Make ODRS more responsive to application developer needs
Can ODRS better suit the needs of application developers? Two issues stand out:
- The application developer is not notified when a review of their application is published.
- The application developer has no way to respond to reviews.
This is a problem because some end users use the ODRS as an alternative to traditional support channels. That is, they do not leave a bug report for the application or attempt to engage with the developer or the application's other users in other fora like discussion forums, email lists, IRC etc. Users who do this might be unaware or simply unwilling to take these steps, for whatever reasons. The point is not to blame the enduser, of course, but to reflect on the processes they and developers engage.
From my perspective, at least two issues arise from this situation:
- The application developer must manually monitor the ODRS feedback. If they don't, they never see the issue. See for instance the example given in the first posting of this feature request. It appears the application developer simply did not realize endusers were encountering serious issues with their application.
- If the application developer does monitor the ODRS, they are powerless to respond to issues raised. I have seen no survey or other data that examines what this does for application developer morale, but it is clear that for some developers this will be an alienating experience, with negative consequences for their enthusiasm for for continued development. Even assuming the developer is unaffected by their powerless to respond directly, they still do not have the opportunity to build rapport with their endusers via the ODRS.
These two issues are almost certainly part of why app stores on other platforms offer developers the chance to directly respond to enduser feedback, e.g. Google Play Store, IOS store. Apple discusses how developers should best respond to enduser feedback.
Thank you.