The combinatory role of online ratings and reviews in mobile app downloads: an empirical investigation of gaming and productivity apps from their initial app store launch

Sällberg, Henrik; Wang, Shujun; Numminen, Emil

doi:10.1057/s41270-022-00171-w

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Furthermore, it would be of interest to assess if users’ star ratings in the app store correlate with app quality based on the novel ADA checklist, as most prospective users might have been relying on user ratings while choosing their apps. Users’ star ratings, as a metric, are open to a number of biases that could potentially reduce its correlation to app quality [ 27 , 28 ]. For example, user reviews may be made on the basis of user interface, aesthetics, or the invasiveness and frequency of any advertisements the app displays [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Users’ star ratings, as a metric, are open to a number of biases that could potentially reduce its correlation to app quality [ 27 , 28 ]. For example, user reviews may be made on the basis of user interface, aesthetics, or the invasiveness and frequency of any advertisements the app displays [ 27 , 28 ]. Previous studies have compared users’ star ratings with MARS, an analysis of whether app ratings correlate to compliance with IDF guidelines in this study will further assess the use of users’ ratings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Compliance of Type 2 Diabetes Applications to International Guidelines: Protocol for a Quantitative App Assessment

Rebus,

Iskander,

Deonarine

et al. 2024

JMIR Res Protoc

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Background Diabetes is among the most common chronic conditions people live with across the world. While it can be managed to a substantial degree, it can result in significant complications. As such, easy access to accurate tools to aid diabetes management is useful in minimizing these complications. Mobile apps are highly accessible and widely used, but there is a gap in the literature examining their compliance with medical guidelines. Objective The aims of this study are to develop the Analysis of Diabetes Apps (ADA) checklist to evaluate apps’ compliance to guidelines set by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on the treatment and management of type 2 diabetes; to assess type 2 diabetes apps in the Apple App Store and the Android Google Play Store, and their compliance with international guidelines using the ADA framework; and to compare the novel ADA checklist against both the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) tool kit and app ratings for each store. Methods We will develop a checklist based on the “IDF Clinical Practice Recommendations for Managing Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care.” Type 2 diabetes apps will be scraped from 6 countries’ app stores using web scraping tools. These countries include Australia, Brazil, India, Nigeria, the United States, and the United Kingdom, which were selected based on the largest population of English-speaking people in each continent. The apps will be searched on the web-based scraper using the search terms “blood sugar,” “diabetes,” “glucose level,” “insulin,” “sugar level,” and “type 2 diabetes.” Apps will be excluded if they are paid or are not in English. The apps will be assessed using the ADA checklist to evaluate their compliance to the international diabetes guidelines. Once scored, the results will be analyzed with descriptive statistics. The most popular apps will be further analyzed using the MARS tool kit. The ADA checklist scores will then be compared to both the MARS tool kit score and app ratings for each store. Results The ADA checklist developed based on the IDF guidelines focuses on general information, risk factors, diagnosis, pharmacology, lifestyle modification, glycemic recommendations, and medications. The initial stress testing of the protocol resulted in 173 included apps. This will vary in the final search as the app stores are constantly changing. Conclusions The protocol presents the development of a checklist to investigate the compliance of type 2 diabetes apps with international guidelines. The checklist will hopefully form the basis of a scoring system for future research on compliance of mobile apps with international guidelines. High standardization of the ADA checklist will make it a robust tool for people with diabetes and their health care providers alike in assessing type 2 diabetes apps in the future. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/48781

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compliance of Type 2 Diabetes Applications to International Guidelines: Protocol for a Quantitative App Assessment

Rebus,

Iskander,

Deonarine

et al. 2024

JMIR Res Protoc

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“…Mobile apps have exploded in popularity – between 2016 and 2023, app downloads increased from 140 billion to 255 billion (Statista, 2023). In this vein, scholars have begun to investigate the roles of review and app characteristics in the mobile app space (Sallberg et al , 2023; Tafesse, 2023). However, app developers appear to be slow to take up responding to user reviews, as evidenced by their relatively small overall response rate (2.8%) in the Google Play store (Savarimuthu et al , 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of online company responses on app review quality

Su,

Namin,

Ketron

2024

JCM

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Purpose This paper aims to investigate textual characteristics of customer reviews that motivate companies to respond (sentiment negativity and sentiment deviation) and how aspects of these company responses (response intensity, length and tailoring) affect subsequent customer review quality (comprehensiveness and readability) over time. Design/methodology/approach Leveraging a large data set from a leading app website (Shopify), the authors combine text mining, natural language processing (NLP) and big data analysis to examine the antecedents and outcomes of online company responses to reviews. Findings This study finds that companies are more likely to respond to reviews with more negative sentiment and higher sentiment deviation scores. Furthermore, while longer company responses improve review comprehensiveness over time, they do not have a significant influence on review readability; meanwhile, more tailored company responses improve readability but not comprehensiveness over time. In addition, the intensity (volume) of company responses does not affect subsequent review quality in either comprehensiveness or readability. Originality/value This paper expands on the understanding of online company responses within the digital marketplace – specifically, apps – and provides a new and broader perspective on the motivations and effects of online company responses to customer reviews. The study also extends beyond the short-term focus of prior works and adds to literature on long-term effects of online company responses to subsequent reviews. The findings provide valuable insights for companies (especially those with apps) to enhance their online communication strategies and customer engagement.

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“…When selecting apps from various categories, the significance of user reviews and ratings in shaping user decisions cannot be overstated ( Mahmood, 2020 ; Sällberg, Wang & Numminen, 2022 ). This interplay between feedback and quantified satisfaction shapes user choices, consequently exerting a significant influence on users.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When selecting an app within a specific app category, app reviews and ratings can play significant role in the user’s decision-making process ( Mahmood, 2020 ; Sällberg, Wang & Numminen, 2022 ). While app reviews provide valuable feedback from users who have firsthand experience with the app, app ratings provide a quantitative evaluation of the user satisfaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do popular apps have issues regarding energy efficiency?

Sahin

2024

PeerJ Computer Science

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Mobile apps have become essential components of our daily lives, seamlessly integrating into routines to fulfill communication, productivity, entertainment, and commerce needs, with their diverse range categorized within app stores for easy user navigation and selection. User reviews and ratings play a crucial role in app selection, significantly influencing user decisions through the interplay between feedback and quantified satisfaction. The emphasis on energy efficiency in apps, driven by the limited battery lifespan of mobile devices, impacts app ratings by potentially prompting users to assign low scores, thereby influencing the choices of others. In this study, the presence of energy consumption issues within widely-used popular apps that have high app ratings and user interaction has been investigated through the analysis of user reviews. It is anticipated that popular apps, with high ratings, are less problematic than other apps. User reviews were collected from 32 apps across 16 diverse categories and subsequently filtered based on specific keywords. From the resulting pool of 14,064 user reviews, 8,007 reviews were manually identified as specifically addressing the app’s energy consumption. The results of the study demonstrate that all 32 popular apps under consideration exhibit issues related to energy consumption. While the frequency of energy-related issues may vary, it is evident that users are concerned about app energy consumption, as evidenced by the reception of complaint reviews regarding their energy usage. App energy efficiency is important to users, including popular apps with diverse features, necessitating developers to address expectations and optimize for energy efficiency. Improving the energy efficiency of apps has the potential to enhance user satisfaction and, consequently, contribute to the overall success of the app.

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The combinatory role of online ratings and reviews in mobile app downloads: an empirical investigation of gaming and productivity apps from their initial app store launch

Cited by 10 publications

References 76 publications

Compliance of Type 2 Diabetes Applications to International Guidelines: Protocol for a Quantitative App Assessment

Compliance of Type 2 Diabetes Applications to International Guidelines: Protocol for a Quantitative App Assessment

The effect of online company responses on app review quality

Do popular apps have issues regarding energy efficiency?

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