Many of the most useful mobile apps are location-specific. From the best local search apps to public transit schedules that only work in some cities to tourist guides and maps (like the Not for Tourists series), location-specific apps can provide ultra-relevant information at the right place and the right time.
However, these apps are hard to find. If you look for Not for Tourists in the app store, you find more than 12 apps. There’s no way to look at the various offerings for your location side-by-side. This is why we need a location-aware app store.
What’s a location-aware app store?
A location aware app store recommends the apps most relevant to where you are. Rather than some obscure category label, a location aware app-store would show you all of the apps that could help you wherever you may be. This includes everything from apps for events and sports teams to apps for cities.
How could you implement it?
Implementing location intelligence in an App Store would be relatively easy. Developers could target specific locations by adding a GPS coordinate and a ‘Radius of Relevance’, specifying the area in which the app would be useful. (There will need to be some editorial vetting around this feature as part of the approval process – unscrupulous app developers with no regard for user experience would probably try to spam something like this.)
When the user opens the app store, the app store asks the user to use their current location, and adds a “Apps for My Area” category. All of the apps that the user is within the radius of display, with the app with the smallest radius topping the list. (There are certainly more complex and correct ways to implement this feature, and there are no doubt problems with this approach. Feel free to point them out in the comments.)
What do you think? How can we make app stores better? Please share with the community and leave a comment…
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