How do we Score
If you are reading this article, this means that you are interested in the way we score the compared applications.
First of all we understand that mostly our readers are simple users, who want to find comprehensible information about present applications, which will become useful in their everyday life.
Criteria
Let’s start with the list of criteria, which we used to score all applications after. Generally this list contains:
• Installation
• Trial period
• Interface
• Settings
• Help and Support
• Application in action
• Special features
Installation represents information about the starting point of application usage. When installing any of the applications we examined the easiness and simplicity of this process.
Trial period is an important criterion for those who want to try the application before purchasing it. Together with this the period is really significant, the longer the trial period – the better.
We included Interface as a criterion because the appearance is first what user sees when starting the application. Even just interface can attract user to purchase user-friendly application.
The more options the Settings include to give user a possibility to set the application – the better. User should be able to change settings whenever he needs. This criterion was taken into account in most of the applications.
We think that any application of any kind should contain the Help file for user’s convenience and the Support department should work efficiently to help users any time they need it.
To assure you that the application is worth downloading, we’ve Tried it in action. We changed settings to be sure that it works in accord with the information given in user manual of the application.
To make user interested in the application it should include Special features, which can differentiate it from others.
Criteria scoring
The score of the Installation criterion depends on its simplicity. If no problem occurs we give the application the highest score, otherwise – the score is lower.
The score of the Trial period depends on the duration of the trial.
In case the Interface of the application is interesting and user-friendly, we gave it the high score. If the interface was dull, difficult for understanding the score was low.
Settings should include not only many options, but these options should somehow change the application in the way user would like it. If so the score is high, otherwise- low.
If application included the Help file and the Support department answered in the course of several minutes or an hour we gave the high score, if there was no Help or the support department answered only after several days or even didn’t answer at all – this meant that the application didn’t deserve to be highly scored.
When Trying the application and enjoying it, when the application was really interesting to use we always gave it the high score. If the application was difficult and awkward there was nothing as to give it the low score.
The application becomes interesting when it contains though a couple of Special features, which others don’t have. The high score was given exactly for such applications.
Importance Factors
Having given scores for all the applications, we multiplied them by a corresponding Importance Factor (IF) in order to get the total score value of the application. IFs are points for every criterion; they are subjective and we determine them separately for every kind of application.
Here is an example of IFs for an application:
| Criterion | IF | Score | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | 6 | 10 | 60 |
| Trial period | 8 | 10 | 80 |
| Interface | 8 | 10 | 80 |
| Settings | 4 | 10 | 40 |
| Application in action | 10 | 10 | 100 |
| Help/Support | 6 | 10 | 60 |
| Special features | 4 | 10 | 40 |
Below you can see the diagram showing the correspondence of the importance factors in the overall application score:
Summing up
The procedure of summing up is next:
• Analysis of all components
• Giving components the scores from 1 to 10
• Multiplying the scores by a corresponding Importance Factor
• Summarizing of the received results
• And finally getting the total score value of the application
Winners
In any of our articles you can find a winner of the comparison. Trying to be really objective to all applications, we took into consideration vividness, simplicity and topicality of every of it. Of course we’ve received our winners judging from the results of comparison, but you can have your own idea about the winner.