Field notes for app builders

Small apps.
Big questions.

A strange little utility. A stubborn user problem. A business hiding in plain sight. Pull up a chair.

The reading room 10

Tools & decisions01

The best app research tool depends on whether you are choosing a niche, improving a listing or studying acquisition.

Tools & decisions02

A seven-question test for deciding whether an app intelligence subscription will earn its keep.

Tools & decisions03

A practical way to combine public store listings, reviews, publisher sites and your own notes.

Tools & decisions04

How to budget for research tools without buying the same answer three times.

Tools & decisions05

The questions that make broader app intelligence worth evaluating—and the questions it still cannot answer for you.

Tools & decisions06

A practical comparison checklist for two products aimed at finding interesting mobile apps.

Tools & decisions07

Where to draw the comparison today, and why planned features should not get credit.

Tools & decisions08

A founder’s way to compare discovery, evidence and repeatable monitoring without a wall of checkmarks.

Tools & decisions09

How a small studio can evaluate broader intelligence without borrowing an enterprise team’s shopping list.

Tools & decisions10

Why AppTweak-style store research and AppFollow-style feedback workflows deserve separate evaluation criteria.