my app was rejected from apple.....

error123error123 Member Posts: 112
My new version of bodybuilding bible went into review today and was rejected for these reasons.

10.6

We found the user interface of your app is not of sufficient quality to be appropriate for the App Store. Apps that provide a poor user experience are not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.

Specifically, we noticed your app lacks significant iOS specific user functionality.

Please evaluate whether you can make the necessary revisions to improve the user experience of your app.

can anyone help me and explain what apple mean by this. i asked in the resolution center for more details but i don't know. i tested the app on my 3gs and it ran well no crashes and is much better then the old version of the app. i can do a youtube video of the app so people can see how it works.

Comments

  • TouchTiltGamesTouchTiltGames Member Posts: 1,162
    Would help if you posted screens....or yeah a vid.
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    im doing a video now for ya give me 30 mins
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    if anyone can give any suggestions that wont take to long for me to do, so that this new version can get approved please
  • heathccheathcc Member Posts: 113
    Error123,

    Basically, your app is a user interface that allows you to select an exercise which displays the appropriate images. Apple has a user interface guidelines document that for the most part dictates the way menus, selections, and other behaviors should be for a traditional app. Games are someone exempt because of their nature vs a more traditional application like yours.

    I can see why they rejected it, but I don't know of an easy solution using GS because it doesn't leverage the Cocoa UI that is needed to adhere to their standard for applications. Again, games seem to get a bit of a pass since they are more artistic in nature.

    Other might have more to add but that is what I suspect.

  • StormyStudioStormyStudio United KingdomMember Posts: 3,989
    Hey there...

    Personally I can't see what's wrong with it... especially if its an improvement on what is already up on the app store.


    Though going by what heathcc says (above this post).

    Perhaps re-design of the buttons into a more tradition app style might help get it approved.

    Here's a link to a Photoshop file for all the elements needed to mimic a classic iPhone app design...

    http://www.teehanlax.com/downloads/ios-5-gui-psd-iphone-4s/

    Hope it helps...

  • greenrhynogreenrhyno Member, PRO Posts: 152
    edited January 2012
    It seems random reviewers will decide to enforce certain guidelines that most would let pass.

    What you may want to do is try and modify the graphics and re-submit it. It may just mean making things look a bit more polished and it will get through.

    edit - (basically what stormy said and posted at the same time, but he was more helpful :-)
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    ok i will try what you said, just dose not make much sense that apple rejected this new version when the old version is much worse in its design and quality even though the old version has a different layout and design completely.
  • JeffreyShimaneJeffreyShimane Member Posts: 372
    edited January 2012
    @error123

    I can't say what the exact reasons for your app getting rejected are but in my opinion, the user interface is really clunky. Here are some suggestions:

    - Having to scroll up or down to go to a back/home button is not good design. I think you could greatly improve the user interface by having a navigation bar that was always on-screen that allows the user to easily go up one level or back to the main menu.

    - The main menu should include the name of the app (it would help if it had a memorable logo). As is, it looks like a sub-menu.

    - The sub-menus (back, chest, legs, etc.) should have titles/headers at the top so you know which sub-menu you're in.

    - Showing the diagrams first is a good idea but I think it's kind of intuitive that they are at the bottom of the scroll and you have swipe down to reveal the text above the diagrams.

    One way you could potentially get around the issues that heathcc mentions is to fake it with graphics that look similar to the Cocoa UI's built-in graphics/navigation.

    Hope that helps and good luck!

    - Jeff
  • MotherHooseMotherHoose Member Posts: 2,456
    AppStore Guidelines

    10.6 Apple and our customers place a high value on simple, refined, creative, well thought through interfaces. They take more work but are worth it. Apple sets a high bar. If your user interface is complex or less than very good it may be rejected.
    ===

    it is your GUI (Graphical User Interface) that they reject … from the video, think everything is functioning nicely!

    IMO cosmetic/esthetic problems:
    All caps
    Font
    Colors
    Difficulty reading the text on the pages (which may be the font or lack of text-blocking)

    I would suggest:
    New background image
    Use upper and lower case letters
    Use the standard mainMenu/Home icon instead of Back
    Use a cleaner less bold font (bold fonts blur into blobs when used for text fields)

    some work for you to do … still, you know what you have to fix and that the results will be worth the effort!

    @};- MH
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    the app is looking much better already. i dont want to re do all the exercise sheets as the took ages plus im sure with re doing all the menus like apple menus it might pass. it just bugs me that the older version is much worse in terms of its function and look. you can clearly read all the text on this new version its much better.
  • MotherHooseMotherHoose Member Posts: 2,456
    good choice @error123!

    think Apple originally was less choosy about apps …know I got many,many really bad looking/working ones!
    also, it is sorta the luck-of-the-draw in which tester does your app … some are no doubt more picky than others!

    good luck! and let us know when it is released!

    @};- MH
  • T8TRG8TRT8TRG8TR Member Posts: 120
    @error123 I know what it's like to get a reviewer that's an asshole. Look at my thread below this one... I feel your pain.
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    @T8TRG8TR
    hehe i will look at your thread. wish me luck i will let you know when i re upload the game and wait another 6 days lol
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    i have updated the app and its back in review i will post here if it passes
  • MotherHooseMotherHoose Member Posts: 2,456
    we are all … [-O< … you have better luck this time!

    @};- MH
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    it looks much better motherhoose, thanks to stormy with his ios5 link it helped me alot :)
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    oh **** sake my app was rejected again even after re doing all the graphics and making the interface more user friendly . plus it got rejected for the same reasons as before :(
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    im going to do another youtube video so people can see what i changed this time. can i appeal the reviewer?
  • JohnPapiomitisJohnPapiomitis Member Posts: 6,256
    did you do everything that JeffreyShimane suggested?

    I would do all his suggestions, all that was what came to mind for me as well.
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112



    We found the user interface of your app is not of sufficient quality to be appropriate for the App Store. Apps that provide a poor user experience are not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.

    It would be appropriate to add additional native iOS functionality to the application in order to enhance the user experience. Specifically, features that enable the user to interact with the app rather than just consume information are recommended. For ideas on how to improve the user’s experience, you may wish to review the User Experience Guidelines section of the iOS Human Interface Guidelines.

    i think i should appeal with board now?
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    anyone have any ideas?
  • EbreezeEbreeze Member, PRO Posts: 481
    For any kind of reference, business or utility app you need to use the apple style buttons and interface menu style...go on the app store and check out those type of apps and you will get the idea....just like going into system preferences on your iPhone
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    @ebreeze im sure your right, but why then did apple in 2010 accept my original 1.0 version when that is far more crude in design then this new version. I would not even know how to do a utility style app interface within gamesalad :(
  • wayneh001wayneh001 Member Posts: 300
    Hi Josh,

    I like the idea of your App, but I do see why Apple would reject it, based on it's current layout.
    Apple already have a very neat method for handling data, pages and information - specifically in the form of TAB VIEWS, and UI SCROLL VIEWS. EG, if you look in your CONTACTS or EMAILS or MUSIC on your iPhone, you will see how Apple are expecting the information to be shown and chosen.
    Do a search in Google for "ios tab interface image". You will see lots of visual examples of how to setup your screens.

    Your app currently ignores the basic rules for {data::flow}, ie, how a user sees, finds, chooses and interacts with the data.

    1. Ideally, you should have a TAB MENU at the bottom which are the SECTIONS, ARMS, LEGS, BACK etc.
    2. The selections should be nice and clearly listed (see your CONTACTS or EMAILS) for how they should look.
    3. When a user SELECTS an option the button or selection should highlight to indicate the user has made a choice.
    4. When the user makes a selection, have a TOP BANNER/HEADER giving the user the option to GO BACK
    5. In you INFO pages start the data from the top. Its counter intuitive to have to SCROLL UP at the beginning every time.
    6. Possibly have it so the clicks the picture to receive more info ie {Breathe in when lifting} etc.
    7. Try and have the visuals more muted, ie less GREENS and REDS (more Neutral)

    Whilst GameSalad does not have access to the core Tab Views, UI Controllers etc, they are pretty simple to simulate in GameSalad.
    The link Stormy suggested, or do a search in Google.

    Hope this helps

    Wayne
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    @wayneh001 these are great suggestions, however i dont know how to do any of them with in game salad unless i was shown a tutorial or had some help from someone. :(
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    Sent appeal to apple, hopefully they approve
  • Danneman101Danneman101 Member Posts: 59
    If you log into your apple developer account you will be able to download various code samples written in objective-c. There is a sample called something like "drill-down" that should suit your needs perfectly. It simply has a couple of tables in a hierarchy, and at the bottom view you can place an image-view with your images.

    Alternatively and as suggested before, simply mimic the exact behaviour used by ios tables using the images posted above in a GS project.

    Good luck.
  • error123error123 Member Posts: 112
    my appeal was rejected. some woman on phone said they said it was slow on there phones lol. I tested it on my 3gs and seemed fine to me. she didnt even say much about the ui she said would be nice to add in favorites or something. But i cant do any of that in GS so im stuck on this update project.
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