People at a glance decide whether they like the application or not. And it only takes a few seconds. Of course, everything here is based on visual representation, so you need to immediately convince the user of the attractiveness of the download. Good screenshots of your project are crucial for success. It is with them that the acquaintance with the application begins. We have some tips on how to take screenshots for stories that will captivate potential users in seconds.
App Store Optimization
The App Store, Google Play and the Windows Phone Marketplace have become a true digital battleground. Developers are fighting to ensure that users download their apps, otherwise competing services will pick up the audience. For success in this matter, there are special rules and tips.
App Store Optimization is a strategy that is used to create successful pages in stores. It has become a useful addition to the marketing plan of developers and is designed to increase the number of downloads of the application. An ASO is composed of many elements and should be considered as a key component when publishing an application. One of these elements is visual screenshots, which are very important.
Note the difference between the presentation on Google Play and the App Store
Screenshots Location
Statistics showed that Google Play visitors are 40% faster in deciding to download an app than iOS users. But why so? The point is in different page layouts. Icons with benefits are immediately shown on the Google Play Store app page, and screenshots are located much lower. The screenshot gallery in the Apple App Store is more prominent. So iOS users are more likely to interact with your image gallery.
What should be learned from this? Since Android users are 27% less likely to interact with your screenshots, you should make sure that the first two images look as convincing as possible.
Mockups
If Google doesn’t prohibit the use of any Android devices in the screenshots, then Apple has its own rules. The screenshots should not have an image of a real iPhone. It is better to use a neutral frame with rounded edges.
Competitor analysis
Before you start creating your screenshot design, study the category of your app. For example, if your application is related to sports, then you should look at the pages of the most famous apps in this area. Knowing how competitors will position themselves is good for your brand. Of course, you do not need to completely repeat their color scheme, texts, style. But being in a niche topic is definitely worth it.
Define the order
As a developer of an app or game, you are focused on how your application works. However, when creating screenshots, it is more important to think about what the viewer sees first. The main rule is to put your most important screenshots in the first place. This does not mean that you should show the step-by-step use. Screenshots should tell a story, but not necessarily follow a logical order. Show what your application is about on the first two screenshots, and leave the following for additional information about the functionality and use cases.
Use big captions
People don’t want to spend a lot of time viewing the page of the app. They want to immediately find out how your application can solve their problem or satisfy a need, and then download it.
Only 4% of people enlarge screenshots in the stores, while the rest simply run their eyes over them. Add a well-read heading to your designs. You gain an advantage by demonstrating the user interface of the app, as well as highlighting key functions using headers. They shouldn’t be small, but it is also not worth it to occupy the entire screenshot with text.
Show your brand
Make sure that you focus on the uniqueness of your brand to prove to your audience that your application is what they need. Focus on your special design so that people remember it. The site, app, and presentation must be the same as the chosen identity. A certain color palette, fonts, graphic elements and other components of your design must be present in the visual presentation.
Combine the images into two screenshots
This helps to show the application interface in more detail and make an interesting presentation. It is important not to separate the text with two screenshots, otherwise, it will be poorly read. Also, make sure that the layout in the two screenshots does not disperse and is even. This will be noticeable on the search page, which may affect the transitions to the application page. To prevent this from happening, check how the screenshots will look before publication.
Test screenshots on dark and light themes
Dark themes are now very popular and there are almost everywhere. With a dark theme on the App Store, developers may face a problem. If you look at screenshots of the app for a dark theme on a light background and vice versa, the design may not look so impressive. Therefore, it is important to check how screenshots look in both topics. Otherwise, the graphics will be worse than converting users.
Give emotions
Features are, of course, very important, but the emotions that the user receives from the application are no less important. It is not necessary that all screenshots show only the app interface. Show the happy people who use it. You can create an atmosphere to inspire the user to download.
Technical points
App store
You can add up to 10 vertical or horizontal screenshots in png or jpeg format in the App Store. In addition, you can add a video preview, which will be displayed both in the search and on the application page. If it is not there, the store itself will take the first three screenshots from the page.
Google play
You can upload 8 screenshots of png or jpeg format to the application page on Google Play. To get to the TOP, games need to have at least 3 horizontal screenshots.
What is the result
We hope you are convinced of the importance of beautifully designed screenshots of the application and now you know how to implement them in your project. Considering that a person’s attention is attracted to everything attractive, work on creating screenshots can bear fruit. They are another graphic way to convey information to the user and attract him. Be original and creative in creating the design, but do not forget about the rules of the platforms.
