The study analyzes user-developer interactions through reviews and responses on the Google Play Store. It finds that responding to reviews has a significant positive impact, with 84% of rating increases due to the developer addressing the issue or providing guidance. Three common response patterns were identified: only negative reviews, negative or longer reviews, and reviews shortly after an update. Developers most often thank the user, ask for details, provide guidance, or ask for an endorsement. Guidance responses can address common issues through FAQs. The analysis considered over 2,000 apps, 355,000 review changes, 128,000 responses, and 4 million reviews.

1. Studying the Dialogue Between Users and
Developers of Free Apps in the Google Play
Store
Journal First Presentation | Empirical Software Engineering
Ahmed E.
Hassan
Safwat
Hassan
Cor-Paul
Bezemer
Chakkrit (Kla)
Tantithamthavor
n

2. We study user-developer interactions through the
distribution and rating mechanisms of the Google Play
Store
2
How developers leverage the distribution
mechanism to publish emergency updates

3. We study user-developer interactions through the
distribution and rating mechanisms of the Google Play
Store
3
How developers leverage the distribution
mechanism to publish emergency updates
The dialogue between users and developers

4. Mobile app stores offer rich data
4
The Google Play Store has around
3.6 million apps
March 2, 2018
Need to fix this update, it keeps on freezing.
User

5. For many years, developers were not able to
respond to user reviews
5
October 14, 2015
After listening to one podcast, sometimes I want to go back
and listen to it again. Where can I find the old shows that I
have already listened to?
User

6. Since recently, developers can engage in a
dialogue with the reviewer
6
October 14, 2015
After listening to one podcast, sometimes I want to go back
and listen to it again. Where can I find the old shows that I
have already listened to?
User
The app doesn't delete episode articles. If you don't see
them it means that you pressed on the toolbar 'eye' button
to hide read content. Press once more to display them.
Dev

7. Since recently, developers can engage in a
dialogue with the reviewer
7
October 14, 2015
After listening to one podcast, sometimes I want to go back
and listen to it again. Where can I find the old shows that I
have already listened to?
User
October 16, 2015
After talking to support, my questions were answered. It's a
good app
User
The app doesn't delete episode articles. If you don't see
them it means that you pressed on the toolbar 'eye' button
to hide read content. Press once more to display them.
Dev

8. Analyzing the dialogue between users and
developers
8
2) What are the common patterns of developer
responses?
1) What is the impact of responding to user
reviews on the review rating?
3) What drives a developer to respond?

9. A summary of the studied dataset
9
> 2K
Apps
> 355K
Changes
in reviews
> 128K
Developer
responses
> 4M
Reviews

10. There is a great benefit in
responding to reviews
10
Six times more likely to lead to
a rating increase

11. There is a great benefit in
responding to reviews
11
In 84% of the cases of rating
increase, users increase their rating
to four stars or five stars
Six times more likely to lead to
a rating increase

12. We identified three main reasons for rating
increase
12
Developer guides the user to
solve the reported issue without
having to deploy an app update
34
%

13. We identified three main reasons for rating
increase
13
Developer guides the user to
solve the reported issue without
having to deploy an app update
34
%
24
%
Developer deploys an update to
address the reported issue

14. We identified three main reasons for rating
increase
14
13
%
Developer guides the user to
solve the reported issue without
having to deploy an app update
34
%
24
%
Developer deploys an update to
address the reported issue
Details of the solution are
communicated outside the store

15. Analyzing the dialogue between users and
developers
15
2) What are the common patterns of developer
responses?
1) What is the impact of responding to user
reviews on the review rating?
3) What drives a developer to respond?

16. Our approach for identifying the common
patterns of developer responses
16
Step 1:
Collect
metrics
We collected 6 metrics:
Review title length, Review text length, Days since last
release, Review rating, Positive sentiment, Negative
sentiment.

17. Our approach for identifying the common
patterns of developer responses
17
Step 2:
Build
model for
every app
Step 1:
Collect
metrics
We built 415 models.

18. Our approach for identifying the common
patterns of developer responses
18
Step 2:
Build
model for
every app
Step 3:
Extract the
key
features
for each
model
Step 1:
Collect
metrics
We extracted 12 key features for each model.

19. Our approach for identifying the common
patterns of developer responses
19
Step 2:
Build
model for
every app
Step 3:
Extract the
key
features
for each
model
Step 4:
Cluster the
models
Step 1:
Collect
metrics

20. We identified three patterns of developer
responses
20
Only negative reviews

21. We identified three patterns of developer
responses
21
Negative or longer reviews
Only negative reviews

22. We identified three patterns of developer
responses
22
Negative or longer reviews
Only negative reviews
Reviews which are posted shortly after the
latest release

23. Analyzing the dialogue between users and
developers
23
2) What are the common patterns of developer
responses?
1) What is the impact of responding to user
reviews on the review rating?
3) What drives a developer to respond?

24. Our approach for studying what drives a
developer to respond
24
• We manually read a statistically
representative random sample of user-
developer interaction episodes.
• We study the contents of responses to
understand better what drives developers
to respond to reviews

25. We identified four main drivers for
responding
25
Thank the user63%

26. We identified four main drivers for
responding
26
Thank the user63%
Ask for more details45%

27. We identified four main drivers for
responding
27
Provide guidance25%
Thank the user63%
Ask for more details45%

28. We identified four main drivers for
responding
28
Provide guidance25%
Thank the user63%
Ask for more details45%
Ask for endorsement24%

29. We identified four main drivers for
responding
29
Provide guidance25%
Thank the user63%
Ask for more details45%
Ask for endorsement24%

30. For provide guidance, we observed that
similar responses can be used to provide
FAQs
30
AppLock
The user asks how to use the
“AppLock” app to lock other apps
“Please open phone settings security
apps with usage access enable AppLock”
User
Dev
520

31. For provide guidance, we observed that
similar responses can be used to provide
FAQs
31
PicsArt
The user complains that the app is
very slow
“Hi Vincent this issue can sometimes be
solved by clearing the cache. To do so
go to your device’s Settings - Apps -
PicsArt and tap ‘Clear data’ and ‘Clear
cache’
User
Dev
271
AppLock
The user asks how to use the
“AppLock” app to lock other apps
“Please open phone settings security
apps with usage access enable AppLock”
User
Dev
520

32. 32

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34. 34

35. 35

36. 36
Safwat Hassan
shassan@cs.queensu.ca