zero star ratings for bad apps

thanks i just did that. I guess i am mainly curious if anyone agrees with me.
here is the feedback i left just in case anyone cares:


I recently received an iPod touch and I think it is fantastic especially the many excellent apps that are available in the iTunes app store.

My only quibble is that I have occasionally downloaded some apps that are complete garbage and when I delete them I am asked to rate them.

This would be fine except it is only possible to rate an app between 1 and 5 stars. I can't bring myself to rate them because then i would be implying that those apps have some value (1/5 = 20%).

I feel that if it was possible to leave a rating of zero and flag the worst apps for deletion from the app store that the ipod community would be be better served. Users like me who value the collective wisdom of the iPod community would be more inclined to express their opinions. I believe that if the app store users had a say in the minimum level of quality that is acceptable for apps the amount of noise in the system would be reduced and the user experience improved.

sparky: i agree with you - in my opinion the free apps are the strongest feature of the ipod but i would be willing to bet you that there are some apps with a user base of zero that exist solely as a monument to the $99 that some overeager developer handed over to apple for the privilege of adding clutter to the app store.

dave: Certainly quality is a subjective property but it seems to me that the notion of having a rating system is an attempt to measure "quality" objectively.

I believe that the purpose of apps is to add value to the initial investment i made in purchasing my iPod. The app store is my vehicle to that added value so i feel that apps which i find valueless detract from my app store user experience. Allowing the worst of the worst to remain will inevitably lead to a situation like facebook where unrestricted spam is the dominate form of available content.

Indeed the keyword search works well but what if you don't know what you are looking for? In such a case user reviews and ratings are likely more relevant then just the number of times an app has been downloaded. Also what do users do with an app once they have downloaded it? Do they use it religiously or instantly delete it. An objective measure of quality could include user behavior, ratings, and positive or negative language in reviews in addition to the total number of dls.

I find the categories that the apps are sorted into to be somewhat arbitrary.

For example, is an app that purports to be a finger print scanner but in actuality is simply an artist's impression of what one might look like a utility? Should apps that contain adult content like Sex Quiz (18+) be near the top of the Educational / Games category?

I don't think of myself as a prude but perhaps there should be an adult category with subcategories such as sex, crudity, violence etc...

The current organization of the app store encourages developers to think inside the box. In order to have success in an environment with a limited number of niches their apps must fit into predefined roles so as to increase the slight chance of making it into one of the top 25 lists and achieving greater exposure. This might not guarantee that creativity is stifled but the most talented developers will be drawn to where the money is (the top of the pile where more users will see the app).

I'm not saying this is a national emergency or anything but I don't think it is unreasonable to challenge the party line and encourage innovation.

Dave: You got me on my misuse of objectivity. What I should have said is that the rating system quantifies the subjective opinions of the most valuable component of the user base - the ones that are interested enough to voice their opinions. However 0 is universal. If a user rates an app as 0 out of 5 while deleting it then it can only mean one thing: the app is worthless.

Since the process apple uses to greenlight apps is almost certainly subjective and apple's success is dependent on the perception of the quality of its products by its users they would be well advised to consider their user's opinions.

Further if the greenlight process is subjective it is prone to error and apps will be released that should not have been. Apple should have high standards for its products so a subpar app (as measured by the subjective rating system) reduces the overall quality of the app store. How many negative reviews or what combination of user feedback would be used to justify a deletion would have to be up to apple but i believe that implementing such system would ultimately lead to better apps. The only drawback would be that a some mediocre (but not terrible) apps might be deleted though this seems a small price to pay for higher overall quality.