Reviewing a Bagpiper Hire App and What Makes a Good App

What the app does

It is a database of bagpipers willing to perform at events. The main screen offers two buttons, one to register as a piper and one to browse those listed. Tabs along the bottom cover the main screen, about, options and contact.

Why the review happened

The reviewer asked what makes an app worth keeping beyond looks and usability: sustainability and backing, and how UI and UX differ. After a bad first review, the developer asked for details and made most of the changes suggested, which the reviewer saw as a very Android attitude of growing by learning.

Areas for improvement

• A piper listing looked squashed on screen, and it was not obvious that you scroll down.
• Updates seemed to happen on the back end, like a website, so users could not tell when features changed.
• The map starts with a world view of all pins instead of centring on the user, and the location marker shifts as you zoom, starting somewhere in the middle of the United States and slowly settling.
• No service exists beyond the app, apart from a social page and a business profile.

The bigger point

The reviewer liked the idea but thought few people would download an app for a single occasion, such as a wedding or a funeral. A searchable website would give listed pipers more value and bring in more registrations. Apps, in this view, are icing on the cake of a good service.