platform through common patterns Supporting high DPI displays Testing
A useful app provides value
An essential app for your users, or a fun diversion Solves a problem, or fulfills a desire Is task or goal-based, not a giant suite An app other people want to use Distribute virally or via word of mouth An app that makes people say “I want Windows 8 so I can have that app” These types of apps make it easier for you to be successful on Windows Increases customer satisfaction An internal mobile / tablet app vs. a desktop or laptop app A public app which helps customers with a task Ask yourself “am I doing more or better than I could do with a web site?”
A quality app puts the user in control
Device
Profile
Time
Money
Data
It is the user’s:
A quality app is durable
Seasonal or short-lived apps don’t have time to build momentum and make sales Short-lived apps tend to be free and disposable Conference apps Christmas card apps They can still be useful and high quality even if short-lived We generally look for long-lived “durable” apps which can build reputation and standing, and persist in the Windows Store. When possible, consider making single apps which have seasonal upgrades / themes
A quality app is original
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•Not a straight copy of anotherapp or idea
•Not a copy of another of yourown apps
•Copies are bad for reputation
•Copies can be bad legally, aswell
A quality app is beautiful and branded
Windows Store apps are “brand forward” Use your brand’s colors, fonts, images
Who can create beautiful apps?
You don’t need to be a big agency to create great apps A designer will always improve your app, but for individuals, this is usually not an option Use templates to help with different UI approaches Use third-party controls to enhance the experience Enlist a friend who has design skills In a business, use your web property designers Your internal apps should be as well designed as your customer-facing properties Customer facing apps and web site should be consistent
Don’t be boxed in
The Windows Style is not just two rows of boxes That’s just the default Visual studio temple
Think outside the boxes
demo
Look great on high DPI displays
High DPI displays are more popular with Windows 8 Visual Studio includes built-in DPI scaling support All image assets, not just splash screen and app tiles Fuzzy Wuzzy made a great bear, but he’d make for a horrible set of icons
High DPI image support
demo
Embrace the platform
For a ported app or multi-platform app, takes advantage of Windows 8 features: Trial mode rather than separate apps for trial/purchase Third-party payment providers for in-app purchases Share contract for sharing to anything For games: Xbox controller Roaming settings or skydrive/azure-backed settings/sync Windows Azure integration More Apps unique to our platform, which use platform features, are even more exciting
The app’s main page
Your main page, or hub, IS the app Provide immediate value
Nav bar and app bar
Top app bar for navigation Bing news app is a good model to follow Can be flat or hierarchical Can also include back button Bottom app bar for commands Avoid putting commands on top app bar, or navigation on bottom app bar
App main pages / hubs
demo
Don’t be an island
Share your data! Implement the search contract so your data can be found Increase the usefulness of your app Implement share source if you have data to share Implement share target if you can do something with data
Search and share
demo
Test, test, test
Well tested on more than just the developer machine Enlist your friends Bribe your family! Coerce your co-workers! Remember to test on all supported architectures Apps are small, but need as much testing as large apps 1-star ratings are hard to shake Many apps fail store certification due to crashes on test machine hardware
Check performance
Meet performance requirements 5 seconds to launch, 2 to suspend Perform well on all target architectures Remember to test on ARM Complexity affects performance
Performance tips
Minimize element overlap Try not to draw the same pixel many times Turn off animations when not on-screen In XAML/.NET apps, reduce code in UI thread UI thread needs to be lean and mean Test early and often on low power devices ARM based devices with Windows RT Low-power Intel devices with Windows 8
Evaluating performance
demo
Quality apps support all architectures
x86, x64 and ARM Apps must support all three architectures to be promoted, especially in TV and other ads User must be able to find your app no matter what device they use
Further reading
Windows 8 App Certification Requirements http://bit.ly/Win8AppCert My book on XAML and Windows Store apps http://manning.com/pbrown3 Windows UX Checklist http://bit.ly/http://bit.ly/WinUXChecklist
© 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries. The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
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© 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries. The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.