Xyologic: Google in the world of mobile applications
I think many people remember the days when the Internet was just a disparate set of web pages. The search process as such did not yet exist, therefore it was possible to navigate from site to site only via links within the resources. Then Yahoo! combined sites into directories, but until the advent of Google, most of the Internet remained unindexed. Imagine the year 1994 again. At least in the world of mobile applications.
Despite startups like Zwapp , Appsfire , Yappler , Apptizr, and AppoliciousThat are trying to "clean up", the App Store, Google Play and the Windows Market are still repositories of a chaotic set of applications. Probably everyone is familiar with the situation when they had to wander around the online store for a long time.
Many startups today focus on search engine optimization in the app world. So in early 2012, Apple acquired Chomp for $ 50,000,000 and even used their achievements in iOS 6. But the process is still far from ideal.
Recently, Xyologic , a service with a new approach to search, has appeared on the web . Its creators claim that the search in the usual sense is outdated. “It’s supposed that you are looking only for textual information, but the rapid development of the mobile application market has changed everything,” they say.
The project originated in Berlin after receiving an impressive investment from Signia Venture Partners . There are three employees in the state . At the head is 33-year-old Zoya Adamovich , who is known for her active participation in Internet projects since 1999.
Xyologic began to study user behavior in 2010. According to them, 60% of iOS apps have never been downloaded . Surprisingly, 0.1% of applications receive 50% of downloads. With Android and Windows Phone, things are a little better. For developers, this is a big problem.
The creators of Xyologic realize that it’s hard for people to find an application by simply entering two or three words in the search bar. Only 5% of requests include well-known brands such as Angry Birds, the rest are written in the spirit of "games for five-year-old girls." That is why the developers have divided all the most popular queries into categories.
The technology Natural App Category, implemented by the creators, identifies more than 700 application categories and 100 game genres. At the moment, you can find out all about the applications for Android, iPhone and iPad. A search for Windows Phone is still under development.
The service was created for real people and, above all, in order to “fish out” as many “zombie-software” as possible. Therefore, in each market there is a general rating of applications from different categories. Popularity is assessed in several ways. Of great importance are user reviews. Xyologic also has a semblance of a recommender system.
The creators have implemented another important detail that distinguishes Xyologic from other services: here you can find out the number of downloads of the application. Such information is not publicly available on the App Store, but when collecting analytics, it is often important.
I want to make a reservation right away: the data is very inaccurate. It was experimentally established that in almost all cases the number of downloads indicated there is 2.5-3 times less than the real one. This is sad, but nevertheless, there are numbers from which you can build on. In addition, I still do not fully understand the search logic. Applications with completely different ratings can be almost in equal positions.
If you do not take into account these facts, as well as the fact that the service is currently in beta testing, we can talk about a good attempt to structure the dump of all online stores. “Xyologic proves that Berlin also knows how to make quality start-ups, and not stamp similar ones already available,” the creators say.
By the way, Yandex also made its own search in markets. Has anyone already tried this service in action? How is it compared to Xyologic? Please share your impressions.
Additional links:
3 startups trying to find the right mobile app for you
“Search ... Is Obsolete” Says Xyologic, As It Takes On The Mobile Apps Long Tail
Xyologic unveils search engine to improve mobile app discovery on Android
Xyologic raises Silicon Valley funds, releases new beta search engine for Android apps