I love to develop mobile apps as a hobby, the first app I published was a very simple RSS client I built in college, It was for Windows Phone 7 and I uploaded it to the Windows Phone Marketplace.

I know... My first app ever was destined to die 💀, and not only the first one, because the moment I saw in my dev dashboard that someone besides my mom had downloaded my app I went crazy and eventually I create another 4 apps for Windows Phone before I even get started with Android.

I don't regret it at all to have put my time and effort into creating these apps. I learned huge when building them and also it took me to the very answer of why I think every developer should create a mobile app:

User Reviews

In one of this apps I got my first user review:

Yes, that is my first review ever, and as much as first it made me sad because donna didn't understand the purpose of my movie suggestions app, I've come to realize user reviews are the reason I create mobile apps and here are a few reasons why I find them so valuable.

Impact

User reviews give you a lot of useful information about your app and your users. It is the first indicator that your app is making an impact, either positive or negative in your user's lives, they're taking the time to write a review and express their experience while using your app. It feels much better when it's a good one.

Interaction

With user reviews, you're able to come close to your users and interact with them. You can offer support, ask follow-up questions or simply say thanks. With this interaction, you build a sense of community around your app.

Improvement

User reviews are about developing better software for your users, paying attention to your user's needs can impact your app bottom line and enables you to create a better product.

Receiving user reviews feels great, it's amazing to know that there are people all around the world using your app and that it is making an impact on their lives. Take the improvement opportunity from the bad reviews and the joy and satisfaction of the good ones.