PROJECT OVERVIEW
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Role: Product Designer
Role: Product Designer
Timeline: 1 month
Timeline: 1 month
Tool: Figma
Tool: Figma
RETHINKING APPSTORE REVIEWS
RETHINKING APPSTORE REVIEWS
The Challenge
The Challenge
Level Shoes app draws millions of visitors but when you checked the app store you were meeting with a completely different picture.
Level Shoes app was revamped many times in the last 2 years with new enhancements and changes. However, no particular effort was made to understand the reflection of that on the users. The customers were using the app store to ‘punish’ the company when they had a frustration. Ultimately this has caused the app store rating to be 3.9 and it was based on only 136 ratings.
Level Shoes app draws millions of visitors but when you checked the app store you were meeting with a completely different picture.
Level Shoes app was revamped many times in the last 2 years with new enhancements and changes. However, no particular effort was made to understand the reflection of that on the users. The customers were using the app store to ‘punish’ the company when they had a frustration. Ultimately this has caused the app store rating to be 3.9 and it was based on only 136 ratings.
The Approach
The Approach
Our goal was to reflect the enhancements in the application with the revamp and new features to the volume of ratings and reviews in the app store as well as the rating score. In the end, the app store rating score is a great reference point for first-time customers and a great source to listen to your customers. So, we needed to find a way to motivate our customers to leave feedback for Level Shoes, particularly the positive ones. The soft pop-up concept was born as a solution to those questions in mind.
We decided to create a pop-up to prompt the customers to leave feedback for Level Shoes with 2 steps. In the first step, we asked them how was their experience was like which we called a soft pop-up’. If the customer had a positive experience, then in the second pop-up, we are asking them if they want to leave feedback in the app store.
In real life, there are not only happy paths though. That is why we have another journey for the customers who had a problem. The soft pop-up is not trying to ignore or neglect those customers. Instead, we created an in-house dashboard for those customers to understand their frustration and find solutions. In a sense, this is a classic two-birds-with-one-stone situation. We increase our rating in the app store meanwhile taking care of customers with problems and pinpointing problems in the app.
Our goal was to reflect the enhancements in the application with the revamp and new features to the volume of ratings and reviews in the app store as well as the rating score. In the end, the app store rating score is a great reference point for first-time customers and a great source to listen to your customers. So, we needed to find a way to motivate our customers to leave feedback for Level Shoes, particularly the positive ones. The soft pop-up concept was born as a solution to those questions in mind.
We decided to create a pop-up to prompt the customers to leave feedback for Level Shoes with 2 steps. In the first step, we asked them how was their experience was like which we called a soft pop-up’. If the customer had a positive experience, then in the second pop-up, we are asking them if they want to leave feedback in the app store.
In real life, there are not only happy paths though. That is why we have another journey for the customers who had a problem. The soft pop-up is not trying to ignore or neglect those customers. Instead, we created an in-house dashboard for those customers to understand their frustration and find solutions. In a sense, this is a classic two-birds-with-one-stone situation. We increase our rating in the app store meanwhile taking care of customers with problems and pinpointing problems in the app.
Design implementation
Design implementation
Results
Results
After the launch of this project, we started to see a gradual and healthy increase in our app store rating and amount of feedback which confirmed our strategy. In addition to that, we received 161 feedbacks in the our internal feedback dashboard and our customer care team contacted with customers who gave their consent to be phoned back. These are the current ratings of Level Shoes in app store:
After the launch of this project, we started to see a gradual and healthy increase in our app store rating and amount of feedback which confirmed our strategy. In addition to that, we received 161 feedbacks in the our internal feedback dashboard and our customer care team contacted with customers who gave their consent to be phoned back. These are the current ratings of Level Shoes in app store:
The bulk of the feedback is coming from our current biggest market, UAE in which the rating is also higher than the average of all countries:
The bulk of the feedback is coming from our current biggest market, UAE in which the rating is also higher than the average of all countries:
Reflections and Conclusion
Reflections and Conclusion
In conclusion, our approach to improving app store ratings through the soft pop-up strategy has proven to be a thoughtful solution to a pressing challenge. By directly engaging customers after their experience and offering tailored paths for both positive and negative feedback, we not only encouraged more reviews but also addressed customer concerns effectively. This dual-purpose approach strengthened the app store presence while deepening customer relationships, showcasing the importance of listening to users and adapting to their needs in today’s competitive digital landscape. With continued attention to customer feedback, Level Shoes is well-positioned to maintain its growth and reputation in the luxury retail space.
In conclusion, our approach to improving app store ratings through the soft pop-up strategy has proven to be a thoughtful solution to a pressing challenge. By directly engaging customers after their experience and offering tailored paths for both positive and negative feedback, we not only encouraged more reviews but also addressed customer concerns effectively. This dual-purpose approach strengthened the app store presence while deepening customer relationships, showcasing the importance of listening to users and adapting to their needs in today’s competitive digital landscape. With continued attention to customer feedback, Level Shoes is well-positioned to maintain its growth and reputation in the luxury retail space.
© 2025 Hilal Oztas
© 2025 Hilal Oztas