I’ve had apps in the App Store for years. I’ve never had huge download numbers, but thousands of people have used them. In that time I’ve had only a handful of people contact me asking questions and I’ve always been happy to help in any way that I can. But I never thought that I should write something about how to use my apps.
I figured that my apps are relatively simple and intuitive and don’t need additional explanation. I had stuck myself in a false dichotomy between having no instructions at all and having those screens you see when opening an app for the first time that you ignore and quickly skip over.
The truth is that no one should have to email me to figure out how my apps work. Of course I always have to work to make my apps as intuitive as possible. But not everyone approaches technology in the same way and no two people share the same idea of what is intuitive. So I’m going to start by writing “Getting Started” instructions for each of my apps (and of course we’ll be doing the same for Shepherd Dog apps.) I’ve started today with Getting Started Instructions for Wake Up
From there I’d also like to add a video overview for each app. I think that written instructions will work for some users but a video will appeal to more and also will be a better way to market the app since I’ll be able to show off the features.