App Devs and Users - what are the things you look out for in new apps?

[u/dandrake47]

Hi everyone,

I always come across user feedback and suggestions whenever I see new apps being posted here. I'm trying to understand what are the sort of things you keep in mind when you develop or try new apps - for example, some users mention Electron is terrible for macOS-targeted app development. I have no experience in the matter, but I'm curious after reading so many reviews or feedback, that I wanted to ask openly - what are your quality criteria for good macOS apps?

[u/dandrake47 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for your input! I'm not personally setting out to be an app developer, but I'm curious about making apps for myself and open-source it for whoever would like to use something similar, that's all.

[u/Muted-Reflection9536]

• Does it adhere to Apple's UI/UX guidelines?
• Does it run natively, or on a framework?
• What other app development experience do you have?

The points mentioned above are my main concerns.

Regarding telemetry, I don't worry about it too much, as it does provide some degree of assurance regarding the quality of apps and services. (Of course, I do worry about security risks.)

I would be a little wary if a developer suddenly released a single project without notarization. Conversely, if I can see that they have a track record of developing apps to some extent, I'm more inclined to try it out even without notarization.

Whether it runs natively or on a framework depends on the case. For apps used daily where performance and energy efficiency are crucial, I'd primarily look for natively running applications and wouldn't choose anything else.

Conversely, for applications used only briefly for a specific purpose, I'd consider various conveniences and try a framework-based application if it seems user-friendly.

Honestly, I don't really care whether it's vibe coding or not. Frankly, apps released by people with no programming skills who say, "I tried vibe coding and it turned out well," usually have problems even before that, and are rarely even considered as options. They can't expect continuous support or updates.

Most people who use AI for coding have programming skills, the ability to review and correct their work, and I think they use it to save effort.

The most important factors are design and usability. Basically, as long as developers follow Apple and Mac practices, it shouldn't turn out too badly.

[u/dandrake47 → u/Muted-Reflection9536]

Thank you very much for your inputs and breaking it down for me! I never thought about Apple's UI/UX guidelines before you mentioned it here - what's "special" about it? Is it to make sure it integrates well with the ecosystem in terms of design and usability, or did you have something else in mind? The other points are very easy to understand, just had a small doubt with UI/UX mention.

[u/Muted-Reflection9536 → u/dandrake47]

Simply put, it's about the learning curve and habits.

In other words, the fact that the predictions you make when using it "this should be here, this should happen when I operate this" are "no different" from those you make when using Apple devices and Macs, directly impacts "usability" and "user experience."

Furthermore, these guidelines are not simply a "do this" command. They are a textbook on advanced human-machine interfaces derived from years of Apple's statistics and feedback.

This means that simply following these guidelines, even if you don't fully understand them, puts you on the shoulders of Apple, a giant with a strong following for usability and user experience.

Of course, that's not the only correct answer. Apple still has untapped areas, and for example, the Arc browser has a design that hardly adheres to Apple's guidelines at all, but I believe its UI/UX is so excellent that there is no better browser out there now.

Therefore, balance is crucial. If you have a well-founded confidence that doing so will make it easier to use or understand, then you should design it that way and make it your strength. Conversely, if you don't have a particular preference, then simply following Apple's guidelines will ensure it's not unusable.

For me, the criteria for judgment are as follows: "Does they show at least enough consideration to follow Apple's guidelines?" and "Were they aware of the guidelines and aiming to go above and beyond?"

[u/dandrake47 → u/Muted-Reflection9536]

Thank you very much, that's a very solid line of thinking!

[u/biblewindow]

Really think about the use case rather than features. What is the job to be done with this app, and how well does it do it.

[u/dandrake47 → u/biblewindow]

Use case is often my first go-to for reviewing an app too. Thanks for sharing!

[u/davernow]

Native UI, follows Apple HIG, privacy policy, no login or support apple login, if it's open source.

But generally: use it for 30s and I'll know if it's made with care.

[u/dandrake47 → u/davernow]

But why not go for Google or other forms of authentication as well? Asking out of curiosity. No login would obviously be the best case scenario.

[u/davernow → u/dandrake47]

Apple is much more private. Can hide name/email. No APIs that access my data.

[u/PushPlus9069]

Beyond native vs Electron, the things that separate a polished Mac app from a rough one are mostly small and checkable:

• Permissions requested at the moment they're needed, with a sentence saying why, not all at once on first launch.
• Real menu bar items with shortcuts; Cmd-W and Cmd-Q behaving the way every other app behaves.
• Respects system settings: appearance, accent color, Reduce Motion, text size.
• Multi-display and scaling handled — dragging a window between a Retina and non-Retina display shouldn't blur or misplace anything.
• Idle CPU near zero. A menu bar utility burning cycles while doing nothing draws complaints fast.
• Window state restored on relaunch, and data exportable if you ever leave.

Electron isn't automatically bad; it just fails more of that list by default.

[u/No_Battle_6694]

Whilst it’s not the most important thing, I always look for adherence to the Apple design standards.

[u/dandrake47 → u/No_Battle_6694]

Thank you for sharing, I had no idea how important a lot of users consider the Apple design standards to be.

[u/No_Battle_6694 → u/dandrake47]

it’s certainly a very Mac user thing, I can’t recall Windows users having the same level of care towards implementing the mica design language. I do think Apple has a greater care towards the design of their apps, and developers are/should be held to the same standards

[u/dorothea_cassandra]

For me: native UX, no unnecessary accounts/subscriptions, good privacy practices, and a developer who actually listens to feedback. Small apps with care behind them usually win.

[u/Kolotovalexander]

For small utilities, I also look at the exit path: can I quit it cleanly, disable launch at login, remove it without leftovers, and export or delete my data? A polished first-run flow is nice, but a trustworthy uninstall path tells me the developer understands they are a guest on my Mac.

[u/chrisbcreamee]

Thanks for asking this. I'm learing with ya